Embedding environmental sustainability within oral health professional curricula—Recommendations for teaching and assessment of learning outcomes

The FDI World Dental Federation suggests that “dentistry, as a profession, should integrate Sustainable Development Goals into daily practice and support a shift to a green economy in the pursuit of healthy lives and wellbeing for all, through all stages of life.” This article reports on the recent activity of the Association for Dental Education in Europe Special Interest Group for Sustainability in Dentistry. Following on from the group's previous activities, which explored current educational practice, this work aimed to reach a pan-European consensus on a number of learning outcomes for environmental sustainability, in order to (i) support institutions in designing and delivering their curriculum, and (ii) to further harmonise the delivery of oral health professional education across Europe. This article presents specific learning outcomes relating to environmental sustainability and recommendations relating to curriculum development, including methods of teaching and assessment

Salivary Biomarkers for Detection of Systemic Diseases

Peer reviewe

Analysis of the perceived oral treatment need using Andersen's behavioural model

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of specific components of Andersen's behavioural model on adult individuals' perceived oral treatment need. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected sample of 9,690 individuals, 20 to 89 years old, living in Skane, Sweden. The 58 questions, some with follow-up questions, were answered by 6,123 individuals; a 63% response rate. Selected for inclusion in the multivariate logistic regression analysis were those questions relating to Andersen's behavioural model, phase five. Responses to "How do you rate your oral treatment need today?" were used as a dependent variable. The 62 questions chosen as independent variables represented the components: individual characteristics, health behaviour and outcomes in the model. Results: Of the independent variables, 24 were significant at the p <= 0.05 level. Low educational level, previously unmet perceived oral treatment need, frequent visiting pattern, perception of worse oral health than one's peers, an external locus of control, and to have received information from one's dental caregiver about a need for oral treatment were all highly significant (p<0.001) variables correlating with high self-perceived oral treatment need. Conclusion: The Andersen behavioural model can be a useful theoretical tool for the study of perceived oral treatment need

Impact of Periodontal Disease Experience on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

Background: Periodontal research has traditionally focused on the site level, regarding etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment outcome. Recently, some studies have indicated that the presence of periodontal disease is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of periodontal disease experience on the quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 443 individuals. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed; in conjunction, the oral health-related quality of life of all participants was assessed using the Swedish short-form version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Based on marginal bone loss, measured on radiographs, three different groups were identified: participants with loss of supporting bone tissue of less than one third of the root length (BL-), loss of supporting bone tissue of one third or more of the root length in < 30% of teeth (BL), or loss of supporting bone tissue of one third or more of the root length in 30% of teeth (BL+). Results: The effect of periodontal disease experience on quality of life was considerable. For the BL-group, the mean OHIP-14 score was 3.91 (SD: 5.39). The corresponding mean values were 3.81 (SD: 5.29) for the BL group and 8.47 (SD: 10.38) for the BL+ group. The difference among all groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). A comparison among the mean OHIP-14 scores in the different groups (BL-, BL, and BL+) revealed significant differences in six of seven conceptual domains. Conclusions: The BL+ individuals experienced reduced quality of life, expressed as the OHIP-14 score, compared with the BL and BL-participants