International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 302–309
Background. Early Childhood Caries is a significant public health issue worldwide. Although much is known about the aetiology of ...dental caries, there is limited evidence on the understanding of caregivers on readily available early childhood oral health education materials.
Aim. The purpose of this study was to record how parents cope with dental health education materials for preschool children commonly available in New South Wales, Australia.
Design. This qualitative study was nested within a large cohort study in South Western Sydney. English‐speaking mothers (n = 24) with young children were approached for a face‐to‐face, semi‐structured interview at their homes. Two dental leaflets designed by NSW Health to give advice on monitoring young children’s oral health were sent to mothers prior to the interview. Interviews were recorded and subsequently transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed by interview debriefing and a thematic coding.
Results. Mothers generally reported that the leaflets were easy to read but noted that the information pertaining to bottle feeding was confusing. Furthermore, they were unable to understand terms such as ‘fluoride’ and ‘fissure sealants’. Early childhood nutrition and infant teething were inadequately addressed, and mothers preferred pictorial presentations to improve their understanding of oral health.
Conclusions. Producers of health education leaflets should keep the messages simple and straightforward, avoid the use of medical jargon, and use pictorial aids to improve communication with parents.
This article highlights the fundamental issues which the primary care team should consider when developing preventive dental advice for their patients. Although it is important to have a clear ...understanding of the carious process, this knowledge must take account of social influences on health when assessing the preventive strategy for individuals. A key factor is that caries is a lifelong process involving fluctuations in demineralization and remineralization. The dental team should ensure that the oral environment favours remineralization and avoids irreversible loss of enamel and dentine. An understanding of this'see-saw' process will influence not only our preventive philosophy but how we, as health professionals, diagnose and treat dental caries.
Preventing dental caries is an essential skill for all dental professionals. This article brings together the scientific basis of the appropriate advice.
Features of somatisation have been shown to predict the onset of widespread body pain. This study aims to determine to what extent persons with orofacial pain syndromes share these features and to ...what extent they are uniquely related to oral mechanical factors. We have conducted a population-based cross-sectional survey in the South-East Cheshire area of the United Kingdom involving 2504 individuals aged 18–65 years. All participants completed a postal questionnaire which enquired about the occurrence of both orofacial pain and widespread body pain. It also enquired about potential risk factors for one or both conditions. In total, 473 subjects (23%) reported orofacial pain only, 123 (6%) widespread pain only, while 85 (4%) reported both. The number reporting both was significantly higher than would be expected if the symptoms were independent (
P<0.001). Several oral mechanical factors were significantly associated with both orofacial pain and widespread body pain (grinding teeth, clicking jaw, missing teeth), while two (facial trauma, locking jaw) were specifically related to orofacial pain. Both pain syndromes were associated equally with high levels of psychological distress, indicators of somatisation and maladaptive response to illness. These results suggest that orofacial pain syndromes may commonly be a manifestation of the process of somatisation and the excess reporting of some local mechanical factors amongst persons with these symptoms, may not be uniquely associated with pain in the orofacial region.
Electronic health record (EHR) data have great potential for reuse in research and patient care quality improvement initiatives. However, in dual systems, where both electronic and paper health ...records are used, inconsistencies and errors may occur. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of agreement between EHR clinical data and paper records for reuse in clinical oral health research and quality improvement initiatives.
A random sample of 200 EHRs for adolescents from eight Area Health Services was obtained from the Information System for Oral Health New South Wales database of 29 599 records, and compared with 200 paper records for adolescents that were stored at clinics. The records were analysed for data reliability. The electronic records were percentage weighted to reflect the number of adolescents treated in each of the Area Health Services.
The results showed an overall 95.0% agreement between the 200 individual EHRs and the 200 clinic-stored paper records. In 1.5% of cases, information contained in the paper record was not uploaded into the EHR, and in 3.5% of cases, information contained in the EHR was missing from the paper record.
It is possible to conclude that more deficiencies occurred in paper records compared with EHRs. These deficiencies should be taken into account if EHRs are to be reused for clinical oral health research or quality improvement initiatives. Considering the missing data and the great strides in information system technology, it would be logical to adopt one system, with a focus on electronic records to replace the paper records.
Research shows limited emphasis being placed on oral health by midwives in Australia and the need for further education in this area. The study aim was to pilot a midwifery oral health education ...programme and knowledge test and identify any flaws in its content and design. Twenty-two midwives from an antenatal ward in South-Western Sydney completed the programme and 12 feedback forms/knowledge tests were returned. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Feedback data showed all midwives appreciated that the programme was available online and self-paced. Most found the programme extremely informative and following completion were more confident in promoting maternal oral health. The mean correct responses in the knowledge test was 79% (SD = 12.3) which suggests most items were suitable for assessing knowledge improvement. However, in three items midwives had low correct responses. Various aspects that could be improved or clarified were identified and suggestions discussed.
This article seeks to bring together the preventive messages given in Paper 1 and apply them to specific individual patients. The key elements are the appropriate advice on fluorides, fissure ...sealants, diet and formulating advice in terms of an individual's educational background.
This article offers practical advice on the prevention of dental caries using individual patient-based scenarios.
Objectives
This systematic review examines the evidence on the effectiveness of programmes that aim to improve the oral health of Indigenous populations worldwide, as well as presents a qualitative ...analysis to explore the design and implementation of these initiatives.
Methods
MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched. Studies were included if they described an oral health programme for an Indigenous population in any country worldwide. A thematic synthesis of the qualitative findings was undertaken for each study's results and discussion sections.
Results
Nineteen studies were included. Sixteen studies reported positive results, twelve of which reported statistically significant findings. Three themes regarding design and implementation emerged from the qualitative analysis: (i) elements of successful programmes, (ii) challenges and barriers to successful interventions and (iii) suggestions for improvements.
Conclusions
Successful programmes considered cultural appropriateness in their design—including extensive community engagement before, during and after implementation to enhance ownership of, and thus participation in the programme. Collaborative approaches were seen as an advantage, not only with Indigenous communities, but also with local health providers and organizations, with particular emphasis on incorporation into existing services. Challenges included low community participation, unstable funding and staffing issues. In addition, future programmes should also incorporate advocacy and community development, focus on changes to public policy, utilize evidence‐based interventions that include traditional models of health, attempt to secure a stable funding base, target strategies to ensure staff retention and develop interventions that target the multilevel causes of general and oral health. This review provides an evidence base that can aid in the successful design, implementation and sustainability of oral health programmes for Indigenous people in the future.
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