Oral health in children guidelines for pediatricians

Awareness among pediatricians regarding oral health care in children including those with special health care needs: A cross- sectional survey

Background:

Pediatricians are the custodians of the overall health of children and are the ideal healthcare personnel to impart information and instruction about oral health care. The aim of this survey was to evaluate awareness of pediatricians regarding oral health care and prevention of oral diseases in children.

Methodology:

The study participants consist of 102 young pediatricians working as Junior and Senior Residents. A questionnaire was formulated to evaluate their knowledge about oral diseases and their prevention. The questionnaire also tested the attitude and practices of pediatricians towards oral health of children with special health care needs.

Results:

Majority of the pediatricians had correct knowledge about dental caries (60%), bottle feeding (88.2%), tongue cleaning (83.3%) and medication causing gum enlargement (92.2%). Few had correct knowledge about recommended age to start tooth brushing (35.3%) and maximum recommended sugar exposures per day (35.3%). Although, majority (62.7%) had correct knowledge about fluoride and its role caries prevention, very few (2.9%) knew about recommended fluoride concentration in toothpaste for children.

Conclusion:

There was a lack of knowledge amongst pediatrician about oral health care, prevention, and appropriate referral. The study result necessitates the emphasis of improving oral health related knowledge among pediatrician.

Prevalence and incidence of dental caries associated with the effect of tooth brushing and fluoride varnishing in schoolchildren at Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: Protocol of the EESO-Gal study

Introduction

Dental caries is the most prevalent oral disease in Ecuador. In our country, there are no studies that have included the population of the Galapagos Islands. Fluoride application to incipient lesions of dental caries has shown to be effective in avoiding the use of invasive restorative procedures.

Objectives

The objective of the EESO-Gal study is to determine the prevalence and incidence of dental caries and to evaluate the effect of supervised dental brushing, accompanied by periodic applications of fluoride varnish on incipient precarious lesions of schoolchildren in the Galapagos Islands. This article presents the protocol of the EESO-Gal study.

Methods

A cohort is planned with Galapagos Islands schoolchildren to determine the prevalence and incidence of dental caries, with assessments every six months, during twenty-four months.

Results

We expect to determine the prevalence and incidence of caries every six months, for twenty-four months, in schoolchildren between three and ten years of age, and obtain data to show the state of the caries conditions in Galapagos schoolchildren, with the inclusion of daily brushing at school, supervised by the teacher, and with the application of fluoride varnish every six months.

Conclusions

The prevalence of dental caries and incidence after the program will demonstrate the importance of implementing oral health prevention and promotion actions to create hygiene and health habits from an early age.

Dental caries prevention in children and adolescents: a systematic quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for dental caries prevention in children and adolescents MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic search of CPGs on caries preventive measures between 2005 and 2016. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, TripDatabase, websites of CPG developers, compilers of CPGs, scientific societies and ministries of health. We included CPGs with recommendations on sealants, fluorides and oral hygiene. Three reviewers independently assessed the included CPGs using the AGREE II instrument. We calculated the standardised scores for the six domains and made a final recommendation about each CPG. Also, we calculated the overall agreement among calibrated reviewers with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

Twenty-two CPGs published were selected from a total of 637 references. Thirteen were in English and nine in Spanish. The overall agreement between reviewers was very good (ICC = 0.90; 95%CI 0.89-0.92). The mean score for each domain was the following: Scope and purpose 89.6 ± 12%; Stakeholder involvement 55.0 ± 15.6%; Rigour of development 64.9 ± 21.2%; Clarity of presentation 84.8 ± 14.1%; Applicability 30.6 ± 31.5% and Editorial independence 59.3 ± 25.5%. Thirteen CPGs (59.1%) were assessed as "recommended", eight (36.4%) "recommended with modifications" and one (4.5%) "not recommended".

CONCLUSIONS

The overall quality of CPGs in caries prevention was moderate. The domains with greater deficiencies were Applicability, Stakeholder involvement and Editorial independence.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Clinicians should use the best available CPGs in dental caries prevention to provide optimal oral health care to patients.

Dental caries prevention in children and adolescents: a systematic quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for dental caries prevention in children and adolescents MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic search of CPGs on caries preventive measures between 2005 and 2016. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, TripDatabase, websites of CPG developers, compilers of CPGs, scientific societies and ministries of health. We included CPGs with recommendations on sealants, fluorides and oral hygiene. Three reviewers independently assessed the included CPGs using the AGREE II instrument. We calculated the standardised scores for the six domains and made a final recommendation about each CPG. Also, we calculated the overall agreement among calibrated reviewers with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

Twenty-two CPGs published were selected from a total of 637 references. Thirteen were in English and nine in Spanish. The overall agreement between reviewers was very good (ICC = 0.90; 95%CI 0.89-0.92). The mean score for each domain was the following: Scope and purpose 89.6 ± 12%; Stakeholder involvement 55.0 ± 15.6%; Rigour of development 64.9 ± 21.2%; Clarity of presentation 84.8 ± 14.1%; Applicability 30.6 ± 31.5% and Editorial independence 59.3 ± 25.5%. Thirteen CPGs (59.1%) were assessed as "recommended", eight (36.4%) "recommended with modifications" and one (4.5%) "not recommended".

CONCLUSIONS

The overall quality of CPGs in caries prevention was moderate. The domains with greater deficiencies were Applicability, Stakeholder involvement and Editorial independence.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Clinicians should use the best available CPGs in dental caries prevention to provide optimal oral health care to patients.