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Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that Sjögren's disease (SjD) increases the risk of dental caries. Despite similar evidence indicating an elevated risk of periodontitis, SjD remains a disputed risk factor for this disease. The risk of bias in observational research is a major impediment to confirming this link. Within an instrumental variable framework, genetic variants associated with a risk factor can be used to proxy its effect on an outcome while avoiding common sources of observational study bias. In this study, we leveraged an instrumental variable approach to investigate whether SjD affects the risk of caries and periodontitis. A total of 57 genetic variants strongly associated with SjD were identified from a genome-wide association study of 2,247 European descent cases and 332,115 controls. We tested for associations of these genetic instruments with caries (measured as the number of decayed, missing, and filled surfaces in 26,792 individuals) and periodontitis (17,353 clinical periodontitis cases and 28,210 European controls). Several sensitivity analyses were used to further validate the primary inverse variance weighted (IVW) estimate. IVW analysis revealed an adverse effect of SjD on caries (β = 0.039, P = 6.3e-16) and periodontitis (odds ratio = 1.033, P = 2.3e-05). Sensitivity analyses, conducted to assess the robustness to potential violations of instrumental variable assumptions, further support these findings. Our results showed that SjD has a detrimental effect on caries and also suggest that SjD promotes periodontitis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Aim: To determine the long-term effects of the use of powered tooth brush (PTB) in comparison to manual tooth brush (MTB) on periodontitis severity, coronal caries experience, and the number of missing teeth using in a population-based cohort study., Materials and Methods: Using 7-year follow-up data of 2214 participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND), comprehensively adjusted linear models using generalized least squares and ordinal regression models estimated the effects of PTB usage on dental outcomes in complete case and imputed data., Results: At follow-up, PTB users had lower medians for mean probing depth (PD; 2.21 mm) and mean clinical attachment levels (1.73 mm) than MTB users (2.30 and 1.96 mm, respectively). Adjusted models revealed the beneficial effects of PTB usage on follow-up levels of plaque, bleeding on probing, mean PD, percentage of sites with PDs ≥4 mm, mean clinical attachment levels (all, interdental, and non-interdental sites, respectively), and the number of missing teeth. For the number of missing teeth, the effects were more pronounced in participants aged ≥50 years. No significant effects of PTB usage on the number of decayed or filled surfaces (all and interdental sites) were found., Conclusions: A recommendation of PTB usage in dental practice could contribute to the long-term promotion of oral health., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Genetic risk factors play important roles in the etiology of oral, dental, and craniofacial diseases. Identifying the relevant risk loci and understanding their molecular biology could highlight new prevention and management avenues. Our current understanding of oral health genomics suggests that dental caries and periodontitis are polygenic diseases, and very large sample sizes and informative phenotypic measures are required to discover signals and adequately map associations across the human genome. In this article, we introduce the second wave of the Gene-Lifestyle Interactions and Dental Endpoints consortium (GLIDE2) and discuss relevant data analytics challenges, opportunities, and applications. In this phase, the consortium comprises a diverse, multiethnic sample of over 700,000 participants from 21 studies contributing clinical data on dental caries experience and periodontitis. We outline the methodological challenges of combining data from heterogeneous populations, as well as the data reduction problem in resolving detailed clinical examination records into tractable phenotypes, and describe a strategy that addresses this. Specifically, we propose a 3-tiered phenotyping approach aimed at leveraging both the large sample size in the consortium and the detailed clinical information available in some studies, wherein binary, severity-encompassing, and "precision," data-driven clinical traits are employed. As an illustration of the use of data-driven traits across multiple cohorts, we present an application of dental caries experience data harmonization in 8 participating studies ( N = 55,143) using previously developed permanent dentition tooth surface-level dental caries pattern traits. We demonstrate that these clinical patterns are transferable across multiple cohorts, have similar relative contributions within each study, and thus are prime targets for genetic interrogation in the expanded and diverse multiethnic sample of GLIDE2. We anticipate that results from GLIDE2 will decisively advance the knowledge base of mechanisms at play in oral, dental, and craniofacial health and disease and further catalyze international collaboration and data and resource sharing in genomics research.

Aim: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the changes in the number of teeth present and the number of healthy or filled surfaces between two time points., Materials and Methods: Repeated cross-sectional data from population-based studies, namely the German Oral Health Studies (DMS-III vs. DMS-V), the Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-START-0 vs. SHIP-TREND-0), and the Jönköping study (2003 vs. 2013), were analysed. Oaxaca decomposition models were constructed for the outcomes (number of teeth, number of healthy surfaces, and number of filled surfaces)., Results: The number of teeth increased between examinations (DMS: +2.26 [adults], +4.92 [seniors], SHIP: +1.67, Jönköping: +0.96). Improvements in education and dental awareness brought a positive change in all outcomes. An increase in powered toothbrushing and inter-dental cleaning had a great impact in DMS (adults: +0.25 tooth, +0.78 healthy surface, +0.38 filled surface; seniors: +1.19 teeth, 5.79 healthy surfaces, +0.48 filled surface). Inter-dental cleaning decreased by 4% between SHIP-START-0 and SHIP-TREND-0, which negatively affected the outcomes., Conclusions: From this study, it can be concluded that education may be the most important factor having a direct and indirect effect on the outcomes. However, for better oral health, powered toothbrushing and inter-dental cleaning should not be neglected., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess 10-year trends in coronal caries in adults aged 20-83 years using data from the two-representative population-based Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-0/SHIP-Trend-0)., Methods: Repeated cross-sectional data from 4,286 SHIP-0 and 3,913 SHIP-Trend-0 participants were analysed. Carious, filled and missing teeth/surfaces were recorded in a half-mouth design and the DMF-T/S scores and sound surfaces/teeth were calculated according to WHO criteria. Trends in DMF-T/S scores and its single components were presented stratified by age group and sex., Results: A statistically significant decline in coronal caries experience (DMF-T and DMF-S) in adults aged 20 to 83 years as well as for D-T/S components was observed. The proportion of edentulous participants was almost halved from 8.7% (SHIP-0) to 5.1% (SHIP-Trend-0), while the number of M-T declined from 4.4 to 3.5 revealing an overall clear shift to a higher retention rate of teeth. In younger adults (25-34 years) 3.8 more sound teeth (17.2 sound surfaces) were found in average in the mouth and in elderly (65-74 years) a clear shift from extracted to filled teeth was observed (M-T reduced by 5.4, while F-T increased by 4). Regarding sex differences, females had consistently on average higher MF-T/S values, but lower D-T/S values than males., Conclusion: A clinically relevant drop in the severity of coronal caries experience in all adult age groups in Northeast Germany shows that not only reductions in caries experience in adolescence translated into adulthood but also later improvements led to long-term oral health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Currently, there is no comprehensive presentation of trends in oral diseases in the German general population over the last 20 years., Objectives: How did prevalences of caries, periodontitis, and tooth loss and their determinants change in Germany between 1997 and 2014?, Materials and Methods: We analysed data from 35- to 44-year-olds and 65- to 74-year-olds from the German Oral Health Studies ("Deutsche Mundgesundheitsstudien" [DMS]) III to V and of 25- to 74-year-olds from the Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP‑0 and SHIP-Trend-0). The decayed, missing, filled teeth index (DMFT), the number of sound teeth, the community periodontal index (CPI), and data on tooth count and edentulism were analysed., Results: Regarding determinants, an increase in subjects with high school education, a slight decrease in smokers, and an increase in better oral hygiene patterns was observed in both studies. In 35- to 44-year-olds, the number of sound teeth increased from 11.9 in DMS III to 16.8 in DMS V, while in 65- to 74-year-olds the number of sound teeth increased by 5.9. A similar trend was observed in SHIP. In DMS, the prevalence of the highest CPI score of 4 decreased from 9.3% to 3.5% in 35- to 44-year-olds; in 65- to 74-year-olds, the 2014 prevalence was at the same level as in 1997 (10.5% and 9.8%). In parallel, the percentage of edentulous 65- to 74-year-olds halved in both studies. The number of teeth increased across all age strata., Conclusions: DMS and SHIP consistently showed an increase in the number of healthy teeth free of fillings, a slight reduction of subjects with a CPI score of 4, more tooth retention, and less edentulism. Because of more tooth retention and current demographic changes, higher periodontal treatment needs might be expected for the future.

The long-term effectiveness of powered toothbrushes (PTBs) and interdental cleaning aids (IDAs) on a population level is unproven. We evaluated to what extent changes in PTB and IDA use may explain changes in periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss over the course of 17 y using data for adults (35 to 44 y) and seniors (65 to 74 y) from 3 independent cross-sectional surveys of the German Oral Health Studies (DMS). Oaxaca decomposition analyses assessed to what extent changes in mean probing depth (PD), number of caries-free surfaces, and number of teeth between 1) DMS III and DMS V and 2) DMS IV and DMS V could be explained by changes in PTB and IDA use. Between DMS III and V, PTB (adults: 33.5%; seniors: 28.5%) and IDA use (adults: 32.5%; seniors: 41.4%) increased along with an increase in mean PD, number of caries-free surfaces, and number of teeth. Among adults, IDA use contributed toward increased number of teeth between DMS III and V as well as DMS IV and V. In general, the estimates for adults were of lower magnitude. Among seniors between DMS III and V, PTB and IDA use explained a significant amount of explained change in the number of caries-free surfaces (1.72 and 5.80 out of 8.44, respectively) and the number of teeth (0.49 and 1.25 out of 2.19, respectively). Between DMS IV and V, PTB and IDA use contributed most of the explained change in caries-free surfaces (0.85 and 1.61 out of 2.72, respectively) and the number of teeth (0.25 and 0.46 out of 0.94, respectively) among seniors. In contrast to reported results from short-term clinical studies, in the long run, both PTB and IDA use contributed to increased number of caries-free healthy surfaces and teeth in both adults and seniors.

Background: Caries and periodontitis are highly prevalent worldwide. Because detailed data on these oral diseases were collected within the framework of the German National Cohort (GNC), associations between oral and systemic diseases and conditions can be investigated., Objectives: The study protocol for the oral examination was designed to ensure a comprehensive collection of dental findings by trained non-dental staff within a limited examination time. At the mid-term of the GNC baseline examination, a first quality evaluation was performed to check the plausibility of results and to propose measures to improve the data quality., Materials and Methods: A dental interview, saliva sampling and oral diagnostics were conducted. As part of the level‑1 examination, the number of teeth and prostheses were recorded. As part of the level‑2 examination, detailed periodontal, cariological and functional aspects were examined. All examinations were conducted by trained non-dental personnel. Parameters were checked for plausibility and variable distributions were descriptively analysed., Results: Analyses included data of 57,967 interview participants, 56,913 level‑1 participants and 6295 level‑2 participants. Percentages of missing values for individual clinical parameters assessed in level 1 and level 2 ranged between 0.02 and 3.9%. Results showed a plausible distribution of the data; rarely, implausible values were observed, e.g. for measurements of horizontal and vertical overbite (overjet and overbite). Intra-class correlation coefficients indicated differences in individual parameters between regional clusters, study centres and across different examiners., Conclusions: The results confirm the feasibility of the study protocol by non-dental personnel and its successful integration into the GNC's overall assessment program. However, rigorous dental support of the study centres is required for quality management.

We estimated effects of diabetes mellitus and metabolic control on long-term change in coronal caries and restorative status using 11-year-follow-up data from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. Data of 3731 participants with baseline and 5- and 11-year follow-up information were included. Diabetes was defined via self-reported physician´s diagnosis or intake of glucose-lowering drugs or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥6.5% or fasting blood glucose levels ≥11.1 mmol/l. The diabetes status was defined as no diabetes (HbA1c < 6.5% or non-fasting blood glucose <11.1 mmol/l), subjects with known or undetected diabetes mellitus and HbA1c ≤ 7% (well-controlled diabetes), and subjects with known or undetected diabetes mellitus and HbA1c > 7% (poorly-controlled diabetes). The caries status was clinically assessed using the half-mouth method and the Decayed Missing Filled Surfaces (DMFS) index and its component scores were determined. Covariate-adjusted linear mixed models were evaluated. Rates in change in DMFS were significantly higher in subjects with poorly-controlled diabetes compared to subjects without diabetes. Subjects with poorly- and well-controlled diabetes had significantly higher rates in change in Missing Surfaces (MS) compared to subjects without diabetes. For the DFS, rates in change were significantly lower for subjects with well-controlled diabetes and higher for subjects with poorly-controlled diabetes as compared to subjects without diabetes. Concordantly, all rates in change increased proportional to HbA1c levels. Effects were even more pronounced in subjects with diabetes duration of ≥5 years. Subjects with poorly-controlled diabetes are at higher risk for caries progression compared to subjects without diabetes, especially in case of longer disease duration.

Aims: This study aimed to assess 11-year longitudinal effects of powered toothbrush on periodontal health, caries and tooth loss in an adult population., Materials and Methods: Participants of Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) cohort with dental examinations and interview data at SHIP-1, SHIP-2 or SHIP-3 examinations were included. Mixed-effects linear regression models were constructed between the exposure (manual versus powered toothbrush) and outcome variables (periodontal status using mean probing depth (PD) and mean clinical attachment loss (CAL), caries status using DMFS and DFS scores, and tooth loss), adjusting for potential baseline covariates., Results: Final baseline (SHIP-1) study sample comprised of 2,819 participants. Powered toothbrush users increased from 18.3% (SHIP-1) to 36.9% (SHIP-3); were younger; had significantly less mean PD [β: -0.09 (95% CI: -0.16; -0.02)] and mean CAL [β: -0.19 (95% CI: -0.32; -0.07)] progressions; and had 17.7% less DMFS progression and 19.5% more teeth retained than the manual toothbrushers., Conclusions: In the long-term, powered toothbrush seems to be effective in reducing mean PD and mean CAL progressions, besides increasing the number of teeth retained., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dental caries and periodontitis account for a vast burden of morbidity and healthcare spending, yet their genetic basis remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we identify self-reported dental disease proxies which have similar underlying genetic contributions to clinical disease measures and then combine these in a genome-wide association study meta-analysis, identifying 47 novel and conditionally-independent risk loci for dental caries. We show that the heritability of dental caries is enriched for conserved genomic regions and partially overlapping with a range of complex traits including smoking, education, personality traits and metabolic measures. Using cardio-metabolic traits as an example in Mendelian randomization analysis, we estimate causal relationships and provide evidence suggesting that the processes contributing to dental caries may have undesirable downstream effects on health.

Objectives: The German reunification (1990) resulted in huge social upheavals in East Germany involving changes in health-care systems. We aimed to assess the changes of dental health between 1989 and 2005, hypothesizing that dental health converged in West and East Germany., Methods: We evaluated data from 855 East and 1,456 West Germans aged 35-44 years from the cross-sectional German Oral Health Studies (Deutsche Mundgesundheitsstudien) conducted in 1989/92, 1997, and 2005. Regression models were applied to assess associations between region, survey year, their interactions and variables assessing dental disease status [number of decayed (DT), missing (MT), and filled teeth (FT), the DMFT-index, the probability of having ≤ 20 teeth and the number of sound teeth (ST)], adjusting for potential risk factors for caries., Results: After a slight increase of MT between 1989/92 and 1997 (West: 3.6 to 3.6; East: 4.5 to 4.9), numbers of MT considerably decreased between 1997 and 2005 (West: 3.6 to 2.2; East: 4.9 to 3.1). East Germans had consistently more MT. Numbers of FT, DT, ST, and the DMFT-index equalized at the latest in 2005. The East German DMFT-index increased between 1989/92 and 1997 and slightly decreased between 1997 and 2005, whereas the West German DMFT-index steadily decreased between 1989/92 and 2005., Conclusions: Dental health converged in West and East Germany, but the higher number of MT in 2005 indicates that East Germany was not able to catch up completely with West Germany., (© 2013 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.)

Objectives: To assess changes in the number of functioning teeth (filled and sound teeth, FS-T index) from 1989/1992 to 2005 in West and East Germany and to evaluate survey- and region-specific associations between sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors and the FS-T index., Methods: Within the German Oral Health Studies, random samples from 35-44-year-olds were drawn in 1989, 1992, 1997 and 2005. The FS-T index and a questionnaire with socioeconomic and behavioral items were assessed. Negative binomial regression models were evaluated, including all sociodemographic and behavioral factors simultaneously as independent variables., Results: For West Germany, median FS-T index increased by 3 teeth between 1989 and 2005 (Ptrend < 0.001). In East Germans, FS-T index was similar in 1992 and 1997 (median, 24), but increased by one tooth until 2005 (Ptrend < 0.001). For West and East Germany, middle and high school education were significantly associated with higher FS-T indices in all surveys, although effects were most pronounced in 2005. Being married, reporting regular dental visits and good oral hygiene were significantly related to a higher number of functioning teeth in at least one survey year., Conclusions: Dental health assessed as the number of functioning teeth improved between 1989/92 and 2005 in both German parts and across all educational levels. However, considering the educational level, dental health was less equally distributed in 2005 compared with previous surveys., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To assess the suitability of different definitions of caries and periodontitis for inclusion in tooth loss prediction models., Materials and Methods: The Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) is a population-based cohort study conducted in 1997-2001 (SHIP-0) and 2002-2006 (SHIP-1). This sample comprised 2,780 subjects aged 20-81 years with complete information on dental and periodontal status [DMFS status, clinical attachment loss (CAL) and probing depth (PD)]. Analyses on five-year tooth loss were limited to half-mouth data., Results: The predictive value of tested definitions was markedly age- and gender-dependent: in 20-39-aged men, the number of decayed or filled surfaces best predicted the number of lost teeth, whereas in young women CAL≥4 mm performed best. In older subjects, periodontal definitions were superior to caries definitions: mean CAL performed best in 40-59-year olds, whereas AL- or PD-related definitions predicted best in 60-81-year olds. On tooth level, mean CAL was the superior definition to assess 5-year incident tooth loss in all strata except for young men., Conclusions: Caries parameters best predicted incident tooth loss in men aged 20-39 years; in the intermediate and oldest age group and in young women, mean AL was most informative. Therefore, prediction models need to be developed for different age and gender groups., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Vitamin D deficiency and oral diseases (periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss) are highly prevalent in Germany. Previous studies suggested that vitamin D might be a modifiable and protective factor for periodontitis, caries, and tooth loss. However, prospective studies investigating such associations are limited. We explored the association between the concentration of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) and incidence of tooth loss, progression of clinical attachment loss (CAL) ≥ 3 mm, and progression of restorative and caries status in a population-based longitudinal study. We analyzed data from 1,904 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania with a five-year follow-up. Generalized estimating equation models were applied to evaluate tooth-specific associations between serum 25OHD and incidence of tooth loss, progression of CAL ≥ 3 mm, and progression of restorative and caries status. Age, sex, education, smoking status, alcohol drinking, waist circumference, dental visit frequency, reasons of dental visit, vitamin D or calcium supplements, and season of blood draw were considered as confounders. Serum 25OHD was inversely associated with incidence of tooth loss. A significant dose-response relationship (p = .0022) was observed across the quintiles of serum 25OHD. After adjusting for multiple confounders, each 10-µg/L increase of serum 25OHD was associated with a 13% decreased risk of tooth loss (risk ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.79, 0.96). The association was attenuated for changes of CAL ≥ 3 mm when adjusting for multiple confounders. No significant association was found between serum 25OHD and caries progression. Vitamin D might be a protective factor for tooth loss. The effect might partially be mediated by its effect on periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]