Dental caries and periodontal status of 12-year-old school children in rural Qinghai, China

Ethnic Disparities in Dental Caries among Adolescents in China

Comprehensive research on ethnic disparities in dental caries in China is limited. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to compare the levels of dental caries in adolescents between the Han ethnic group and ethnic minority groups in China and to explore the risk indicators for dental caries within ethnic subgroups. Data from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey in 2015, which covered all 31 province-level administrative divisions in mainland China, were used. The dental caries status in the permanent dentition of adolescents aged 12, 13, 14, and 15 y was measured using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DFMT) score, and sociodemographic characteristics and oral health-related behaviors were also collected. A total of 118,601 adolescents were included, with ethnic minority groups accounting for 13.15%. Of the Han and minority groups, the standardized prevalence of dental caries experience was 40.58% and 47.67%, and the mean DMFT scores were 0.97 and 1.28, respectively. According to the multivariate zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis, the caries status of minorities was more severe than Han adolescents (adjusted prevalence rate ratio [PRR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.18). This disparity was greater among adolescents who lived in rural areas, had mid-level economic status, and frequently consumed sugary beverages. After propensity score matchings, Uygur (PRR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.25-1.67), Tibetan (PRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.3-1.48), and Yi (PRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.04-1.48) adolescents were significantly more likely to have caries than Han adolescents. Subgroup analyses revealed that gender, age, location of residence, economic status, region, consumption of sweet snacks and sugary beverages, and dental visit pattern were significantly associated with dental caries within ethnic minorities.

Dental caries and periodontal disease among people who use drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The aim of our study was to perform a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis in order to investigate relationship between drug use and oral health.

METHODS

We searched for studies in English published before July 1, 2019 on PsycINFO, PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science. We assessed the relationship between drug use (methamphetamines, heroin; opiates; crack, cocaine and cannabis as dependent variables) and reported tooth loss, periodontal disease, or decayed, missing, and filled teeth index as an independent variable. The data were analyzed using Stata 12.0 software.

RESULTS

We initially identified 1836 potential articles (with 1100 duplicates) and screened the remaining 736 titles and abstracts, comprising 54 studies. In the next step, we evaluated the full-texts; 44 studies were excluded, accordingly. In total, we included 10 publications in the meta-analysis. Drug type was associated with periodontal disease (OR 1.44; 95% CI 0.8-2.6) and pooled estimates showed that type of drug used increased the odds of the number of decayed, missed and filled teeth (DMFT) (OR 4.11; 95% CI 2.07-8.15) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The analytical challenges of segregating the impact of individual drug types on oral health diseases mean that investigations on the direct relationship between oral health status and drug use are limited. Developing programs to improve potential confounding with various substances and addressing the dental health needs of people who use drugs is vital if we are to improve their overall quality of life.

Assessment of periodontal status and treatment needs among 12 and 15 years old school children in Udaipur, India

AIM

To assess and compare the periodontal status and treatment needs among school children aged 12 and 15 years in public and private schools of Udaipur, India and to provide baseline data for planning and evaluation of oral health care promotion programmes.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive survey.

METHODS

A survey was conducted on 900 school children aged 12 and 15 years in Udaipur. The data were collected by means of clinical examination using the CPITN index.

STATISTICS

Data was analysed using Pearson's Chi-square and student's t-test.

RESULTS

Children aged 15 years had higher scores of healthy gingiva compared with 12 years old. Gender difference of females having better gingival health than males was seen in both age groups. Amongst the schools, children in private schools had good periodontal status in comparison to public schools. A statistically significant association between frequency of tooth brushing and CPITN scores was found among children of the 15 year old group.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for a long term school oral health promotion program to sustain the healthy tissues of this growing Indian population.

Dental X-ray exposure and Alzheimer's disease: a hypothetical etiological association

Despite the fact that Alzheimer's disease was identified more than 100 years ago, its cause remains elusive. Although the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease increases with age, it is not a natural consequence of aging. This article proposes that dental X-rays can damage microglia telomeres - the structures at the end of chromosomes that determine how many times cells divide before they die - causing them to age prematurely. Degenerated microglia lose their neuroprotective properties, resulting in the formation of neurofibrillary tau tangles and consequently, the neuronal death that causes Alzheimer's dementia. The hypothesis that Alzheimer's is caused specifically by microglia telomere damage would explain the delay of one decade or longer between the presence of Alzheimer's brain pathology and symptoms; telomere damage would not cause any change in microglial function, it would just reset the countdown clock so that senescence and apoptosis occurred earlier than they would have without the environmental insult. Once microglia telomere damage causes premature aging and death, the adjacent neurons are deprived of the physical support, maintenance and nourishment they require to survive. This sequence of events would explain why therapies and vaccines that eliminate amyloid plaques have been unsuccessful in stopping dementia. Regardless of whether clearing plaques is beneficial or harmful - which remains a subject of debate - it does not address the failing microglia population. If microglia telomere damage is causing Alzheimer's disease, self-donated bone marrow or dental pulp stem cell transplants could give rise to new microglia populations that would maintain neuronal health while the original resident microglia population died.

Dental caries in 12-year-old suburban Nigerian school children

BACKGROUND

Dental caries is one of the commonest oral diseases in children. Despite this fact, not much attention has been given to studies on this issue among suburban Nigerian children.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence of dental caries, dental attendance and oral health behaviours among the 12- year-old suburban Nigerian children.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Four hundred and two schoolchildren (349 boys, 153 girls) from both private and public schools age 12-year-old participated in the study in 2003. One examiner was calibrated and performed the screening procedures using standard method of WHO diagnostic criteria.

RESULTS

The prevalence of caries was 13.9 % and mean DMFT was 0.14. The decayed component accounted for 77.2 % of the DMFT while filling and missing teeth accounted for 15.8% and 7% respectively. Over 85 % of the children examined were caries free. Seventy seven per cent of the teeth affected by caries were untreated. The probability of having caries experience DMFT> 0 was significantly associated with the type of school and regular sweet consumption p < 0.05. The children who had not visited the dentist had higher caries prevalence than other children. This was statistically significant p < 0.05. Dental attendance was generally poor in both public (90.6%) and private (83.1%) school children.

CONCLUSION

The findings in this study for the caries prevalence in 12 year-old suburban Nigerian schoolchildren was as low as in developed countries of central Europe and lower than the global standard according to WHO references for the year 2000.

Education of dentists in China

China is geographically located in the east of Asia and its population exceeds 1.3 billion. An understanding of dental education in China is thus of interest. However, as there is little published information on this topic, this paper provides information about China regarding its dental history, dental school system including curriculum and dental licensure. High school graduates take a nationwide entrance examination to apply for dental school, of which there are more than 50 in China. A five year dental education leads to the BDS degree. Dental school graduates must then pass the nationwide licensure examination to practise dentistry. Currently, there are not adequate numbers of dentists to provide the necessary oral health care for people living outside metropolitan areas.