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Background: In Australia, Aboriginal adults experience higher levels of poor oral and general health than the non‐Aboriginal population. This study compared self‐rated oral and general health among Aboriginal adults in regional South Australia with participants in the National Survey of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH). Methods: Data were obtained from the Indigenous Oral Health Literacy Project (IOHLP) based in South Australia. Three sub‐populations from the NSAOH were utilised for comparison: National Aboriginal, National non‐Aboriginal and South Australian Regional Non‐Aboriginal adults. All data were standardised by age group and sex, utilising Census data. Results: Just over 70% of South Australian Regional Aboriginal participants gave a rating of 'excellent, very good or good' for general health, more than 17% lower than each of the other groups. Just over 50% rated their oral health highly, 20% fewer than the proportion for each other group. Stratifying by key socio‐demographic factors did not account for all differences. Conclusions: Proportionally fewer South Australian Regional Aboriginal adults had high ratings of oral and general health than the Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal adults from the national survey, indicating that national‐level data might underestimate the proportion of regional Aboriginal Australians with poor oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease are highly prevalent among Indigenous Australian adults. Untreated periodontitis impacts glycaemic control in people with diabetes. The aim of this study was to report on the effect of periodontal therapy on glycaemic control among people with obesity. Methods This subgroup analysis is limited to 62 participants with diabetes from the original 273 Aboriginal Australian adults enrolled into the PerioCardio study. Intervention participants received full-mouth non-surgical periodontal scaling during a single, untimed session while controls were untreated. Endpoints of interest included change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), C-reactive protein ( CRP) and periodontal status at 3 months post-intervention. Results There were more females randomized to the treatment group ( n = 17) than control ( n = 10) while the control group had a higher overall body mass index ( BMI) [mean ( SD)] 33.1 (9.7 kg m−2) versus 29.9 (6.0 kg m−2). A greater proportion of males were followed up at 3 months compared to females, P = 0.05. Periodontal therapy did not significantly reduce HbA1c: ancova difference in means 0.22 mmol mol−1 (95% CI −6.25 to 6.69), CRP: ancova difference in means 0.64 (95% CI −1.08, 2.37) or periodontal status at 3 months. Conclusions Non-surgical periodontal therapy did not significantly reduce glycated haemoglobin in participants with type 2 diabetes. Reasons are likely to be multifactorial and may be influenced by persistent periodontal inflammation at the follow-up appointments. Alternatively, the BMI of study participants may impact glycaemic control via alternative mechanisms involving the interplay between inflammation and adiposity meaning HbA1c may not be amenable to periodontal therapy in these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The reasons why social inequality is associated with oral health outcomes is poorly understood. This study investigated whether stratification by different measures of socio-economic status ( SES) helped elucidate these associations. Methods Cross-sectional survey data were used from Australia's 2004-06 National Survey of Adult Oral Health. The outcome variable was poor self-rated oral health. Explanatory variables comprised five domains: demographic, economic, general health behaviour, oral health-related quality of life and perceived need for dental care. These explanatory variables were each stratified by three measures of SES: education, income and occupation. Results The overall proportion of adults reporting fair or poor oral health was 17.0% (95% CI 16.1, 18.0). Of these, a higher proportion were older, Indigenous, non-Australian born, poorly educated, annual income <$20 000, unemployed, eligible for public dental care, smoked tobacco, avoided food in the last 12 months, experienced discomfort with their dental appearance, experienced toothache or reported a need for dental care. In stratified analyses, a greater number of differences persisted in the oral health impairment and perceived need for dental care domains. Conclusions Irrespective of the SES measure used, more associations between self-rated oral health and dental-specific factors were observed than associations between self-rated oral health and general factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A study undertaken in 1992-1993 identified that HIV-infected dental patients were substantially disadvantaged with regard to the social impact of their oral disease. The oral pain experienced by HIV-positive patients prior to the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy ( cART) was attributable to specific features of HIV-related periodontal disease and other oral manifestations of HIV such as candida infections and xerostomia. A repeat of this study in 2009-2010 provided additional information in the post- cART era. Methods Data were collected from three sources: the 2009-2010 HIV-positive sample, the National Survey of Adult Oral Health ( NSAOH) and the original 1992-1993 study. Collation of data was by clinical and radiographic oral examination. Information about the social impact of oral conditions was obtained from the Oral Health Impact Profile. Results The caries experience of the 2009-2010 HIV-positive sample was improved with statistical significance for both mean DMFT and mean DT, while the presence of HIV-related periodontal disease still occurs. Statistically significant improvements were achieved for prevalence and severity of oral health related quality of life. Conclusions The need for timely access to oral health care with a focus on prevention is essential for HIV-positive individuals whose health is impacted by chronic disease, smoking and salivary hypofunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 11-week feeding trial was carried out to determine the effects of the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus casei from the commercial product Yakult® on the growth performance, proximal composition, protein content of skin mucus and stress resistance of juvenile Porthole livebearer Poeciliopsis gracilis. Triplicate groups of 15 juveniles per tank with an initial weight of 47 ± 9 mg (mean ± standard deviation) were fed with Artemia nauplii enriched with the probiotic, by using the bacteria cells plus the fermented milk (group ProN) and the other (group ProC) by using only the bacterial cells, eliminating the fermented milk by centrifugation. A control of fish was set up, by feeding non-enriched Artemia nauplii. Growth performance and survival rates did not show significantly differences among the treatments and control group, but a slightly tendency of higher values for body weight, weight gain and specific growth rate was observed in the juveniles of ProC treatment. Whole body proximate composition did not show significant differences among the groups, but higher values of protein and lipid contents were observed in the groups fed with the probiotic. Content of protein in the skin mucus were significantly higher in the ProC treatment than control group. Recovery rates after an air-dive test were significantly higher on the fish fed with the probiotic cells than the control group. These results show that L. casei might be used as a probiotic for fish and would help during the culture of juvenile of the Porthole livebearer P. gracilis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Australian adults reportedly have poor oral health when compared to 28 other OECD countries. The Australian ranking was based on edentulism and caries experience data from selected age groups that apparently were collected in 1987–88. The objective of this study was to compare the oral health of Australian adults with that of three other western countries that have comprehensive oral health survey data. Methods: Published data were obtained from the NHANES 2003–2004, the Fourth German Oral Health Study 2005 and the UK Adult Dental Health Survey 1998. Data from the Australian NSAOH 2004–06 were analysed to generate comparable age-specific estimates using nine dental clinical indicators, two measures of oral hygiene behaviour and two of dental attendance. Results: Australia had the best oral health based on two clinical indicators, was equal first on three indicators and ranked second in the remaining clinical indicators. Australia ranked first or second based on dental flossing, use of mouthwash and frequency of dental attendance. Conclusions: The oral health of the Australian adult population was among the best of the four nations studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent in renal transplant candidates; however, its effect on the transplant outcome is still controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of HCV infection in the outcome of kidney transplantation in a single transplant center. The study population 144 HCV− randomized selected patients and 64 HCV+ patients transplanted from 1973 to 2000, followed for up to 60 months post-transplantation. This retrospective study included the following variables: type of dialysis, time on renal replacement therapy, number of transfusions before and after transplantation, number of transplants, type of donor, immunosuppression, and rejection episodes. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate graft and patient survival. Log-rank test was used to assess the difference in survival between HCV+ and HCV−. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the relation between graft and patient survival. HCV+ and HCV− patients had similar demographic and clinical characteristics; however, a higher number of HCV+ patients received blood transfusions after transplantation. Patient survival was not significantly different in 39 HCV+ and 96 HCV− patients transplanted with living-related donors (71% and 77% at five yr, respectively). Similarly, there was not significant difference in 25 HCV+ and 48 HCV− patients transplanted with kidneys from deceased donors, although there was a tendency to better outcome in HCV− patients (55% and 72% at five yr respectively). Regarding graft survival, there was also no differences in HCV+ and HCV− recipients of living-related grafts (61% and 66% at five yr post-transplant, respectively) and recipients of kidneys from deceases donors (44% and 41%, respectively). The results show that HCV+ patients can be transplanted with the same success than HCV− patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study aimed to estimate the incidence/progression and reversal of chronic periodontitis and to identify factors associated with chronic periodontitis in Australian adults over a 12-year period., Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from the longitudinal component of the National Study of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH) in 2004-2006, and repeated data, among the same adults, in 2017-2018. NSAOH 2004-2006 was a population-based study of Australian adults aged 15+ years. The American Academy of Periodontology/European Federation of Periodontology case definitions were used, and then compared with two other case definitions. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and reversal rate ratio (RRRs) of periodontitis., Results: A total of 775 dentate Australian adults had dental examinations at both times. The proportion of incidence/progression and reversal among Australian adults was 56.4% and 11.0%, respectively. Tobacco smokers presented with more than three times higher incidence (IRR: 3.32, 95% CI: 1.50-7.60) and lower reversals (RRR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.39-0.98) than those who had never smoked. Cessation of smoking was positively associated with periodontitis reversal. The total incidence/progression was 471.7/10,000 person-years, with reversal being 107.5/10,000 person-years. The average number of teeth lost due to periodontal disease was 1.9 in 2017-2018. Being male and not having periodontal treatment were significant risk markers for the incidence/progression of periodontitis., Conclusion: Smoking is a risk factor for periodontitis. Cessation of smoking is an effective means of reducing the incidence and progression of chronic periodontitis, to reduce the risk of tooth loss, and to improve overall periodontal health., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)