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Background: Oral health is a significant part of general health. Poor oral health can influence an individual’s appearance, self-esteem, eating, and speaking. The use of mobile phone apps has been growing in the field of medicine, including dentistry. However, to date, there is no evidence related to the availability of mobile apps focusing on various branches of dentistry. Objective: The aim of this study was to review the scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone apps in oral health and summarize the key findings. Methods: A scoping review of published scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone apps in oral health was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute. A search was performed in PubMed and Scopus for studies published between January 2000 and June 2021 that were written in English. All study types except for those reporting developmental protocols were included in this review. In total, 2 reviewers independently screened the studies using the eligibility criteria. The study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework registries in June 2021. Results: The initial search yielded a total of 977 studies, 45 (4.6%) of which met the inclusion criteria. All the studies (45/45, 100%) were published after 2009. Most studies (31/45, 69%) concerned oral health promotion using mobile phone apps, followed by behavior management (5/45, 11%). More than half (23/45, 51%) of the included studies were conducted in Asian countries. Overall, 31% (14/45) of the studies focused on adolescents. A total of 51% (23/45) of the studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Approximately 39% (9/23) of the included RCT studies reported a substantial reduction in dental plaque, and 26% (6/23) of the studies reported significant improvement in gingival health. Regarding dental anxiety management, 13% (3/23) of the RCT studies reported a significant decrease in mean heart rate and lower Facial Image Scale

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of erosive tooth wear (ETW) and its association with dental caries and the use of psychoactive substances among Finnish prisoners. Methods: One hundred voluntary prisoners (90.9%) from the Pelso Prison participated in this cross-sectional clinical study between September 2014 and February 2015. Fifty prisoners were also interviewed using the one-on-one interviewing technique for their background factors and use of psychoactive substances. Basic Erosive Index (BEWE) (0–18) was used to measure erosive tooth wear. Decayed (D), missing (M), filled (F) and the number of remaining teeth (T) and DMFT were reported. The association between the different variables was tested and analysed by using cross tabulation. To test the association between the variables a logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results: Almost all (90%) of the subjects had need for preventive and operative treatment for ETW. In addition, one in five (19%) suffered from severe erosive tooth wear. The use of psychoactive substances and pharmaceuticals is common, yet no association with ETW was found. Smoking and alcohol consumption were more common among younger prisoners than the older ones. There is an increased risk for ETW among older prisoners and major alcohol consumers. Past caries experience was associated with dental erosion. Conclusions: Erosive tooth wear is common among Finnish prisoners in their thirties. ETW is associated with dental caries and daily alcohol consumption.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of dental fear and the associations between dental fear and dental health and dental attendance among Finnish prisoners. Material and Methods: Eighty-nine voluntary male prisoners from the Pelso Prison participated in this cross-sectional clinical study between September 2014 and February 2015. Forty-six (51.7%) of them were also interviewed for their background factors, dental fear and dental attendance. To evaluate the prisoners’ level of dental fear, the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and Dental Visual Analogue Scale were used. The numbers of decayed, missing, filled and remaining teeth reported dental health. For analyses Pearson’s Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, logistic regression analyses and the independent samples Kruskall-Wallis test were conducted. Results:: Among male prisoners four out of 46 (8.7%) reported severe and fourteen out of 46 (30.4%) moderate dental fear, 60.9% had mild or no dental fear. Those with no dental fear visited a dentist regularly more often than those with dental fear. The use of snuff and number of medications were positively associated with severe dental fear. Conclusions: Dental fear is common among Finnish male prisoners. High number of prescribed medications, use of snuff and irregular dental attendance may indicate severe dental fear among Finnish male prisoners.

In Finland as well as elsewhere, prisoners are a marginal and commonly deprived group of people. Most of them are young or middle-aged males even though the mean age is increasing. Prisoners’ social status and educational background are inferior to the rest of the population. They have many health-related problems. The general health and oral health of prisoners has been previously investigated in other countries, but in Finland information on their oral health is so far scarce. The aim of this study was to obtain information on aspects of the oral health and associated factors of Finnish prisoners. The study focused on oral health, health- and oral health-related behaviours, dental fear, as well as general health issues. One hundred prisoners (89 male and 11 female) took part in the study between September 2014 and February 2015 in Pelso prison, Finland. A clinical examination including dental caries and erosive tooth wear, periodontal disease, and evaluating and diagnosing temporomandibular disorders was carried out on all participants (n=100). Half of them (46 males and 4 females) were interviewed using questionnaires and Motivational Interviewing Technique. With interviewing, prisoners’ socio-demographic background factors and information on substance abuse as well as other health- and oral health-related behaviours were obtained. Data on medications was acquired from the prisoners’ patient records. Dental fear and other general fears were surveyed with validated questionnaires. Substance abuse was common. Almost everyone smoked, and one in every five had used snuff. Pre-prison drug and alcohol use was widespread; drug use was even more prevalent than alcohol use. Almost everyone was taking some prescribed medicine, the most common being antipsychotics, painkillers and sleeping pills. Over half (56%) of the prisoners had hepatitis C. The oral health status of Finnish prisoners was poor. Almost everyone (81%) had a need for restorative treatment. Signs o, Tiivistelmä Suomessa vangit ovat pieni erillisryhmä, joka poikkeaa monella tavalla muusta väestöstä. Suurin osa vangeista on joko nuoria tai keski-ikäisiä miehiä, vaikkakin vankien keski-ikä on nousussa. Vankien sosiaalinen asema ja koulutustausta ovat huonommat muuhun väestöön verrattuna. Vankien yleisterveyttä ja myös suunterveyttä on aiemmin tutkittu muualla, mutta Suomessa tietoa heidän suunterveydestään ja siihen liittyvistä tekijöistä on vähän. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli saada tietoa suomalaisten vankien suun ja hampaiston terveydestä ja siihen vaikuttavista taustatekijöistä. Tutkimuksessa kartoitettiin vankien suunterveyttä ja terveys- ja suunterveystottumuksia, hammashoitopelkoa sekä yleisterveyteen liittyviä seikkoja. Yhteensä 100 vankia, 89 miestä ja 11 naista, osallistui tutkimukseen syyskuun 2014 ja helmikuun 2015 välisenä aikana Pelson vankilassa. Kaikille (n=100) tehtiin kliininen tarkastus, johon sisältyi hampaiden kariologinen, parodontologinen ja erosiivisten vaurioiden tutkimus sekä purentafysiologinen tutkimus. Puolta tutkimusjoukosta (46 miestä ja 4 naista) haastateltiin käyttäen kyselylomakkeita ja motivoivaa haastattelutekniikkaa. Haastattelulla selvitettiin vankien sosiodemografisia taustatietoja, päihteiden käyttöä ja muuta terveys- ja suunterveyskäyttäytymistä. Hammashoitopelkoa ja muita yleisiä pelkoja selvitettiin erillisillä kyselylomakkeilla. Lähes kaikki tupakoivat, ja nuuskaa oli käyttänyt joka viides. Huumeiden ja alkoholin käyttö ennen vankeusaikaa oli ollut yleistä, huumeiden käyttö jopa alkoholin käyttöä yleisempää. Melkein kaikki käyttivät jotain reseptilääkettä; käytetyimpiä olivat psykoosi-, kipu- ja unilääkkeet. Tutkituista vangeista yli puolella (56%) oli C-hepatiitti. Suomalaisten vankien suunterveys on huono. Lähes kaikilla (81 %) oli hampaistossa korjaavan hoidon tarvetta. Iensairaudet olivat yleisiä, parodontiittia oli 7 %:lla tutkituista. Suurin osa tarvitsi vähintään ennaltaehkäiseviä toimenpiteitä hampaiden ero

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported temporomandibular disorders (TMD) symptoms and clinically diagnosed TMD among Finnish prisoners. Material and methods: Altogether 100 prisoners from the Pelso Prison, Vaala, Finland, underwent dental and TMD clinical examinations performed by a calibrated and well-trained dentist. Symptom Questionnaire and clinical examination according to a Finnish pre-final version of the DC/TMD (Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders) Axis I protocol were used to evaluate the prevalence of TMD sub-diagnoses. Results: The most common TMD symptoms were facial pain (54.0%), temporomandibular joint noises (43.0%) and headache (37.0%). The prevalence of joint-related TMD diagnoses was four and a half times higher than diagnoses attributed with pain (76.0% vs. 17.0%). The most common TMD diagnoses were degenerative joint disease (33.0%) and disc displacement with reduction (33.0%). Conclusions: The prevalence of self-reported TMD symptoms and clinical assessed TMD, especially join-related TMD diagnoses, is high among Finnish prisoners. Examination and treatment of TMD should become a common practice also in prison dental care.

Worldwide, hantaviruses cause more than 100,000 human infections annually. Rapid and accurate methods are important both in monitoring acute infections and for epidemiological studies. We and others have shown that the amino termini of hantavirus nucleocapsid proteins (Ns) are sensitive tools for the detection of specific antibodies in hantavirus disease. Accordingly, we expressed truncated Ns (amino acids 1 to 117) in Escherichia coli from the five hantaviruses known to be pathogenic to man; Hantaan (HTN), Seoul (SEO), Dobrava (DOB), Sin Nombre (SN), and Puumala (PUU) viruses. In order to obtain pure antigens for use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the recombinant proteins were purified by polyhistidine-metal chelate affinity chromatography. Polyclonal animal antisera and a panel of serum specimens from hantavirus-infected individuals from Scandinavia, Slovenia, Russia, Korea, China, and the United States were used to evaluate the usefulness of the method. With both human and animal sera, it was possible to designate the antibody response into two groups: those with HTN, SEO, and DOB virus reactivity on the one hand and those with SN and PUU virus reactivity on the other. In sera from Scandinavia, European Russia, and the United States, the antibody response was directed mainly to the PUU and SN virus group. The sera from Asia reacted almost exclusively with the HTN, SEO, and DOB types of viruses. This was true for both the immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibody responses, indicating that this type of discrimination can be done during the acute phase of hantavirus infections. Both the HTN, SEO, and DOB virus and the PUU and SN virus types of antibody response patterns were found in patients from the Balkan region (Solvenia).