Adolescents' views on oral health care and promotion in Norway: everyday practices, recommendations, and future visions

Introduction

In this study, we aimed to understand adolescents' perspectives on oral health care and promotion. Our research was conducted in the context of Norway's oral health care system, where societal factors like income and education influence health disparities. Despite free public dental care for all residents younger than 19 years, challenges persist in promoting oral health among adolescents, a group whose oral health behavior and literacy remain largely unexplored.

Materials and methods

A thematic analysis of an anonymized dataset from 80 adolescents aged 12-20 years was conducted.

Results

Five central themes were recognized: (1) Feeling fresh vs. feeling indifferent: A broad spectrum of attitudes; (2) Bridging gaps, building habits: Collaborative efforts in oral care; (3) "Create good experiences at the dentist so people come back again"; (4) Requested qualities in oral health promoting solutions; (5) Reminder tools for everyday use. Taken together, these themes highlight adolescents' oral health practices and resources, recommendations for dental clinics, and visions for future oral health promotion.

Discussion

Based on the results, the discussion highlights a need for tailored oral health promotion and ideas to reach adolescents in meaningful and effective ways. Reflections on the theme of social inequalities are provided.

Social Media Impact on Self-Perceived Oral Health Practices Among Patients Visiting Tertiary Care Hospital in Lucknow: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Social media is widely used in the medical field, and people often utilize it to learn about their symptoms prior to consulting with a healthcare professional. Hence, the study aims to investigate the influence of social media on self-perceived oral health practices among patients. Methodology A cross-sectional study design was adopted, with a questionnaire comprising 15 closed-ended questions. The sample size was estimated to be 451 participants based on the findings from the pilot study. The face validity of the questionnaire was assessed by a subject matter expert (0.83%), and the reliability was measured using Kappa statistics (0.86). The percentile was determined to assess the overall self-perceived oral health practices of the participants. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and multivariate regression analysis at statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05). Results The majority of participants belonged to urban areas (66.5%), with an average age of 38.19 ± 6.70. The participants in urban 184 (61.3%) and rural 102 (67.5%) believed that social media provided better knowledge regarding oral health, which was statistically significant (p = 0.046). The majority of the participants, 267 (59.2%), spent more than 30 minutes to three hours per day on social media. It was found that participants who possessed professional occupations had increased odds of having good oral health practices on social media (p = 0.043). Conclusion The participants believed that social media provided better knowledge regarding oral health, and self-perceived practices among the participants were found to be poor. Social media platforms provide new educational possibilities in the dentistry sector, but their potential is neglected and unappreciated.

The Relationships Among Oral Health Practices, Early Childhood Caries, and Oral Health-related Quality of Life in Indonesian Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives:

This study aimed at evaluating the relationships among oral health practices, early childhood caries (ECC), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in five-year-old children in Indonesia.

Materials and Methods:

Overall, 266 parent–child pairs (PCPs) from preschools in Jakarta participated in a cross-sectional study. The ECC was clinically assessed by two calibrated screeners using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) and the pufa index, which records the presence of severely decayed teeth with visible pulpal involvement (p), ulceration caused by dislocated tooth fragments (u), fistula (f), and abscess (a). The parents of the participating children completed the self-administered questionnaire comprising SOHO-5p and their oral health practices. The SOHO-5c questionnaire was used to interview the children.

Results:

The prevalence of ECC was 88.7%, with 35% having pufa index scores greater than 0. There were significant relationships among oral health practices, ECC, and the Scale of Oral Health Outcomes for 5-year-old children (SOHO-5) scores. There was also a significant relationship between cariogenic food consumption and the dmft and SOHO-5p scores. There was a significant relationship between ECC and the SOHO-5 scores. All the SOHO-5p variables except smile avoidance because of appearance had a significant relationship with the dmft and pufa variables. Eating and sleeping difficulties were significantly related to the dmft and pufa scores.

Conclusion:

OHRQoL was found to be related to the dmft and pufa scores, and the parents’ perceptions were more strongly correlated than the children’s. No significant difference was found in the perceptions indicated by the SOHO-5p and SOHO-5c scores. This suggests that parents can be used as proxies regarding their children’s OHRQoL.

Influence of Parents' Oral Health Knowledge and Attitudes on Oral Health Practices of Children (5-12 Years) in a Rural School in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Context

Oral health knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of parents have a direct influence on their child's oral health maintenance, dietary habits, and oral health behaviors.

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, and attitude of parents with regard to the oral health practice of their children and its associated factors.

Material and Methods

A self-administered structured questionnaire was administered to parents or guardians of learners aged 5-12 years at a low socioeconomic rural primary school in the Ugu district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In addition to demographic variables, knowledge of dental health, use of toothbrush, use of toothpaste, dietary practices, and dental visits; practice with respect to dental care; and attitudes toward oral health were requested.

Results

One hundred and forty-four completed survey instruments were received with an 80% (118) representation of mothers. Ninety-five percent of the parents (136) had a positive attitude toward oral health with 86% (124) of the children brushed their tongue and 89% (128) of the children brushed their teeth happily. The mean knowledge score was 70%. Children were significantly more likely to brush their tongues (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.20 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-9.66 P < 0.001), be happier when brushing their teeth (AOR: 4.65 95% CI: 1.41-15.38 P < 0.001) when the caregivers were their mothers, had an above-average knowledge score (AOR: 1.86 95% CI: 0.72-4.85) and positive attitudes (AOR: 3.20 95%CI: 0.46-22.00).

Conclusion

Parents in the rural community have satisfactory knowledge and a positive attitude toward oral health and children display good practices; however, there are a number of gaps noted in overall parental knowledge.

Assessing Oral Health Status, Practices, and Access to Care among War-Affected Refugees Living in San Antonio, Texas

OBJECTIVES

 Refugees encounter several health disparities including oral health problems. This study evaluated the self-reported oral health status, practices, and access to care of adult refugees living in San Antonio, Texas, United States.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Adult refugees (n = 207) who accessed services from two centers in San Antonio, completed this survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationship of the refugees' demographics with oral health status, practices, and access to care.

RESULTS

 Oral pain in the previous 12 months was common among refugees having been reported by almost 58.9% of the survey participants; 43% reported pain as the reason for their last dental visit. Approximately half of the participants reported both the condition to their teeth and gums as being good: 42.5 and 54.6%, respectively. Most participants (84%) reported brushing their teeth one or two times a day, and around 78% reported they never smoked. Fifty-two percent reported needing dental care in the past 12 months, but not being able to receive it; while 45.9% reported not having dental insurance, 41.5% reported not having money to pay a dentist. Fifteen percent reported never visiting a dentist. Arabic speakers, moving to the United States more recently, and lower level of education were associated with a poor oral health status and practices (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

 Refugees in this study encountered limited access to dental care. Their inability to seek dental care could affect their oral and general health, weaken efforts of preventing oral health diseases, and restrict their full inclusion into the community.

Effect of health education intervention conducted by Primary Health Care workers on oral health knowledge and practices of nursing mothers in Lagos State

Educational interventions on oral health care is traditionally carried out mainly by oral health workers in Nigeria. Despite the introduction of the National Oral Health Policy, oral health services/education is virtually non-existent in PHC centres in Nigeria. This study sought to determine the effect of a health education intervention delivered by Community Health Officers (CHO) on the oral health knowledge and practices of mothers attending a PHC centre in Lagos State. A pre-experimental, Before- After study design was employed. An interviewer- administered questionnaire was administered at baseline to assess the oral health care knowledge and practices of 267 mothers who enrolled in the programme. After enrolling the participants, CHO's previously trained commenced a health education intervention on oral health. The intervention, which consisted of 2 lecture sessions, a demonstration session and a return demonstration session, utilising flipcharts and health information leaflets spanned a six-month period. Oral health knowledge and practices of participating mothers was evaluated 3 and 6 months after the intervention commenced using a standardised checklist. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 20, P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. The mean oral health knowledge score at baseline was 4.58 (±1.37) while at 3-month and 6-month postintervention the mean scores were 4.68 (±0.97) and 4.96 (±0.49), respectively. There was a statistically significant increase (P=0.000) in the mean knowledge scores at 6 months post-intervention. Mothers who were 36 years or older and those with more than 12 years education displayed significantly better knowledge scores (P<0.05). Most (78.3%) reported using cotton wool or foam with water for their infants' oral hygiene. By the second post-intervention visit, there was a significant change in the perception of the mothers on correct oral hygiene tool for infants (52.3%; P=0.000). Furthermore the percentage of mothers actually using toothbrush to clean their child's mouth (98.1%; P=0.000) had increased. The oral health knowledge of the participants increased significantly following the intervention especially at the 6-month evaluation. PHC workers can successfully carry out oral health educational interventions at PHC level. The greatest value will occur with reinforced repetition of the messages.

Oral health practices of state and non-state-funded licensed childcare centers in Wisconsin, USA

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether there is a difference between state-funded childcare centers and non-state-funded centers in Wisconsin, USA, with regard to their oral health practices.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study using an internet-based survey. The participants were licensed childcare centers in Wisconsin, USA. Of the 1265 eligible childcare centers invited (centers providing day time care to children aged 2-5), 322 chose to participate. The main outcome measures were the practice of tooth brushing as a routine classroom activity, any educational practice related to oral health, any screening and referral practice related to oral health issues, and any practice related to dental emergencies. Mediating variables were profit status, center location, center affiliation, years of operation, licensed capacity, and child to staff ratio.

RESULTS

Of the 322 participating centers, 28 centers were classified as state-funded and 294 as non-state-funded. Logistic regression analysis revealed non-state-funded centers were three times [odds ratio (OR): 3.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23, 7.41] more likely to have some kind of oral health practice and five times (OR: 5.18; 95% CI: 2.17, 12.50) more likely to provide oral health education. However, state-funded centers were five times (OR: 5.09; 95% CI: 1.99-13.06) more likely to have tooth brushing as a routine classroom activity.

CONCLUSION

There is a difference between the oral health practices of licensed childcare centers in Wisconsin. An increase in oral health practices of state-funded centers is warranted and could make a significant difference in the oral health of young children.

Oral health in nursing students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre teaching hospital in Moshi, Tanzania

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of dental caries, oral hygiene levels and assessment of the oral health knowledge and practices of nursing students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre teaching hospital in Moshi, Tanzania.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was done on 217 student nurse population at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre Teaching Hospital in Moshi, Tanzania in 2014. Ethical approval was obtained from the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College Ethical Committee. A questionnaire probing on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and practices on selected oral health issues was administered to the students. Students were also examined for oral hygiene and dental caries using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and WHO 1997 recommended method respectively.

RESULTS

There were 214 (98.6%) respondents aged between 18 and 53 years (mean age was 27.2 SD ± 7.35 years). About 72% of the respondents were in the young age group (below 31 years), 63.1% were pursuing Diploma in Nursing while the rest were pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Although oral health knowledge of the respondents was generally poor, more students pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing had significant adequate oral health knowledge than those who were pursuing Diploma in Nursing (p = 0.05). Population Oral Hygiene Index- Simplified was 0.41 meaning good oral hygiene in the current population. Overall, caries prevalence was 40.2%. The mean population DMFT was 1.34 (SD ± 2.44). The decay component was 0.53 (SD ± 1.29), whereas the missing component was 0.67 (SD ± 1.34) and filled component was 0.14 (SD ± 0.69). Significantly more students in the older age group had more missing and filled teeth than their counterparts in the young age group (p ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Majority of the students in this population had good oral hygiene and a very low DMFT. There was poor basic oral health knowledge and poor recall visit to dental personnel. Curriculum development in these school programmes should strengthen or encompass comprehensive oral health education components. This will empower nursing professional with basic oral health knowledge and promotive oral health behaviors and hence to disseminate to the clients.