Prevalence and correlates of self-reported state of teeth among schoolchildren in Kerala, India

BACKGROUND: Oral health status in India is traditionally evaluated using clinical indices. There is growing interest to know how subjective measures relate to outcomes of oral health. The aims of the study were to assess the prevalence and correlates of self-reported state of teeth in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Kerala, India. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data were used. The sample consisted of 838 12-year-old schoolchildren. Data was collected using clinical examination and questionnaire. The clinical oral health status was recorded using Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Oral Hygiene Index – Simplified (OHI-S). The questionnaire included questions on sociodemographics, self reports of behaviour, knowledge and oral problems and a single-item measuring self-reported state and satisfaction with appearance of teeth. The Kappa values for test-retest of the questionnaire ranged from 0.55 to 0.97. RESULTS: Twenty-three per cent of the schoolchildren reported the state of teeth as bad. Multivariate logistic regression showed significant associations between schoolchildren who reported to have bad teeth and poor school performance (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.5), having bad breath (OR = 2.4), food impaction (OR = 1.7) dental visits (OR = 1.6), being dissatisfied with appearance of teeth (OR = 4.2) and caries experience (OR = 1.7). The explained variance was highest when the variables dental visits, bleeding gums, bad breath, food impaction and satisfaction with appearance were introduced into the model (19%). CONCLUSION: A quarter of 12-year-olds reported having bad teeth. The self-reported bad state of teeth was associated with poor school performance, having bad breath and food impaction, having visited a dentist, being dissatisfied with teeth appearance and having caries experience. Information from self-reports of children might help in planning effective strategies to promote oral health

Oral health and social and emotional well-being in a birth cohort of Aboriginal Australian young adults

Background: Social and emotional well-being is an important component of overall health. In the Indigenous Australian context, risk indicators of poor social and emotional well-being include social determinants such as poor education, employment, income and housing as well as substance use, racial discrimination and cultural knowledge. This study sought to investigate associations between oral health-related factors and social and emotional well-being in a birth cohort of young Aboriginal adults residing in the northern region of Australia's Northern Territory. Methods: Data were collected on five validated domains of social and emotional well-being: anxiety, resilience, depression, suicide and overall mental health. Independent variables included socio-demographics, dental health behaviour, dental disease experience, oral health-related quality of life, substance use, racial discrimination and cultural knowledge. Results: After adjusting for other covariates, poor oral health-related items were associated with each of the social and emotional well-being domains. Specifically, anxiety was associated with being female, having one or more decayed teeth and racial discrimination. Resilience was associated with being male, having a job, owning a toothbrush, having one or more filled teeth and knowing a lot about Indigenous culture; while being female, having experienced dental pain in the past year, use of alcohol, use of marijuana and racial discrimination were associated with depression. Suicide was associated with being female, having experience of untreated dental decay and racial discrimination; while being female, having experience of dental disease in one or more teeth, being dissatisfied about dental appearance and racial discrimination were associated with poor mental health. Conclusion: The results suggest there may be value in including oral health-related initiatives when exploring the role of physical conditions on Indigenous social and emotional well-being.Lisa M Jamieson, Yin C Paradies, Wendy Gunthorpe, Sheree J Cairney and Susan M Sayer

Theory based interventions for caries related sugar intake in adults:Systematic review

Abstract Background Theories of behavior change are essential in the design of effective behaviour change strategies. No studies have assessed the effectiveness of interventions based on psychological theories to reduce sugar intake related to dental caries. The study assessed the effect of interventions based on Social Congition Models (SCMs) on sugar intake in adults, when compared with educational interventions or no intervention. Methods A range of papers were considered: Systematic review Systematic Reviews with or without Meta Analyses; Randomised Controlled Trials; Controlled Clinical Trials and Before and after studies, of interventions based on Social Cognition Models aimed at dietary intake of sugar in adults. The Cochrane database including: Oral Health Group’s Trials Register (2015), MEDLINE (from 1966 to September 2015), EMBASE (from 1980 to September 2015), PsycINFO (from 1966 to September 2015) were searched. Results No article met the full eligibility criteria for the current systematic review so no articles were included. Conclusion There is a need for more clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of interventions based on psychological theory in reducing dietary sugar intake among adults. Systematic Review Protocol Registration PROSPERO: CRD42015026357

Autoavaliação de saúde bucal: resultados da Pesquisa Mundial de Saúde - Atenção Básica em quatro municípios do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 2005 Self-rated oral health: results of the World Health Survey - Primary Care in four municipalities in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, 2005

A autoavaliação da saúde é um indicador subjetivo que combina componentes físicos, emocionais e do bem-estar individual e vem adquirindo papel importante na área da Saúde Pública, sendo utilizado na avaliação do estado de saúde da população geral. Este trabalho objetivou estudar os cuidados assistenciais e o estado de saúde bucal, incluindo a autoavaliação, utilizando dados de 1.871 indivíduos, com 18 anos ou mais de idade, entrevistados na Pesquisa Mundial de Saúde - Atenção Básica, realizada em quatro municípios do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, no ano de 2005. Foram utilizados modelos de regressão logística binária para identificar os determinantes da autoavaliação de saúde bucal "excelente" ou "boa". Para ambos os sexos, as variáveis significativamente associadas à autoavaliação da saúde bucal foram: renda domiciliar per capita, frequência de visita odontológica e perda de dentes e uso de prótese. Os resultados evidenciam um gradiente socioeconômico na percepção subjetiva, uma precária saúde bucal entre os idosos e a importância da visita odontológica regular para manutenção da saúde bucal.<br>Self-rated health is a subjective indicator that combines physical and emotional components and individual well-being. It has gained an important role in Public Health, with increasing use in the evaluation of the general population's health status. This study focuses on dental care and oral health status, including self-rated oral health, using data from 1,871 individuals 18 years or older, interviewed in World Health Survey - Primary Care, conducted in four municipalities in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the determinants of 'excellent' or 'good' self-rated oral health. For both men and women, variables significantly associated with self-rated oral health were: per capita family income, frequency of dental visits, tooth loss, and use of dental prostheses. The results showed a socioeconomic gradient in self-rated oral health, precarious oral health among the elderly, and the importance of regular dental visits for maintaining oral health