Influence of children’s oral health promotion on parents’ behaviours,attitudes and knowledge

Objective The aim was to compare the changes in parents’ oral health-related behaviour, knowledge and attitudes in 2001–2003 and 2003–2005, during a 3.4-year-intervention in Pori and in the reference area Rauma, Finland. Materials and methods The study population consisted of parents of children who participated in the oral health promotion programme in Pori (all 5th and 6th graders who started the 2001–2002 school year in the town of Pori, n?=?1691) and the parents of same-aged children in a reference town (n?=?807). In 2001–2003, the promotion was targeted only to the children in Pori. In 2003–2005, the promotion was targeted also to parents, for example via local mass media. The statistical significances of the differences in parents’ self-reported behaviour, knowledge and attitudes, and changes in these, were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U-tests and confidence intervals. Results In 2001–2003, the trend in changing behaviours was in favour of parents in Pori. Mothers in Pori also improved their knowledge and the attitude ‘importance of brushing for health and appearance’. In 2003–2005, the trend in changing behaviours was rather similar in both towns, which may be due to diffusion of the oral health intervention to Rauma via the media. Conclusions The results suggest that health promotion targeted to children, which in previous studies has been shown to be successful in improving children’s behaviours, also helped their parents in mending their habits.     

Follow-up of children’s oral health-related quality of life after dental general anaesthesia treatment

Objective: Our aim was to analyze longitudinally the impact of young children’s dental general anaesthesia (DGA) treatment on their OHRQoL and to determine their post-operative oral health status at the six-month follow-up together with parental ratings of their children’s oral health.

Material and methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up study of OHRQoL among Lithuanian child patients treated under general anaesthesia (n?=?144). The study consisted of clinical dental examinations performed by two examiners at the time of DGA and at the six-month recall, along with OHRQoL surveys and data collected from the patients’ files. The dmft index and Silness–Löe plaque index served as clinical measures. The survey tool for assessing the children’s OHRQoL was the previously tested Lithuanian version of the ECOHIS. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test served for the statistical analysis (p?Results: The ECOHIS scores clearly decreased post-operatively, indicating a significant (p?p?Conclusions: This longitudinal study showed a sustained improvement in the children’s OHRQoL six months after their DGA treatment. Post-operative parental ratings of their child’s oral health were higher after the DGA treatment, but the children exhibited insufficient oral hygiene and new caries lesions. An appropriate follow-up system for children receiving DGA treatment with special focus on preventive care is needed.     

Association between a child’s caries experience and the mother’s perception of her child’s oral health status

BackgroundMothers play a primary role in the health of their children. This role may be of particular importance for children in Appalachia who have increased caries relative to children in other regions of the United States. The authors examined the degree to which a child’s caries experience was in concordance with the mother’s perception of the health of her child’s teeth, and how concordance varied by sociodemographic factors.MethodsThe authors obtained cross-sectional data on mother-child dyads with children younger than 6 years through the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia study. They interviewed and clinically examined a community-based sample of 815 mother-child dyads from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They used an unadjusted zero-inflated negative binomial model to estimate the association between a mother’s perception of her child’s oral health status and her child’s caries. The authors compared sociodemographic factors between concordant and nonconcordant mother-child dyads using χ² tests.ResultsThe mother’s perception of her child’s oral health status was associated with the child’s caries experience (P < .001). Two-thirds of mother-child dyads showed concordance between the mother’s perception of her child’s oral health status and the child’s caries experience (n = 522, 64%). Concordance was associated with younger child age and the child having dental insurance (P < .01).Conclusions and Practical ImplicationsOn average, mothers accurately perceived their child’s caries experience. This accuracy was higher for younger children and children with dental insurance. The mother’s awareness of her child’s oral health status could be used to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies, particularly for young children vulnerable to caries.     

Perceptions of older people’s oral health care among nurses working in geriatric home care

Objectives: This study investigates nurses’ self-reported experiences and perceptions of older people’s oral health care using a qualitative method.

Methods: We interviewed 10 nurses working in geriatric home care who regularly visit and take care of older people in their homes. The interviews consisted of semi-structured questions. The interviews were then transcribed and analysed.

Results: All nurses were aware of the connection between oral health and general health, but more detailed knowledge about oral health was lacking and confidence in oral health care practices was limited. Many of the interviewees noted the cleaning of removable dentures and problems related to them, but did not mention anything about periodontal diseases. Oral health education among the nurses was rare. The nurses reported lack of time to take care of their clients’ oral health. As possible development steps, the interviewees suggested that including oral health care in the daily treatment plan would improve oral health care practices.

Conclusions: The nurses’ lack of knowledge about oral health care and uncertainty in oral health practices among older people are major problems in daily geriatric home care. Oral health education and confidence in oral health practices should be improved in both basic and on-the-job education.     

Adolescents’ views of oral health education. A qualitative study

The objective of this study was to investigate adolescents' perceptions and desires with respect to oral health education. A series of focus group sessions was conducted with adolescents in schools. The groups comprised an average of 6 individuals, with a total of 34 participants. The main themes of the discussions were the informants' perceptions of the oral health education in different settings and under varying circumstances. The discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to the basic principles of Grounded Theory. One of the most important issues appeared to be the dental personnel considering the individual as a subject and not as an object. The adolescents in the study were uncertain about their knowledge of oral health. Often, the participants expressed a wish to be taught more at the dental visit. Information in schools was sparse. The support of parents was acknowledged but little discussed. The methods used in advertisements to describe dental products were met with skepticism. These should not be imitated in oral health education as this might undermine the credibility of the dental services. Girls were perceived to be more interested in health than boys were. Two core categories labeled “credibility” and “confidence”, which interacted continually, emerged from the data in the analysis. The results indicate that the credibility of the intermediary of the health messages is essential, as is their ability to create confidence. Thus, oral health education among adolescents is more likely to be successful when credibility and confidence are perceived.     

Gender differences in the pathways of family factors influencing children’s oral health behaviours: a cross-sectional study of primary school students in Beijing,China

Objective: Research on what family factors influence children’s oral health behaviours (COHB) in developing countries is limited, and there have been no path analyses accounting for gender differences in these factors. Thus, our study evaluated gender differences in COHB including the influencing pathways of family factors in China.

Materials and methods: Through multistage cluster sampling, 915 pairs of mothers and children from six public elementary schools in Beijing completed self-administered questionnaires regarding COHB, parents’ modelling behaviours (PMB), parents’ controlling behaviours (PCB), parents’ oral health knowledge and attitudes (PKA), and children’s oral health knowledge and attitudes (CKA). The influencing factors were analysed using path analysis.

Results: Compared with boys, girls showed significantly better performance in drinking less carbonated drinks regularly (8.6% vs. 16.9%). For both genders, PMB shad a significant direct influence on COHB, while PKA had an indirect influence through PMB. In the boys’ model, PKA indirectly influenced COHB through CKA. In the girls’ model, socioeconomic status had a positive direct effect on COHB.

Conclusions: The gender differences were not as large as expected. Given that slightly different influential factors for COHB exist between boys and girls, interventions should take note of the similarities and differences in pathways.     

Patient-centred outcome measures in oral medicine: are they valid and reliable?

The present study evaluates the performance of patient-centred outcome measures in the oral medicine setting in patients with oral lichen planus. The study included 48 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of oral lichen planus who completed a questionnaire incorporating two patient-centred outcome measures: the 16-item UK Oral Health Related Quality Of Life Measure (OHQOL-UK) and 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). They subsequently underwent an oral examination and rated the pain they experienced on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The impact of oral health on their life quality was considerable with physical, social and psychological consequences. Both OHQOL-UK (P<0.01) and OHIP-14 scores (P<0.01) were associated with clinical findings; demonstrating criterion validity. Patient rating of pain experienced (on a VAS) correlated with OHQOL-UK scores (P<0.01) and OHIP-14 (P<0.01); demonstrating construct validity. The mean inter-item correlation for OHQOL-UK was 0.93 and was 0.90 for OHIP-14; demonstrating high internal consistency reliability. Our results suggest both OHQOL-UK and OHIP-14, patient-centred outcome measures perform well in patients with oral lichen planus, demonstrating validity and reliability. This implies patient-centred outcome measures may be utilized in both oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial surgery to assess patient needs and opinions.     

Lay person’s perception of smile aesthetics in dental and facial views

Abstract

Objective: To compare the aesthetic perception of different anterior visible occlusions in different facial and dental views (frontal view, lower facial third view and dental view) by lay persons.

Design: Cross-sectional survey, Lima, Perú, 2002.

Subjects: The different views were rated by 91 randomly selected adult lay persons.

Main outcome measurement: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ratings of aesthetic perception of the views.

Results: Anterior visible occlusion, photographed subject and view (p<0.001) had a significant effect on the aesthetic ratings. Also gender (p=0.001) and the interaction between gender and level of education (p=0.046) had a significant effect over the aesthetic rating.

Conclusions: A lay panel perceived that the aesthetic impact of the visible anterior occlusion was greater in a dental view compared with a full facial view. The anterior visible occlusion, photographed subject, view type are factors, which influence the aesthetic perception of smiles. In addition, gender and level of education had an influence.     

Caretaker’s caries experience and its association with early childhood caries and children’s oral health-related quality of life: A prospective two-generation study

Objectives: The first objective of this study is to examine the association between caretakers’ caries experience and caries experience of their children. Second, to investigate whether children’s and caretaker’s caries experience is associated with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and their families.

Methods: This study is based on the prenatal recruitment interviews and the 5-year follow-up of 417 caretaker–children pairs from the Ugandan site of the PROMISE-EBF trial conducted in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with caretakers at the household level. Caries experience of caretakers (DMFT >0) and children (dmft >0) were assessed in accordance with the criteria of the World Health Organization. OHRQoL was assessed using an abbreviated version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS).

Results: Adjusted negative binomial regression analysis revealed that caretaker’s caries experience was positively associated with early childhood caries of their offspring (IRR 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–3.0). Children’s caries experience (IRR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–3.0), but not caries experience of caretakers, was associated with worse OHRQoL of children and their families. Caretakers who perceived good child oral health were less likely to report OHRQoL impacts (IRR 0.20, 95% CI 0.12–0.35).

Conclusion: Improving caretaker’s caries experience and her perception of child’s oral health status could improve children’s caries experience and the OHRQoL of children and family. Such knowledge is important and should inform public oral health programs for young children.     

Self perceived oral health, oral treatment need and the use of oral health care of the adult population in Skåne, Sweden

The aim was to describe how the adult population in Sk?ne, Sweden, perceived their oral health, dental status, oral treatment need and use of oral health care. A questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected sample of 10 000 persons in Sk?ne, Sweden. The individuals were between 20 and 89 years old and registered as residents of the region during 2006. After excluding those no longer living in the region, 9 690 individuals remained. The response rate to the questionnaire was 63%, of which 57% were women and 43% men.A majority was satisfied with their teeth and with their teeth's appearance, 65% and 62% respectively. Of the respondents, 35% considered their dental health to be better than others in their age group. Symptoms associated with periodontitis were experienced by 40%. 7% were missing more than ten teeth while 7% had no dental fillings. 30% rated their need of dental treatment as high and most expected their treatment need to increase in the future. Most of the respondents, 60%, received their oral care at a private practice, whereas 13% did not see a dentist regularly for check-ups. More women than men perceived a high dental treatment need, 32% compared to 28%. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of the adult population in Sk?ne have a positive attitude towards their oral health. Most individuals had lost few teeth and removable dentures were uncommon.A third rated their dental treatment need as high and most expected their treatment need to increase in the future..