Association between oral condition and subjective psychological well-being among older adults attending a university hospital dental clinic: A cross-sectional study

Positive psychological well-being has a favorable impact on survival rates in both healthy and unhealthy populations. Oral health is also associated with psychological well-being, is multidimensional in nature, and includes physical, psychological, emotional, and social domains that are integral to overall health and well-being. This study aimed to identify the associations between individual and environmental characteristics, oral condition and nutritional status in relation to subjective well-being among older adults using the Wilson and Cleary conceptual model. The participants were older adults (age >= 60 years) attending a university hospital. Subjective well-being was assessed using the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index, oral condition was assessed based on the number of bacteria in the tongue coating, oral wettability, tongue pressure, occlusal force, oral diadochokinesis, and masticatory ability, and subjective swallowing function was assessed using the Eating Assessment Tool, number of remaining teeth, and number of functional teeth. In addition, factors related to well-being, including social networks, life-space mobility, nutritional status, smoking history, drinking history, and medical history were assessed. In the analysis, structural equation modeling was used to investigate the association between oral condition and subjective well-being. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed oral condition as a latent variable, including tongue pressure, oral diadochokinesis /pa/, /ta/, /ka/, occlusal force, masticatory ability, subjective swallowing function, and number of functional teeth. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that oral condition was positively correlated with nutritional status, and nutritional status was positively correlated with the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index. These findings suggest that oral condition may influence subjective well-being via nutritional status or social environmental factors

Association between the incidence of early childhood caries and attending childcare among toddlers in a rural area of Japan: a prospective cohort study

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the incidence of early childhood caries (ECC) and factors of the daytime childcare environment among toddlers in a rural area of Japan. Material and methods This was a prospective cohort study. Data collected from 2011 to 2015 were obtained for initially caries-free, 18-month-old toddlers (N = 640). Dentists recorded the numbers of decayed, missing and filled teeth (caries incidence) of toddlers at baseline (age 18 months) and follow-up (age 3 years). In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted on guardians at baseline to record data on lifestyle. Results In total, 159 (24.8%) toddlers had newly identified ECC at follow-up. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the incidence of ECC was significantly associated with receiving daytime care at a nursery school (odds ratio [OR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–2.30; p = .029), prolonged breastfeeding (OR, 1.71; 95%CI, 1.15–2.55; p = .008), and snacking ≥3 times a day (OR, 2.39; 95%CI, 1.53–3.74; p  Conclusion These findings suggest that receiving daytime care at a nursery school, prolonged breastfeeding, and frequent snacking are associated with an increased risk of ECC among Japanese toddlers in rural areas

Oral Factors as Predictors of Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older People: A Prospective Cohort Study

The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to identify predictors for frailty among possible oral factors in community-dwelling older people. Ninety-seven participants (>= 60 years old) without frailty at baseline were included and assigned to either the robust or the frailty group after 2-year follow-up. The frailty was defined using the Japan Cardiovascular Health Study index. The numbers of present and functional teeth and periodontal disease severity were recorded. Bacterial counts on the dorsum of the tongue, oral moisture, tongue pressure, occlusal force, masticatory ability, and the oral diadochokinesis (ODK) rate were measured. Swallowing function, along with psychosocial status, relationships with communities and people, nutritional status, medical history, and comorbidities were evaluated using a questionnaire. The newly identified frailty group at follow-up showed significantly lower values in the number of teeth present, ODK/ta/sound and ODK/ka/sound rates, and clinical attachment level at baseline compared to the robust group. A logistic regression model showed a significantly negative association between the ODK/ta/sound rate at baseline and the incidence of frailty. Articulatory oral motor skill was found to be a predictor of frailty after two years

Association between maternal periodontal status and ultrasonographic measurement of fetal growth: A longitudinal study

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the association between intrauterine fetal growth patterns and periodontal status in pregnant women. Fifty-three pregnant women were recruited. Periodontitis was diagnosed based on probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level. Maternal urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels and body mass index were recorded. Ultrasonographic measurements of the biparietal diameter (BPD), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL) were recorded, and estimated fetal weight (EFW) was calculated. In addition, approximation spline curves of BPD, AC, FL, and EFW were obtained throughout the gestation period. Recorded delivery outcomes were gestational age (GA), birth weight and length, sex, placental weight, and umbilical cord length. Forty-four participants (34.1 +/- 4.9 years) were analyzed. Mean neonatal birth weight was 2906.0 +/- 544.4g. On multiple regression analysis, birth weight was related with periodontitis (standardized beta=-0.21, P=0.001). For EFW and BPD, the curves of the periodontitis group were located lower than those of the non-periodontitis group, with significant differences after 32 weeks and 20 weeks of GA, respectively. In conclusion, periodontal treatment before conception may be recommended and a good periodontal condition in the early stage of pregnancy at the latest is desirable for infant growth

Clinical features and treatment outcome of very elderly patients over 80 years old with multiple myeloma:comparison with patients in different age groups in the era of novel agents

We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 175 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital between April 2004 and June 2014, and identified 42 (24%), 80 (46%), and 53 (30%) patients 80, 66-79, and 65 years old, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the 80, 66-79, and 65 years old groups were 19.1, 26.3, and 54.3 months, and 31.9, 54.8, and 83.8 months, respectively. Patients 80 but not 79 years old with ECOG performance score (PS) 3 and/or Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) 5 showed significantly shorter survival. ECOG PS and CCI predicted the treatment outcome of patients 80 but did not predict 79 years old.</p

Management of Lacerated and Swollen Tongue after Convulsive Seizure with a Mouth Protector: Interprofessional Collaboration Including Dentists in Intensive Care

We encountered a 74-year-old male patient with tongue laceration after convulsive seizures under intensive care. The tongue showed severe swelling, and the right ventral surface had been lacerated by his isolated and pointed right lower canine. Our university hospital has established a perioperative management center, and is promoting interprofessional collaboration, including dentists, in perioperative management. Dentists collaborating in the perioperative management center took dental impressions, with the support of anesthesiologists who opened the patientʼs jaw under propofol sedation, to produce a mouth protector. By raising the patientʼs bite, the completed mouth protector prevented the isolated tooth from contacting the tongue and protected the lacerated wound. Use of the mouth protector prevented the lacerated tongue from coming into contact with the pointed tooth, and the tongue healed gradually. These findings underscore that interprofessional collaboration including dentists can improve the quality of medical care

Relationship between acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air and characteristics of microbiota of tongue dorsum in Japanese healthy adults: a cross-sectional study

Acetaldehyde, associated with consumption of alcoholic beverages, is known to be a carcinogen and to be related to the tongue dorsum. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air and bacterial characteristics on the tongue dorsum. Methodology: Thirty-nine healthy volunteers participated in the study. Acetaldehyde concentrations in mouth air were evaluated by a high-sensitivity semiconductor gas sensor. A 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique was used to compare microbiomes between two groups, focusing on the six samples with the highest acetaldehyde concentrations (HG) and the six samples with lowest acetaldehyde concentrations (LG). Results: Acetaldehyde concentration increased in correlation with the increase in bacterial count (p=0.048). The number of species observed in the oral microbiome of the HG was higher than that in the oral microbiome of the LG (p=0.011). The relative abundances of Gemella sanguinis, Veillonella parvula and Neisseria flavescens in the oral microbiome of the HG were higher than those in the oral microbiome of the LG (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air was associated with bacterial count, diversity of microbiome, and relative abundance of G. sanguinis, V. parvula, and N. flavescens