Oral-systemic health considerations in dental settings

Update on Focal Infection Management: A Czech Interdisciplinary Consensus

BACKGROUND

The focal infection theory has been used to explain several chronic systemic diseases in the past. Systemic diseases were thought to be caused by focal infections, such as caries and periodontal diseases, and dentists were held responsible for these diseases due to the spread of oral infections. As knowledge of the interrelationship between oral microorganisms and the host immune response has evolved over the last few decades, the focal infection theory has been modified in various ways. The relationship between oral and systemic health appears to be more complex than that suggested by the classical theory of focal infections. Indeed, the contribution of the oral microbiota to some systemic diseases is gaining acceptance, as there are strong associations between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease, diabetes, and hospital-associated pneumonia, amongst others. As many jurisdictions have various protocols for managing this oral-systemic axis of disease, we sought to provide a consensus on this notion with the help of a multidisciplinary team from the Czech Republic.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary team comprising physicians/surgeons in the specialities of dentistry, ear-nose and throat (ENT), cardiology, orthopaedics, oncology, and diabetology were quetioned with regard to their conceptual understanding of the focal infection theory particularly in relation to the oral-systemic axis. The team also established a protocol to determine the strength of these associations and to plan the therapeutic steps needed to treat focal odontogenic infections whenever possible.

RESULTS

Scoring algorithms were devised for odontogenic inflammatory diseases and systemic risks, and standardised procedures were developed for general use.

CONCLUSIONS

The designed algorithm of the oral-systemic axis will be helpful for all health care workers in guiding their patient management protocol.

Dentists' Information Needs and Opinions on Accessing Patient Information via Health Information Exchange: Survey Study

BACKGROUND

The integration of medical and dental records is gaining significance over the past 2 decades. However, few studies have evaluated the opinions of practicing dentists on patient medical histories. Questions remain on dentists' information needs; their perception of the reliability of patient-reported medical history; satisfaction with the available information and the methods to gather this information; and their attitudes to other options, such as a health information exchange (HIE) network, to collect patient medical history.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine Indiana dentists' information needs regarding patients' medical information and their opinions about accessing it via an HIE.

METHODS

We administered a web-based survey to Indiana Dental Association members to assess their current medical information-retrieval approaches, the information critical for dental care, and their willingness to access or share information via an HIE. We used descriptive statistics to summarize survey results and multivariable regression to examine the associations between survey respondents' characteristics and responses.

RESULTS

Of the 161 respondents (161/2148, 7.5% response rate), 99.5% (n=160) respondents considered patients' medical histories essential to confirm no contraindications, including allergies or the need for antibiotic prophylaxis during dental care and other adverse drug events. The critical information required were medical conditions or diagnosis, current medications, and allergies, which were gathered from patient reports. Furthermore, 88.2% (n=142) of respondents considered patient-reported histories reliable; however, they experienced challenges obtaining information from patients and physicians. Additionally, 70.2% (n=113) of respondents, especially those who currently access an HIE or electronic health record, were willing to use an HIE to access or share their patient's information, and 91.3% (n=147) shared varying interests in such a service. However, usability, data accuracy, data safety, and cost are the driving factors in adopting an HIE.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients' medical histories are essential for dentists to optimize dental care, especially for those with chronic conditions. In addition, most dentists are interested in using an HIE to access patient medical histories. The findings from this study can provide an alternative option for improving communications between dental and medical professionals and help the health information technology system or tool developers identify critical requirements for more user-friendly designs.

Age-group-specific association of oral health and systemic health on cognitive function: a cross-sectional study of Korean elders

BACKGROUND

Although the importance of oral and systemic healthcare for elderly people is increasing owing to the rapid ageing of the population in South Korea, studies on the relationship between oral health, systemic health, and cognitive function, as well as on the prediction of cognitive function by oral and systemic health depending upon age groups are lacking.

METHODS

We included 5,975 out of 6,488 participants from the 8th wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) panel data, divided the participants into three age groups, and performed a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis to explain cognitive function with four types of predictors: oral health status, sociodemographic factors, objective health status, and subjective health status.

RESULTS

Oral health status was positively correlated with systemic health status and cognitive function. Of all ages over 54, cognitive function was significantly predicted by oral health variables, such as the number of functional teeth, masticatory ability, and Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI); sociodemographic variables, such as age, sex, education level, and residence; and systemic health variables, such as diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, cancer or malignant tumours, cerebrovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis, depressive symptom, and self-rated health status. Oral health variables explained cognitive function differently by age group; GOHAI appeared important predictor in the group aged < 75 years, whereas the number of functional teeth did in the group aged ≥ 75 years. Educational level, masticatory ability, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health status were pivotal factors age-independently.

CONCLUSIONS

The general and age-group-specific association between oral health, systemic health, and cognitive function were confirmed, suggesting that age-group-specific oral healthcare should be emphasized for the effective management of systemic and cognitive health in the elderly group.

Professionalism and professional identity formation in dental students: Revisiting the professional role orientation inventory (PROI)

OBJECTIVE

Professionalism is a hallmark of health professions education. Professional identity formation is a growing field of exploration in medical education, and the dental literature is sparse on just how professional identity formation is developed and assessed within dental education.

METHODS

The validated professional role orientation inventory (PROI) was administered to 2nd year dental students during a spring semester ethics course. The PROI includes four 10-item scales representing four attitudinal factors: Authority, Responsibility, Agency, and Autonomy.

RESULTS

When compared to a historical sample of dental students in the early 1990s, dental students today scored significantly higher on Responsibility (p = 0.0309) and lower on the Agency factor (p = 0.0001). Authority scores in the current sample of dental students were significantly associated with age and race, with an increase in age associated with a decrease in Authority (p = 0.0504) and Caucasian respondents demonstrating significantly higher scores than Asian or Other races. Debt was associated with differences in Autonomy (p = 0.0683) and Agency (p = 0.0106), with those in the 100k-300k anticipated debt range demonstrating lower levels of both Autonomy and Agency. Race was marginally associated with Responsibility with those in the Other race category (Hispanic, Black/African American, Other/Multiracial) demonstrating higher levels than Caucasian (p = 0.0513).

CONCLUSION

Dental students' scores denote a continued commitment to others yet a feeling of less sense of control as a practicing professional. A redefining of professionalism to include social activism and advancing health equity is required given their altruism and commitment to others, which remains high.