Oral Hygiene

Halitosis is an unpleasant condition that may be the origin of concern not only for a possible health condition but also for frequent psychological alterations which may lead to social and personal isolation. The most frequent sources of halitosis that exist in the oral cavity include bacterial reservoirs such as the dorsum of the tongue, saliva and periodontal pockets. Volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) are the prominent elements of oral malodour. Genuine halitosis and pseudo-halitosis should be in the treatment realm of dental practitioners. Clinical Relevance: Halitosis can be a symptom of underlying systemic disease, therefore the exact diagnosis and its source (oral or non-oral) is important in the proper approach to its management.

It is evident from the number of published scientific papers on Early Childhood Caries (ECC) that interest in this problem has grown in recent years. Many authors have been trying to devise a clear definition or classification for ECC. The aim of this review was to inventory the prevalence of ECC and to seek a consensus regarding definition and diagnosis. Further attention was paid to the aetiological factors including the role of microrganisms. Finally, education, parenting and treatment procedures were discussed. For this review, epidemiological studies on caries prevalence in children aged between 0 and 36 months were compiled through a systematic approach using Medline. This clearly showed that ECC continues to be a serious public health problem and that there is a great variety of definitions and diagnoses used worldwide, reflected in the prevalence data. This review confirms the multicausal aetiology and the need for further research. The authors strongly support the recommend...

This study cotnpares differences in attitude, of oral health care of nursing personnel working with dependent elderly and se\ crely disabled patients. A questionnaire was administered to 398 person-nel covering (1) personal oral health care habits. (2) experiences and ...

To assess oral health and oral health associated factors in 12-year-olds and to establish determinants explaining variation in oral health among children representing two areas in the Barents region - Arkhangelsk in North-West Russia and Tromsø in Northern Norway. The samples consisted of Russian (N=590) and Norwegian (N=264) 12-year-olds and their parents selected according to stratified one-stage cluster design. The study included clinical examination (children) and self-reports (children and parents). The child's oral health was recorded under field conditions. Statistical analyses were conducted on pooled samples of subjects. The mean DMFT/S-scores were 3.0/4.4 for the Russian and 1.2/1.5 for the Norwegian children (p<0.001). In multiple logistic regressions, country of origin (OR=3.8) and filling obtained during last dental visit (OR=5.0) were showing the strongest association with child's dental caries (χ(2)=87; p<0.001). Among parent's variables showing the ...

To document the oral health status, to study oral health determinants and oral health-related quality of life among 12-year-olds from the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. The study was conducted in Severodvinsk (North-West Russia) and Tromsø (Northern Norway). Two schools representing each region were selected and all 12-year-old pupils having obtained their parents' written consent were included (Severodvinsk n=48, Tromsø n=36). Background factors were collected by questionnaires. Oral health conditions, i.e. caries (DMFT/S), oral hygiene (OHI-S) and satisfaction with their own dental appearance were recorded under field conditions and possible associations between background factors and the children's oral health status were studied. Oral health was better among Norwegian than Russian participants. The most important factors explaining variation in oral health were country of origin and treatment (filling/no filling) received at the last dental visit. Among parental factors, ed...

In order to determine the effects ofa new approach to preventive oral health treatment for forensic psychiatric patients, 3 studies were carried out using a Dutch version of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14-NL), among Dutch forensic psychiatric patients. In the first study, it was determined that the psychometric characteristics of the OHIP-14-NL were good and that attention to oral healthcare contributed positively to quality of life. The second study, which made use of an improved version of the OHIP-14-NL indicated that patients with a high level of anxiety for dental treatment and poor oral health reported a lesser quality of life. The third study showed that an effectively carried out programme of personal oral care can play an important role in the reduction of halitosis and in the improvement of quality of life. Moreover, it appeared that the retrospective version of the OHIP-14-NL was a useful method for determining the correlation between quality of life and oral ...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) to gain an understanding of interdental cleaning behaviour change in senior high school students (12th grade) in Iran. Materials and methods: Multistage cluster sampling was employed to recruit 361 senior high school students from 8 schools in Yazd City, Iran. This cross-sectional study took place from November 2008 to March 2009. Appropriate instruments were used to identify the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour and psychological attributes, including interdental cleaning behaviour, decisional balance, and self-efficacy. The statistical analysis of the data included descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. Results: Of the 361 students, nearly 12.5% were in the maintenance stage, while 49.6% were in the pre-contemplation stage, with the rest distributed among the other stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change. There was a statistically significant difference in the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change by gender. Self-efficacy and decisional balance differed significantly across the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change. Conclusion: The TTM was found to be useful in determining the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change among students. This study suggests the development of theory-based and empirically supported intervention strategies and programs to improve interdental cleaning behaviour with an emphasis on improving students' self-efficacy in this area.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Salvadora persica L. chewing stick, commonly known as miswak is still being used as an oral hygiene tool for plaque control and prevention against gingivitis. Various studies have reported on the therapeutics and prophylactic effects particularly on periodontal disease. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of S. persica chewing stick compared to the standard toothbrush for anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis. Material and methods: A PRISMA-compliant systematic search of literature was done from the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar. Literature that fulfilled eligibility criteria was identified. Data measuring plaque score and bleeding score were extracted. Qualitative and random-effects meta-analyses were conducted. Results: From 1736 titles and abstracts screened, eight articles were utilized for qualitative analysis, while five were selected for meta-analysis. The pooled effect estimates of SMD and 95% CI were −0.07 [-0.60 to 0.45] with an χ2 statistic of 0.32 (p = 0.0001), I2 = 80% as anti-plaque function and 95% CI were −2.07 [-4.05 to −0.10] with an χ2 statistic of 1.67 (p = 0.02), I2 = 82%. Conclusion: S. persica chewing stick is a tool that could control plaque, comparable to a standard toothbrush. Further, it has a better anti-gingivitis effect and can be used as an alternative. MYP. Salvadora persica L. chewing stick and standard toothbrush as anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis tool: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Oral care for patients in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is important, but this is usually the responsibility of nurses without sufficient knowledge in oral care or comprehensive protocols to follow. The problems of maintaining oral care with oral intubation, performing oral assessment, guidelines for oral hygiene care, frequency of oral care needed, and suggested mouth care protocol followed by recommendations are presented and discussed in this paper.

PURPOSE As recently as the 1990s long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were the main housing option for semi- or fully-dependent elders. Today, 90% of those 65 and older want to "age in place." The growth of the elderly population that want to "age in place" will require increasing numbers of professional caregivers to assist in oral care practices. The purpose of this study was to address the gap in the knowledge about the oral care practices and beliefs of professional caregivers who work for non-medical in-home care companies charged in the care of "aging in place" elders. METHODS The Nursing Dental Coping Belief Scale was used in a descriptive cross-sectional study. Professional caregivers (n=67) employed by 3 non-medical in-home care companies in South Texas completed the survey. The survey gathered demographic information, oral care practice questions and oral health belief questions. Statistics used for data analysis included chi-square contingency t...

The limited access to oral health care in developing countries can be greatly improved by integrating oral health into the Primary Health Care (PHC) system. This study was designed to assess the views of PHC workers on integrating oral health care into the PHC system. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in two selected local government areas of Lagos State. The instrument contained three sections assessing sociodemographic features, knowledge of common oral diseases and views on integration of oral health into PHC respectively. The mean knowledge score was 7.75 (SD=±1.81), while 60.4% of the respondents had average knowledge scores. Educational status (P=0.018) and designation (P=0.033) were significantly related to the mean knowledge scores. There was no significant difference in the oral health knowledge of the various cadres (P=0.393). Majority (85.4%) of the respondents were willing to include oral health education in their job schedule and 82% believed they n...

Culture methods have been used to identify and analyze bacterial communities under healthy and diseased conditions. However, the advent of culture-independent techniques such as next-generation sequencing and highthroughput studies has strengthened the association of few bacterial species with major oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis. But in recent years, their association has been extrapolated to the pathogenesis of systemic diseases including, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes to name a few. Numerous bacterial species have been identified in the oral cavity using various techniques, demonstrating the specific diversity in the oral cavities. This article provides an overview of the various bacterial species, oral, and systemic diseases associated with oral dysbiosis.

PURPOSE This descriptive, comparative study was conducted to examine characteristics, services, models and opinions among collaborative dental hygiene practitioners in New Mexico and Minnesota. METHODS A self-designed online questionnaire, distributed via SurveyMonkey®, was utilized to collect data from 73 subjects who met the inclusion criteria. A multi-phase administration process was followed. Content validity and reliability was established. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of 6 research questions. The Mann-Whitney U, Pearson Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact tests were employed to analyze 4 null hypotheses (p=0.05). RESULTS Most participants (n=36) were experienced clinicians who chose to work in an alternative setting after 28 years or more in the field and reported increased access to care as the reason for practicing collaboratively. A variety of services were offered and private insurance and Medicaid were accepted, although many practitioners did not receive d...