Oral injury and mouthguard usage by athletes in Japan

Abstract— The use of mouthguards in contact sports effectively prevents oral injury and preserves oral structures. We investigated oral injuries and awareness concerning mouthguards ainong Japanese high school soccer and rugby players. Athletes were asked a series of questions concerning their history of oral injury while participating in sports, and their pattern of mouthguard use was determined. The data were evaluated statistically using chi-square analysis. The incidence of oral injuries was 32.3% for soccer athletes and 56.5% for rugby athletes, with 0.8% and 24.1% of the respective groups having mouthguards. There were sigmficant differences between the soccer and rugby groups (p<0.001). Although 81.8% of soccer athletes thought mouthguards were unnecessary, only 26.2% of rugby athletes shared this opinion and there was a sigmficant difference between the soccer and rugby groups. Many soccer ath-letes had insufficient knowledge about mouthguards and were not concerned about preventing oral injury, although it was in fact a common problem in their sport. Athletes as well as coaches must be made aware of the high risk of oral injury when playing soccer, rugby, and other contact sports.     

防护牙托在口颌系统运动损伤预防中的应用现状

随着体育运动事业在各国的发展，参与运动的人们越来越多，口颌系统运动损伤率也随之上升。这种高损伤率不仅意味着社会将付出高额的医疗经费，更严重损害了运动者的生活质量。本文综述了口颌系统运动损伤的现状、原因及防止措施．并通过对防护牙托的原理、种类及其效果的分析．进一步证实了推广使用防护牙托的重要意义。     

Oral trauma, mouthguard awareness, and use in two contact sports in Turkey

Abstract –  The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of dental hard and soft tissue injuries during participation in contact sports, and the awareness and use of mouthguards in a young adult sample of semi-professional or amateur boxers and tae kwon do participants in Turkey. The samples consisted of 274 young adults [174 male (63.5%) and 100 female (36.5%)] aged between 17 and 27 years of which 185 (67.5%) were tae kwon do practitioners, and 89 (32.5%) were boxers. The participants answered a standard questionnaire. All answers were evaluated and then statistical analyses were performed. Of the total sample, 61 of the subjects (22.3%) suffered dental trauma. Of these sufferers, 32 (17.3%) were boxers and 29 (32.6%) were tae kwon do practitioners. It was found that 19 (6.9%) athletes lost their teeth post-trauma. Of the 54 subjects (19.7%) suffering soft tissue injuries, 44 were female (81.5%), while only 10 were male (18.5%), of which 40 (74.1%) were tae kwon do practitioners and 14 (25.9%) were boxers. Of the total sample of 274 subjects, 228 (83.2%) were well informed about mouthguard usage. Of the total sample, 153 (55.8%) of the subjects used mouthguards, all of which were boil-and-bite type. The results of our study indicate that dentists and sports authorities in Turkey should promote the use of mouthguards in contact sports such as tae kwon do and boxing, which have a serious risk for dental and oral soft tissue trauma and tooth loss.     

Public awareness and acceptance of dental implants.

To investigate public awareness and acceptance of dental implants, 120 adult US citizens were asked to answer a questionnaire. Of the 109 persons who completed the questionnaire, 77% had heard about dental implants, mostly through media and lay persons. Only 17% named a dentist or physician as the source of information. Persons with many missing teeth were not more aware of implants than those with fewer missing teeth. Of 19 removable denture prosthesis wearers, 15 knew about implants but only one third learned of them from their dentist or physician. Of 84 persons with information about implants, 51 would consider implant treatment, 17 would not, and 16 were undecided. Esthetics was the most frequent motivating factor favoring implants, while high cost was the most frequent argument against them. Younger interviewees were significantly more often in favor of implants than older persons. It was concluded that public awareness and acceptance of dental implants are high. Dentists and physicians, however, play only a minor role as sources of information.     

Public awareness and social acceptability of dental therapists

Abstract: Objectives: To investigate public awareness and the social acceptability of the use of dental therapists in dental care. Method: A telephone survey of a representative quota sample of 500 adults (>18 years of age) in South Yorkshire, England. Results: Fifteen per cent of participants were aware of dental therapists as a professional group, of whom only three people correctly identified their ‘permitted duties’. Those without problems of access to care were more likely to report awareness (P < 0.05). Fifty‐seven per cent were willing to receive simple restorative treatment from a therapist, with acceptability predicted by being younger [OR 1.016 (95% CI: 1.015–1.017)] and having a perceived need for treatment [OR 1.301 (1.053–1.607)]. Fewer were willing to allow a therapist to restore a child’s tooth (47%, P < 0.001, test for paired proportions) with acceptability predicted by being younger [OR 1.016 (1.015–1.017)] and being an irregular attender at the dentist [OR 1.309 (1.138–1.697)]. Forty per cent of participants expected to pay less for treatment provided by therapists with the acceptability of equal costs predicted by having access to care [OR 1.346 (1.017–1.781)]. Conclusion: These findings have implications for the use of dental therapists. They question patients’ and the public’s ability to provide informed consent for the treatment provided by them and identify a need for education of the public on the training and competence of therapists and the rationale for employing skill‐mix in dentistry.     

Tooth erosion awareness in a Brazilian dental school

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess awareness and attitudes related to tooth erosion among dental students, patients, and faculty members in a Brazilian dental school. Data were collected by means of a self-applied questionnaire that was distributed among 298 participants. The response rate was 89.6 percent. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis (p<0.05). The majority of the participants had heard about erosion (72.9 percent), with lower percentages among the patients (p<0.001). In total, 74.9 percent believe that sugar can contribute to erosion (p=0.004). Almost 30 percent of the students did not know if they had had a patient with erosion, and 73.1 percent reported they were not advised by their clinical supervisor to examine their patients for tooth erosion (p=0.138). Concerning the faculty, 23.6 percent of them along with 61.5 percent of the students did not feel prepared to diagnose the condition (p<0.001). Reducing the consumption of acidic drinks was the practice most frequently mentioned as recommended to prevent erosion (89.6 percent). Knowledge about tooth erosion was not as widely evident as it should be in this sample, suggesting the need for better understanding and communication in this important area of oral health care.     

Oral awareness and ability to detect dental plaque*

summary Individuals exist who are unaware of the plaque on their teeth and unable to feel with their tongue any difference between tooth surfaces that are smooth and plaque free and those that are irregular or rougher because of a plaque coating. Oral form recognition (OFR), oral roughness discrimination (ORD) and plaque detection ability were examined in 46 undergraduate dental students. Forty-five of the students also completed Form C of Cattell's 16 PF Questionnaire. No relationship was found between the subjects'ability to detect dental plaque and tbeir skills at either distinguishing between different surface roughnesses or recognizing forms orally. The association between personality and oral awareness Was unclear.     

Knowledge and awareness assessment of cross-contamination of dental floss containers in King Saud University dental hospital clinics

IntroductionInfection control procedures are implemented in dental clinics to reduce the risk of cross-contamination; saliva, blood, or airborne droplets containing infective agents are example of direct contamination, while indirect exposure via contact with contaminated surfaces and dental equipments such as dental chair, tray, faucet, air syringe, suction tip, gutta percha, paper points, retraction cords, and dental floss containers. Dental floss is known to be an integral part of most dental procedures.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness regarding cross-contamination of dental floss containers among a selected population of dental assistants in dental clinics at King Saud University (KSU).Material and MethodsA swab was taken from 60 dental floss containers selected by simple random sampling among 60 different dental clinics at KSU and culture test was done using a charcoal transport swab to identify the type of bacteria that might be present on the dental floss containers. Also a Google forms questionnaire which consisted of 20 multiple choice questions, including demographic questions on gender, nationality, and professional experience, followed by questions to evaluate different infection control concepts and practices.ResultsThis study included 70 dental assistants, most of whom were female (94.3 %). A significant number (41.4 %) of the dental assistants have never heard of OSHA course, and most of them (77.1 %) have never taken an OSHA course. Some participants who attended > 2 infection control courses (37.8 %) did not disagree that it is a waste of material to use new gloves to clean each clinic. Regarding the laboratory results for the collected samples, the highest frequency was noted for Staphylococcus hominis (27.8 %).ConclusionThe present study concluded that there is still further need for implementation of infection control programs and raising more awareness regarding this subject.     

Use of an inventory for ethical awareness in dental hygiene

This is a study of practicing dental hygienists and dental hygiene students undertaken to ascertain their perceived awareness of ethical, moral, and legal matters and their convictions about being knowledgeable in dealing with them. The study focused on identifying ethical concerns that dental hygienists maintain as being professionally significant and the differences, if any, between currently enrolled students and dental hygiene practitioners.     

Oral cancer awareness and knowledge among dental patients in South India

AimTo assess the 1) levels of awareness and knowledge about risk factors and early signs of oral cancer among dental patients visiting dental hospital in Hyderabad city, South India 2) and to correlate the knowledge levels according to age, gender and education levels.MethodsThe survey comprised of 16-item questionnaire which was distributed to patients attending Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences, Hyderabad. Data was collected and statistically analysis was done using SPSS software (12.0 version). p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results2045 participants completed the questionnaire (response rate – 97. 9%). The reliability of the questionnaire as calculated by Cronbach’s alpha was 0.75. Mean age of the study population was 37.9 years. 60.2% of the respondents had heard about oral cancer. When knowledge towards risk factors of oral cancer was taken into consideration along with variables, significant differences were seen only in gender with female having better knowledge (p = 0.02). No significant difference was noted among the age group and varying education levels. However, knowledge about early signs of oral cancer revealed a highly significant difference with the level of education (p = 0.000).ConclusionThe awareness levels and knowledge about risk factors and early signs of oral cancer in this cross-section of Indian dental patients were satisfactory.