OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to systematically review published evidence on the effectiveness of CAL in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured comprehensive search was undertaken among 7 electronic databases (PUBMED, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, SCOPUS, WEB of SCIENCE, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) to identify relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies were included in this review. Papers were screened by 2 independent reviewers, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for further assessment.
RESULTS: A total of 2915 papers were screened, and full texts of 53 potentially relevant papers (κ = 0.885) were retrieved. A total of 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria (1 RCT, 1 quasi-experimental study, and 3 post-intervention studies) were identified. Outcome measures included knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Significant improvements in clinical oral health parameters (P oral health behaviors and confidence.
CONCLUSION: There is a limited number of studies which have examined the effectiveness of CAL interventions for oral health care among patients and caregivers. Synthesis of the data suggests that CAL has positive impacts on knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Further high- quality studies on the effectiveness of CAL in promoting oral health are warranted.
METHODS: School children aged between 13 and 16 years old were randomly selected from a secondary school in Penang. Malay version of Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaires were given to the subjects. This questionnaire has 14 questions with seven domains which are functional limitation, psychological discomfort, physical pain, physical disability, psychological and social disability, and handicap. Index of orthodontic treatment need dental health component was used to assess the orthodontic treatment need. Overjet (reversed overjet), open bite, overbite, cross bite, impeded eruption, crowding, defects of cleft lip and palate, Class II and Class III buccal occlusion, present of supernumerary and hypodontia were assessed.
RESULTS: 255 students participated in this study. Mean score and standard deviation for OHIP-14 were 8.64 (± 7.32) for males and 11.05 (± 9.41) for females respectively. There was statistically significant difference in mean score of OHIP-14 between male and female (p = 0.023). A weak positive correlation was found between malocclusion severity and OHRQoL (r = 0.186; p
METHODS: A sample of 158 preschool children with ECC awaiting dental treatment under GA was recruited over an 8-month period. Parents self-completed the Malay-ECOHIS before and 4 weeks after their child's dental treatment. At 4 weeks follow-up, parents also responded to a global health transition judgement item. Data were analysed using independent and paired samples t tests, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficients.
RESULTS: The response rate was 87.3%. The final sample comprised 76 male (55.1%) and 62 female (44.9%) preschool children with mean age of 4.5 (SD = 1.0) years. Following treatment, there were significant reductions in mean scores for total Malay-ECOHIS, child impact section (CIS), family impact section (FIS) and all domains, respectively (P oral health improvement after treatment, supporting the responsiveness of the measure. The Malay-ECOHIS MID was found to be 7 scale points.
CONCLUSION: The Malay-ECOHIS is empirically shown to be sensitive and responsiveness to dental treatment of ECC under GA.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school children of Grade Seven in 12 schools of Kaski district in Nepal. Schools were randomly selected from the urban and semi-urban areas in the district. Data were collected covering oral health knowledge, socio-demographic characteristics, oral health condition and practices. The factors of poor oral health condition and practices were examined using t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression.
RESULTS: Of the total participants (n = 669), 54.9% were females and their mean DMFT score was 1.82 (SD = 1.07). Total decayed score was higher among those who did not have knowledge that fluoride prevents decay compared to those who had knowledge about it (Being aware of fluoride prevents decay: Mean = 1.21 (SD = 1.54) versus not being aware of that: mean = 2.13 (SD = 2.13); p = 0.029). Females were more likely to have higher DMFT scores compared to males (β-coefficient = 0.43, 95% CI 0.13, 0.73, p = 0.005). In addition, higher knowledge score was negatively associated with higher DMFT score (β-coefficient = - 0.09, 95% CI - 0.20, -0.01, p = 0.047).
CONCLUSION: Being female students and those having lower level of knowledge on oral health attributed to higher DMFT index. Periodic dental check-up coupled with oral health education on regular brushing, use of fluoridated paste, tongue cleaning and care of gum diseases are recommended in schools.
METHODS: The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, a cross-sectional nationwide household survey that focused on non-institutionalised Malaysians, provided the data for this study on adults in Malaysia who were 18 years of age and older. A two-stage stratified random sampling technique was employed to ensure national representativeness. Data was collected using a multilingual (Malay and English), structured, and validated questionnaire via face-to-face interviews from July to October 2019. The dependent variable was oral healthcare seeking behavior (sought oral healthcare and self-medication). Independent variables were predisposing, enabling and health needs factor based on Andersen's Behavioral Model. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics and oral healthcare seeking behavior of the respondents. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables were investigated using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS: The analysis comprised a total of 10,134 respondents, representing about 18.2 million Malaysian adults aged 18 and above. The overall prevalence of Malaysian adults who self-reported dental problems was low (5.5%) and was slightly higher in the rural than urban population. Almost half sought treatment from healthcare practitioners, and almost a quarter self-medicated. Ethnicity was associated with seeking healthcare and self-medication among urban dwellers. Among the rural population, income level was associated with seeking healthcare while education level was associated with self-medication.
CONCLUSION: Disparities in oral healthcare seeking behaviors exist between Malaysians living in urban and rural areas. Future policies should adopt focused strategies that concentrate on oral healthcare accessibility and health literacy of the vulnerable and rural populations to achieve the best oral healthcare for this population group.
METHODS: The study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the opinions of secondary school students on the SDS implementation in their schools. Data from focus group discussions involving Form Two (14-year-olds) and Form Four (16-year-olds) students from the selected schools were transcribed verbatim and coded using the NVivo software before framework method analysis was conducted.
RESULTS: Among the strengths of the SDS were the convenience for students to undergo annual oral examination and dental treatment without having to visit dental clinics outside the school. The SDS also reduced possible financial burdens resulting from dental treatment costs, especially among students from low-income families. Furthermore, SDS helped to improve oral health awareness. However, the oral health education provided by the SDS personnel was deemed infrequent while the content and method of delivery were perceived to be less interesting. The poor attitude of the SDS personnel was also reported by the students.
CONCLUSION: The SDS provides effective and affordable dental care to secondary school students. However, the oral health promotion and education activities need to be improved to keep up with the evolving needs of the target audience.
METHODS: A multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted on hospitalized stroke survivors. Those in the control group were given standard care of oral hygiene (a manual toothbrush and toothpaste), whereas those in the test group were given intense care of oral hygiene (a powered toothbrush and 1% chlorhexidine oral gel). Oral clinical assessments were carried out, and microbiological samples were collected, using concentrated oral rinse samples at 3 time points: baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.
RESULTS: The prevalence of oral yeast was significantly reduced in the test group at 6 months (P < .05), but no significant difference was observed over time. A significant reduction was observed in the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (P < .01) and aerobic and facultative gram-negative bacilli over time (P < .05), but there were no significant differences noted between groups at 6 months. Candida albicans and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the prominent pathogens determined throughout the trial. Kluyvera strains have also been isolated from this cohort.
CONCLUSION: Oral hygiene intervention using a powered tooth brush and 1% chlorhexidine oral gel was effective in reducing the prevalence of oral opportunistic pathogens.