Management of initial carious lesions: Iowa survey

Effectiveness of the ICCMS caries management system for children: a 3-year multicentre randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

This 3-year multicentre randomised controlled trial compared, in 6-7-year-old Colombian children, the effectiveness of the ICCMS (International Caries Classification and Management System) with a conventional caries-management system (CCMS) in terms of individual caries-risk, caries lesions, and secondarily, oral-health-related knowledge/attitudes/practices, and number of appointments.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

With ethical approval, 240 6-7-year olds from six Colombian clinics were recruited. Trained examiners conducted the following baseline/follow-up assessments: Caries risk (Cariogram-ICCMS); caries severity/activity staging (ICDAS-merged combined radiographic/visual); sealants/fillings/missing teeth, and oral-health-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. Children received their randomly allocated (ICCMS/CCMS) care from dental practitioners. Outcomes: caries-risk control (children); caries-progression control (tooth surfaces); oral-health-related knowledge/attitudes/practices improvement (parents/children), and appointments' number (children). Descriptive and non-parametric/parametric bivariate analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Three-year-follow-up: n = 187 (77.9%; ICCMS: n = 92; CCMS: n = 95) disclosed a baseline-to-3-year overall high-caries-risk children decrease (ICCMS: 60.9-0%, p < .001; CCMS: 54.7-5.3%, p < .001) (p > .05). ICCMS versus CCMS showed: fewer tooth-surface caries progression (6.2% vs 7.1%, p = .010) and fewer active-caries lesions (49.8% vs. 59.1%, p < .05); higher proportion of children with ≥2/day fluoride-toothpaste tooth-brushing practice (p < .05); similar mean number of appointments (10.9 ± 5.9 vs. 10.0 ± 3.8, p = .15).

CONCLUSION

Both caries-management systems showed similar effectiveness in caries-risk control, with ICCMS more effectively controlling tooth-surface caries progression and improving toothbrushing practices.

Antibiotic prescription for endodontic infections among Italian dental practitioners: what is the extent of over-prescription?

Objectives: Objectives of this study were to evaluate the pattern of antibiotic prescription for endodontic infections (EIs) among Italian dental practitioners (DPs), and to explore the role of potential predictors of antibiotic over-prescription. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted between 1^st April to 30^th October 2019 using a structured questionnaire. Information was gathered on demographics and professional characteristics, and practices regarding antibiotic prescription both for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. Results: Of the 1250 invited DPs, 563 answered the general questionnaire (response rate 52.6%). The proportions of DPs who prescribed an antibiotic without indication for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes is 33.3% and 30.2%, respectively. The acute alveolar abscess without systemic involvement represents the clinical scenario at high risk of over-prescription for therapeutic purposes. Possible predictors of over-prescribing included demographics and professional characteristics, and it was found to be higher in EIs without indication than in the cases in which the prescription is indicated for therapeutic purposes. The odds of over-prescription for prophylactic purposes were higher in the cases of acute apical periodontitis and lower in the cases of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis compared with acute and chronic alveolar abscess, in which the prescription is indicated. Conclusions: The main findings of the present study provide an up-to-date insight about the pattern of antibiotic prescriptions for EIs and evidence useful to identify opportunities to reduce over-prescription among DPs through tailored interventions. The development of practical antibiotic prescribing guidelines with a clear description of indications and regimens ease of use is strongly needed.

Impacts of innovation in dental care delivery and payment in Medicaid managed care for children and adolescents

Background

We evaluated a 14-county quality improvement program of care delivery and payment of a dental care organization for child and adolescent managed care Medicaid beneficiaries after 2 years of implementation.

Methods

Counties were randomly assigned to either the intervention (PREDICT) or control group. Using Medicaid administrative data, difference-in-difference regression models were used to estimate PREDICT intervention effects (formally, “average marginal effects”) on dental care utilization and costs to Medicaid, controlling for patient and county characteristics.

Results

Average marginal effects of PREDICT on expected use and expected cost of services per patient (child or adolescent) per quarter were small and insignificant for most service categories. There were statistically significant effects of PREDICT (p < .05), though still small, for certain types of service:

Expected number of diagnostic services per patient-quarter increased by .009 units;

Expected number of sealants per patient-quarter increased by .003 units, and expected cost by $0.06;

Total expected cost per patient-quarter for all services increased by $0.64.

These consistent positive effects of PREDICT on diagnostic and certain preventive services (i.e., sealants) were not accompanied by increases in more costly service types (i.e., restorations) or extractions.

Conclusion

The major hypothesis that primary dental care (selected preventive services and diagnostic services in general) would increase significantly over time in PREDICT counties relative to controls was supported. There were small but statistically significant, increases in differential use of diagnostic services and sealants. Total cost per beneficiary rose modestly, but restorative and dental costs did not. The findings suggest favorable developments within PREDICT counties in enhanced preventive and diagnostic procedures, while holding the line on expensive restorative and extraction procedures.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-021-06549-3.

Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescription for Prophylactic Purposes among Italian Dental Practitioners: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the pattern of antibiotic prescription for prophylaxis purposes among Italian DPs (dental practitioners). A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage sampling design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and information about antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) prescriptions for selected dental diagnoses and surgical procedures. The presence of an indication and appropriateness of AP were defined according to international guidelines. In total, 563 DPs answered the questionnaire (response rate 52.6%). The proportions of DPs who prescribed AP in the presence of an indication ranged from 39.1% for luxation injury with soft tissue trauma to 73.1% for dental implants, whilst DPs who prescribed AP in healthy patients ranged from 41.9% in luxation injury with soft tissue trauma to 70.3% for bone grafting. The course of AP reported by DPs was not consistent with the guidelines in 70.9% of explored procedures. A high proportion of AP prescriptions before dental procedures were unnecessary. This highlights the urgent need to incorporate recommendations for best practices into national and local protocols as soon as they are established. Specific antibiotic stewardship strategies targeted to DPs should be implemented and assessed for effectiveness in improving prescribing of antibiotics.