Oral health‐related quality of life among rural‐dwelling Indigenous Australians

Background: There is limited information on the impact of poor oral health on Indigenous Australian quality of life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, extent and severity of, and to calculate risk indicators for, poor oral health‐related quality of life among a convenience sample of rural‐dwelling Indigenous Australians. Methods: Participants (n = 468) completed a questionnaire that included socio‐demographic, lifestyle, dental service utilization, dental self‐care and oral health‐related quality of life (OHIP‐14) factors. Results: The prevalence of having experienced one or more of OHIP‐14 items ‘fairly often’ or ‘very often’ was 34.8%. The extent of OHIP‐14 scores was 1.88, while the severity was 15.0. Risk indicators for having experienced one or more of OHIP‐14 items ‘fairly often’ or ‘very often’ included problem‐based dental attendance, avoiding dental care because of cost, difficulty paying a $100 dental bill and non‐ownership of a toothbrush. An additional risk indicator for OHIP‐14 extent was healthcare card ownership, while additional indicators for OHIP‐14 severity were healthcare card ownership and having had 5+ teeth extracted. Conclusions: Risk indicators for poor oral health‐related quality of life among this marginalized population included socio‐economic factors, dentate status factors, dental service utilization patterns, financial factors and dental self‐care factors.     

Estimation of the costs of smoking‐related oral disease: a representative South Korean study

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to estimate the socioeconomic and psychological costs associated with smoking‐related oral disease (SROD) with the aim of generating objective data that could be used in smoking cessation counselling by dental care providers and could also serve as data with which to set standards and criteria for use in dental health insurance. Methods: Patients were sourced from the 11 dental hospitals associated with dental schools in South Korea. A total of 1,288 of 10,080 patients with SROD were selected to participate in the study for a period of 2 years from January 2009 to March 2011. Data collected were analysed using spss Version 17.0. Results: Among the SRODs, the most common was periodontal disease (40.7%). Periodontal disease accounted for the highest social and economic costs. Mouth cancer accounted for the highest psychological cost. Conclusions: In order to reduce associated socioeconomic and psychological costs, dental care providers and government should provide more proactive and more efficient smoking cessation programmes.