Oral Health Impacts Educational Success

Children with poor oral health experience significant pain, which can affect their eating habits and growth, make them more likely to get sick and miss school, and undermine their ability to concentrate in school. If we want children to succeed in school, we need to understand how learning and oral health are linked

Social Determinants of Participation in a Home Visitation Fluoride Varnish Program

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the social determinants of CHIP (Child Health Investment Partnership) of Roanoke Valley children who participated in the preventive oral health program compared to those who did not. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of children (n=2,425) enrolled in CHIP of Roanoke Valley from September 2008-September 2014. Bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare age, gender, race, locality, parents’ education level, age at enrollment, and length of enrollment for oral health program participants versus those who did not participate. Results: Children who were Hispanic as well as children who enrolled in CHIP at an earlier age were more likely to enroll in the oral health program. Conclusions: By focusing on enrolling children at earlier ages, there is the potential to increase the use of dental care to match the recommended periodicity of dental care for young children

An Examination of Virginia WIC Staff’s Attitudes and Knowledge Towards the Brush, Book, Bed Oral Health Program

Introduction: Families who are low income and have low oral health literacy tend to have poor oral health. The Brush, Book, Bed (BBB) program helps caregivers establish a consistent night routine for their children that includes brushing teeth, reading, and an age-appropriate bedtime. BBB has been shown to increase oral hygiene behaviors and therefore oral health outcomes. Studies have shown that children who participate in Women, Infants, and Children, (WIC) programs are more likely to access dental services. This study examined local Richmond, Virginia (VA) WIC staff on their current oral health knowledge and views on implementing BBB. Methods: A 10-question the pre-assessment survey was administered to 11 WIC staff. The pre- assessment evaluated WIC staff’s knowledge of children’s oral health and their confidence levels toward counseling clients on dental care. After the pre-assessment, a short presentation on BBB and children’s oral health was given. Following the presentation, a 19-question post-assessment was conducted to determine how much information WIC staff retained and changes in their confidence levels. Results: All participants improved their scores on the post-assessment after the BBB presentation showing a 17% improvement. The percent of staff that felt very confident in advising clients on their children’s oral health grew by 19%. Across the sample, 100% of participants reported that BBB would benefit their clients and implementing it in their office would be feasible. Conclusion: Findings from the current study demonstrate that WIC staff are receptive to the goals of BBB and believe that its implementation could help their clients.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1085/thumbnail.jp

Utilization of Dental Services Among Medicaid Enrolled Pregnant Women in Virginia

The study evaluated the impact of the Virginia Medicaid dental benefit on dental services utilization among pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid. Data from a total of 10,395 women who had at least one dental claim during the 2015-2017 period were included in the study. The number of dental visits and dental services utilized per person grew from an average of 2.2 visits and 7 services in 2015 to 3.1 visits and 10.5 services in 2017, respectively. In 2017, of all dental services used, 6% were for preventive services and 59% were for treatment services. Continued efforts and targeted interventions are required to improve the oral health of pregnant women enrolled in Virginia Medicaid

Lifestyle risk factor related disparities in oral cancer examination in the U.S: a population-based cross-sectional study

Background: Oral cancers account for 3% of annual U.S. cancer diagnosis, 2 in 5 of which are diagnosed late when prognosis is poor. The purpose of this study was to report the population-level prevalence of oral cancer examination among adult smokers and alcohol drinkers and assess if these modifiable lifestyle factors are associated with receiving an oral cancer examination. Methods: Adult participants ≥30 years (n = 9374) of the 2013–2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included. Oral cancer examination (yes/no), smoking (never, former, current) and alcohol use (abstainers, former, current) were self-reported. Survey-logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of ever and past year oral cancer examination adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, and time since last dental visit. Results: One third (33%) reported ever been examined for oral cancer, 66% of whom reported an examination in the past year. Adjusted OR (95% CI) of past year examination comparing current and former smokers to non-smokers were 0.51 (0.29, 0.88) and 0.74 (0.53, 1.04) respectively. Similarly, current and former alcohol drinkers relative to abstainers were less likely to report a past year oral cancer examination, OR (95% CI) = 0.84 (0.53, 1.30) and 0.50 (0.30, 0.83) respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that smokers and alcohol users were less likely than abstainers to self-report a past year oral cancer examination. Access to affordable and targeted oral cancer examination within the dental care setting might ensure that these high-risk individuals get timely examinations and earlier diagnosis that might improve prognosis and survival

Serum Vitamin D, PTH, and Calcium Levels in Patients with and without Early Childhood Caries

Purpose: The purpose was to determine differences in serum vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calcium levels between patients with early childhood caries (ECC) and patients without dental decay. Materials and Methods: Serum vitamin D, PTH, and calcium levels were obtained from 30 children without dental decay who acted as controls and 60 children with ECC. A questionnaire was filled out by the parent/guardian of each participant consisting of questions regarding medical and dental history, exposure to sources of vitamin D and demographic information. Results: The difference in the vitamin D levels of the participants was most strongly associated with race. African American participants demonstrated lower levels of vitamin D than non-African Americans. After adjusting for race- related differences there was no significant difference in the Vitamin D levels in the ECC cases and the healthy controls. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that vitamin D levels, at least among non-African Americans, are unrelated to caries development. Future research in this area must control for important confounding factors such as skin pigmentation, season of measurement of serum vitamin D, sun exposure, fluoride exposure, water fluoridation status and tooth brushing in order to allow for vitamin D levels to be better tested against caries experience

A Scoping Review of the Roles, Training, and Impact of Community Health Workers in Oral Health Supplemental Tables

Objective: To synthesize English or Spanish-language literature on community health workers’ (CHWs’) roles, training, and impact in oral health. Basic research design: A scoping review conducted in accordance with the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) methodological framework. Method: Electronic literature searches were conducted in Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), DOSS, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Global Health CAB from inception of the databases to April 2020. Three reviewers independently conducted the title and abstract and full-text reviews. This was followed by data charting by three reviewers and data summarizing by two reviewers. Results: Out of the 36 articles that met the inclusion criteria, most took place in the United States (n=15) with most published between 2012 and 2019 (12). CHWs were incorporated in programs that focused on access to dental care (n=10), oral health promotion only (9), early childhood caries (8), oral health promotion and services (5), and oral cancer screening (4). Common roles included providing oral health education and behavior change motivation to community members, facilitating utilization of dental services, and the delivery of diagnostic and dental services to community members. Training and outcomes were not consistently described across studies. Conclusion: CHWs have been used in oral health programs and interventions across a wide range of locations and contexts. The implementation and scaling-up of oral health CHW programs requires appropriate provision of training as well as community embedded monitoring and evaluation structures based on rigorous methods with clearly defined outcomes