Potential Factors of Dental Health Behavior as a Predictor of Dental Caries Status in Visually Impaired Children: A Pilot Study

AIM

This study aimed to explain the potential factors of dental and oral hygiene behavior as a predictor of dental caries status in children with visual impairments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The prevalence of dental caries in visually impaired children was investigated through a cross-senal study conducted at a visually impaired special needs elementary school in Jakarta, Indonesia. The study included 25 visually impaired children aged 6-12 years, with dental caries status examined using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT)/dmft index according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Data were collected through comprehensive interviews involving the completion of 13 WHO Annex questions.

RESULTS

The result showed that the overall prevalence of dental caries in visually impaired children was 64%, with an average dmft/DMFT of 2.24/0.96. Some of the factors that significantly influence the dental caries status in children with visual impairments aged 6-12 years include visiting the dentist [p = 0.029, 0.05, Pearson's Chi-square, confidence interval (CI) 95%] and the need for care (p = 0.002, 0.05, Pearson's Chi-square, CI 95%).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the majority of visually impaired children have dental caries, which is influenced by factors, such as visiting the dentist and the need for treatment.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Visiting the dentist regularly and knowing the need for the treatment are the important factors in preventing of dental caries. How to cite this article: Darwita RR, Mayasari Y, Danaswari PVS, et al. Potential Factors of Dental Health Behavior as a Predictor of Dental Caries Status in Visually Impaired Children: A Pilot Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2024;25(2):174-179.

Application of the extended theory of planned behavior to predict dentist intention and behavior in providing caries preventive care for preschool children

BACKGROUND

Various studies show a gap between evidence-based recommendations and the preventive practice of dentists. This study aimed to create and assess an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model on dentists' intentions to do caries preventive measures and related barriers experienced by dentists.

METHODS

A total of 362 general dentists from 34 Indonesian provinces were included in this study. A self-administered online questionnaire consisted of three sections: dentist characteristics and practice pattern, TPB questionnaire, and dentist perceived behavior regarding preventive care for pediatric patients. The questionnaire was distributed and the data was analyzed through structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

TPB's extended version is a fit and relevant model, explaining 55.3% of dentists' intentions to undertake preventive procedures and 17.8% of preventive practices. Perceived behavioral control was the most powerful predictor of intention (44.2%) and practice (8.8%), while parental barriers were the most significant barrier to provide preventive care (18.9%).

CONCLUSION

Extending the TPB by taking barriers from multiple stakeholders as a consideration has a higher predictive level for preventive practices. Each barrier should be addressed through oral health programs and policies, and dentists must be taught to overcome these barriers (through formal or continuing education) in order to maximize caries prevention strategies.

The use of mouthguards and related factors among basketball players in Indonesia

BACKGROUND

Basketball is a sport with a higher injury rate. Regardless, few basketball players use mouthguards, which predisposes them to injuries. The use of mouthguards (UoM) could be related to several factors. This study aims to identify factors associated with UoM and to construct a model from the factors among basketball players in Indonesia.

METHODS

Through convenience sampling, a total of 286 among basketball players in Indonesia was included in this cross-sectional study. These participants filled out online a modified questionnaires regarding demographic and several factors related to UoM. The data was analyzed using chi-square test, independent-sample t-test, binary logistic regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM).

RESULTS

There were 286 players. 127 of them were males and 159 were females. Of them, 86 (30.1%) used mouthguards. Age, duration (in year), and weekly practicing basketball (in hour) were all significantly different between mouthguards users and non-users with (p = 0.005, p = 0.036 and p = 0.035), respectively. The UoM was significantly associated with level of awareness, injury experience, social support, and oral health professional (OHP) support with (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), respectively. This result was also supported by a variety of variables' ORs, which range from 1.28 to 5.97. The coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.27.

CONCLUSIONS

The UoM among basketball players in Indonesia was related to several factors, including the level of knowledge, level of awareness, duration of basketball career, injury experiences, social support, and oral health professionals' support which was constructed to propose a model. The model could explain 27% of the relationship between variables and UoM among Indonesian basketball players. This model will be useful for more comprehensive initiatives to promote oral health. It might be applicable for other countries as well as other sports communities / physical activities.

Perceived Barriers among Indonesian General Dentists in Providing Caries Preventive Care for Pediatric Patients

OBJECTIVE

 This study aimed to investigate Indonesian dentists' perceived barriers in providing caries prevention for pediatric patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 A total of 362 general dentists were included in this cross-sectional study. The participants were asked to complete a self-administered online questionnaire of dentist characteristics and perceived barriers in multiple domains (children, parents, dentists, and healthcare system-related barriers). The frequency of responses to items of the questionnaire was presented. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare perceived barriers by gender, Kruskal-Wallis by practice sector, and Spearman analysis was used to assess the correlation between perceived barrier with age, years of practice experience, weekly practice hours, percentage of pediatric patients, percentage of pediatric preventive care, and percentage of insured patients. A multivariate analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

 The highest perceived barrier was found to be healthcare system-related, followed by parents, children, and dentists themselves. Most participants thought parents have poor knowledge of pediatric caries prevention (n = 290; 80%), and dental care for young children emphasizes curative treatment over prevention (n = 257; 70%). The multivariate analysis showed that dentists' practice sector and age affect perceived barriers and pediatric preventive care the most.

CONCLUSIONS

 Factors and barriers identified in this study must be the main focus of oral health programs, and dentists, as service providers, need proper training to address these barriers to optimize caries prevention in Indonesia.

Validity of mother-child self-perceived oral health for the assessment of 5 years old children's oral health in Indonesia

BACKGROUND

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a serious condition that has a negative impact on young children's quality of life. Mothers' perceived need for oral health care plays an important role in their children's oral health behavior. This study aimed to compare mother and child self-perceived and dentist-evaluated needs for oral health care.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 266 preschool children aged 5 years old and their mothers. A self-administered questionnaire to the mothers and interviews with the children were used to assess the perceived needs of oral health care. The mothers were asked to rate their children's oral health and determine if they needed dental treatment. The children were also asked how they felt about their oral health and whether they had any tooth decay. Agreement between mother and child regarding the child's oral health was assessed. The evaluated needs were assessed clinically using the dmft (decayed, missing, and filled teeth [primary dentition]) and pufa (pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, and abscess [primary dentition]) indices. The perceived and evaluated needs were compared using spearman analysis to determine their correlations and the validity of the perceived needs compared to the clinical examination was assessed using the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), and likelihood ratio (LR).

RESULTS

The prevalence rate of ECC was 89.4%, with 35% having at least one condition from untreated caries (pufa > 0). Mothers and children have a fair agreement regarding the child's oral health (ICC = 0.335). When comparisons were conducted between perceived and evaluated conditions, Mother's rating about their child's oral health showed the strongest correlation to dmft index (r = 0.372; p < 0.001). Several accuracy parameters done in this study (AUC, Sn, and Sp) did not meet the acceptable threshold. The sensitivity and specificity were the highest when comparing mothers' perceived need for their child's dental treatment to the dmft index (Sn = 96.7%) and pufa index (Sp = 88.1%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Compared to the dentist's assessment, the mother and child self-reported oral health statuses showed lower accuracy in assessing the child's condition. But, the mothers in this study were better than their 5-year-old children at perceiving their child's oral health care needs. As a result, these subjective assessments can be used as a complement, but not as a substitute, to the actual clinical evaluation.

The Effect of Educational Video on COVID-19 and Dental Emergency Literacy among Students during Pandemic Era

OBJECTIVES

 To determine (1) the level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 and dental emergency (DE) along with the factors that might be associated (2) with the effect of educational video on the level of knowledge among nondental students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 This online pre-experimental study used an educational video regarding COVID-19 and DE with a one-group pretest-posttest design toward the undergraduate nondental students (n = 363) from six public universities in West Java Province, Indonesia, aged 18 to 22 years. A Google Form was used and convenience sampling was undertaken.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

 The chi-squared, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, and Spearman correlation tests were performed. Cohen's d effect size was used to assess the effect of videos.

RESULTS

 Most of the respondents were females around 20.36 ± 0.94 years. There is a statistically significant difference between the pre- and posttest knowledge score for COVID-19 (p <0.001) and DE (p <0.001). The "with dental school" group had a significantly higher pretest score in DE literacy than the "without dental school" group. There is a significantly positive linear relationship between the frequency of watching videos and the posttest score. The effect size was 1.03 and 0.8 for COVID-19 and DE, respectively. The majority of students agreed (agree and very agree) with all statements regarding video education.

CONCLUSIONS

 The level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 and DE increased from 5.30 to 6.75 and 6.58 to 8.02, respectively. The associated factors were the type of university and the frequency of watching videos. Educational intervention seems to have a great effect in increasing the knowledge of nondental students.

Effectiveness of web application as educational media in increasing the caries risk knowledge and decreasing the caries risk score among dental students in Indonesia

Background

This study evaluating the effect of web application media in increasing the caries risk knowledge and decreasing the caries risk scores among dental students.

Methods

A quasi-experimental design along with a purposive sampling technique was used in this study. A total of 361 undergraduate pre-clinical dental students from 15 universities in Indonesia were divided into two groups: intervention (n = 282) and control (n = 79). The students in the intervention group received a web application media with educational materials to independently check their caries risk, whereas those in the control group received the application without any educational materials. The students were instructed to use the web application at least once a week for 21 days and complete the pretest and posttest questionnaires and web application evaluation questionnaires. In addition, they were required to independently examine their initial and final caries risk.

Results

A significant increase in the level of knowledge was observed in the intervention group, but not in the control group, after the use of the web application. Each group showed a decrease in the caries risk score, but the difference was not statistically significant before and after the use of a web application in both groups.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that health promotion and education about caries risk through web application media can improve the knowledge and reduce the caries risk in dental dentistry students.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-021-01995-1.

Changes in brain neurotransmitters in hypothalamus related to feeding behavior in LEC rat

In the present study, neurotransmitters related to the regulation of food intake were investigated in hypothalamus of LEC rats. The experiment was conducted using LEC and LEA (control) rats aged 4, 10 and 20 weeks. Cu concentration in hypothalamus of LEC rats aged 4 weeks was lower than that in the control, and similar to the control in 10 weeks of age. In contrast, Cu concentration of LEC rats aged 20 weeks was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than that in the control. The acetylcholine release from lateral hypothalamus of LEC rats aged 4 weeks was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in the control, but no significant difference of acetylcholine release was found between LEC and control rats aged 10 and 20 weeks. The metabolism of serotonin (5-HT) in hypothalamus of LEC rats was facilitated in 20 weeks of age. Furthermore, the 5-hydroxytryptophan, precursor of 5-HT in LEC rats aged 10 weeks was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in the control. No significant difference was found in norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), 3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid and homovanilic acid concentrations in each age of hypothalamus, except a significant decrease in NE concentration in LEC rats aged 10 weeks (p < 0.05). The daily and total food intake were suppressed in LEC rats from a young age. Furthermore, blood glucose, albumin and total cholesterol concentrations in LEC rats were lower than those in the control rats. The present study demonstrated that age dependent changes in Cu concentration and the metabolism of neurotransmitters related to the regulation of food intake occurred in hypothalamus of LEC rats. These results suggest that suppression of the food intake observed in LEC rats is not only due to hepatitis but also due to suppressive effects of feeding regulation center in central nervous system.