Prevalence, duration of exposure and predicting factors for snus use among young Finnish men: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThe health hazards of tobacco products depend on the level of exposure, but little is known about the characteristics of snus use. The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of daily exposure to snus among occasional and daily users and its associated predictive factors among young Finnish men.DesignCross-sectional questionnaire study.SettingThree out of 16 Finnish Defence Forces units.Participants1280 young Finnish male conscripts starting their military service in 2016 chosen by simple random sampling.Primary and secondary measuresThe prevalence, duration of use and the amount of daily usage of snus and cigarettes were investigated. The attitudes towards perceived harmfulness of snus and the predictive factors affecting the total time of snus consumption were examined.ResultsAlmost a fifth (19.5%) of the conscripts reported daily snus use, and a further 16% reported occasional use. Daily snus use was associated with an earlier starting age, longer duration of use and higher daily exposure time compared with occasional use. On average, daily snus users consumed 10 portions and occasional users three portions per day (pConclusionSnus use was very common among young Finnish men. High snus exposure duration was associated with an earlier starting age, a longer history of use and a careless attitude to its health hazards. A higher education level was a protective factor for total exposure time. Studies of the long-term health effects and dependency profile of snus use are needed.Data availability statementData are available on reasonable request. The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to unpublished material that will be used in the future publications but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.</p

Preventive Dental Care in Sweden for Children, Adults & Elderly

Sweden has a long tradition on prevention of both dental caries and periodontal disease, which has resulted in an improvement of oral health the last 50 years. Today, more or less all patients in Sweden, from early childhood to high age, get individual information by dentists and dental hygienists about: 1) oral hygiene, 2) good dietary habits and 3) use of fluoride toothpaste twice a day. In many areas of the country, population-based preventive programs are carried out at day-care centres, in schools and at home for elderly

The Public Dental Service in Sweden : An Interview Study of Chief Dental Officers

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate how the Public Dental Service (PDS) in Sweden has managed to maintain a market position at a time of change in political ideologies and increased competition from a growing private sector. Materials and Methods: All Chief Dental Officers (CDOs), who had held this leading position for at least 5 years (n = 22), were asked to participate in a semi-structured telephone interview. Sixteen of the 22 CDOs participated in this study. The questions were sent by mail in 2014 before the telephone interviews, which were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using a qualitative analytical approach. Since this was a quality study with just few participants, no statistical analysis was carried out. Results: All the CDOs answered that they had influenced outcomes through brand building and core value work, related to both patients and employees, and to a lesser extent through competitor analysis. Some CDOs had a slightly different approach to the way they described visions, strategies and short-term goals. They used more business-oriented concepts, such as customers, market shares, and profits. Most CDOs regarded their actions as important for the successful development of their organization. Conclusions: The PDS appears to have a stable, strong position in the Swedish dental care market, and a great deal of effort has been put into consolidating this position

On Oral Health in Young People with Asthma

On Oral Health in Young People with Asthma Malin Stensson, Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 450, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden. Email: [email protected] Objective. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the oral health of young individuals with and without asthma. Material. In Study I, a group of 3- (n=66) and 6-year-old children (n=61) with asthma and two healthy control groups (n=62 and n=55 respectively) participated. In Study II, 3-year-old children with asthma (n=64) and a healthy control group (n=50) were followed from 3 to 6 years of age. In Study III, adolescents with severe and long-term asthma (n=20) and a healthy control group (n=20) were included. In Study IV, young adults with long-term asthma (n=20) and a healthy control group (n=20) participated. Methods. A clinical examination was performed and the prevalence of caries, gingival inflammation, plaque and the numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in saliva were determined. In Study II, the caries increment between 3 and 6 years of age was investigated. A radiographic examination was conducted in all the studies, apart from in the 3-year-old children. The participants or their parents were interviewed regarding various oral health-related factors. To assess the caries risk, a computer program, the “Cariogram”, was used. In Studies III and IV, the salivary secretion rate and plaque pH, after a sucrose rinse for up to 40 min at two approximal sites, were measured. In Study IV, gingival crevicular fluid, periodontal pockets and the plaque formation rate were determined. Results. In Study I, the mean ± SD dfs in the 3-year-olds with asthma was 1.4±3.2 compared with 0.5±1.2 in the control group (p<0.05). The corresponding figures for the 6-year-olds were 2.5±3.9 and 1.8±2.8 (NS). The 3-year-old children with asthma had more gingival bleeding than the healthy controls (p<0.05). Children with asthma reported a higher consumption of sugar-containing drinks and were more frequently mouth breathers than the control groups (p<0.05). Children with asthma and an immigrant background had a higher mean dfs than children with an immigrant background in the control group. In the follow-up study (Study II), the increment of initial caries was higher for children with asthma compared with the control group (p<0.05). At both 3 and 6 years of age, asthmatic children were more frequently mouth breathers than their controls (only statistically significant in the 6-year-olds). In Study III, the mean ± SD DFS was 4.9±5.5 in adolescents with asthma compared with 1.4±2.3 in the control group (p<0.01). The Cariogram data in the control group showed that 75% had a “chance of avoiding caries” compared with 54% in the asthma group (p<0.01). A lower initial and final pH in plaque was found in the asthma groups (only statistically significant in Study III). More gingival inflammation (p<0.05), more frequent mouth breathing (NS) and a lower salivary secretion rate were found in the adolescents and young adults with asthma compared with the control groups (p<0.05). The mean ± SD DFS was 8.6±10.6 in the young adult asthma group compared with 4.0±5.2 in the controls (NS). Conclusions. The results of this thesis indicate that young individuals with asthma have a higher caries prevalence, more gingival inflammation and are more frequently mouth breathers compared with healthy individuals of the same age. In younger children with asthma, a higher intake of sugary drinks was more common and, in the older age group (adolescents and young adults), a lower salivary secretion rate and plaque pH were found in the asthma groups compared with the control groups

Patient-reported outcomes of caries prophylaxis among Swedish caries active adults in a long-term perspective

The aim of this study was to measure patient-reported outcomes of caries prophylaxis and to compare them with previously documented efforts in dental offices. A questionnaire was mailed to 134 caries active (CA) and 40 caries inactive (CI) adult patients treated at a Swedish public dental service clinic. The overall response rate was 69%. The questionnaire included items regarding patient perceived caries prophylaxis in relation to: 1) treatment and recommendations given by the dental personnel, 2) performed self-care and 3) perceived and expected effects.The responses were studied for their association to clinical data, extracted retrospectively from the patients' dental records.The mean follow up time was > 16 years. Information about caries prophylaxis (p = 0.01) and recommendations for self-care (p = 0.04) were given more often to the CA group than to the CI group. Supplementary examinations and recommendations of self-care risk treatments were more frequent in the CA group (p 90%) hoped that the outcome of caries prophylactics would be a reduced number of cavities.The patient-perceived experiences of caries prophylaxis-were in concordance with dental records. Both the dentists and the caries active middle-aged Swedish adults were aware of the need for extra prophylaxis.The caries active patients perceived having made extra home care efforts, but had not experienced that they had become free from carie

Correlation between perceived experience of caries disease and recorded caries activity among adult patients at a Swedish Public Dental Clinic : A longitudinal study

Abstract Objective. To compare patients' perceived experiences of caries activity with recorded longitudinal caries prevalence, consequences of caries and length of recall intervals. Materials and methods. A questionnaire was mailed to 134 caries active (CA) and 40 caries inactive (CI) adult patients at a Swedish Public Dental Clinic. The overall response rate was 69%. The questionnaire included items regarding perceived caries activity, general health, dietary and oral hygiene habits, level of education and socioeconomic status. Questionnaire responses were studied for their association to clinical data extracted from patient dental records. Results. There was a correlation between patient-perceived and documented caries activity for all respondents (rho = 0.65; p < 0.001). CA patients had significantly more perceived caries activity (p < 0.001), decayed teeth (p < 0.001), root fillings (p = 0.001) and extractions (p < 0.001) than CI patients. The mean recall interval was 1.5 years for CA and 2.1 years for CI (p < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression analysis, CA patients were at increased risk for xerostomia (OR = 22.66, p = 0.003), sleep disturbances (OR = 4.36, p = 0.04) and more frequent use of daily extra fluoride (OR = 3.58, p = 0.03). Conclusions. Patient-perceived experience of caries correlated well with recorded caries activity in this group of middle-aged Swedish adults. Individuals with active caries were aware of their disease and made more frequent attempts to reduce caries activity by use of daily extra fluoride. Individual risk-based recall intervals did not seem to eliminate consequences of disease activity such as root fillings and extractions during the follow-up period

Visitors' experiences of public and private dental care in Sweden in 1992-2012.

Aim: The aim was to compare adult patients' experiences of public and private dental care in Sweden over time from the ages of 50 and 70 years, between 1992 and 2012. Materials and methods: Data on visiting patterns, oral health, fees and satisfaction were obtained from a questionnaire study every 5 years in 1992-2012 and analysed by using the Chi-square test and logistic regression. In the present study, the answers given by 6083 respondents in 1992 and 5220 in 2012 were included. Results: Of the 50-year olds, 73.5% had visited the private sector and 26.5% the public sector. In 1992, patients in the public dental service (PDS) had visited their dentists less frequently and experienced having a slightly poorer dental status compared with private patients. After 20 years (2012), the distribution of patients between the two sectors was almost the same (71.4% and 28.8%) and the differences in visiting pattern and dental health persisted. During the study period, 21.6% of the patients changed treatment sector. A small proportion of patients had high treatment costs. A larger proportion of the private sector visitors than the PDS visitors were consistently satisfied with the dental care they had received. Conclusions: As a whole, most adult patients in Sweden were satisfied with their dental care at both public and private clinics