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Objective: We report the development and validation of a comprehensive Parenting and Child Tooth brushing Assessment (PACTA) questionnaire. Methods: This cross‐sectional study was conducted with community‐recruited Australian parents (N = 450) of children aged 2‐8 years. Parents completed an online survey including the newly developed PACTA (comprising four scales assessing children's tooth brushing behaviours, parenting strategies, attitudes and knowledge) and established scales assessing parenting behaviours, attitudes and self‐efficacy. Results: Exploratory factor analyses revealed two‐factor structures for scales assessing child behaviour ('noncompliance' and 'avoidance behaviour'), parenting strategies ('effective strategies' and 'ineffective strategies') and attitudes ('emotional reactions' and 'lack of concern'), whereas the knowledge scale was unidimensional. Internal consistencies were satisfactory (>0.7) for all except the knowledge scale. There was good evidence of convergent and predictive validity. All subscales predicted children's parent‐reported tooth brushing frequency; children were more likely to brush at least twice per day when parents reported fewer tooth brushing behavioural problems, using effective parenting strategies, and having better attitudes and knowledge. Poorer scores on the 'lack of concern' subscale of the attitudes scale were the strongest unique predictor of twice‐daily brushing (OR, 95% CI: 1.51, 1.36‐1.67). Conclusions: PACTA demonstrates satisfactory validity and reliability. Further research assessing sensitivity to change following intervention is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To report on changes in dental caries experience in children of a remote Indigenous community following 6 years of passive preventive intervention (PPI) and 2 years of active preventive intervention (API). Methods: Five consecutive cross‐sectional surveys were conducted on 4‐ to 15‐year‐old school going children between 2004 and 2017 following phases of Community Water Fluoridation (CWF), post‐cessation of CWF and API. Following treatment of any cavities present, API included selective placement of fissure sealants (FS) and an annual application of povidone‐iodine (PI) and fluoride varnish (FV). The World Health Organization's (WHO) "Oral Health Surveys – Basic Methods (4th Edition)" methodology was used in the first two and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS‐II) in the latter three surveys. ICDAS‐II codes of 3‐6, representing advanced caries, were combined to allow comparison to the decayed component of the DMF caries index. Results: Age‐weighted mean dmft decreased by 37.7% in the deciduous (DD) and DMFT by 35% in the permanent (PD) dentitions between the pre‐ and post‐CWF surveys, followed by increases of 25% and 7.7%, respectively, between the 1‐year and 4‐year post‐CWF surveys. After 2 years of API, mean dmft decreased by 14.3% and DMFT by 7.1%. Untreated dental caries however remained a concern in the DD and PD during both phases of PPI and of API. The decline in caries experience for both dentitions following 2 years of API exceeded that for the 6‐year period of PPI. Conclusions: The annual reductions in caries experience of 7.2% (DD) and 8% (PD) during the phase of API exceeded annual decreases of 4.7% (DD) and 4.6% (PD) during the phase of PPI. Due to remoteness, cost and logistics in ensuring long‐term viability of API programmes, CWF remains necessary in this type of community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amarasinghe HK, Usgodaarachchi US, Johnson NW, Lalloo R, Warnakulasuriya S. Public awareness of oral cancer, of oral potentially malignant disorders and of their risk factors in some rural populations in Sri Lanka. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 540-548. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S The aim of this study was to investigate the level of public awareness of oral cancer, of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and of risk factors for developing these diseases in a province of Sri Lanka, a country with one of the highest incidences of these diseases in the world. A cross-sectional community-based survey was carried out in Sabaragamuwa province by interviewing 1029 subjects above 30 years of age, over a 1-year period from November 2006. The level of public awareness of oral cancer was 84%, but only 23% for OPMD. Awareness was especially poor in low socioeconomic groups. The majority of subjects were not aware of the symptoms of oral cancer and of OPMD. Thirty-two percent were unaware that chewing betel quid was a risk factor for these diseases, as were 65% for tobacco smoking and 81% for heavy consumption of alcohol. Overall, 76% were not aware of any of the dangers inherent in the frequent use of areca nut. The majority of smokers, betel quid chewers and alcohol consumers were not aware that their lifestyles were placing their long-term health at serious risk. Knowledge of oral cancer, OPMD and their associated risk factors was poor among this population, indicating an urgent need to implement public health education and promotion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]