Trends in Self-Rated Oral Health and Its Associations with Oral Health Status and Oral Health Behaviors in Japanese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from 2011 to 2019

Emotional symptoms, dietary patterns and dental caries: A cross-sectional study in adolescents

OBJECTIVES

This study investigates the relationship between emotional symptoms and dental caries in adolescents and the role of dietary patterns as mediating variables.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a multistage stratified random sample of schools, in Jiangsu, with a sample of 17,997 adolescents aged 11-19. Measures included emotional symptoms, dental caries, toothbrushing frequency, and dietary patterns. Logistic and Poisson regression models were conducted to test mediation hypotheses.

RESULTS

The decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFT) was related to depressive symptoms following adjustment for other variables (incidence rate ratios [IRR] = 1.09; p < 0.05), but not to anxiety symptoms level (IRR = 1.02; p > 0.05). The link between depressive symptoms and DMFT had a partial mediation impact on toothbrushing frequency (a, b, c' all p < 0.05). Sugary foods, but not fried foods, partially mediated the link between depressive symptoms and caries when toothbrushing frequency was adjusted.

CONCLUSION

There are direct and indirect associations between emotional symptoms and caries; the latter may be due to changes in oral health behaviours that increase the risk of caries.

Association between failed eradication of 7-day triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori and untreated dental caries in Japanese adults

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a cause of gastric disorders and is treated mainly by pharmacotherapy with antimicrobial agents. An association has been reported between dental caries and H. pylori infection. As antimicrobial agents are less effective inside dental caries because of impaired blood circulation, the presence of untreated dental caries (decayed teeth) may influence the success of H. pylori eradication treatment. In this cross-sectional study, we examined whether failed eradication of H. pylori was associated with decayed teeth in Japanese adults. Enrolled were 226 participants who received dental checkups among those treated for eradication of H. pylori at Asahi University Hospital between April 2019 and March 2021. Treatment efficacy was assessed by urea breath test. Eradication failed in 38 participants (17%), decayed teeth in 32 participants (14%), and number of 0.34 teeth per participants. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that failed eradication of H. pylori was associated with decayed teeth (presence: odds ratio, 2.672; 95% confidence interval, 1.093-6.531) after adjusting for gender, age, and brushing frequency. These results indicate that failed eradication of H. pylori was associated with decayed teeth and suggest that untreated dental caries may impact treatment for eradication of H. pylori.

Optimization of Functional Toothpaste Formulation Containing Nano-Hydroxyapatite and Birch Extract for Daily Oral Care

This research work aims to develop functional toothpastes with combined enamel remineralization and antibacterial effects using nano-hydroxyapatites (nHAPs) and birch extract. Eleven toothpastes (notated as P1-P11) were designed featuring different concentrations of birch extract and a constant concentration of pure nHAPs or substituted nHAPs (HAP-5%Zn, HAP-0.23%Mg-3.9%Zn-2%Si-10%Sr, and HAP-2.5%Mg-2.9%Si-1.34%Zn). In vitro assessments involved treating artificially demineralized enamel slices and analyzing surface repair and remineralization using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The Agar Disk Diffusion method was used to measure antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Streptococcus mutans, and Staphylococcus aureus. Topographic images of enamel structure and surface roughness, as well as the ability of nHAP nanoparticles to form self-assembled layers, revealed excellent restorative properties of the tested toothpastes, with enamel nanostructure normalization occurring as soon as 10 days after treatment. The outcomes highlighted enamel morphology improvements due to the toothpaste treatment also having various efficacious antibacterial effects. Promising results were obtained using P5 toothpaste, containing HAP-5%Zn (3.4%) and birch extract (1.3%), indicating notable remineralization and good antibacterial properties. This study represents a significant advancement in oral care by introducing toothpaste formulations that simultaneously promote enamel health through effective remineralization and bacterial inhibition.

Is Parental Rating of Child's Oral Health Associated with Caries Experience in Children? A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim

The Parents' view to the oral health of their children is a significant factor that can impact oral health practices and behaviors. The aim of this research was to investigate how parental assessment of their child's oral health associates with caries experience in children receiving dental treatment at the hospital of Taibah University Dental College.

Materials and Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 127 children who underwent dental treatment at Taibah University Dental College and Hospital during 2020-2021. Dental caries experience was assessed using the dmft/DMFT index, and parental rating of oral health was obtained through a questionnaire. Three logistic regression models were used to assess the correlation between dental caries experience and parental rating of oral health while controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral factors.

Results

Most parents rated the oral health of their child as good (60.4%), followed by excellent (18.8%) and very good (15.6%). The mean dmft/DMFT score was 3.47 ± 3.46, with 43.8% of children having high/very high dental caries experience. Logistic regression analysis showed that children whose parents rated their oral health as poor were more likely to have high/very high dental caries experience compared to those rated as excellent/very good/good/fair (adjusted odds ratio = 4.45, 95% confidence interval 1.23-16.07).

Conclusion

This study suggests a link between parental assessment of their child's oral health and an elevated prevalence of dental caries in children. The study found that children whose parents rated their oral health as suboptimal had higher odds of having high dental caries experience. These findings emphasize the significance of parental perception of their child's oral health and suggest a necessity for customized interventions to enhance parental knowledge and practices concerning children's oral health.

Self-Rated Oral Health as a Valid Measure of Oral Health Status in Adults Living in Rural Australia

It is unclear how well self-rated oral health (SROH) reflects actual oral health status in the rural Australian population. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the clinically assessed oral health status and SROH of adults living in rural Australia. The data were from 574 participants who took part in the Crossroads II cross-sectional study. Three trained and calibrated dentists evaluated the oral health status of participants based on WHO criteria. SROH was assessed with the question 'Overall, how would you rate the health of your teeth and gums?', with a score ranging from excellent = 5 to poor = 1. A logistic regression analysis (LRA) was performed, allowing us to assess factors associated with SROH. The mean age of participants was 59.2 years (SD 16.3), and 55.3% were female. The key results from the LRA show poorer SROH in those with more missing teeth (OR = 1.05; 95% CI; 1.01-1.08), more decayed teeth (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.11-1.46), and more significant clinical attachment loss of periodontal tissue (6mm or more) (OR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.29-5.38). This study found an association between negative SROH and clinical indicators used to measure poor oral health status, suggesting that self-rated oral health is an indicator of oral health status. When planning dental healthcare programs, self-reported oral health should be considered a proxy measure for oral health status.

Moderating effects of resilience and self-esteem on associations between self-reported oral health problems, quality of oral health, and mental health among adolescents and adults in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

There is an intersection between oral and mental health though the studies on these intersections are few. This study investigated associations between self-reported oral health problems, quality of oral health, and depression and general anxiety among adolescents and adults in Nigeria; and analysed the moderating effects of resilience and self-esteem on these associations.

METHODS

In this secondary analysis, data were extracted from the database of an online survey conducted among participants 13 years and older and living in Nigeria about their self-reported psychological wellbeing. The data was collected between September and October 2020. Dependent variables were self-reported presence of oral health problems (yes/no) and self-reported quality of oral health (using a five-item scale ranging from "very good" to "very poor"). Independent variables were depressive and anxiety symptoms. Moderating factors evaluated were resilience and self-esteem. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associations between the dependent and independent variables after adjusting for confounders (age, sex, employment status and educational status). A path analysis was conducted to determine the moderating effects of self-esteem and resilience on associations between dependent and independent variables.

RESULTS

We extracted data for 2,757 adolescents and adults aged 13 to 62 years, of which 2,062 (74.8%) reported having oral health problems and 925 (33.6%) reported poor quality of oral health. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were significantly associated with higher odds of oral health problems (AOR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.10; p<0.001). Higher levels of depressive symptoms (AOR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.03-1.07; p<0.001), and higher levels of anxiety symptoms (AOR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.11; p<0.001) were significantly associated with poor quality of oral health. Resilience significantly moderated the association between anxiety symptoms and oral health problems (AOR = -0.004; 95% CI: -0.006 --0.001; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Depression may be a risk indicator for self-reported oral health problems, while depression and anxiety appear to be risk indicators for self-reported poor quality of oral health. These factors could be included as confounders in future studies on oral health problems and quality of oral health among adolescents and adults in Nigeria.