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Importance: Oral health is fundamental to health and well-being across the lifespan. Oral health conditions affect the daily lives of school-age children and adolescents, leading to loss of more than 51 million school hours every year. Untreated oral health conditions in children can lead to serious infections and affect growth, development, and quality of life., Objective: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) commissioned a systematic review to evaluate screening and preventive interventions for oral health conditions in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years., Population: Asymptomatic children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years., Evidence Assessment: The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for oral health conditions (eg, dental caries) performed by primary care clinicians in asymptomatic children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of preventive interventions for oral health conditions (eg, dental caries) performed by primary care clinicians in asymptomatic children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years., Recommendations: The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of routine screening performed by primary care clinicians for oral health conditions, including dental caries, in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years. (I statement) The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of preventive interventions performed by primary care clinicians for oral health conditions, including dental caries, in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years. (I statement).

Objective: The frequency of Preventable Infectious Dental Disease (PIDD) visits in medical centers was examined pre and post establishment of expanded dental access and adoption of an integrated medical-dental care delivery model., Methods: A retrospective observational study of patient attributes and frequency of unscheduled PIDD visits between January 1, 1990 and February 29, 2020. Chi-squared tests compared (a) the number of PIDD visits (pre/post dental center establishment), (b) age at first diagnosis, (c) gender, (d) race, (e) primary insurance at the time of PIDD visits and (f) healthcare setting where visit occurred., Results: System-wide, 21,957 unique patients were documented with a total of 34,892 PIDD visits as the primary diagnosis. Patients between 18-30 years and patients with Medicaid had the highest frequency of PIDD visits in medical settings. Following the establishment of dental centers, reduced relative risk of PIDD visits was observed for patients with no health insurance or self-pay/other coverage. PIDD visits in primary care settings was 0.87 times as likely as PIDD visits at ED/UCs after dental centers opened., Conclusions: The number of PIDD visits to medical centers increased before the dental infrastructure was established, followed by a decline afterwards, inclusive of disparity populations. Some residual persistence of PIDD visits to primary care settings was identified. This study reinforced importance of dental healthcare access for achieving appropriate PIDD management while reducing PIDD visits to medical settings., (Copyright© 2023 Dennis Barber Ltd.)

The vision of the global strategy on oral health is universal health coverage for oral health for all individuals and communities by 2030, enabling them to enjoy the highest attainable state of oral health and contributing to healthy and productive lives (WHO, 2022). To achieve this goal, it is necessary to ensure the development of the dental care system in Russia on the basis of primary prevention of dental diseases., Objective: Analysis of the methodology for the development, implementation and evaluation of programs for the primary prevention of dental diseases and their impact on the main trends in the development of dental services., Material and Methods: The main research methods were search for publications, analysis and systematization of information on the methodology for developing, implementing and evaluating programs for the primary prevention of dental diseases., Results: Despite the single main goal of dental disease prevention programs, the analysis of the methodology of their construction and implementation must be carried out considering their impact on the main trends in the development of dental services., Conclusions: The main directions of development of the methodology for the development, implementation, and evaluation of primary prevention programs of dental diseases should include the use of indicators of oral health recognized by the international community, which allow us to trace the degree of their influence on the development of the system of dental care.

In many developing countries like India, there is a widespread lack of general awareness about the importance of good oral health, which causes dental patients to neglect their oral hygiene, thus precipitating many long-term ailments. We developed an application that promotes the significance of regular dental checkups and oral health care by explaining to patients how these are intrinsic to overall health. Our application, in essence, extracts relevant health information from published scientific studies according to a patient's medical history and shares it with the patient at the discretion of the supervising dentist, thereby empowering patients to make more informed decisions. We present a detailed overview of our semi- autonomous machine learning-based solution, along with the complex challenges involved in the design, development, and real-world deployment of our application. Finally, we conducted a randomized parallel-group study in India with 224 dental patients over two years to assess the utility of our proposed solution. Results show our application improved the patient recall rate from 21.1% to 37.8% (p-value = 0.024).

Patients with dental problems may suffer from various systemic diseases at the same time. The concomitant systemic diseases can have impacts and risks on the diagnosis, treatment planning and therapeutic practice in dentistry. The author briefly expounds the influences of systemic diseases on dental diagnosis and treatment and the prevention of risks from seven aspects: cardio-cerebral vascular system, blood system, respiratory system, endocrine system, digestive system, genitourinary system, nervous system and mental system, in order to provide references for the dental clinicians.

The article is devoted to the creation and development history of the Dental Diseases Prevention department in National Medical Research Center of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery, Moscow, Russia. The main scientific and clinical achievements of the department's staff are presented in chronological order. The main directions of the scientific and clinical activities of the department are currently: the study of various factors affecting dental morbidity; the development of regionally-oriented programs for the prevention of dental diseases; organizational and methodological guidance and monitoring of primary prevention activities in organized groups of children and adolescents; the implementation of a set of measures for the primary prevention of dental diseases among adolescents and adult population applying to the polyclinic; introduction into practice of new methods and means of prevention and treatment of dental diseases; testing of new methods and means of prevention corresponding to the profile of the department, providing dental care to adolescents and adults; raising the level of theoretical knowledge and training practical skills in the prevention of dental diseases of medical personnel of healthcare institutions; promotion of sanitary and hygienic knowledge among the population.

The role of oral health in promoting general health and wellbeing is recognised, but there is minimal oral health training for doctors, including GPs. The Directorate of Multi-Disciplinary Dental Education (DMDE) at Health Education England North East and North Cumbria has introduced oral health training for GPs, incorporating training recommended by NICE oral health guidance. DMDE oral health training for GPs and general practice teams covered the diagnosis, prevention and management of oral disease, relevant prescribing and accessing dental care. Training has been shown to be worthwhile, positively impacting upon the clinical practice of GPs and thereby improving patient care. General health benefits are anticipated. Interactive training, as outlined in the DMDE lesson plan, was deemed effective. 1-hour courses conveniently delivered within general practices were most popular with GPs. Online courses have been less popular. Barriers to training were overcome through producing a promotional brochure and gaining the support of NHS medical leaders, who assisted with its distribution. A shift to training the trainer will improve the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of training. It is recommended that all GPs receive oral health training.

Plants play a vital role in the general wellbeing of an individual. Globally plants are habitually used by the people for the treatment and prevention of various ailments. There is an increased attempt made from ancient days to prevent the disease occurrence rather than to treat it. Through the development of modern scientific procedures, it is now identified that the usage of plants in different forms promotes the health of the patient. Oral and dental hygiene is the primary factor of a human being to lead a healthy life. Poor diet, nutrition and improper hygienic practices lead to teeth and gum diseases, dental cavities and plaque etc., Use of herbal extracts and their products in day-to-day life is a promising and interesting alternative to synthetic compounds to control oral diseases. The present review summarizes the usage of medicinal plants in the treatment and prevention of oral and dental diseases in different aspects., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: Poor dental hygiene has been associated with various perinatal complications in studies done worldwide but few studies in Nepal have explored the knowledge of pregnant ladies regarding dental hygiene. The aim of the study was to know the knowledge and practices of pregnant women regarding oral health in a tertiary care center in Nepal., Methods: A qualitative study was carried out in Nobel Medical College and Teaching Hospital from January 15, 2018 to June 15, 2018 after approval from the Institutional Review Committee of Nobel Medical College. Convenience sampling was done. Fifty pregnant women admitted in antenatal ward were interviewed regarding their knowledge of dental care in pregnancy, the common dental problems they faced and the treatment taken. A predesigned proforma was used and results were analyzed using SPSS version 17., Results: Twenty two (44%) patients reported dental problems during pregnancy. Bleeding gums was seen in 7 (14%) and toothache in 7 (14%) were commonly reported dental problems. Forty seven (94%) patients acknowledged that routine dental care was needed for health, only 6 (12%) were aware that poor dental health could affect baby weight. Oral health not seen as priority in 24 (48%) was the main barrier to seeking dental care in pregnancy followed by costs of treatment in 18 (36%) and safety concerns in pregnancy in 8 (16%) cases., Conclusions: Though dental problems were a common occurrence in pregnancy, utilization of services was low for the same. The participants reported significant barriers to obtaining dental care including lack of knowledge about the importance of maternal oral health and the treatment costs.

Introduction: In dental medicine, chronic diseases and chronic conditions (such as chronic periodontitis, temporomandibular disorders, chronic orofacial pain) justify patient education to self-care. This strategy of secondary or tertiary prevention, even if officially recognised, is still less known compared to health education, a form of primary prevention. The aim of the study was to make the point of recent studies devoted to patient education. Thus, the purpose of the study was to give an updated picture of patient education in odontology, describing, through an analysis of the international literature from 2006 to 2016, its characteristics and development., Methods: The main databases selected were: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Sciences, DOSS, 302 articles published between 2006 and 2016 on patient education among which four RCTs and a case study were analysed because of their rigorous scientific quality., Results: Patient education concerns chronic diseases and conditions also in the field of orthodontics. This limited number of studies, showed that patient education in odontology can bring real bio-clinic, cognitive, psychological and economic benefits to patients. Overall, it allows patients to better understand their illness and treatment and, thus, to improve their health behaviours and self-care techniques, which would reduce the treatment costs. Educational interventions in odontology should constitute a component of patient education in several chronic systemic diseases such as diabetes. It would be necessary to train future practitioners in this field and to develop a scientific research on this practice., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Rationale, Aims, and Objectives: Inadequate awareness of oral health and related disciplines appears to be common among medical practitioners. This study was designed to evaluate the awareness of oral medicine (OM) specialty and its scope of practice among Jordanian medical practitioners and to outline potential strategies for improvement where appropriate., Method: A specially designed questionnaire was electronically distributed to Jordanian medical practitioners and thereafter via personal interviews to improve the response rate. The questionnaire comprised nine questions and covered demographical details and characteristics of participants, in addition to their awareness of OM and agreement to refer a group of common oral and dental conditions to OM specialists. Pearson Chi-square tests were used to examine the significance of association between the variables of respondents and awareness of OM. Significance level was set at P values < 0.05., Results: A total of 1492 respondents completed the questionnaire, of which 779 (52.2%) were aware of OM as an independent specialty. Age group, higher degrees in medicine, country of graduation, and the specialty type were significant determinants of OM awareness level. Oral ulceration and other mucosal pathology, including fungal infections, were the most likely conditions to be referred to OM specialists while participants had apparent problems separating the scope of practice of OM from other dental disciplines., Conclusion: This study provides evidence on the profound interdisciplinary gap between medicine and dentistry and highlights the importance of more focused education and training in oral health-related disciplines to be provided to clinicians and medical trainees as described., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: School based dental screening has been a popular public health intervention. However, literature provides contrasting evidence regarding effectiveness of such programs on the utilization of dental services., Objectives: We designed this review to understand the differences in dental attendance rates of children below 15 years of age, receiving a school based dental screening versus those not receiving it., Material and Methods: The standard methodological procedures prescribed by The Cochrane Collaboration for Systematic review and meta-analysis was employed. An electronic (MEDLINE via PUBMED, Cochrane trial registry, and Google scholar) and a manual search (2016) were made to identify studies., Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria, covering a population of 28208 school children of which 21447 were included in the meta-analysis. The review concludes that school based dental screening marginally increases the dental attendance by 16 percent as opposed to a non-screening group (RR 1.16 (95% CI 1.11, 1.21). The quality of evidence was found to be low., Conclusions: There is evidence of marginally increased dental attendance rate of 16 % following screening. As the quality of evidence was found to be low, the results of this review may be used with caution., Competing Interests: None

The aim of this study was to provide an updated review of dental procedures undertaken at the dental unit of the Onco-hematology service of the Instituto da Criança at the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (ICr/HC-FMUSP). We retrospectively reviewed 565 of 1902 medical and dental records of patients diagnosed with onco-hematological diseases who were seen in a 3-year study (January 2015 to December 2017). We assessed data regarding population characteristics, onco-hematological diagnosis and dental procedures performed. Of the selected medical records, preventive dentistry was the most common procedure undertaken in this population, followed by oral maxillofacial surgeries, restorative dentistry and oral mucositis treatment. The most prevalent malignant diagnosis was acute lymphocytic leukemia, and the most prevalent nonmalignant diagnosis was sickle-cell anemia. Preventive dental procedures represent most of the dental procedures undertaken in hospitalized onco-hematological pediatric patients.

Adult women in Australia are more likely than men to have no teeth, more missing teeth or have a dental hospital admission. Experiences of war, family and domestic violence, mental health or alcohol and other drug use problems may also negatively affect women's oral health. Yet, oral health is often excluded from primary healthcare. Little is known about what helps or inhibits primary healthcare service workers to promote oral health to women in need. Identifying the perceptions and experiences of such workers is a step towards a strategy to develop resources to support them in raising oral health issues with disadvantaged clients. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study conducted at a community-based women's health service, which used focus groups to investigate workers' perceptions of promoting oral health and accessing services for their clients. Findings indicated how structural issues informed oral healthcare, where workers generally did not consider oral health their responsibility, were reluctant to raise the issue with clients and had limited oral health knowledge and resources. To overcome these barriers, workers identified the need for oral health resources and better linkages to the dental system to help support their clients.

Pediatric dentistry has evolved. Seasoned pediatric dentists believe that patients, parents, and behavior techniques have changed over their practice lifetimes. The purpose of this article is to provide dentists with a framework in which to adapt to the changes in society. Understanding cultural diversity, current societal values, technology and media influences, and contemporary parenting philosophies is essential to fostering communication with patients and their families. Building and honing behavior guidance skills are part of the process by which dentists help turn child patients into fearless adult patients with excellent oral health. This article reviews basic techniques and offers practical examples of implementing these in daily practice. The discussion also addresses changing parental and societal acceptance of various techniques and dentists' responsibility for informed consent regarding the risks and benefits of advanced behavior guidance techniques. Treating a patient from childhood to adulthood is the ultimate opportunity for the dentist to play a vital role in advancing the health and wellness of another human being.

If dental professionals want to improve the oral health of their patients, they need to address what makes them sick: the social determinants of health. In this article, we propose a model of 'social dentistry' that shows how dentists could tackle these fundamental causes of oral disease. Socially engaged dentists conduct actions at three levels. At the individual level, they provide patient-centred care and, when necessary, liaise with local resources to better address what makes their patients sick. At the community level, they adapt their practice to the needs of the most vulnerable groups and advocate for healthier local policies. At the societal level, they are engaged in upstream actions addressing the social determinants of health.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) can affect many systems in the body including the oral cavity. This necessitates modifications in oral health care management of these patients. The purpose of this paper is to make recommendations for management of SCD patients according to their oral health care needs based on the known findings., (Copyright © 2018 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Oral appliance therapy is an alternative treatment modality for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, there have been no studies to determine whether changes in the obstructive pattern occur following long-term use of oral devices. Therefore, we examined whether the obstructive pattern changes in patients with OSA who undergo long-term oral appliance therapy using drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE)., Methods: We investigated 156 consecutive patients diagnosed with OSA. Seventy-nine of these patients were found to be eligible for inclusion in this study. All enrolled patients underwent two DISE examinations: before and after oral appliance use. We compared the DISE findings for each patient in terms of degree and configuration of airway obstruction at the levels of the velum, oropharynx, tongue base, and epiglottis., Results: We found that dental problems, as assessed using the average values of overjet and overbite, were significantly decreased after 2 years of oral appliance use. Comparisons of the DISE findings revealed that there was significant widening of the upper airway structures following long-term oral appliance therapy, especially in the velum (P = 0.022) and epiglottis (P = 0.001). However, changes in the configuration of upper airway obstruction were not observed in any of the structures of the upper airway., Conclusions: We found evidence possibly indicating decreased obstruction at the levels of the velum and epiglottis after long-term use of oral appliances. We suggest further cohort studies to confirm these findings.

Dental public health is a unique specialty of dentistry that focuses on prevention of oral diseases among populations rather than individual patients. It encompasses several complementary disciplines and greatly varies in its functions and activities. Several federal, state, local, and nonpublic entities operationalize the mission of dental public health to improve population oral health through a diverse and vibrant workforce., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Malocclusion is a worldwide dental problem that influences the affected individuals to varying degrees. Many factors contribute to the anomaly in dentition, including hereditary and environmental aspects. Dental caries, pulpal and periapical lesions, dental trauma, abnormality of development, and oral habits are most common dental diseases in children that strongly relate to malocclusion. Management of oral health in the early childhood stage is carried out in clinic work of pediatric dentistry to minimize the unwanted effect of these diseases on dentition. This article highlights these diseases and their impacts on malocclusion in sequence. Prevention, treatment, and management of these conditions are also illustrated in order to achieve successful oral health for children and adolescents, even for their adult stage.

Background: Poor oral health is associated with a reduced quality of life and serious illnesses. Consequently, nurses need to be more aware of oral health to improve the general health of residents in care., Aim: To evaluate and compare oral health behaviours and levels of salivary haemoglobin and dental biofilm acidogenicity, which can be used to evaluate oral disease activity, between residents and community dwellers in South Korea., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 133 participants: 64 residents and 69 community dwellers. All participants completed a questionnaire and tests to measure their salivary haemoglobin and dental biofilm acidogenicity., Results: A higher percentage of community dwellers than of residents brushed their teeth three times a day, cleaned their tongue, used interdental cleaning devices and had visited a dental clinic within 1 year. The levels of salivary haemoglobin and dental biofilm acidogenicity tended to be higher in residents than in community dwellers., Conclusion: Residents showed poorer oral health behaviours and higher levels of gingival bleeding and acid production by oral bacteria than did community dwellers., Implications for Nursing Practice: Nursing staff should enhance their monitoring of oral hygiene status and provide quality oral care to residents through cooperation with dental professionals., Implications for Nursing and Health Policy: Policymakers should be aware that oral health is an essential component of improving general health and well-being and therefore strive to develop policies to promote oral care services provided to residents. Nursing policies, such as mandating oral care and hands-on training in oral care for nursing staff, are important. We also suggest that factors related to oral care be added to the establishment or accreditation standards of care facilities., (© 2017 International Council of Nurses.)

Oral health is a fundamental component of health and physical and mental well-being. Oral health is influenced by an individual's physiologic and psychosocial attributes and cumulative oral health experiences. The perinatal period is a critical time when health and oral health determinants set in and thus an important time for intervention. Recognition of the importance of oral health intervention during pregnancy and oral health infrastructures have substantially grown over the last several years. This article reviews the current state of knowledge and practice of oral health intervention during pregnancy with a focus on individual- and population-based strategies, and summarizes key agendas for advancing prenatal oral health., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The article analyzes the results of dental examination of employees with hazardous and normal working conditions in Atomenergomash enterprise with various dental care organization regimens and provides clear evidence of the effectiveness of serial attendances care in enterprise dental offices in terms of reduction in the dental treatment needs. Additional funding for departmental dental services was calculated by comparing the real cost of dental treatment and MHI tariffs allowing implementation of proposed dental care program.

The aim of the study was to assess age and gender related features of oral status and oral hygiene. The study included 234 patients (76 males and 158 females) aged 25 to 74 years. It is proved that females have more dental appointments than males mostly because of specific oral conditions associated with pregnancy and menopause as well as better compliance with prevention programs. Thus, females require more intense follow-up than males which should be taken into consideration in treatment and follow-up plans.

Introduction: The dental health is one of the direct measures indicators of the population's health, integrated indicator of the nation's health, its invigoration and preservation are the most important medical, social and economic problems. The aim to investigate the position and the role of a family doctor and a pediatrician in the preexposure prophylaxis orthodontic pathology among the population of Ukraine., Materials and Methods: The book-semantic analysis of the scientific literature; the content analysis - research of the regulatory and legal framework; the system analysis - analysis of the system of doctors' carrying preexposure prophylaxis of the stomatological diseases., Conclusions: The health system reforming will allow approaching the preexposure medical aid to the population, providing its quality, a doctor's responsibility for his patients. One of the direction of a pediatrician's and a family doctor's work will be the prevention and early diagnosis of the orthodontic pathology, the advocacy promotion of the health alimentation and the healthy lifestyle for adults and children, saving the dental health in general.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate beliefs about oral health care tasks among nursing staff caring for home-dwelling older people using the Nursing Dental Coping Beliefs (nursing DCBS) index., Methods: The study population comprised nursing staff working at the homes and sheltered accommodations of older people in Ylivieska, Finland (N = 141). The data were collected using the nursing DCBS index (five-point Likert scale)., Results: On average, the nurses held moderate to high Oral health care beliefs, Internal locus of control beliefs and External locus of control beliefs, but low beliefs about Self-efficacy. The nurses with an earlier adjunct education scored lower for Oral health care beliefs on the factor Knowledge about preventing gum diseases (OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.9) than did the others. Regarding beliefs about External locus of control, the age group 31-49 years scored lower on the factor Retaining teeth as one ages (OR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.7), but scored higher on the factor How to prevent dental diseases (OR = 5.6, 95% CI: 1.1-29.3) than did younger nurses (≤30 years). The nurses with only a nursing education showed significantly higher mean scores on the Self-efficacy factor Confidence of the need for dental knowledge than did those with an earlier adjunct education (P = 0.034)., Conclusions: The nursing staff mostly believed that oral diseases are preventable and teeth can be retained in advanced age, but failed to recognize the value of dental knowledge and had little confidence in their ability to manage oral diseases. Improving the oral health-related knowledge and self-efficacy beliefs of nursing staff will require additional oral health education., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common chronic motor disorder with associated cognitive, communicative, and seizure disorders. Children with CP have a higher risk of dental problems creating significant morbidity that can further affect their wellbeing and negatively impact their quality of life. Screening for dental disease should be part of the initial assessment of any child with CP. The objective of this article is to present an updated overview of dental health issues in children with CP and outline important preventative and practical strategies to the management of this common comorbidity. Providing adequate oral care requires adaptation of special dental skills to help families manage the ongoing health issues that may arise. As oral health is increasingly recognized as a foundation for general wellbeing, caregivers for CP patients should be considered an important component of the oral health team and must become knowledgeable and competent in home oral health practices.

Worldwide, non-communicable diseases including dental caries and periodontal diseases, remain a major public health problem. Moreover, there is a social gradient in health across society that runs from the top to the bottom in a linear, stepwise fashion. Health promoting behaviours become more difficult to sustain further down the social ladder. Oral health inequalities also exist in Germany. Earlier explanations of social inequalities have mainly focused on individual lifestyle factors, ignoring the broader social determinants of health and disease. Until recently, the dominant approaches to general health promotion focused on actions to reduce specific diseases, separating oral health from general health. An alternative approach is the common risk factor approach (CRFA) where risk factors common to a number of major chronic diseases, including diseases of the mouth and teeth, are tackled. The CRFA focuses on the common underlying determinants of health to improve the overall health of populations, thereby reducing social inequalities. The main implication of the CRFA for oral health policies is to work in partnership with a range of other sectors and disciplines. Oral health issues need to be integrated with recommendations to promote general health. Improvements in oral health and a reduction in oral health inequalities are more likely by working in partnership across sectors and disciplines using strategies that focus upstream on the underlying determinants of oral diseases., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Objectives: Poor oral health can have a negative impact on overall health. This is especially concerning for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder that affects hemoglobin and can lead to an increased risk of infection and hyperalgesia. Because the majority of individuals with SCD have Medicaid insurance and no dental coverage, we provided free basic dental care to individuals with SCD to determine whether it decreased overall healthcare utilization., Methods: Through a contract with a private dental office, we provided free basic dental care (eg, cleanings, fillings, x-rays) to individuals with SCD. We reviewed medical records for the 12 months before and after their initial dental visit to determine whether there were any changes in acute care visits (defined as a visit to the emergency department, sickle cell infusion center, or visits to both in the same day), hospitalizations, and total days hospitalized. We conducted a negative binomial regression to determine any differences in the pre-post periods., Results: In our multivariable analysis, there was a statistically significant decrease in hospital admissions. In addition, there was a significant decrease in total days hospitalized if dental work was completed, but an increase in days hospitalized in men., Conclusions: Providing dental care to individuals with SCD who did not have dental insurance did not greatly alter acute care visits. A larger sample size may be necessary to observe an effect.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate dental disorders of brown howler monkeys maintained in captivity. The hypothesis is that the identification and diagnosis of the lesions may contribute to control and prevention., Methods: Sixteen intact brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans), eight females and eight males, weighing from 3.9 to 6.8 kg, were studied. Under general anesthesia, the teeth were evaluated by visual inspection, probing, palpation, and intra-oral radiographic exam. The findings were registered on a dental chart specific for primates., Result: Of the 16 monkeys evaluated in the present study, 94% (n = 15) had some type of dental disorder. The lesions observed were dental calculus (88%), dental wear (81%), missing teeth (38%), gingivitis (19%), gingival recession (6%), dental fracture (19%), pulp exposure (19%), and dental staining (25%)., Conclusions: Alouatta guariba clamitans maintained in captivity have a high rate of dental problems., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The Nganampa Health Council (literally "Our Health Council") is an Aboriginal community-controlled Primary Health Care service established in 1983. It was born out of the political struggle for Aboriginal Land Rights in South Australia which culminated in The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Land Rights Act, 1981, a milestone in Indigenous Land Rights both in Australia and internationally.

Objectives: Maternal oral disease during pregnancy is a significant public health issue due to its prevalence and lifecourse connections with adverse pregnancy/birth outcomes, early childhood caries, and chronic diseases. Although both medical and dental professional organizations have discipline-specific and co-endorsed guidelines, whether interventions exist that translate oral health evidence into practice remains unknown. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to examine the range, scope and impact of existing oral health promotion interventions during pregnancy., Methods: Search terms related to oral health, health promotion, and pregnancy produced 7754 articles published before March 2013 from five search engines., Inclusion Criteria: (i) intervention-based; (ii) quasi-experimental, experimental, or pretest/post-test design; (iii) pregnant women participants; (iv) outcomes including oral health knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors; (v) ≥5 participants; (vi) peer-review publication; and (vii) English language., Results: All interventions (n = 7) were delivered in prenatal care settings and focused on education. Modalities varied, including the use of oral instruction and audiovisual presentations, in both individual and group formats; however, content was directed toward infant oral health. Few studies specifically addressed prenatal oral health guidelines. Primary outcomes measured included knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, self-efficacy and oral hygiene, and health-seeking behaviors. All but one study showed significant improvement in one of these outcomes postintervention., Conclusions: Few oral health interventions among pregnant women addressed oral-related symptoms, hygiene behaviors, and potential oral-systemic implications specific to mothers. Subsequently, more theory- and evidence-based interventions addressing current prenatal oral health guidelines using rigorous designs are needed to improve oral and systemic health for both women and their offspring., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to provide the opportunity to enable older people to prioritise the research agenda to improve their own oral health., Background: Little is known about the ageing population's views about their oral health from their perspective. Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) incorporate users' perspectives to prioritise research agendas and are based on a series of sequential steps to build consensus. This structured approach ensures their narrative and thoughts are heard and helps counter the 'top-down' medical model that can dominate healthcare services., Materials and Methods: A PSP was undertaken with four key stakeholder groups: service users, carers, third sector and specialists. Six initial questions were posed to each group prior to a facilitated discussion led by one of the research team. Collective responses where then considered by a final consensus group. The views of the different groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim and underwent thematic analysis., Results: The top three research priorities identified by the final group were to: (i) identify 'best practice' in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases for older people, (ii) identify the training needs for the dental profession and (iii) understand the key issues for older people from their perspective. Improving access to services, the importance of client appropriate information and the need for effective primary and secondary prevention were also articulated., Conclusion: Asking older people to prioritise the research agenda proved to be a positive experience. Key issues related to improving communication and the availability of appropriate evidence-based information on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S and The Gerodontology Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This pilot and feasibility study examined the impact of a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) to reduce distress, sensory discomfort, and perception of pain during oral prophylaxis for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 44 children ages 6-12 (n = 22 typical, n = 22 ASD). In an experimental crossover design, each participant underwent two professional dental cleanings, one in a regular dental environment (RDE) and one in a SADE, administered in a randomized and counterbalanced order 3-4 months apart. Outcomes included measures of physiological anxiety, behavioral distress, pain intensity, and sensory discomfort. Both groups exhibited decreased physiological anxiety and reported lower pain and sensory discomfort in the SADE condition compared to RDE, indicating a beneficial effect of the SADE.

The oral cavity in healthy subjects has a well-balanced microbiota that consists of more than 700 species. However, a disturbance of this balance, with an increase of harmful microbes and a decrease of beneficial microbes, causes oral disorders such as periodontal disease or dental caries. Nowadays, probiotics are expected to confer oral health benefits by modulating the oral microbiota. This study screened new probiotic candidates with potential oral health benefits and no harmful effects on the oral cavity. We screened 14 lactobacillus strains and 36 streptococcus strains out of 896 oral isolates derived from healthy subjects. These bacteria did not produce volatile sulfur compounds or water-insoluble glucan, had higher antibacterial activity against periodontal bacteria, and had higher adherence activity to oral epithelial cells or salivary-coated hydroxyapatite in vitro. We then evaluated the risk of primary cariogenicity and infective endocarditis of the selected oral isolates. As a result, Lactobacillus crispatus YIT 12319, Lactobacillus fermentum YIT 12320, Lactobacillus gasseri YIT 12321, and Streptococcus mitis YIT 12322 were selected because they showed no cariogenic potential in an artificial mouth system and a lower risk of experimental infective endocarditis in a rat model. These candidates are expected as new probiotics with potential oral health benefits and no adverse effects on general health.

Orthodontic treatment is as popular as ever. Orthodontists frequently have long lists of people wanting treatment and the cost to the NHS in England was £258m in 2010-2011 (approximately 10% of the NHS annual spend on dentistry). It is important that clinicians and healthcare commissioners constantly question the contribution of interventions towards improving the health of the population. In this article, the authors outline some of the evidence for and against the claims that people with a malocclusion are at a disadvantage compared with those without a malocclusion and that orthodontic treatment has significant health benefits. The authors would like to point out that this is not a comprehensive and systematic review of the entire scientific literature. Rather the evidence is presented in order to stimulate discussion and debate.

Background: There is a need to improve access to, and the quality of, service delivery in NHS primary dental care. Building public health thinking and leadership capacity in clinicians from primary care teams was seen as an underpinning component to achieving this goal. Clinical teams contributed to service redesign concepts and were contractually supported to embrace a preventive approach., Methods: Improvement in quality and preventive focus of dental practice care delivery was explored through determining the impact of several projects, to share how evidence, skill mix and clinical leadership could be utilised in design, implementation and measurement of care outcomes in general dental practice in order to champion and advocate change, during a period of substantial change within the NHS system. The projects were: 1. A needs-led, evidence informed preventive care pathway approach to primary dental care delivery with a focus on quality and outcomes. 2. Building clinical leadership to influence and advocate for improved quality of care; and spread of learning through local professional networks. This comprised two separate projects: improved access for very young children called “Baby Teeth DO Matter” and the production of a clinically led, evidence-based guidance for periodontyal treatment in primary care called "Healthy Gums DO Matter"., Results: What worked and what hindered progress, is described. The projects developed understanding of how working with 'local majorities' of clinicians influenced, adoption and spread of learning, and the impact in prompting wider policy and contract reform in England., Conclusions: The projects identified issues that required change to meet population need. Clinicians were allowed to innovate in an environment working together with commissioners, patients and public health colleagues. Communication and the development of clinical leadership led to the development of an infrastructure to define care pathways and decision points in the patient's journey.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of oral health knowledge among patients 65 years or older to identify areas in which knowledge gaps exist., Methods: The authors administered the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge questionnaire to patients 65 years or older at a university-based dental clinic and examined associations between oral health knowledge scores and participants' demographic and dental characteristics., Results: Most participants were familiar with basic dental disease prevention and treatment; however, many participants were unfamiliar with concepts pertaining to periodontal disease, oral cancer, and children's oral health., Conclusions: Advocates for geriatric oral health should educate elderly populations about the risk factors associated with periodontal disease and oral cancer, especially as they become more at risk of experiencing these diseases., Practical Implications: Educational messages aimed at both routine and nonroutine users of dental care should be developed on the basis of universal health literacy principles to facilitate understanding among elderly adults, who have varying literacy levels., (Copyright © 2015 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)