Periodontitis, age-related diseases and diabetes in an endocrinological outpatient setting (PARADIES): a cross-sectional analysis on predictive factors for periodontitis in a German outpatient facility

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for periodontitis. Data on risk-modifying factors for periodontitis in diabetes patients are limited. Aims We tested whether sex, age, type of diabetes, metabolic state, comorbidities, complications, measures of well-being and quality of life are predicting periodontitis in a German diabetes outpatient cohort. Methods In total, 1180 out of 1293 participating DM patients completed questionnaires on quality of life, dental hygiene and health. All patients also filled out a modified version of the periodontitis risk questionnaire by the American Association for Periodontology, from which the status of “assumed periodontitis” was deducted. In a subset of participants (n = 461), we measured or inquired the most recent Community Parodontal Index (CPI), providing an objective measure for clinically diagnosed periodontitis. For all subjects, DM history and phenotype, major metabolic parameters (HbA1c, BMI, LDL and total cholesterol levels), general health risk factors, comorbidities and medication were collected. Results Clinically diagnosed (CPI > 2) and assumed periodontitis was detected in 60–67% of our patients. Male sex and oral health-related quality of life were associated with clinically diagnosed periodontitis. Male sex, age, smoking, dental hygiene, dental control and diabetes-related quality of life independently predicted assumed periodontitis. Conclusion In DM patients, quality of life and lifestyle factors which systemically alter microvascular and immunological functions seem to predict periodontitis. Further studies are needed for replication and for pathomechanistic clarification.

Complexities of interprofessional identity formation in dental hygienists: an exploratory case study

Background In a super-aging society, medical-dental collaboration is increasingly vital for comprehensive patient care. Particularly in dysphagia rehabilitation and perioperative oral functional management, dental hygienists’ active involvement is pivotal to interprofessional collaborative practice. Despite this societal expectation, dental hygienists’ experiences and perceptions of interprofessional collaboration have not been explored. This study aims to investigate dental hygienists’ interprofessional identity formation and perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. Specifically, it was explored from the perspectives of dental hygiene students and hospital dental hygienists. Methods This study is underpinned by Wenger’s social theory of learning, which focuses on identity as a component in the process of learning in communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 dental hygiene students in their final year at a technical college and five dental hygienists engaging in interprofessional care at a university hospital in Japan. The narrative data were analysed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis to extract themes regarding the identification of self in interprofessional teams. Results Dental hygiene students found several barriers to the collaboration, including power relation and conceptual hierarchy, limited understanding of other professional roles, and differences in language and jargon. They viewed themselves as inferior in the interprofessional team. This resulted from their limited knowledge about general health and less responsibility for problems directly related to patient life and death. However, they could ultimately perceive the negative experiences positively as challenges for the future through reflection on learning in clinical placements. Contrarily, dental hygienists did not have such negative perceptions as the students did. Rather, they focused on fulfilling their roles as dental professionals in the interprofessional team. Their identities were formed through actively involving, coordinating their activity, and creating new images of the world and self in inter-professional communities of practice. Conclusions Interprofessional identity is relational as well as experiential, which is developed in complex and socially dynamic processes across intra- and inter-professional communities of practice. Engagement, imagination, and alignment are essential aspects of their interprofessional identities, which inform conceptual foundations of interprofessional education and collaborative practice in health care.

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The Eastman Dental Hospital Education Centre team discuss life after graduating with a dental hygiene or dental therapy degree

Inside the Oral Microbiome: How Periodontitis May Increase the Risk for Alzheimers Disease

The oral microbiome is the site of the second most abundant microbiota after the gastrointestinal tract. The expanded Human Oral Microbiome Database (eHOMD) that was last updated on November 22, 2017, contains the information of a number of bacterial species, scientists have struggled to categorize and understand every species due to their difficulty of laboratory study. While this much is known, the scientific community still has minimal knowledge of the entire oral microbiome and how it may relate to potential manifestations of various diseases. Periodontitis is one disease that is directly related to the oral microbiome. Periodontitis is the infection of the gums that is associated with poor dental hygiene. This oral malady has been hypothesized to be a potential precursor to neurological Alzheimer’s disease (AD.) Since AD is difficult to study until postmortem, there has been limited availability to study pathways where this may occur. The proposed method by which periodontitis, while primarily hypothesized, includes a shift in the microbiota of the oral cavity to a more pathogenic state. The shift to pathogenicity is mainly believed to be due to an increase in the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis. P. gingivalis produces protein plaques on the teeth that can travel through the bloodstream to the brain. The proposed mechanism is hypothesized to weaken the blood-brain barrier and allow for plaque aggregation on the brain seen in AD-infected brains. While more research is necessary to conclude the pathogenesis from periodontitis to Alzheimer’s disease definitively, strides are being made that may help give scientists, and healthcare workers begin preventative measures.

An analysis of YouTube videos on oral hygiene practices during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to examine the usefulness and content of YouTube videos regarding additional oral hygiene practices that need to be taken during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: A search of YouTube videos was performed using the terms “oral health,” “dental hygiene,” “oral health child” and “dental hygiene child” in combination with “COVID-19”. When analyzing each video, the descriptive characteristics such as title, country of origin, date of upload, duration of the video, the number of views, comments, likes, and dislikes were recorded. The quality of the videos were assessed through indices: Video ınformation and quality ındex (VIQI), modified DISCERN, and global quality score (GQS). The content quality score of the videos was examined. Results: The majority of the analyzed videos were uploaded by health-care professionals (67%). About 40% of the videos were slightly useful, and 6% were useful. There was no statistically significant correlation between the source of upload and GQS, VIQI, total content, or modified DISCERN scores (P > 0.05). Highly-watched videos appeared to have a higher total content, VIQI, Modified DISCERN, and GQI scores than poorly-watched videos, but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: YouTube videos related to oral hygiene practices during COVID-19 pandemic were a limited source for children. Oral health-care professionals and organizations should play an active important role for providing educative oral hygiene-related information on YouTube videos.