Commonalities among dental patient-reported outcomes (dPROs)—A Delphi consensus study

DENTAL PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES IN GERIATRIC DENTISTRY : A call for clinical translation

As the proportion of older adults in the world population increases, there is an increasing need to provide adequate dental care for this very heterogeneous group of individuals. The relationship between oral and systemic health, the impact of medication on oral health, and the influence of accessibility to dental care and other social and environmental factors shape the provision of dental care for older adults more than in children, younger, and middle-aged adults. However, while dental care for older adults is shaped by these factors and is often different from the care for other adults, what matters to older dental patients does not differ from what matters to dental patients in general. The four dimensions of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)-Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact-capture dental patients' suffering from oral disorders. OHRQoL questionnaires can be used to assess this impact and to achieve results that are compatible with adults in general. More than in other age groups, cognitive impairments or dementia limit the usefulness of questionnaires or interviews for oral health impact assessment. In these situations, family members or caregivers can assess the patient's oral health impact, and oral health care providers need to rely more on physical oral health characteristics for clinical decision-making than in other dental patients. While the tools to measure oral health impact change, the targets for dental care stay the same. Prevention and reduction of functional, painful, aesthetical, and broader psychosocial impact related to oral disorders are the central tasks for geriatric dentistry as they are for dentistry in general. The aim of the manuscript is to highlight the importance of patient-reported outcome measures in geriatric dentistry, addressing challenges and opportunities for their application.

FOR PERI-IMPLANT SOFT TISSUE AUGMENTATION, SOFT TISSUE SUBSTITUTES MAY IMPROVE PATIENTS' SURGICAL AND POSTOPERATIVE EXPERIENCE COMPARED TO AUTOGENOUS GRAFTS

ARTICLE TITLE AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Thoma DS, Strauss FJ, Mancini L, Gasser TJW, Jung RE. Minimal invasiveness in soft tissue augmentation at dental implants: A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient-reported outcome measures. Periodontol 2000. 2022 Aug 11. doi:10.1111/prd.12465. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35950734.

SOURCE OF FUNDING

Not reported.

TYPE OF STUDY/DESIGN

Systematic review with meta-analysis.

Diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders-INfORM recommendations: Comprehensive and short-form adaptations for children

BACKGROUND

The Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) are used worldwide in adults. Until now, no adaptation for use in children has been proposed.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to present comprehensive and short-form adaptations of Axis I and Axis II of the DC/TMD for adults that are appropriate for use with children in clinical and research settings.

METHODS

Global Delphi studies with experts in TMDs and in pain psychology identified ways of adapting the DC/TMD for children.

RESULTS

The proposed adaptation is suitable for children aged 6-9 years. Proposed changes in Axis I include (i) adapting the language of the Demographics and the Symptom Questionnaires to be developmentally appropriate for children, (ii) adding a general health questionnaire for children and one for their parents, (iii) replacing the TMD Pain Screener with the 3Q/TMD questionnaire and (iv) modifying the clinical examination protocol. Proposed changes in Axis II include (i) for the Graded Chronic Pain Scale, to be developmentally appropriate for children, (ii) adding anxiety and depression assessments that have been validated in children and (iii) adding three constructs (stress, catastrophising and sleep disorders) to assess psychosocial functioning in children.

CONCLUSION

The recommended DC/TMD, including Axis I and Axis II, for children aged 6-9 years, is appropriate for use in clinical and research settings. This adapted the first version for children includes changes in Axis I and Axis II changes requiring reliability and validity testing in international settings. Official translations to different languages according to INfORM requirements will enable a worldwide dissemination and implementation.

EXISTING EVIDENCE FOR DENTAL HYGIENE AND DENTAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS: A DETERMINATION OF DISTINCT PATIENT POPULATIONS

BACKGROUND

Dental patients seeking care expect to receive treatment options that are supported by evidence-based dental research based on dental patient-reported outcomes (dPROs). In dental hygiene and dental therapy, there is little usage of dPROs and dental patient-reported outcome measures (dPROMs) to assess the four-dimensions of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). In order to assess the current evidence for dental hygiene and dental therapy interventions, the determination of distinct patient populations is essential.

AIMS

To determine patient populations that are clinically distinct groups of dental hygiene and dental therapy patients. To provide a preliminary literature search for a systematic review to identify interventions that provide four-dimensional oral health impact information for these patient populations.

METHODS

This narrative and methodological manuscript utilizes an allied dental expert panel consisting of two dental hygienists, two dental therapists, and a moderator to generate a list of clinically distinct patient populations within the scopes of dental hygiene and dental therapy. Additionally, a preliminary literature search utilizing PubMed was completed to assess the current research within the scopes of practice of dental hygiene and dental therapy that uses dPROs and dPROMs to assess the four-dimensions of OHRQoL. The patient population list generated by the allied dental expert panel and the patient populations from the articles identified in the preliminary literature search were compared to determine the needed and available evidence for dental hygiene and dental therapy interventions.

RESULTS

There were 19 distinct patient populations derived from the allied dental expert panel. Nine of the distinct patient populations were shared in the dental hygiene and dental therapy scopes of practice, six were specific to the dental hygiene scope of practice, and four were specific to the dental therapy scope of practice. From the preliminary literature search, five distinct patient populations had corresponding research. Of those, three distinct populations were shared between dental hygiene and dental therapy, and two were dental hygiene specific. There  : were no distinct patient populations found from the preliminary search specific to dental therapy.

CONCLUSION

There is a lack of research in the dental hygiene and dental therapy scopes of practice regarding utilization of dPROs and dPROMs to assess the four-dimensions of OHRQoL. In order to standardize the assessment of OHRQoL, the development of a list of distinct patient populations for dental hygiene and dental therapy interventions is essential. This initiative identifies which populations are lacking evidence and provides a pragmatic approach to conducting a systematic review to assess the four-dimensions of OHRQoL in the field of dental hygiene and dental therapy.

A NARRATIVE REVIEW ON THE OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF dPROs IN CONNECTION WITH DENTAL MATERIALS

OBJECTIVE

Dentists use a large number of dental materials to treat patients, mainly for pain relief, improved oral function, and orofacial appearance purposes. These materials supposably have been clinically tested and registered before launching onto the market. In terms of clinical testing, despite various objective and subjective assessments that could be done, the dentist-centred outcomes and regulatory body requirements might not fully reflect the perspective of the patient. Thus, dental-patient reported outcomes (dPROs) might be useful in providing valuable self-perceived feedback to stakeholders across a long period of time about the materials... performances.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This narrative review evaluated various assessment dPROs tools and their applications to contemporary dental materials, trying to link up basic materials science and biomechanics with the patients... reported outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

dPROs can eventually form a basis of value-based dentistry for dental materials that would be of importance in terms of research, regulatory and safety.