The association between periodontitis and coronary heart disease: A quality assessment of systematic reviews

BackgroundThe existence of an association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease has been proposed by investigators in several clinical studies and further confirmed by the results of several systematic reviews. The aim of the Authors' study was to assess the quality of published systematic reviews focused on the association between periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) by using established systematic review assessment checklists.MethodsTwo reviewers conducted a search for systematic reviews focusing on the association between periodontitis and CHD. Three independent reviewers appraised the quality of the selected 13 reviews by using an established and validated assessment tool for systematic reviews and another checklist. They gave each article a total score according to the number of criteria on each checklist that the article fulfilled.ResultsNine reviews satisfied six or more items on the assessment tool, whereas two reviews each satisfied only one item. This assessment shows that published systematic reviews of the periodontitis-CHD association exhibit significant structural and methodological variation, which the authors further confirmed by using the second checklist.ConclusionSystematic reviews of the association between periodontitis and CHD exhibited significant differences in their methodological quality.Practical ImplicationsClinicians should be aware that not all systematic reviews of the periodontitis-CHD association are conducted in a rigorous manner and should be capable of differentiating well-conducted reviews from poorly conducted ones.     

Outcomes of Hospitalizations Attributed to Periapical Abscess from 2000 to 2008: A Longitudinal Trend Analysis

Introduction

Root canal therapy is a highly successful in-office treatment and preventive measure against periapical abscesses. Left untreated, periapical abscesses can have serious consequences that can lead to hospitalization. This study observes the trends of hospitalizations attributed to periapical abscesses.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (years 2000–2008) was used; we selected cases with a primary diagnosis of a periapical abscess with/without sinus involvement. The demographic characteristics and outcomes were examined. Each individual hospitalization was the unit of analysis.

Results

During the 9-year study period, a total of 61,439 hospitalizations were primarily attributed to periapical abscesses in the United States. The average age was 37 years, and 89% of all hospitalizations occurred on an emergency/urgent basis. The mean length of stay was 2.96 days, and a total of 66 patients died in hospitals. Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans paid for 18.7%, 25.2%, and 33.4% of hospitalizations, respectively. Uninsured patients accounted for 18.5% of hospitalizations. Significant predictors that influenced both hospital charges and length of stay included age, race, insurance status, a periapical abscess with sinus involvement, geographic region of country, the Charlson comorbidity index, and the year of study (P < .05).

Conclusions

The current study highlights the increasing burden of hospitalization of patients with periapical abscesses over a 9-year study period from 2000 to 2008. The high-risk groups likely to seek a hospital setting for the treatment of periapical abscesses were identified as were groups associated with higher hospital charges and a longer length of stay.     

Hospital-Based Emergency Department Visits With Dental Conditions: Impact of the Medicaid Reimbursement Fee for Dental Services in New York State, 2009-2013

Objectives

Hospital-based emergency department (ED) visits for dental problems have been on the rise. The objectives of this study are to provide estimates of hospital-based ED visits with dental conditions in New York State and to examine the impact of Medicaid reimbursement fee for dental services on the utilization of EDs with dental conditions.

Long-term effects of mini-screw–assisted rapid palatal expansion on airway:: A three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the long-term effects on airway in patients with mini-screw–assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE), rapid palatal expansion (RPE), and controls with three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis.Materials and MethodsA total of 180 CBCTs of 60 patients were analyzed at different time points, such as pretreatment, postexpansion, and posttreatment. Patients were divided into three groups: mini-screw assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE), rapid palatal expansion (RPE), and controls. The nasal cavity, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and laryngopharyngeal airway volume and area were measured. Changes in total airway volume, total airway area, minimal cross-sectional area, maxillary intermolar width, external maxillary width, and palatal width were also evaluated.ResultsBoth MARPE and RPE caused a statistically significant increase in the airway after expansion as compared with the control group, but there was no statistically significant difference in the change in airway between MARPE, RPE, and the control group at posttreatment, except for nasopharyngeal volume, which was significantly increased in the MARPE group. There was no correlation between the amount of expansion and increase in total airway volume.ConclusionsThere was a significant increase in total airway volume, total airway area, and minimal cross-sectional area with MARPE and RPE immediately after expansion, but at posttreatment, the changes in the MARPE and RPE groups were similar to the change in the control group. However, MARPE led to a significant long-term increase in nasopharyngeal volume. The amount of expansion did not correlate with the increase in pharyngeal airway volume.