Reduction of hsCRP levels following an Oral Health Education Program combined with routine dental treatment

Improvement of oral health knowledge and behavior of diabetic patients: an interventional study using the social media

BACKGROUND

Diabetic patients are not often aware of relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and periodontal diseases, and the researchers recommend further knowledge enhancement of diabetic patients in this regard. This study aimed to enhance oral health knowledge of diabetic adults via an educational intervention.

METHODS

In this interventional study, three private offices of endocrinologists specialized in treatment of DM were selected for the recruitment of participants. In total, 120 diabetic adults (40 from each office) took part in an educational intervention in three groups (patients from each office made up one group): (I) physician-aid, (II) researcher-aid, and (III) social media. In group (I), participants received educational materials (brochure and CD) from their endocrinologist, in group (II) participants received educational materials from researcher. Group (III) joining an educational group in WhatsApp for 3 months. A self-reported standard questionnaire was filled out by the patients before, and after the intervention to assess oral health knowledge. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 using independent t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, and ANCOVA.

RESULTS

The mean oral health knowledge score increased in all three groups after the educational interventions (P < 0.001); the highest increase occurred in the social media group. Toothbrushing twice daily or more had the greatest improvement in the physician-aid group compared with the other two groups (P < 0.001). The greatest improvement in dental flossing once daily or more occurred in the social media group (P = 0.01). The mean level of the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) decreased in all three groups, but not significantly (P = 0.83).

CONCLUSION

The results showed that educational interventions enhance oral health knowledge, and improve the behavior of diabetic adults. The education via the social media can be an efficient method for knowledge enhancement of diabetic patients.

Do health education initiatives assist socioeconomically disadvantaged populations? A systematic review and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

Health education interventions are considered critical for the prevention and management of conditions of public health concern. Although the burden of these conditions is often greatest in socio-economically disadvantaged populations, the effectiveness of interventions that target these groups is unknown. We aimed to identify and synthesize evidence of the effectiveness of health-related educational interventions in adult disadvantaged populations.

METHODS

We pre-registered the study on Open Science Framework https://osf.io/ek5yg/ . We searched Medline, Embase, Emcare, and the Cochrane Register from inception to 5/04/2022 to identify studies evaluating the effectiveness of health-related educational interventions delivered to adults in socio-economically disadvantaged populations. Our primary outcome was health related behaviour and our secondary outcome was a relevant biomarker. Two reviewers screened studies, extracted data and evaluated risk of bias. Our synthesis strategy involved random-effects meta-analyses and vote-counting.

RESULTS

We identified 8618 unique records, 96 met our criteria for inclusion - involving more than 57,000 participants from 22 countries. All studies had high or unclear risk of bias. For our primary outcome of behaviour, meta-analyses found a standardised mean effect of education on physical activity of 0.05 (95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.09-0.19), (5 studies, n = 1330) and on cancer screening of 0.29 (95% CI = 0.05-0.52), (5 studies, n = 2388). Considerable statistical heterogeneity was present. Sixty-seven of 81 studies with behavioural outcomes had point estimates favouring the intervention (83% (95% CI = 73%-90%), p < 0.001); 21 of 28 studies with biomarker outcomes showed benefit (75% (95%CI = 56%-88%), p = 0.002). When effectiveness was determined based on conclusions in the included studies, 47% of interventions were effective on behavioural outcomes, and 27% on biomarkers.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence does not demonstrate consistent, positive impacts of educational interventions on health behaviours or biomarkers in socio-economically disadvantaged populations. Continued investment in targeted approaches, coinciding with development of greater understanding of factors determining successful implementation and evaluation, are important to reduce inequalities in health.

Outcomes of periodontal therapy: Strengthening the relevance of research to patients. A co-created review

Periodontitis is a long-term condition affecting up to half of the population globally and causing significant impacts on life quality. Successful management depends on taking life-long ownership of the condition by those affected. There is a wealth of research to inform on management options. However, most of the research has been designed by professional experts with outcomes to gauge benefits and harms based on parameters that inform on the disease process but which might not be informative to support decision-making in people with lived experience (PWLE) of periodontal ill-health (including both patients and carers). The importance of relevant outcomes is highlighted in the concept of the "expert patient" which aims to strengthen the capacity of PWLE to make health-care choices that are important for them, elements of which are likely to be already familiar to many clinicians delivering periodontal health care. Therefore, the voice and collaboration of PWLE in research are recognised as crucial to developing high quality, relevant evidence especially for long-term conditions. In this paper, we review what is known about the relevance of treatment outcomes to PWLE. We also examine the degree to which PWLE have been involved in identifying outcomes that are important to them as well as the diversity and therefore representativeness of PWLE recruited for studies. We consider why having more relevant outcomes could enhance the expertise of PWLE in managing their periodontitis. We then conclude with key learnings from our review which we hope will encourage more rapid development of these initiatives in periodontology for the benefit of global health and wellbeing.

Exploring the Connection between Porphyromonas gingivalis and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Pilot Quantitative Study on the Bacterium Abundance in Oral Cavity and the Amount of Antibodies in Serum

Recent studies support the hypothesis that microbes can seed some Alzheimer’s disease (AD) cases, leading to inflammation and overproduction of amyloid peptides. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is a keystone pathogen of chronic periodontitis and has been identified as risk factor for the development and progression of AD. The present preliminary study aimed to quantify Pg abundance in neurodegenerative disease (ND) patients compared with neurologic patients without neurodegenerative disorders (no-ND) and healthy controls (HC) to determine possible association between Pg abundance and neurodegenerative process. Pg was quantified on DNA extracted from the oral samples of 49 patients and 29 HC by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Anti-Pg antibodies were also detected on patient serum samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The Pg abundance in the oral cavity was significantly different among groups (p = 0.004). It was higher in ND than no-ND (p = 0.010) and HC (p = 0.008). The Pg abundance was correlated with the antibodies (p = 0.001) with different slopes between ND and no-ND (p = 0.037). Pg abundance was not correlated with oral indices and comorbidities. These results extend our understanding of the association between oral pathogens and AD to other neurodegenerative processes, confirming the hypothesis that oral pathogens can induce an antibody systemic response, influencing the progression of the disease.