Oral Microbiota Profile of Individuals Who Abuse Methamphetamine

The poor oral health condition of individuals who abuse methamphetamine (MA) is well known. The roles of the oral and fecal microbiomes in addiction and nervous system diseases have been the focus of many studies. However, changes in the microbiota composition of MA users have not been reported. This was addressed in the present study in 20 MA users and 14 sex-matched healthy subjects. Saliva samples were collected and high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to evaluate oral microbiome profiles. The results showed that species richness was significantly lower in the MA group than in the control group. Bacterial taxa that are known to be related to oral diseases such as Negativicutes, Veillonellaceae, Veillonella, and Selenomonadales had higher relative abundance in the MA group than in the control group, and the relative abundance of Prevotella melaninogenica—a putative etiologic agent of periodontal disease—was also higher. Avoiding MA use and improving oral hygiene practices over a short term (i.e., during hospitalization for 2 weeks) did not alter the oral microbiota composition of MA users. Although the causal relationship between changes in oral microbiome profile and MA abuse remains to be determined, our results suggest that oral disease prevention and treatment strategies are important for MA users.

Effectiveness of an App-Based Mobile Intervention for Precision Oral Self-Care in Patients with Periodontitis from Initial Therapy to Re-Evaluation

Good oral hygiene is essential to oral health and oral disease prevention. Strengthening the adherence of patients with periodontitis to oral hygiene behaviors (OHBs) is crucial for the success of periodontal treatment. This study aims to investigate the intervention effectiveness of a novel mobile app for precision oral self-care, which was developed to help patients with periodontitis improving their oral hygiene through daily oral self-care. One-hundred and fifty eligible patients were recruited into this study and randomly allocated to the control (n = 75) or intervention group (n = 75), and their oral hygiene status (OHS) and OHBs were recorded at baseline and re-evaluation. The participants in the intervention group were required to perform daily oral self-care using our oral self-care app (OSCA) and the functional preferences and overall likeability of the OSCA were evaluated through a questionnaire survey. In total, 39 patients from the control group and 49 from the intervention group completed clinical examinations at baseline and re-evaluation. The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in OHS improvement between the two groups. However, OHS improvement significantly differed between low-, moderate-, and high-frequency users, with frequency of use being positively correlated to the likeability of the app. Further investigation of the effectiveness of the OSCA intervention revealed that behavioral change in oral hygiene, frequency of OSCA use, and smoking affected OHS improvement. These outcomes indicate that our app-based mobile intervention may be of value for precision oral self-care in patients with periodontitis.

COVID 19 and Pediatric Dentistry- A Narrative Review

During the present health emergency linked to the pandemic caused by corona virus(COVID 19), the efficientand safe management of children’s oral health presents a challenge to paediatric dentists. These challengescan be overcome by emphasizing on the oral disease prevention methods, and by treating paediatric dentalemergencies efficiently. Along with rigorous and highly effective infection control protocols in dental clinicalsetups, working on remote communication and health education aimed at maintaining the oral health of thechildren assumes great importance. This article, after analysing the risk factors associated with pediatricdental treatment due to COVID-19, presents a series of oral health promotion strategies, managementstrategies for pediatric dental emergencies and of dental non emergencies. New approaches and models oftreatment based on remote interaction techniques will be discussed, which can be furthur modified and usedaccordingly even after the end of the pandemic.

A Framework for Equity Access to Primary Dental Care

The objective of this study was to demonstrate face validity with a novel resource allocation framework designed to maximize equity into dental booking systems. The study was carried out in 2014. Eleven experts in primary dental care practice in Southern Brazil participated, using a three-round consensus group technique. First, the experts reached consensus on the items to be included in a 5-level diagnostic scale. They identified 21 clinical conditions and categorized them according to the oral health intervention required. Then, they described workload and activity standards for dental staff to carry out health promotion, oral disease prevention, dental treatment, dental rehabilitation, and urgent dental care. Finally, they agreed upon a set of wait times for primary dental care, establishing maximum waits from 2 to 365 days, according to the diagnostic classification. The framework demonstrated potential ability to promote more equitable access to primary dental services, since equal diagnostic classifications share the same waiting times for the dental care they require.

Whose Responsibility Is It Anyway? Exploring Barriers to Prevention of Oral Diseases across Europe

Introduction: Dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss are all preventable conditions. However, many dental care systems remain treatment oriented rather than prevention oriented. This promotes the treatment of oral diseases over preventive treatments and advice. Exploring barriers to prevention and understanding the requirements of a paradigm shift are the first steps toward delivering quality prevention-focused health care. Objectives: To qualitatively explore perceived barriers and facilitators to oral disease prevention from a multistakeholder perspective across 6 European countries. Methods: A total of 58 interviews and 13 focus groups were undertaken involving 149 participants from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Hungary. Interviews and focus groups were conducted in each country in its native language between March 2016 and September 2017. Participants were patients ( n = 50), dental team members ( n = 39), dental policy makers( n = 33), and dental insurers ( n = 27). The audio was transcribed, translated, and analyzed via deductive thematic analysis. Results: Five broad themes emerged that were both barriers and facilitators: dental regulation, who provides prevention, knowledge and motivation, trust, and person-level factors. Each theme was touched on in all countries; however, cross-country differences were evident surrounding the magnitude of each theme. Conclusion: Despite the different strengths and weaknesses among the systems, those who deliver, organize, and utilize each system experience similar barriers to prevention. The findings suggest that across all 6 countries, prevention in oral health care is hindered by a complex interplay of factors, with no particular dental health system offering overall greater user satisfaction. Underlying the themes were sentiments of blame, whereby each group appeared to shift responsibility for prevention to other groups. To bring about change, greater teamwork is needed in the commissioning of prevention to engender its increased value by all stakeholders within the dental system. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results from this study provide an initial first step for those interested in exploring and working toward the paradigm shift to preventive focused dentistry. We also hope that these findings will encourage more research exploring the complex relationship among dental stakeholders, with a view to overcoming the barriers. In particular, these findings may be of use to dental public health researchers, dentists, and policy makers concerned with the prevention of oral diseases.

Computing and Oral Health: Mobile Solution for Collecting, Data Analysis, Managing and Reproducing Epidemiological Research in Population Groups

Epidemiological inquiries study and evaluate the health status of the population. For dental caries, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the DMFT and DMFS indexes, which represent the sum of the decayed, missing and filled teeth, divided by the population studied. Traditionally these surveys are conducted using cellulose paper sheet. This study describes the development and presents the field performance of NutriOdonto, a software created for an Oral Health Survey carried out in 2018 and 2019 involving 2578 students from the municipal schools of Palmas/TO, located in the Brazilian Amazon region. This is a descriptive, applied research on the development of a software for the collecting, analysis, management and reproducibility of oral health epidemiological research. A software applied to the collecting, analysis and formation of the database was developed through the information obtained from the questionnaires applied to the participants of the study and the completion of the electronic oral examination form. Recent Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are intelligently configured to create models and mobile applications (Apps) that can be useful to manage health issues, thus broadening the perspective of service provision in this sector. Some of these mobile devices, tablets and smartphones are being developed to generate information, for collection, recording, storage and analysis of oral health epidemiological research data. NutriOdonto contributed to the rapid collection, recording and storage of information, in the construction of the database and its analysis. Replacing paper forms with electronic forms minimized possible typos, reduced the use of cellulose paper and the financial costs, among other things. This software can contribute to decision making by managers and professionals and to improving the planning and implementation of actions in health promotion and oral disease prevention.