Pattern of dental needs and advice on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Aim To compare and evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 outbreak on tweets related to dental treatment needs and advice of Saudi Twitter users in 2020 by comparing them to the same time-period in 2019. Methods Eight independent searches based on dentistry related keywords: “teeth, mouth and gingiva” were carried out within the timeframe between the 23rd of March and the 21st of June for the years 2020 and 2019. Extracted tweets were analyzed by two calibrated examiners as tweets containing expressed dental needs and tweets for dental advice, while spam tweets were excluded. Descriptive analysis was performed to present the overview of the findings using SPSS. Bivariate analysis was performed with Pearson’s Chi Square, Fisher’s Exact test and Mann–Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results A total of 595 tweets from the year 2019 and 714 tweets from the year 2020 were obtained. Overall, combined dental needs and advice tweets, retweets, likes, and replies were higher in 2020 compared to 2019. Dental needs tweets were higher in 2020 compared to 2019, while dental advice tweets were lower in 2020 compared to 2019. Statistically significant differences were found between 2020 and 2019 with regards to dental needs well as with dental advice (p < 0.05). In addition, statistically significant differences were found between 2019 and 2020 with presence of pain, urgency of the dental need and type of advisor (p < 0.05). Conclusion An obvious impact of the pandemic can be seen in the form of increased self-reported dental needs, pain and urgency among the public in Saudi Arabia. This study highlights the importance of social media, specifically Twitter, in expressing the public needs and utilizing it as a platform for education and advice.

Barriers To Oral Health Among U.S. Children with Developmental Disorders: A Population-Based Study

Background Children with developmental disorders (DD) have higher rates of oral diseases and tooth decay compared to the general population. Despite that, they often face more barriers to access the needed health care, especially dental care. This study aims to describe the oral health needs (OHN), utilization of dental services, and unmet dental needs of children with developmental disorders (DD) compared to children without developmental disorders (DD); and to assess the impact of access to healthcare factors on the oral health of children with DD. Methods This cross-sectional study utilized a sample of 30,530 noninstitutionalized children from the 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare and analyze healthcare barriers in children with and without OHN. Results Overall, there were 6,501 children with DD compared to 24,029 children without DD. A significantly higher proportion of children with DD relative to children without DD were found with OHN (20.3% vs. 12.2%, respectively), unmet dental needs (3.5% vs 1.2%), and utilization of any dental visits (86.1% vs 76.1%), (P-value <. 001). The adjusted logistic model found that poverty (< 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (AOR = 2.27, CI: 1.46–3.51), being uninsured (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.14–3.95), a great deal of disability (AOR = 1.89, CI: 1.23–2.78), and living in the West (AOR = 1.61, CI: 1.09–2.37) contributed to the largest odds of OHN among children with DD. Conclusion Despite the high utilization of dental services, children with DD had poor oral health and more unmet dental needs compared to children without DD. Advocacy efforts and policy changes are needed for the development of an integrated model of care that addresses health insurance, poverty and considers children’s levels of disability.

Predictors of Unmet Dental Health Needs in US Adults in 2018: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Objective: To identify predictors of unmet dental needs for adults 18 y of age or older in the United States. Method: Using the Aday and Andersen framework and data from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we ran logistic regression to estimate predictors for adults of not having a dental visit within 5 y and having lost any teeth using a national sample of 155,060 survey respondents. Results: Results showed that predisposing factors (age, race/ethnicity, gender, and educational attainment) and enabling factors (income and health insurance status) are important predictors for losing teeth due to decay or gum disease. Men, the elderly, and less educated and low-income residents were less likely to have seen a dentist within the past 5 y and more likely to have lost their permanent teeth. Compared to non-Hispanic White adults, Hispanics adults were more likely to have had a dental visit within the past 5 y. Unmet dental needs varied across states. People living in states with extensive Medicaid dental care benefit coverage were less likely to lose their teeth and more likely to have had a dental visit within the past 5 y. Conclusion: Efforts to improve oral health should address unmet dental needs of men and adults with low socioeconomic status. Studying the variation between state oral health care programs could further our understanding of how public policy can improve population oral health. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Men, non-Hispanic Blacks, mixed and other race minorities, and low socioeconomic status adults are most at risk of unmet dental needs. States can address these needs by expanding Medicaid coverage for adults.

Remote Management of Prosthodontic Emergencies in the Geriatric Population During the Pandemic Outbreak of COVID-19

The global pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has put the world in a panic situation. It has been evident that the geriatric population is more susceptible to acquire this infection. Thus, due to this ongoing crisis, geriatric individuals cannot visit a dental operatory, and there is the possibility of their dental needs and emergencies to remain unattended. Partial or complete edentulism is very prevalent among the geriatric population, and prosthodontic management of these patients is essential for their well-being. However, the prosthesis can lead to various emergencies of the oral and its supporting structures. There are currently no available recommendations to address these prosthodontic emergencies in geriatric individuals during this pandemic period. Hence, the aims of this minireview were to discuss the common prosthodontic emergencies in the geriatric population and provide recommendations to manage these issues during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Crisis in care homes: the dentists don’t come

Aim/Objectives To present the findings of the challenges relating to access to dental care for older people in care homes from the Fluoride Interventions in Care Homes (FInCH) Trial. Methods Thematic analysis of 11 interviews / focus groups with care home managers and care staff were carried out against a framework informed by the literature drawing on lived experiences. Results The challenges identified mapped to Penchanksy and Thomas’s (1981) five dimensions of access but also highlighted themes specifically relevant to the care home population. These include a lack of suitable services for routine and urgent domiciliary and clinic care, complex referral processes, operational challenges in the need for appropriate care chaperones, expectations of information for dental charge exemption and capacity / consent processes within the home. Discussion There is a malalignment of dental services offered to meet the needs of care home residents which has resulted in a reactive dental care system that is not fit for purpose and an entire generation of older people living in care with dental neglect. Conclusion Urgent action is needed to commission not only the appropriate quantities of both routine and urgent dental care, but ensure it is delivered by clinicians who are appropriately skilled to meet the high levels of dental needs in an increasingly medically and behaviourally complex care home population. In line with eye tests and prescribing at the very least, free routine dental examinations should be offered to all care home residents, creating the opportunity for advice and prevention, and enabling care home residents to function and be free of pain. Trial Registration The FinCH Trial registration EudraCT number 2017-002248-34.

Innovative solutions to reform geriatric oral health in India: Alliance for healthy aging

Geriatric population is showing an increasing trend, owing to the increased awareness as well as improved healthcare facilities and access. The aging Indian population of the modern-day has diverse and more complex dental needs, unlike the olden-days. Hence, the authors propose innovative strategies to cater to the dental needs of the increasing geriatric population in India. Barriers for provision of geriatric dental care in India are elucidated, which are lack of geriatric training, access problems and financial issues. Approaches to confront these barriers have been explained. The increasing and compounding dental needs of the aging Indian population requires multifaceted and contemporary strategies.