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Author(s): Valerie Robison [sup.1] , Brenda Bauman [sup.2] , Denise V. D'Angelo [sup.2] , Lorena Espinoza [sup.1] , Gina Thornton-Evans [sup.1] , Mei Lin [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.416738.f, 0000 [...], Objective To measure the association between dental and medical insurance with the receipt of dental cleaning during pregnancy. Methods We analyzed Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2012 to 2015 on 145,051 women with a recent live birth from 36 states. We used adjusted prevalence ratios [aPR] from multivariable regression to examine the association of dental and medical insurance with receipt of dental cleaning during pregnancy, controlling for selected covariates that influence dental care utilization. Results Seventy-seven percent (77%) of all women reported having dental insurance during pregnancy. Receipt of dental cleaning before pregnancy was strongly associated with dental cleaning during pregnancy. Among women without pre-pregnancy dental cleaning who had dental insurance, those with Medicaid medical insurance had a significantly higher prevalence of dental cleaning during pregnancy [aPR = 1.42, 95% CI (1.32 - 1.52)], compared to those private medical insurance. Among women without pre-pregnancy dental cleaning, those without dental insurance but with Medicaid medical insurance were about 70% less likely to have dental cleaning during pregnancy compared to those with dental and private medical insurance. Conclusions for Practice With or without dental insurance, pre-pregnancy dental cleaning was strongly associated with dental cleaning during pregnancy. Dental insurance was an important determinant of dental utilization. Medical insurance had an independent and positive effect. This effect varied by private versus Medicaid medical insurance. Programs which provide women with dental insurance both before and during pregnancy could improve the oral health of maternal and infant populations.

The study attempts to compare the unique cases and epidemiology of extensively (XDR-TB) as against multidrug-resistant TB and drug-susceptible TB cases. The results conclude that the number of cases of XDR-TB has declined considerably. Cases still continue to be reported each year.

Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) collected data from 13,227 people, aged 20 to 79 years, to get information on sociodemographic characteristics, cigarette smoking, perceived dental treatment needs and clinical health. The results indicate that current cigarette smokers in the United States are more likely to have greater perceived dental needs compared with non-smokers. The results motivate people to seek dental care and enhance efforts directed toward tobacco-use cessation programs.

There is a link between viral load and the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse. Viral load is the amount of HIV in a person's blood. In a study of HIV-infected men in northern Thailand, the higher the man's viral load, the more likely he would transmit the virus to his wife.

Five hundred and forty-six urban Tanzanian preschoolchildren aged 5-7 were examined for dental caries in the primary dentition. Caries was diagnosed according to the WHO criteria (1977). The mean dft was 1.06 (1.76) for the whole sample and 62% of the children were caries free. Only three fillings were observed in the primary teeth, indicating a very low rate of conservative treatment in this population group. The results of this study call for both preventive and restorative care for this group. However, for these activities to be cost effective they will have to be focused on the 38% of children who have the experience of dental caries. Planning an appropriate oral care program for this risk group needs careful consideration within the Tanzanian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We evaluated a strategy for preventing tuberculosis (TB) in communities most affected by it. Methods. In 1996, we mapped reported TB cases (1985-1995) and positive tuberculin skin test (TST) reactors (1993-1995) in Smith County, Texas. We delineated the 2 largest, densest clusters, identifying 2 highest-incidence neighborhoods (180 square blocks, 3153 residents). After extensive community preparation, trained health care workers went door-to-door offering TST to all residents unless contraindicated. TST-positive individuals were escorted to a mobile clinic for radiography, clinical evaluation, and isoniazid preventive treatment (IPT) as indicated. To assess long-term impact, we mapped all TB cases in Smith County during the equivalent time period after the project. Results. Of 2258 eligible individuals, 1291 (57.1%) were tested, 229 (17.7%) were TST positive, and 147 were treated. From 1996 to 2006, there were no TB cases in either project neighborhood, in contrast with the preintervention decade and the continued occurrence of TB in the rest of Smith County. Conclusions. Targeting high-incidence neighborhoods for active, community-based screening and IPT may hasten TB elimination in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To inform selection of a control range around the Public Health Service's recommended 0.7 mg/L drinking water fluoride concentration to prevent tooth decay, CDC's Water Fluoridation Reporting System data for 2006-2010 and 2015 were analyzed. Monthly average concentration data from 4,251 fluoride-adjusted community water systems for 191,266 of 255,060 system-months (2006-2010) were compared to control ranges 0.6 mg/L to 0.2 mg/L wide. Percentages of system-months within control ranges ≥0.4 mg/L wide (e.g., ±0.2 mg/L) were >83% versus 68% for 0.2 mg/L wide (±0.1 mg/L). In 2015, 70% of adjusted systems maintained averages within ±0.1 mg/L of their system's annual average for 9 of 12 months, 67% used the 0.7 mg/L target and 45% used it with a ±0.1 mg/L control range. Adoption of the 0.7 mg/L target was underway but not completed in 2015. Control ranges narrower than ±0.2 mg/L may be feasible for monthly average fluoride concentration.