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Purpose: Systematic dental check-ups play a vital role in maintaining good oral health. When oral examinations are performed as regularly as recommended, the dentist may be the first health care provider to diagnose a health problem in its early stages. The aim of the study was to identify and assess determinants of dental check-up among students of Suwałki (Poland), Grodno (Belarus) or Lviv (Ukraine) universities taking sociodemographic variables into account.Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 2013 to 2016 among freshman students of Polish (n = 1245), Belarusian (n = 1012) and Ukrainian universities (n = 688). The study was performed with the diagnostic survey method, using a questionnaire designed by the authors. In order to identify the determinants of dental check-ups, logistic regression analysis was applied.Results: A majority of students visited a dentist for a check-up at least once a year (32.7% twice a year; 41.0% once a year). Women from Belarus (OR 1.690; 95% CI: 1.256-2.273) or Poland (OR 1.832; 95% CI: 1.374-2.442) underwent dental check-ups with a higher frequency, as did students whose financial situation was very good or good (Belarus: OR 1.574; 95% CI: 1.184-2.093 or Poland OR 1.604; 95% CI: 1.227-2.096). Variables related to students' health behaviours, i.e. smoking, alcohol consumption or drug use, were not statistically significant.Conclusions: The frequency of stomatological control examinations among students from Polish, Belarusian or Ukrainian universities is high. The frequency of dental examination among students is conditioned by sociodemographic factors. Regular check-ups at the dentist are more prevalent for women and those students from Polish or Belarusian universities who rated their financial situation as good or very good. In Belarusian or Ukrainian respondents, maintaining healthy eating habits was a positive predictor of dental check-up attendance, while in Polish students self-evaluation of health was a negative one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental health status of nursery age children and parents. The use of dental services was assessed.Subjects and Methods: The study was performed in nursery schools located in Poznan, Western Poland. Clinical examination was carried out in 157 children (48.41% males and 51.59% females), aged 10-42 months. Dental health status (the number of teeth with caries, fillings and extracted) of their parents was determined on the basis of data obtained from a questionnaire. The questions also concerned information on child's and parents' dental check-ups and opinion on their predisposition to dental caries.Results: Clinical examination revealed that 21.05% of boys and 18.51% of girls had dental caries. Most mothers had from 1 to 5 either carious and/or filled teeth (47.13%) or extracted teeth due to carious process (61.15%); the fathers' values were similar at 46.50 and 66.24%, respectively. More mothers (84.71%) than fathers (72.62%) had regular dental check-ups (p = 0.02). The analysis of mother-father-child triads showed that when both parents visited the dentist regularly, more children were free of caries (56.68%) in comparison to those with the disease (13.38%; p < 0.001).Conclusions: This study showed that the dental health status, as well as oral care of nursery school children and their parents, is unsatisfactory. Therefore, there is a need to introduce an intensive dental educational program focusing on dental prophylaxis for nursery age children and their parents or caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It is considered that the lifestyle conditioned by socio-demographic or socio-economic factors determines the health condition of people to the greatest extent. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of selected socio-demographic factors on the kinds of symptoms occurring during menopause. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 210 women aged 45 to 65, not using hormone replacement therapy, staying at healthcare centers for rehabilitation treatment. The study was carried out in 2013-2014 in the Silesian, Podlaskie and Lesser Poland voivodeships. The set of tools consisted of the authors' own survey questionnaire and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Results: The most commonly occurring symptom in the group of studied women was a depressive mood, from the group of psychological symptoms, followed by physical and mental fatigue, and discomfort connected with muscle and joint pain. The greatest intensity of symptoms was observed in the group of women with the lowest level of education, reporting an average or bad material situation, and unemployed women. Conclusions: An alarmingly high number of reported psychological symptoms in the group of menopausal women was observed, and in particular among the group of low socio-economic status. Career seems to be a factor reducing the risk of occurrence of psychological symptoms. There is an urgent need for health promotion and prophylaxis in the group of menopausal women, and in many cases for implementation of specialist psychological assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have been published on the benefits of prophylactic treatment in adults with haemophilia. However, in many countries, it is considered as optional due to financial constraints. This survey was carried out to examine the long-term effects of prophylaxis and the continuing benefit of the treatment into adulthood. Self-assessed health-related data and the EQ-5D questionnaire measuring health utility were collected from 124 men (26.9 ± 4.6 years) from Canada ( N = 40), France ( N = 14), Ireland ( N = 17), the Netherlands ( N = 16), Poland ( N = 24) and the UK ( N = 13). The respondents were split into four groups: On-Demand, <50% life on prophylaxis, ≥50% life on prophylaxis, Prophylaxis. Overall, long-term prophylaxis results in lower presence of target joints ( P ≤ 0.001), occurrence of serious bleeding episodes ( P ≤ 0.05), recurring bleeding episodes ( P ≤ 0.01) and requirement for surgical procedures ( P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, health utility ( P ≤ 0.01) in the On-demand group was significantly lower ( P ≤ 0.01) compared to the ≥50% life on prophylaxis and the Prophylaxis group. No significant differences between countries were found except between the Netherlands and Poland, with Poland showing the lowest health utility ( P ≤ 0.01) and the most problems with mobility ( P ≤ 0.05) and pain/discomfort ( P ≤ 0.001). The Netherlands showed the highest health utility (0.915) followed by Canada (0.791), Ireland (0.786), UK (0.768), France (0.687) and Poland (0.629). The results demonstrate consistently higher quality of life of individuals who are on long-term prophylactic treatment when compared to on-demand treatment or intermittent prophylaxis and on -demand treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The pressure put on young people to achieve good results in many disciplines of life should also include encouraging them to keep oral hygiene perfect. Unfortunately, results of Polish research show that the condition of teeth and gingiva of Polish teenagers according to different indicators is still unsatisfying. Aim. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of oral hygiene knowledge in secondary students in Lublin. Material and methods. The study included 682 students, aged 16-18, attending secondary schools in Lublin. The patients answered questions regarding reasons for their visit to the dental practice, and for not seeing a dental practitioner on a regular basis. They also covered selected hygiene practices. Results. The results showed that in the surveyed group 17% of students went to see the dentist less often than once a year; 19% changed their toothbrushes not more often than once every 3 months and 38% of the students were afraid of the dentist. One or more teeth were lostby 14% of the surveyed students because of dental caries. Surprisingly every fifth surveyed student did not know how many teeth an adult should have. Conclusions. On the basis of the results of the conducted study, it has been concluded that the secondary school students have a low level of oral hygiene knowledge, which is reflected in an insufficient motivation to appropriately follow daily preventive dentistry and avoiding seeing the dentist for check-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The activities of dental hygienists in Poland since 1974 are described. About 600 dental hygienists graduated in Poland up to 1977 but, only 32 % of them are still working in the profession. Their main activities are: dental health education, fluoride prophylaxis and assisting in dental clinics. Although the work of about 50 % of the hygienists is poorly organized, they are regarded as useful in dental care by 23 Heads of district dental clinics who employ dental hygienists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial plaque control plays a key role in the prevention of caries and periodontal diseases. Hygiene negligence in this respect may influence the state of gingiva, and - in the long term - the number of lost teeth. The recommended method of mechanical control of dental plaque is tooth brushing twice a day., Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of tooth brushing, the use of various oral hygiene accessories, the number of preserved teeth, and the occurrence of gingival bleeding in adult Poles, based on a questionnaire study., Material and Methods: The prepared questionnaire consisted of a general part, assessing the socioeconomic and general medical status of respondents, as well as of specific questions about behavioral actions related to oral hygiene. The study was conducted in 10 Polish cities in Mobile Medical Units as part of the "Health First" campaign in 2017., Results: The study included 713 respondents: 447 females and 264 males at an average age of 51.1 ±17.6 years. During the previous 6 months, 448 females and 265 males had visited the dentist. The average number of teeth among the respondents aged 35-44 years was 27, and for subjects >65 years old -13. There were statistically significant differences in the frequency of tooth brushing depending on sex and place of residence. The respondents used manual soft and medium toothbrushes more often than electric brushes (p < 0.05). Inhabitants of larger cities, compared to rural residents, used dental floss and toothpicks more frequently (p < 0.05). In total, 271 (50%) of the respondents reported gingival bleeding during tooth brushing. There was a statistically significant association of gingival bleeding with genetic load, and with the use of a manual soft toothbrush and mouthwash., Conclusions: Pro-health behaviors of adult Poles in maintaining optimal oral hygiene are unsatisfactory and need improvement.

Background: Continuous monitoring of oral health status improves the quality of dental health care and the effectiveness of implemented prevention programs., Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the caries status in three age groups of Polish children and evaluation of the effectiveness of the nationwide caries prophylaxis program, including fissure sealing of deciduous and permanent teeth., Material and Methods: a group of 6,271 chidren, 5, 7 and 15 years old, coming from 16 provinces of Poland, was included in the epidemiological survey. The study was based on WHO guidelines (Oral Health Surveys)., Results: the percentage of children covered by the prophylaxis program in 2011 was as follows: 5 years old--3.8%, 7 years old--48.3%, 15 years old--7.2%. Five-year-old children took part in prophylaxis program in 4 provinces, seven-year-old children--in 10 provinces, and 15-year-old children--in 3 provinces. The percentage of five-year-old children with sealed primary and permanent teeth was 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively. In the group of seven-year-old children it was 1.7% and 16.4% respectively, whereas in the group of 15-year-old children, the percentage of sealed permanent teeth was 7.2%. The obtained results varied in different provinces of Poland., Conclusions: Caries prophylaxis program developed for Polish children was implemented insufficiently, with significant differences depending on sex, age group and regional conditions. The total percentage of children with sealed primary and permanent dentition was very low on national scale, regardless of age and place of residence.

The effect of a preventive program was studied in Polish schoolchildren. The study was carried out in a group of 133 children, aged 10-12 yr, divided into a test and a control group. Children in the test group were initially treated with temporary restorations and were then given oral health education and preventive treatment by a specially trained chairside assistant. The preventive treatment included prophylaxis and topical fluoride treatment and was carried out at least 10 times a year. The mean 3-yr DFS increment was 1.7 in the test and 10.9 in the control group. The salivary counts of mutans streptococci were similar in test and control group at baseline and after 1 and 2 yr. At the examination after 3 yr, a difference was established between the two groups.

The study was based on the results of dental epidemiological investigation and questionnaires obtained from four selected industrial plants, as well as on the data provided by the chief province dental officers. Analysis of available data indicated that organization of industrial dental service is not successful, despite better manpower and equipment conditions than in the general dental service. The system of industrial dental service provides neither adequate dental care nor specific prevention connected with the work environment. The low efficiency of dental health service in the test factories seems to be representative, in general, for the dental health service in large industrial plants throughout the country.

The effects of a preventive programme which was based on repeated professional toothcleaning, OHI and motivation as well as fluoride application performed by especially trained auxiliaries are presented and discussed in relation to dental health, manpower and resources in Poland.