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Background: Gastroparesis (GP) is a debilitating gastric motility disorder associated with digestive dysfunction, reduced quality of life (QoL), and increased mortality rates. There is no known cure for GP and treatment options are limited. The oral cavity is responsible for initiating digestion, yet the impact of GP symptom frequency on oral health status and oral healthcare utilization is not well understood. Methods: A 21‐item electronic survey was developed and disseminated to a private GP social media forum. Survey questions explored GP symptom frequency, oral health status, dental care utilization, and oral health education post GP diagnosis. Descriptive and inferential statistics analysed data. Key Results: There were 434 study participants. An overwhelming 83% reported GP negatively influenced their oral health and oral function. Significance was observed between GP symptom frequency and oral health status (p = <0.0001). The majority (81%) reported receiving dental care post GP diagnosis, yet (63%) reported current untreated dental concerns. Interestingly, (74%) of participants reported that they have never been educated about oral health risks associated with GP by any healthcare professionals. Conclusions: GP negatively affects oral health. Study participants reported a need for extensive dental treatments and high levels of untreated dental concerns. Results strongly support that preventive oral healthcare and education must be provided for individuals with a GP diagnosis. As leading oral disease prevention specialists, dental hygienists must be aware of the effects of GP on the oral cavity to help provide person‐centred evidence‐based care, improve digestive processes, and increase QoL for GP sufferers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Dental hygienists need to offer patients the most effective treatments possible within their scope of practice. In 2015, a systematic review and meta-analysis was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association indicating the use of photodynamic therapy with diode lasers as beneficial adjuncts to NSPT. However, the use of lasers within the dental hygiene scope of practice, including as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) continues to be a contentious subject. Purpose: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate if adjunct laser treatment was more effective than traditional NSPT alone in the reduction of periodontal pathogens. Methods: To answer the question, "what is the efficacy of the adjunct use of dental lasers (including diode, NdYAG, ErYAG, and CO2) on microbiological parameters/indices," PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched for literature pertaining to the effects of laser therapy on periodontal microbes. The primary outcome was the reduction of periodontal pathogens. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trials, human studies, and published in English between January 2015 and December 2020. Keywords included "nonsurgical periodontal therapy", "periodontal disease", "laser therapy", and "pathogens." These terms were combined in various ways with "AND" and "OR" commands to obtain the most narrowly defined and relevant articles. A total of 1662 records were found, and after screening titles and abstracts, 187 articles were included. After full texts of the remaining studies were screened, another 174 publications were excluded. All screening was performed by three investigators. Thirteen, relevant full-text articles were read and evaluated independently. A meta-analysis was not performed because of the heterogeneity of the study designs. Results: Overall, seven of the studies in this systematic review reported better treatment outcomes than SRP alone while six studies reported that the outcomes were comparable to SRP alone. All studies were assessed using a Cochrane review. Nine of the articles showed low risk of bias while four of the studies showed moderate risk of bias due to lack of information regarding some of the domains. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the studies included in this systematic review, certain types of laser treatment in conjunction with NSPT are more effective at reducing the number of periodontal pathogens than SRP alone. The adjunct use of combined Nd:YAG + Er:YAG and diode lasers, including their use in photodynamic and low-level laser therapy, resulted in more improvement of microbiological parameters than SRP alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]