Converging findings from linkage between periodontal pathogen with atopic and allergic immune response

Collaborative attitudes and trust among medical and dental professionals in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional collaboration involves coordinated efforts by individuals from different professions. Trust is defined as an individual's willingness to be vulnerable within a relationship, while expecting the other party to act in their best interests. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of collaboration and trust among dental and medical professionals in Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study evaluated the attitudes of collaboration and trust among dental and medical professionals in Saudi Arabia using an online self-reported questionnaire distributed via social media. Data analysis was performed using SPSS.

RESULTS

The overall mean score for collaborative attitude was 6.2 (SD  =  1.52), with 69.23% of participants exhibiting a positive attitude about collaboration. Participants rated family medicine (76.67%) and pediatric medicine (76.41%) as the medical specialties most relevant to dentistry, while obstetrics/gynecology was rated the lowest (32.31%). Dental professionals had a significantly higher mean score for collaborative attitude (m  =  6.46, SD  =  1.48) than did medical professionals (m  =  5.93, SD  =  1.51; p < 0.001). The score for dental professionals' trust in medical professionals (DTM) (m  =  36.94, SD  =  8.06) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the score for medical professionals' trust in dental professionals (MTD) (m  =  33.81, SD  =  8.20). The collaborative attitude scores among dental and medical professionals were not statistically significant when tested against the MTD score (p  =  0.777) and DTM score (p  =  0.419).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high level of collaborative attitude and trust between dental and medical professionals in Saudi Arabia. Dentists exhibit a higher degree of these attributes than medical professionals. These findings support the implementation of a collaborative medical-dental education framework in Saudi Arabia, where both specialties can train together during their undergraduate years.

Sports Diet and Oral Health in Athletes: A Comprehensive Review

Food and fluid supply is fundamental for optimal athletic performance but can also be a risk factor for caries, dental erosion, and periodontal diseases, which in turn can impair athletic performance. Many studies have reported a high prevalence of oral diseases in elite athletes, notably dental caries 20-84%, dental erosion 42-59%, gingivitis 58-77%, and periodontal disease 15-41%, caused by frequent consumption of sugars/carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fats, or deficient protein intake. There are three possible major reasons for poor oral health in athletes which are addressed in this review: oxidative stress, sports diet, and oral hygiene. This update particularly summarizes potential sports nutritional effects on athletes' dental health. Overall, sports diet appropriately applied to deliver benefits for performance associated with oral hygiene requirements is necessary to ensure athletes' health. The overall aim is to help athletes, dentists, and nutritionists understand the tangled connections between sports diet, oral health, and oral healthcare to develop mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of dental diseases due to nutrition.

Sports and Energy Drink Consumption, Oral Health Problems and Performance Impact among Elite Athletes

Frequent consumption of sports and energy drinks among athletes is of concern due to its detrimental impact on oral health. The present study aimed to assess sports and energy drink consumption, oral health status and impacts on daily activities and sports performance among elite athletes from Pakistan. Data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, sports and energy drink consumption, oral health and hygiene practices, self-reported oral health and psychosocial and performance impact was assessed using a self-administered, structured questionnaire followed by clinical oral examination by a single, experienced dentist. A total of 104 athletes, a majority of whom were male (80.8%), participated in the study. Around two third of the participants reported consumption of sports and energy drinks, energy gels or bars at least once a week, the commonest being Sting. Despite good oral hygiene practices, the athletes generally had poor oral health with high prevalence of dental caries (63.5%), gingivitis (46.1%), irreversible periodontitis (26.9%) and erosive tooth wear (21.2%). More than a quarter (28.8%) of the athletes rated their oral health as fair-very poor. Four in five athletes (80%) also experienced at least one oral problem with negative impacts on daily activities (64.4%) and participation training and sports performance (36.5%). Regression analyses revealed a significant association between periodontal disease and impact on both daily activities and sports performance. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting that high-prevalence sports and energy drink consumption and oral problems among elite athletes from Pakistan has a negative impact on daily activities and sports performance. These findings may have important implications for oral health education programs, and the need to create awareness among the athletes regarding the use of sports and energy drinks, as well as regular oral health screening of athletes to minimize the impact on performance.

The impact of oral health on physical fitness: A systematic review

Background

Oral health problems may have numerous effects on general health, including physical fitness and performance. In this review, we aimed to systematically review the available evidence to assess the effect of oral health on general physical fitness.

Methods

We systematically performed a literature search in two different databases (PUBMED and EMBASE) without restriction to the year of publication. Articles were included if the subjects were humans and the primary aim was to assess the effects of dental and/or oral health problems on physical activity using either objective physical measurements or physical performance tests. The quality of the studies was then assessed using a Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal tool.

Results

A total of 2651 articles were initially retrieved from the systematic search of the literature. Of these, a final total of 11 articles following the inclusion criteria were included in the review. All of the 11 articles included in the review had good methodological quality. Of the 11 articles, ten articles suggested a correlation between dental and oral condition toward physical fitness, body balance, cardiorespiratory function, and also cognitive function. Only one article found contradictory results, which showed that periodontal conditions did not correlate with the cardiorespiratory function. Malocclusion, including the number of remaining teeth, was reported in five studies (45.4%), periodontal disease was evaluated in six studies (54.5%), along with slight evaluation of periapical inflammation.

Conclusion

This review suggests that there is a negative effect of poor dental and/or oral health on physical fitness and performance.