Search

ObjectivesTo test the hypothesis that certain individual, environmental and lifestyle factors are positively associated with beneficial health investment behaviours and oral/periodontal health among adolescents.MethodsFive hundred and six randomly selected 19-year old subjects living in two different areas (Fyrbodal and Skaraborg) in the county council of Västra Götaland, Sweden participated in a clinical examination and answered questionnaires covering psycho-social and health behavioural issues. Two oral-health models were estimated with gingivitis score as an objective and self-perceived oral health as a subjective indicator. Three health- investment behaviour models were designed with indicators directly related to oral health and two with indicators related to general health as well. The explanatory variables included gender, upper secondary education programme, native country, living area, general self-efficacy and parents’ education level.ResultsIn the objective oral-health model, theoretical studies and living in the Skaraborg area were both positively associated with a lower gingivitis score. For the subjective oral-health indicator, none of the explanatory variables showed statistical significance. In the investment-behaviour model with ‘tooth-brushing ≥ 2 times daily’ as a health indicator, female gender and theoretical studies showed statistically significant associations. With the indicators ‘no/few missed dental appointments’, ‘no tobacco use’ and ‘weekly exercise’, theoretical studies were statistically significant and positively associated. In the investment model with ‘perceived oral health care attention’ as an indicator, a high score of general self-efficacy was significantly associated with the feeling of taking good care of the teeth.ConclusionsIndividual, environmental and lifestyle factors are associated with young individuals’ oral health investment behaviours and gingival health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the association of systemic diseases, use of medications, allergies and tobacco habits with geographic tongue (GT) and fissured tongue (FT) lesions. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of tongue lesions and to compare the overall results for referred and non-referred patients.Methodology: Non-referred patients with GT (GTgp; n = 130) and FT (FTgp; n = 62) were examined by general practitioners (gp) and compared to a control group without oral mucosal lesions (C; n = 1029). Referred patients with GT (GTs; n = 166) and FT (FTs; n = 15) were examined by oral medicine specialists (s) and compared to GTgp and FTgp. Statistical analyses were performed using unpaired t-test or Fisher's exact test. A multiple logistic regression model was developed to control for age and gender as confounders.Results: Compared to the C group, GTgp patients used more anti-hypertensive medications and Swedish snus (p < 0.01). The GTgp group consisted of older males (p < 0.001) compared to C. Compared to the GTgp group, the GTs group was younger, more likely to have symptomatic lesions (p < 0.0001) and comprised of more females. Among the groups examined, FT patients had the highest mean age.Conclusion: This study identified an association between GT and anti-hypertensive medications, as well as the use of Swedish snus. It also found differences in the activities and symptoms of the lesions between referred patients and their counterparts who were seen in general dental practice; these parameters influenced the results when these conditions were taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective.To investigate the dental health of Swedish children and adolescents with reference to age, gender and residence.Material and methods.Electronic dental records from 300,988 3–19-year-olds in one Swedish region were derived in a cross-sectional study in years 2007–2009. The DMFT system was used. Age was categorized into 3–6/7–9/10–12/13–15/16–17/18–19-year-olds and residence into ‘metropolitan’, ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ areas. ANOVA, generalized linear regression models and Fisher’s exact test were used.Results.Among 7–9-year-old children, nine out of 10 were free from fillings and manifest caries, while for 18–19-year-olds; this proportion was one third. Girls (18–19-year-olds) had a significantly lower risk of caries compared to boys of the same age, RR for the DT index = 0.83 (95% CI = 0.81–0.85). This pattern was reversed in 7–12-year-old children. Children and adolescents in metropolitan and urban areas had significantly more caries than subjects in rural areas, for instance the RR for the DT index in metropolitan 7–9-year-olds was 2.26 (95% CI = 2.11–2.42) compared to their rural counterparts.Conclusions.In the permanent dentition, the overall pattern revealed that girls ≤ 12 years had a higher risk of caries, while adolescent girls had a lower risk of caries, both compared with boys of corresponding ages. Living in an urban or metropolitan area entailed a higher risk of caries than living in a rural area. A greater occurrence of dental caries in adolescents than in children was confirmed. The findings should have implications for planning and evaluation of oral health promotion and disease prevention activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To evaluate if the presence of periodontitis is associated with carotid arterial calcifications diagnosed on panoramic radiographs in an elderly population.Materials and Methods: Study individuals were randomly selected from the Swedish civil registration database representing the aging population (60-96 years) in Karlskrona, Sweden. Bleeding on probing (BOP) and the deepest probing measurement at each tooth were registered. The proportions of teeth with a probing depth ≥ 5 mm and the proportion of teeth with bleeding on probing were calculated. Analog panoramic radiographs were taken and the proportion of sites with a distance ≥ 5 mm between the alveolar bone level and the cement-enamel junction (CEJ) were assessed. A diagnosis of periodontitis was declared if a distance between the alveolar bone level and the CEJ ≥ 5 mm could be identified from the panoramic radiographs at > 10% of sites, probing depth of ≥ 5 mm at one tooth or more and with BOP at > 20% of teeth.Results: Readable radiographs were obtained from 499 individuals. Carotid calcification was identified in 39.1%. Individuals were diagnosed with periodontitis in 18.4%. Data analysis demonstrated that individuals with periodontitis had a higher prevalence of carotid calcifications (Pearson χ(2) = 4.05 p < 0.05) and with a likelihood of 1.5 (95% CI = 1.0, 2.3, p < 0.05).Conclusions: Data analysis demonstrated a significant association between periodontitis and carotid calcification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze dentist's clinical decision-making related to treatment need for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in an adult population.Materials and Methods: The study population comprised 779 randomly selected 35, 50, 65 and 75 year old individuals living in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden. The participants filled out a questionnaire and were examined clinically according to a structured protocol. The four examiners (two men, two women) were experienced dentists and were calibrated before the start of the study. After examination they individually assessed the need of treatment owing to TMD.Results: In total, 15% of the study population was considered to have a treatment need owing to TMD. The highest estimate was noted for 35 and 50 years old women and the lowest for 65 and 75 years old men. Overall, 21% of the women and 8% of the men were considered to have a treatment need owing to TMD, with statistically significant differences between men and women for the 35 and 50 years old groups. Inter-individual variations in dentists' decisions were observed. In a multivariate analysis, female gender, signs and symptoms of TMD pain, signs and symptoms of TMD dysfunction and smoking were associated with estimated treatment need.Conclusions: The prevalence of estimated treatment need owing to TMD was fairly high, but the dentists' clinical decision-making process showed large inter-individual variability. The observation calls for further research on the factors affecting the decision-making process in care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]