Oral health in Latvian 15-year-olds

Oral hygiene, caries and periodontal conditions were assessed in a representative sample of 15-year-old Latvian schoolchildren, comprising 506 subjects. Caries, diagnosed on the cavity level, was detected in 97.6 % of the population. The mean DMFT and DMFS were 8.1 and 14.1, respectively. Although 91% of the children had had restorative treatment, the D component accounted on average for 33% of the DMFS score. Visible dental plaque was found in 98.4% of the children; in a majority (88%) abundant plaque deposits were recorded. Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) was assessed by standard WHO methods. Deviation from periodontal health was observed in 90.7% of the children. Calculus was recorded in 26.1% and gingival pockets in 25.9% of the sample. Additionally, 38.7% of the children had gingival bleeding. The mean number of sextants with healthy periodontal conditions was 2.5. Calculus and pocketing averaged 0.6 and 0.4 sextants, respectively. Attachment loss, recorded in 11.7% of the subjects, did not exceed 3 mm. The results showed high caries prevalence, considerable need for treatment and virtual absence of oral hygiene.     

武汉市东西湖区5岁儿童口腔健康行为调查

目的:了解东西湖区5岁儿童的基本口腔健康行为及其家长的儿童口腔卫生知识水平,为东西湖区儿童口腔卫生保健工作提供信息支持。方法:按照第三次全国口腔健康流行病学调查方案设计的5岁儿童家长问卷,对东西湖区8所幼儿园529名5岁儿童家长进行问卷调查,了解儿童饮食行为,口腔卫生行为、利用口腔医疗行为,家长口腔保健知识知晓情况。结果:30%的儿童经常有睡前进食甜食的习惯。5%的儿童在3岁前开始刷牙,每日刷牙2次者仅占10%。有5%的儿童使用含氟牙膏刷牙。在过去1年中,90%的儿童没看过牙医。结论:东西湖区5岁儿童口腔健康行为低于全国平均水平,儿童口腔健康行为尚不完善,有必要加强父母的口腔健康教育,建立正确的儿童口腔健康行为。     

Risk indicators and potential risk factors for caries in 5-year-olds of different ethnic groups in Amsterdam

The aim of this study was threefold: first, to assess the oral health of Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, Dutch and "other" 5-yr-old children living in Amsterdam; second, to identify risk indicators for caries, in addition to ethnicity; and third, to identify potential risk factors related to differences in caries experience in these children. Results showed the mean dmfs scores of Turkish and Moroccan children to be much higher than that of the Dutch and Surinamese children; 8.1 and 8.2 versus 3.6 and 3.4, respectively. The educational level of the parents and the gender of the children were important risk indicators, in addition to ethnicity. The age of the child at which the parents had started to brush their child's teeth, the use of fluoride tablets and the regularity of the brushing behavior in the past could be identified as potential risk factors.     

Oral health status in Belgian 3- to 5-year-old children

The aim of this study was to determine the need for oral health care in young Belgian children in the municipality of Leuven, Belgium. The sample consisted of 750 boys and girls (3 years=200, 4 years=200 and 5 years=350). Clinical examination was carried out by one examiner and duplicate recordings were made on 10% of the sample. The clinical examination included recording of: (1) plaque index; (2) gingival index; (3) caries index; and (4) fluorosis index. Plaque and gingival indices were recorded at six sites of smooth surfaces on selected teeth. Occlusal plaque was also registered. Before the clinical examination for caries and fluorosis, the children had their teeth professionally cleaned with toothbrushes and dental floss and dried by means of gauze bandages. In all age groups, the percentage of plaque-free sites was of the order of 60% and sound gingiva was identified at 83% of the recorded sites. The percentages of caries-free children were 69% (3 years), 57% (4 years) and 52% (5 years). The mean deft scores (standard error) were 1.37 (±0.21), 1.76 (±0.21) and 2.03 (±0.17). The corresponding mean defs scores were 2.04 (±0.44), 2.46 (±0.35) and 3.75 (±0.42). Non-cavitated active lesions, included in the defs scores, represented about 50% of all caries lesions. Early signs of dental fluorosis were identified in 19% (3 years), 17% (4 years) and 9% (5 years) of children. The need for oral health care in the population studied is mainly related to non-operative treatment procedures aimed at controlling the progression of disease. Received: 1 August 1997 / Accepted: 13 February 1998     

Oral health status of mississippi delta 3- to 5-year-olds in child care: an exploratory study of dental health status and risk factors for dental disease and treatment needs

OBJECTIVES: For poor and minority young children, disparities exist in dental health and treatment. In rural impoverished areas, institutions that reach young children and potentially offer access to care are limited. In the current Mississippi Delta study, child care centers were examined as potential venues for oral health intervention and research, and potential risk factors for dental caries and treatment urgency in high-risk preschool children were explored. METHODS: Child care centers were selected and attending children recruited. Data on oral health practices were collected from surveys of center directors and parents/caregivers. Children were examined for caries and treatment urgency at centers by dentists. Bivariate and multivariate analyses with a 0. 05 alpha were used to examine data. RESULTS: A total of 346 preschool children at 15 participating centers were examined: 46% were female, 68% minority. Minority children and those with public insurance were more than twice as likely to have caries and urgent treatment needs as non-minorities or those with private insurance. The odds of children having caries were half as great if parents reported using floss and nearly twice as great if the parent had experienced a dental abscess. For every soft drink the parent consumed daily, the odds of dental caries for children increased by 44%. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting oral health exams and research in child care venues was possible, yet presented challenges. The combined use of two parental variables, reported soft drink consumption and abscess history, appears promising for caries prediction. Implementation of oral health programs and research in child care venues merits further exploration.     

A randomized clinical trial of triazolam in 3- to 5-year-olds.

Triazolam has shown promise as a sedative agent for use in pediatric dentistry. However, the efficacy of triazolam has not been previously examined in a placebo-controlled study. The present clinical trial used a two-group, randomized, double-blind study design to compare the efficacy of oral triazolam with that of a placebo. The primary hypothesis tested was that triazolam would reduce negative behaviors of pediatric dental patients compared with a placebo. A secondary hypothesis was that triazolam would increase the efficiency of dental treatment by reducing the need for time-consuming behavior management by the pediatric dentist. The subjects were 54 3- to 5-year-old children, randomly assigned to the drug and placebo groups. The active drug, 0.03 mg/kg triazolam (Halcion), or lactose placebo was given orally 30 min before dental treatment. Behavior management techniques commonly used in pediatric dentistry were used during dental treatment. A single pediatric dentist provided all of the dental treatment. The procedure included an inferior block anesthesia and careful attention to anesthesia effectiveness. All sessions were video-taped and the tapes coded for child and dentist behaviors by an independent observer. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with respect to completion of dental treatment. There were no significant differences found in either the total time or the percent of time that the subjects exhibited disruptive movements, verbal or non-verbal distress. The total use of time in the dental chair was slightly higher in the placebo than in the drug group due to more time spent preparing the child. Contrary to preliminary reports in the literature, this investigation found little or no improvement in child behavior when triazolam was used as a sedative compared with a placebo. However, triazolam did shorten the length of dental treatment, primarily by reducing dentist time in preparing the child for the dental procedure (e.g., establishing rapport and shaping behavior).     

Dental health of 5-year-olds following community-based oral health promotion in Glasgow, UK

AIM: A community development oral health promotion programme based on the principles of the Ottawa Charter was conducted in an attempt to improve the dental health of children under 5 years of age in two severely socioeconomically challenged pilot districts in Glasgow, UK. Later phased extension involved all of the area's most deprived communities. The aim of the present study was to assess dental health outcomes by secondary analysis of routine caries datasets for Glasgow 5-year-olds over the interval from 1997-1998 to 2003-2004. DESIGN: Wilcoxon tests assessed change in d3mft scores and logistic regression was used to analyse binomial scores (e.g. % d3mft = 0). RESULTS: After adjusting for age and deprivation (DepCat) in pilot districts 1 and 2, significant redistributions of the relative frequency of d3mft scores were observed (P = 0.012 and P < 0.001, respectively), mean d3mft decreased from 5.5 to 3.6 and from 6.0 to 3.6, respectively, and the proportions with d3mft = 0 increased from 11% to 29% and from 10% to 32%, respectively [P = 0.010, odds ratio (OR) = 0.25, and P = 0.006, OR = 0.30, respectively, for d3mft > 0]. Following extension of the programme into all of Glasgow's socioeconomically challenged areas, the mean d3mft values of 5-year-olds reduced in all DepCat 7 communities, and across Glasgow as a whole from 4.9 to 4.1 and from 3.5 to 3.1, respectively, while the proportion with d3mft = 0 increased from 20% to 32% (P < 0.001) and from 34% to 42% (P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Dental health improvements were observed in pilot districts and across all DepCat 7 communities following the roll-out of the programme. This change was of sufficient magnitude to impact upon area-wide statistics for Glasgow.     

An epidemiologic survey of oral health in Swaziland

An epidemiologic survey of oral health was conducted on 480 schoolchildren and 400 adults in Swaziland. Age groups 7, 14, 20-24 and 35-44 were selected, and nine sampling sites were chosen in various parts of the country. Oral hygiene was generally poor, visible soft deposits being prevalent in all age groups and calculus in adults. Advanced periodontal disease was present in most people over 35 years of age, and intense gingivitis was widespread in all age groups. Dental caries was found to be a common problem, affecting practically every person, in many cases quite severely. There was a tendency towards accumulation of the disease in children. Some geographic variation was found in the prevalence and severity of dental caries and periodontal disease. An additional sample of privileged children was examined, and among these children 14-year-olds showed significantly higher DMFS values than their age mates in the rest of the country. Tooth defects, including fluorosis, and oral mucosal diseases did not seem to constitute severe problems of oral health in Swaziland. On the basis of these data a public dental health program has been initiated which emphasizes prevention.     

Oral lichen planus in patients with diabetes: An epidemiologic study

The prevalence of oral lichen planus was studied in 729 persons with diabetes and was found to be in 0.55% of cases. This result was compared with the results obtained from a group of controls without diabetes and from a sample of the general population of similar age and sex distribution. No statistical differences were observed.     

An epidemiologic study of the relationship between overbite and overjet in English children aged 11-12 years

The relationship between overbite and overjet in 1,147 English children aged 11–12 years has been investigated and a statistically significant positive correlation found. It has also been shown that the ratio of the rate of increase of overbite: rate of increase of overjet is approximately 3:1 relative to the defined categories of overbite. The significance of a specific increase in the demand for treatment of deep overbite is also discussed.     

Oral health habits of schoolchildren in 11 European countries

This study is part of the Cross-National Survey on Health Behaviour in Schoolchildren--A WHO Collaborative Study, which started in 1982. The aim of the study was to describe the oral health habits (oral hygiene habits, use of sugar snacks and use of fluorides) in schoolchildren in 11 countries. The data were gathered during the 1985-86 school year, and the age groups studied were 11-, 13- and 15-year olds from Austria, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales. The data are nationally representative for the age groups concerned. Exact results are presented for toothbrushing frequency and use of dental floss, toothpicks, sweets, soft drinks, fluoride toothpaste, fluoride rinses and fluoride tablets. Toothbrushing was consistently less frequent among boys than among girls. Use of dental floss is still very rare. Efforts must be continued to reduce the consumption of sweets and soft drinks. These findings should be taken into consideration when attempts are made to improve oral health education.     

Oral health in 5-year-old Swedish children

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate the oral health of a group of 5-year-old children who had previously been examined in this respect at 3 and 4 years of age. The results were compared with those in an aged-matched reference group. The study included examination of caries and gingivitis, occlusion, presence of lactobacilli and C. albicans in plaque samples, flow rate, pH and buffer effect of stimulated saliva, and certain data on past prophylaxis and oral habits. Caries was found in 76 % of the children in the study group (S-group) and in 78% in the reference group (R-group). No significant differences were found in caries or gingival indices, in oral habits or prophylactic measures between the two groups. Buffer effect and pH of stimulated saliva were negatively correlated with deft and deft. Lactobacilli were demonstrated in 37 % and C. albicans in 12 % of the plaque samples. Various sucking habits were still present in 25 % of the S-group and 22 % of the R-group. Forty-nine and 46 % respectively had been given a daily supply of fluoride tablets by their parents for at least 2 years.     

Permanent dentition caries in KwaZulu and Namibia 11-year-olds

The permanent dentitions of 11-year-old children in Namibia (n = 295) and KwaZulu (n = 308) living in rural and urban areas were examined using WHO caries diagnostic criteria. In low fluoride areas (less than 0.15 ppmF) significantly more caries was present in rural compared to urban KwaZulu but the prevalences in rural and urban Namibia were similar although significantly higher than in an area with 1.56ppmF in the drinking water. There was significantly more caries in rural Namibia than KwaZulu but the urban prevalences in both regions were similar. It is suggested that the urban findings are useful predictors for the needs of 11-year-old black children but local baseline surveys should be undertaken before considering dental programmes, treatment or preventive, for different rural communities in South Africa.     

Trends in periodontal health among 35-year-olds in Oslo, 1973-2003

AIM: The aim of the present study was to describe trends in periodontal health and oral hygiene using data available from four epidemiological studies on 35-year-olds in Oslo performed from 1973 to 2003. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Periodontal status of randomly selected 35-year-olds was assessed clinically and radiographically. Clinical registrations were based on the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) and the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index. In addition, the proportion of individuals with marginal bone loss was assessed using available orthopantomograms. RESULTS: The proportion of persons with CPITN score 4 (one or more pockets > or = 6 mm) decreased from 21.8% in 1984 to 8.1% in 2003. In addition, the mean number of sextants with deep pockets per person was considerably lower in 2003 than previously. The proportion of persons without recorded bone loss increased from 46% in 1973 to 76% in 2003. An improvement in oral hygiene scores was also observed during this period. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that periodontal health and oral hygiene have been improving among 35-year-olds in Oslo during the last 30 years.     

The Scottish Health Boards' Dental Epidemiological Programme: initial surveys of 5- and 12-year-olds.

The Scottish Health Boards' Dental Epidemiological Programme, a joint venture between the Scottish Chief Administrative Dental Officers and the Dental Health Services Research Unit at the University of Dundee, was instigated in 1987 in response to the Chief Dental Officer's concern at the lack of any coordinated dental health information about children residing in the 15 Scottish Health Board areas. Each year a standardised dental survey of a random sample of children is now undertaken across Scotland. This paper reports, principally, the caries results of the first three surveys of 5, 12 and 5-year-olds undertaken at the end of 1987, 1988 and 1989, respectively. Marked variations in caries prevalence were found in different parts of Scotland, higher levels being recorded in the urbanised central belt and in the West. While there have been overall improvements since 1983, caries prevalence in Scotland remains substantially higher than in many other parts of the UK (mean DMFT for 12-year-olds in 1988 = 2.23, mean dmft for 5-year-olds in 1989 = 2.82), with 67.8% of 12-year-olds and 59.2% of 5-year-olds (in 1988 and 1989, respectively) still suffering from dentinal caries or past caries experience (DMFT/dmft greater than 0) when assessed by clinical examination alone. No continued improvement in caries prevalence was seen in the 1989 survey of 5-year-olds compared to the 1987 examination. Continued monitoring of this situation is indicated.     

Association between level of education and oral health status in 35-, 50-, 65- and 75-year-olds

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between educational level and dental disease, treatment needs and oral hygiene habits. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Randomized samples of 35-, 50-, 65- and 75-year-olds, classified according to the educational level: [low (LE): elementary school or higher (HE)], were identified. In 1091 subjects, a number of characteristics such as (i) number of teeth, (ii) periodontal attachment levels (PAL), (iii) caries and (iv) occlusal function were recorded. Educational level, oral hygiene and dietary habits were self-reported. Non-parametric variables were analyzed by chi2, Mann-Whitney U-Wilcoxon's rank sum tests, and parametric variables by Student's t-test (level of significance 95%). A two-way anova was performed on decayed, missing and filled surfaces to investigate the interaction between age and educational level. All statistical procedures were performed in the SPSS statistical package. RESULTS: The number of remaining teeth was similar for LE and HE in the 35-year olds (25.8 versus 26.6), but in the older age groups LE had significantly a larger number of missing teeth. The LE groups (except in 65-year olds) exhibited significantly more PAL loss. LE had significantly fewer healthy gingival units in all but the 75-year age group. In all age groups, LE had fewer intact tooth surfaces and a significantly poorer occlusal function. The frequency of tooth cleaning measures and dietary habits did not differ between LE and HE. CONCLUSION: Educational level was shown to influence the oral conditions and should be considered in assessing risk, and in planning appropriate preventive measures.