Oral health behaviors and metabolic syndrome: the 2008–2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objectives

This study examined whether oral health behaviors are associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults involved in the 2008–2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

Materials and methods

A total of 18,742 subjects (8,034 men and 10,708 women) were included. MetS was defined according to the criteria of the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Scientific Statement for Asians. Oral health behavior was assessed using a questionnaire included in the KNHANES.

Results

Subjects with MetS brushed their teeth less frequently and used fewer secondary oral products than subjects without MetS (p?<?0.01). As frequency of toothbrushing and number of secondary oral products increased, body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, and white blood cell count decreased, but high-density lipoprotein–cholesterol increased (all p for trend <0.01). In the multivariable logistic regression models, as frequency of toothbrushing increased, the odds ratios (ORs) for MetS, abdominal obesity, and hyperglycemia are more than one after adjusting for age, gender, education, income, alcohol and tobacco use, physical activity, and the components of MetS. The ORs for MetS, abdominal obesity, and high blood pressure were more than one in subjects who do not use dental floss after adjusting for all covariates.

Conclusion

MetS is associated with infrequent daily toothbrushing and disuse of dental floss in South Korean.

Clinical relevance

Dentists may recommend evaluation for MetS in the patients with infrequent daily toothbrushing and disuse of dental floss.     

What determines positive student perceptions of extramural clinical rotations? An analysis using 2003 ADEA Senior Survey data

Extramural clinical rotations are an integral part of many dental school curricula. Schools in The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/The California Endowment Pipeline, Profession, and Practice program are increasing student extramural opportunities to expose students to patients of different needs, cultures, and dental delivery modes. Using data from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) 2003 Senior Survey, the Pipeline, Profession, and Practice National Evaluation Team studied graduating dental students' perceptions about their extramural rotations. This analysis was designed to determine the factors associated with students' perception of their extramural clinical rotations: was it a positive experience in their dental education, and did it improve students' perceptions of their ability to provide care for racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse groups? The respondents were 2,950 graduating seniors who reported at least one week of extramural rotation experience. After controlling for both individual and school level characteristics, this study found that race/ethnicity, a stronger socially conscious attitudes score, number of weeks spent in extramural rotations, and the student's rating of time spent in extramural rotations were significant determinants of the extramural rotations being reported as positive experiences. With respect to improving students' ability to provide care to racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse groups, more positive student socially conscious attitudes, a greater number of weeks spent in the rotations, a stronger service orientation for selecting dentistry as a career, and the students' rating of their time spent in extramural rotations were significant determinants. In conclusion, there is some evidence that time spent in extramural rotations may be perceived as positive dental school experiences and, for some students, may prepare them to work effectively with culturally diverse patients by the time of dental school graduation.     

National Study of Adult Oral Health 2017–18: participation and representativeness

The National Study of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH) 2017–18 collected information from a sample of the Australian population aged 15 years and over. The Study comprised an interview questionnaire, completed by telephone or online, and an oral epidemiological examination among dentate participants. Participation in the Study was voluntary and therefore relied on the goodwill of selected participants. This paper provides a summary of participation rates for the Interview and Examination phases of the study. The potential for biased population estimates due to variation in participation rates is explored. The weighting procedure implemented to ensure the sample is representative of the target population is described and a comparison of the estimated population distributions derived from the weighted sample and the actual population distributions is provided for a range of socioeconomic characteristics. In summary, it can be concluded that estimates derived from the weighted Interview and Examination samples are valid estimates of the Australian population aged 15 years and over.     

National Study of Adult Oral Health 2017–18: Study design and methods

The National Study of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH) is Australia’s third national oral examination survey of a representative sample of Australian adults. The study was undertaken primarily to describe levels of oral health in the population and to describe trends since the first survey, conducted in 1987–88. The aim of the study was to complete 7,200 examinations, necessitating approximately 15,200 completed interviews. Survey participants were selected using a multi-stage probability sampling design that began with the sampling of postcodes within states/territories in Australia. Individuals within selected postcodes were then selected by the Australian Government Department of Human Services (DHS) from the Medicare database. Following an initial opt-out period, participants were given the option to either complete the questionnaire online or to complete the questionnaire via a computer-assisted telephone interview. Participants were asked a series of questions about their oral health and dental service use and those who reported having one or more of their own natural teeth were invited to undergo a standardised oral examination. Examinations were conducted by state/territory dental practitioners who underwent prior training and calibration in survey procedures by the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), The University of Adelaide.     

An analysis of the interrelationship of the mixed odontogenic tumors—ameloblastic fibroma,ameloblastic fibro-odontoma,and the odontomas

The mixed odontogenic tumors—ameloblastic fibroma, ameloblastic fibro-odontoma, and the odontomas—represent a group of lesions of which some are neoplastic and some are hamartomatous. Regarding data on age, sex distribution, and site of occurrence of the various lesions, it was concluded that the ameloblastic fibroma represents a separate entity that does not develop into a more differentiated odontogenic lesion and that the ameloblastic fibro-odontoma is an immature complex odontoma. Moreover, it was noted that the distribution according to site of the ameloblastic fibro-odontoma and complex odontoma was dependent on age, both lesions showing a more posteriorly located site of predilection with increasing age. Finally, it is supposed that age-related factors determine whether an aberrant development of the odontogenic tissues exhibits a hamartomatous or a neoplastic nature.     

Oral epidemiological examination – protocol: the National Study of Adult Oral Health 2017–18

The National Study of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH) 2017–18 aimed to collect data on population oral health status of the Australian adult population. This complex nation-wide project required reliable data collection procedures. The NSAOH 2017–18 Oral Epidemiological Examination Protocol has been developed based on internationally accepted examination procedures. Examiners have been trained and calibrated in using the protocol. Details of the clinical examination components are provided. Examiner reliability has been tested and presented.     

The risk of endocarditis in hemodialysis patients who have undergone invasive dental treatment: a cohort case–control analysis of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine if hemodialysis patients who have undergone an invasive dental treatment are at risk of developing infective endocarditis.

Materials and methods

This study was a cohort case–control design and used secondary data collected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. The case group and the control group were each comprised of 19,602 hemodialysis patients. The control group was matched for four variables: age, gender, a medical history of diabetes mellitus, and a cerebrovascular event. After matching, the case group and the control group were each comprised of 19,602 hemodialysis patients. Cox regression analysis determined hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

Patients were followed up at 1 month and 3 months after receiving invasive dental treatment. The results showed the cohort case–control hazard ratio was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.49, 1.57) 1 month after receiving invasive dental treatment. Three months after receiving IDT, the cohort case–control hazard ratio was 1.04 (95% CI, 0.71, 1.52). Hazard ratios did not differ significantly between groups.

Conclusions

Hemodialysis patients who received invasive dental treatment had no greater risk of developing infective endocarditis than matched control patients. The results of this study should alleviate concerns for hemodialysis patients and dentists about invasive dental treatment procedures. We recommend hemodialysis patients undergo invasive dental treatment when needed.

Clinical relevance

The results of this study showed that invasive dental treatment did not increase their risk of developing infective endocarditis. Hemodialysis patients in need of an invasive dental procedure should be encouraged to undergo treatment if the dentist deems it necessary.

     

Dental occlusion analysis in the Mesolithic–Neolithic Age,Bronze Age,and Roman to Medieval times in Serbia: Tooth size comparison in skeletal samples

ObjectiveAnthropological studies have reported that tooth size decreases in the context of diet changes. Some investigations have found a reverse trend in tooth size from the prehistoric to the modern times. The aims of this study were to analyze tooth size in skeletal samples from Mesolithic–Neolithic Age, Bronze Age, and Roman to Medieval times to determine sex differences and establish a temporal trend in tooth size in the aforementioned periods.DesignWell-preserved permanent teeth were included in the investigation. The mesiodistal (MD) diameter of all teeth and buccolingual (BL) diameter of the molars were measured. Effects of sex and site were tested by one-way ANOVA, and the combined effect of these factors was analyzed by UNIANOVA.ResultsSexual dimorphism was present in the BL diameters of all molars and MD diameters of the upper first and the lower third molar. The lower canine was the most dimorphic tooth in the anterior region. The MD diameter of most teeth showed no significant difference between the groups, (sample from: Mesolithic–Neolithic Age-group 1; Bronze Age-group 2; Roman times-group 3; Medieval times-group 4), whereas the BL diameters of the upper second and the lower first molar were the largest in the first group. Multiple comparisons revealed a decrease in the BL diameter of the upper second and the lower first molar from the first to the later groups. Lower canine MD diameter exhibited an increase in the fourth group compared to the second group.ConclusionOn the basis of the MD diameter, a temporal trend could not be observed for most of the teeth. The lower canine exhibited an increase in the MD diameter from the prehistoric to the Medieval times. Changes of BL diameter were more homogeneous, suggesting that the temporal trend of molar size decreased from the Mesolithic–Neolithic to Medieval times in Serbia.     

Ecological time-trend analysis of caries experience at 12 years of age and caries incidence from age 12 to 18 years: Norway 1985–2004

Objectives. The purpose of the present investigation was to report on caries experience among Norwegian 12-year-olds from 1985 to 2004 and to assess caries incidence from 12 to 18 years of age for birth cohorts 1973 to 1986. Material and methods. Aggregated data from the Norwegian Public Dental Services and from official statistics were employed. Information was available about the number of subjects, the proportion receiving treatment, sales of fluoride tablets, socio-demographics, caries prevalence, and the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT). Results. An almost linear decline in caries prevalence and mean D₃MFT (dentine level) occurred among 12-year-old children from 1985 until the year 2000, but from 2000 to 2004 an increasing trend was observed. The highest mean 6-year D₃MFT increment (age 12–18 years) was 4.1 (cohort 1976), while the lowest was 3.2 (cohorts 1982 and 1983). In multiple linear regression analyses of trend, baseline D₃MFT accounted for more than 91% of total explained variance in D₃MFT increment (Models I and III). Without baseline D₃MFT as predictor (Models II and IV), there was a significant association between education, social assistance, mobility, infant mortality, percentage examined, and the additive interaction terms year?+?income and year?+?education and D₃MFT increment after controlling for confounding and multicollinearity. Conclusions. Four consecutive years of increase in caries experience among 12-year-old children after 15 years of decline and evidence of stability or increase of the caries increment from 12 to 18 years of age among Norwegian teenagers give cause for concern.     

Children with a cleft lip and palate: An exploratory study of the role of the parent–child interaction

IntroductionHaving a child with an orofacial cleft may be associated with a specific pattern of parenting. In order to investigate the parenting style, the present study assessed parent–child interactions during a problem-solving task performed under pressure.Material and methodsParent–child interactions were video recorded for 15 families with a child with a cleft lip and palate (CLP), which were then compared to 20 healthy families and 20 families with a child suffering from migraines. The children had to solve a puzzle within a specified time with either their mother or father.ResultsIn families with a child with CLP, mothers tried to support their children more often and children demonstrated more autonomous behaviour towards both parents than children in healthy and migraine-affected families. Moreover, the children with CLP relied less on their fathers for help and interrupted their fathers less frequently.ConclusionsAutonomous behaviour among children with CLP which is supported by their parents may represent psychosocial compensatory mechanisms in the family environment.