scholarly journals Dental Care during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Web-Based Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (S 01) ◽  
pp. S14-S19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Faccini ◽  
Fernanda Ferruzzi ◽  
Aline Akemi Mori ◽  
Gabriela Cristina Santin ◽  
Renata Cristina Oliveira ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective This survey aimed to assess the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on elective and urgency/emergency dental care and dentists concerned. Materials and Methods A web-based survey was performed using Google forms questionnaire sent to dentists in Brazil. Questions included: personal information, type of dental care provided during quarantine, if emergencies increased, the dental office biosafety routine, among others. The levels of concern about the impact of quarantine on dental care and patient oral health conditions and the economic impact on dental practices were evaluated using a 0- to 10-point scale. Statistical analysis included descriptive, percentages, one-way ANOVA, Tukey, and chi-square tests. Results During quarantine, 64.6% of the dentists attended only urgency/emergency treatments, while 26.1% maintained routine appointments, and 9.3% closed the dental offices. A higher percentage of dentists from the least affected states continued routine dental treatment; dentists were younger and presented a significantly lower level of concern about dental treatments and oral health conditions of their patients. An increase in urgency/emergency procedures was reported by 44.1% of the dentists, mostly due to the unavailability of routine/elective dental care and increased patient anxiety and stress. The main causes of urgency/emergency appointments were toothache, dental trauma, and broken restorations, besides the breakage of orthodontic appliances and temporomandibular disorders. Dentists reported a high level of concern about the economic impact caused by quarantine. Conclusions The pandemic/quarantine has negatively affected the clinical routine. Personal protection/hygiene care must be adopted and reinforced by dental professionals/staff to make dental procedures safer.

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1169-1182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marise Fagundes Silveira ◽  
João P. Marôco ◽  
Rafael Silveira Freire ◽  
Andréa Maria Eleutério de Barros Lima Martins ◽  
Luiz Francisco Marcopito

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of impact of oral health conditions on physical and psychosocial dimensions among adolescents and to identify factors associated with severity of impact. The impact of oral health status was assessed by the instrument Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). The covariates were: socioeconomic status, habits and health care, use of dental services, and normative conditions of oral health. Structural equation modeling was performed, and 15.6% of adolescents reported impact in at least one dimension of the OHIP-14. The dimensions that showed the highest prevalence of impact were psychological distress (11.8%) and physical pain (6.6%). The number of teeth needing dental treatment, number of filled teeth, and CPI significantly affected severity of impact. In this adolescent population, unfavorable socioeconomic conditions were associated with reduced use of dental services, associated in turn with precarious oral health conditions and increased severity of impact.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Zhang ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Chenzheng Zhang ◽  
Han Jiang ◽  
Baojun Tai ◽  
...  

Abstract Background COVID-19 has seriously threatened the health and lives of people. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the oral health of adults in Wuhan and other places of China amid the epidemic and to evaluate attitudes towards dental care in the post-epidemic period. Methods An online cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire of 22 questions was conducted. Results A total of 3352 valid questionnaires were collected. Participants from Wuhan tended to be relatively psychologically affected and more concerned about future dental treatment. Toothbrushing frequency did not differ significantly between participants from Wuhan and other places and was associated with the prevalence of oral problems people encountered. Gingival bleeding, bad breath and oral ulcers were the three most common oral problems amid the epidemic, and significantly more participants in Wuhan experienced oral problems than other places in China. Conclusion The three most common oral problems amid the epidemic were gingival bleeding, bad breath and oral ulcers. Adults in Wuhan tended to be more seriously affected and suffered more oral problems than people from other places in China. Maintaining good oral health behaviours plays an important role in preventing dental problems. It is crucial to establish and to follow the standard guidelines for the provision of dental care during and after the epidemic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 799-800
Author(s):  
Bei Wu ◽  
Stephen Shuman ◽  
Elisa Ghezzi

Abstract Oral health status and dental care utilization is strongly associated with social and behavioral factors and health outcomes. The five papers in this symposium address how several of these factors affect oral health and dental care among diverse groups of older adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the first paper examined the impact of early childhood disadvantages on oral health in later life among adults age 51 and above in the U.S. The second paper used large-scale epidemiological data that addressed the relationship between acculturation and subsequent oral health problems. It also tested the moderating role of neighborhood disorder in such a relationship among older Chinese Americans. The third paper demonstrated the importance of examining different pathways among foreign-born and native-born Chinese older adults with regard to offspring’s support on their oral health outcomes. While increasing evidence shows that cognitive function is associated with oral health, limited studies have been conducted to examine the impact of cognitive impairment, e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and related dementias (RD), on dental care utilization and costs in older adults. The fourth paper aimed to address this knowledge gap. Results showed that AD and RD had different impacts on different types of dental care utilization and costs. The fifth paper further displayed that individuals with cognitive impairment face a significant challenge in handling dental-related medications. This symposium provides policy and clinical implications on improving oral health and dental care utilization among older adults in the U.S. Oral Health Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Kerr ◽  
Charlotte Curl ◽  
Andrew Geddis-Regan

There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this figure is expected to rise to over a million by 2021. Increasingly, oral healthcare professionals in primary care will see more patients affected by dementia at varying stages of the disease, and it is therefore crucial that they have a basic understanding of the disease and how these patients can be managed in a primary care environment. The first article in this series of two provides a definition of dementia and describes the symptoms of the disease along with the key issues related to oral health, such as oral pain. Oral pain can have far reaching consequences, but identifying it can be problematic, particularly in the latter stages of the disease. This article will therefore cover how to diagnose pain in patients with dementia. Information is also provided about how to make dental surgeries more ‘dementia friendly’.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.D. Meyer ◽  
R. Wang ◽  
M.J. Steiner ◽  
J.S. Preisser

Background: Despite early evidence touting the effectiveness of physician-provided oral health services (POHS), recent evidence suggests these services might have little impact on caries-related outcomes in children. General anesthesia (GA) is often used to treat early childhood caries and may be considered the most extreme utilization outcome. We sought to assess the impact of POHS utilization on dental GA utilization and expenditures. Methods: We used the Medicaid claims of a birth cohort of children born in 2008 in North Carolina ( N = 32,558) to determine the impact of POHS on dental utilization and expenditures under GA for individual children. Children were followed until their eighth birthday. We analyzed the association of the number of prior POHS visits with visit-specific outcomes of dental treatment under GA using population-averaged models fit with generalized estimating equations with exchangeable working correlation structure. Results: Children with 2 or more previous POHS visits had reduced odds of GA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.93; confidence interval [CI], 0.87–0.99; P = 0.029) and expenditures ($114; CI,−$152.61 to −$75.19; P < 0.001) compared to those without physician-provided oral health visits, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic residence. Dental expenditures did not differ between POHS and non-POHS subjects at non-GA visits. Conclusions: POHS decreased the odds of having dental GA treatment and dental expenditures at GA visits. The role of physicians in oral health care can reduce the impact on the most severe outcome—treatment under general anesthesia. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study have important financial implications for state Medicaid programs and disease management programs trying to mitigate the costs of treating early childhood caries under general anesthesia. Children who receive physician oral health care are less likely to use and more likely to save money on general anesthesia to complete dental treatment.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Winkelmann ◽  
Jesús Gómez Rossi ◽  
Falk Schwendicke ◽  
Antonia Dimova ◽  
Elka Atanasova ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Oral health has received increased attention over the past few years coupled with rising awareness on the impact of limited dental care coverage for oral health and general health and well-being. The purpose of the study was to compare the statutory coverage and access to dental care for adult services in 11 European countries using a vignette approach.Methods: We used three patient vignettes to highlight the differences of the dimensions of coverage and access to dental care (coverage, cost-sharing and accessibility). The three vignettes describe typical care pathways for patients with the most common oral health conditions (caries, periodontal disease, edentulism). The vignettes were completed by health services researchers knowledgeable on dental care, dentists, or teams consisting of a health systems expert working together with dental specialists.Results: Completed vignettes were received from 11 countries, including Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland (Ireland), Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden. While emergency dental care, tooth extraction and restorative care for acute pain due to carious lesions are covered in most responding countries, root canal treatment, periodontal care and prosthetic restoration often require cost-sharing or are entirely excluded from the benefit basket. Regular dental visits are also limited to one visit per year in many countries. Beyond financial barriers due to out-of-pocket payments, patients may experience very different kinds of physical barriers to access dental care. Major access barriers to public dental care represent the limited availability of contracted dentists especially in rural areas and the unequal distribution and lack of specialised dentists.Conclusions: According to the results, statutory coverage of dental care varies across European countries while access barriers are largely similar. Many dental services require substantial cost-sharing in most countries which in turn leads to high out-of-pocket spending. The individual socioeconomic status is thus a main determinant for access to dental care, but also other factors such as geography, age and comorbidities can inhibit access and affect outcomes. Moreover, coverage in most oral health systems is targeted at treatment and less at preventative oral health care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (23) ◽  
pp. 4131-4136
Author(s):  
Zainab Albasry ◽  
Bayan Alhaddad ◽  
Mashael Abdullah Benrashed ◽  
Asim Al-Ansari ◽  
Muhammad Ashraf Nazir

BACKGROUND: Oral and systemic problems are common among pregnant women. Routine dental visits are important for the maintenance of optimal oral health which is linked with systemic health. AIM: To evaluate dental care utilization and related factors among pregnant women in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in hospitals and healthcare centers in the cities of Khobar, Dammam, and Qatif in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. A piloted tested self-administered questionnaire available in Arabic and English languages was distributed among a calculated sample of 341 pregnant women. Pearson's chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: In the study, 270 questionnaires were analyzed giving a response rate of 79.2%. Mean age of the participants was 29 ± 5.9 years. There were 43.7% pregnant women who received dental treatment when they have a dental problem and only 13.7% performed routine dental visit. Half the sample (52.6%) avoided dental visits during pregnancy and dental treatment being unsafe was the most common reason for avoiding dental visits. After adjustment, routine dental visits during pregnancy were 7.38 times higher among Saudis compared with non-Saudis women (p 0.05). The participants who had a negative perception about the safety of dental treatment had significantly lower odds (OR 0.31, p 0.036) of dental attendance for routine dental visits. CONCLUSION: Routine dental visits were low among pregnant women and many visited dentists when they had a dental problem. Negative perception about the safety of dental treatment was associated with reduced regular dental visits during pregnancy. Pregnant women should be educated about the importance of receiving dental care for the maintenance of optimal oral health.


Author(s):  
Eber Paraguassu

Introduction: The Brazilian population has undergone demographic changes over the years. This increase in life expectancy has resulted in the growth of the country's elderly population, necessitating giving people a aging with quality of life. Objective: to report the oral health conditions of the Brazilian elderly, emphasizing the quality of life of the elderly, as well as the knowledge of the caregivers regarding the hygiene and maintenance of the oral health of this population. Material and method: This is a bibliographic study, covering the search for articles published in the last two years in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) about "Oral Health Conditions of the Elderly in Brazil". The following descriptors were used: "dentistry", "elderly" and "oral health". In the screening of articles, using the inclusion criteria, nineteen articles were studied, of which six articles published in 2014, nine articles published in 2015 and four articles published in 2019. Conclusion: One can conclude with this work that there is a need for dental treatment aimed at this population, due to the pathologies from aging itself. Key Words: Geriatric Dentistry; Oral Health; Oral hygiene


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