Dental prophylaxis for youths in their late teens. II. Knowledge about dental health and diseases and the relation to dental health behavior

Relationship between risk of oral frailty and awareness of oral frailty among community-dwelling adults: a cross-sectional study

We aimed to investigate the relationship between the risk of oral frailty and awareness of oral frailty among Japanese adults in an adult dental health field study conducted in Kanagawa Prefecture. Questionnaire data from a total of 5051 individuals (1907 males, 3144 females; mean age; 59.9 years) were used. The risk of oral frailty was assessed using the Oral Frailty Index-8. Of the participants, 1418 (28.1%) had a high risk of oral frailty and 1495 (29.6%) had knowledge of oral frailty. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the risk of oral frailty was significantly associated with awareness of oral frailty. We further found that awareness of oral frailty was significantly related to gender (female), age (20-39 compared to 70-79, ≥ 80), residential areas (Yokohama compared to Kawasaki, Sagamihara), exercise habits (yes), eating a balanced diet (yes), consciousness of oral health (yes), risk of oral frailty (low) and outpatient category (hospital visit). For groups with low levels of awareness obtained from the results of this study, it is necessary to consider the means of accessibility and increase awareness further.

A systematic review of professional mechanical plaque removal for prevention of periodontal diseases

AIM

To investigate the effect of professional mechanical plaque removal (PMPR) on the prevention of periodontal diseases.

METHODS

We searched for randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials and cohort studies from 1950 to October 2004. Screening and data abstraction were conducted independently and in duplicate. Critical appraisal of studies was based on objective criteria and evidence tables were constructed.

RESULTS

From 2179 titles and abstracts, 132 full-text articles were screened and 32 studies were relevant. Evidence exists that PMPR in adults, particularly in combination with oral hygiene instruction (OHI), may be more effective than no treatment judged by surrogate measures. The evidence for a benefit of PMPR+OHI over OHI alone is less clear. The optimum frequency of PMPR has not been investigated although more frequent PMPR is associated with improved markers of health. The strength of evidence for these results ranges from weak to moderate due to risk of bias, inconsistent results, lack of appropriate statistics and small sample size.

CONCLUSIONS

There appears to be little value in providing PMPR without OHI. In fact, repeated OHI might have a similar effect as PMPR. Some forms of PMPR might achieve greater patient satisfaction. There is little difference in beneficial or adverse effects of different methods of PMPR.

[Knowledge and perceptions of adolescents regarding oral health]

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to measure knowledge and perception related to oral health in Quebec children.

METHOD

For this study, a provincial sample of Quebec adolescents, 13 to 14 years old, was set up. Adolescents answered a 46-item questionnaire, specifically designed for the study. The questionnaire was completed by over 1,300 adolescents (participation rate = 53.0%).

RESULTS

The answers indicate that adolescents know the importance of toothbrushing and dental services utilization for dental caries prevention. However, their knowledge about dental sealant and fluoride is inadequate. Teenagers believe that they have a significant role to play in the prevention of dental diseases. However, many adolescents consider tooth loss to be a normal consequence of age. The majority of adolescents report their oral health as good. It is noted that dental aesthetics is a more significant factor for them than the quality of their teeth. Finally, dental care is a source of anxiety in one third of the adolescents.

CONCLUSION

The study of teenagers' knowledge and perceptions related to oral health shows that these elements are strongly influenced by environment, norm and culture. To improve dental health concerns in teenagers, public health policies should concentrate on these elements.

Research in dental health education and health promotion: a review of the literature

This article presents a review of research in dental health education and health promotion. In the period 1982 to 1992, a total of 57 studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to alter individuals' behavior related to dental health were identified. Combining the results of these 57 studies with descriptive articles published over the same period, it appears that dental health education can result in improvements in objective measures of dental health behaviors and actual oral health measures, but has only limited success in changing attitudes towards dental issues and achieves only short-term gains in knowledge. The limited use of theoretical frameworks, poor statistical analyses, the use of convenient samples and the short post-intervention follow-up periods diminish the contribution of this research to the development of dental health policy and the formation of strategies to improve the health of communities.

Effects of school-based dental health education on knowledge, attitudes and behavior of adolescents in San Francisco

A field experiment was done to evaluate the short term effects of a series of classroom preventive dentistry presentations on dental health knowledge, attitudes and reported behavior of adolescents. Eight hundred fifty-four boys and girls, 12-14-yr-old students enrolled in San Francisco middle schools, were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. A written test composed of questions relating to factual dental health knowledge, home care practices, and attitudes to dental health was answered by the experimental group at the beginning and end of the educational intervention and at comparable time intervals by the controls. Results showed a significant increase in knowledge for the experimental group (P less than 0.001), as compared with the control group. Pre-existing attitudes were generally positive for most subjects. Although the educational intervention resulted in no significant differences between the two groups with regard to attitude, there was a significant positive change in attitude within the experimental group (P less than 0.01) from pre- to posttest. In addition, there was a significant increase in the frequency with which the girls in the experimental group reportedly used the toothbrush (P = 0.01) and dental floss (P = 0.01).