Abstract Introduction This study aimed to assess the prevalence of edentulism and tooth loss in the Slovenian elderly population, along with the associated risk factors, and investigate the ...association between systemic and oral health. Methods The study included 445 individuals aged 65 or older (average age: 79.7±8.9 years). Data on preserved teeth, dental history, chronic diseases, and medications were collected through clinical examinations. Height and weight were recorded in order to calculate body mass index (BMI), and the education level was also collected. Chronic systemic diseases and medications were categorized. Statistical analysis was conducted using linear regression and nonparametric tests. Results Participants had an average of 4.7±7.7 teeth, with no significant gender differences. Higher age (β=−0.185, p<0.001) and lower education level (p<0.001) were associated with fewer teeth, while higher BMI showed no correlation (β=−0.085, p=0.325). Diabetes mellitus (p=0.031), cardiovascular diseases (p=0.025), and thyroid diseases (p=0.043) were inversely related to retained teeth. This inverse relationship also applied to individuals who recovered from malignancies, not including head and neck malignancies (p=0.019). No significant relationship was found between osteoporosis and the number of teeth (p=0.573). Notably, antidiabetic drug use was inversely related to the number of teeth (p=0.004), while analgesics showed a positive relationship (p=0.022). Conclusions This study highlights the association between specific sociodemographic factors, chronic diseases, and retained teeth among elderly individuals in Slovenia. High edentulism rates among the elderly emphasize the need for enhanced preventive measures and risk factor management, particularly for high-risk groups like the elderly.
The Joint Action on CARdiovascular diseases and DIabetes (JACARDI) aims to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in European countries, both at the individual and societal levels. ...The initiative covers the entire patient journey, from improving health literacy and awareness of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, travelling through primary prevention among high-risk populations and screenings, reaching people living with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, improving service pathways, self-management, and labour participation. The project involves 21 European countries, 76 partners and plans to implement 142 pilot interventions, ensuring diversity in terms of cultural backgrounds, public health priorities, and healthcare systems.
In Slovenia, interventions will be developed and tested to improve screening for diabetes through community involvement, the involvement of people with diabetes in education programmes in health centres, and the involvement of people with diabetes in a screening programme for diabetic retinopathy. A set of unified, comprehensive and integrated health education materials and approaches will be developed for both healthcare providers and patients referred to the outpatient cardiovascular rehabilitation programme. The effectiveness of the upgraded health education intervention will be tested in a randomized trial. Furthermore, Slovenian experts are involved in developing a harmonized implementation methodology across all 142 pilot interventions, including contextual analysis at the country and pilot levels, multidimensional assessment and evaluation.
JACARDI will enhance cross-national collaboration, maximizing the exploitation of lessons learned through a clear strategy, promoting the integration and sustainability of approaches to achieve high-level impact, including the implementation of effective interaction, cooperation and co-creation between science and policy.
Clinical dietitians play a crucial role in the nutritional support of patients at risk of malnutrition in primary care settings. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of an individualized ...nutritional intervention on clinically relevant outcomes for patients with chronic disease at nutritional risk.
A longitudinal evaluation study was conducted in two Slovenian primary health centres. We used pre-test and post-test design. Patients with chronic disease were screened using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool and additional risk factors (≥70 years and BMI <22 kg/m
; lower food intake in the last five days). Patients at nutritional risk were referred to a clinical dietitian for individual nutritional intervention. The effect of the nutritional intervention was assessed six months after the patients' first visit with a clinical dietitian.
The sample included 94 patients. Nutritional risk was reduced significantly in high-risk and moderate-risk patients. In a subgroup of patients with a MUST score ≥1 (77 patients), body weight, BMI, Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI), energy intake, and protein intake increased significantly (p<0.001). At the same time, the phase angle significantly increased (p<0.001), but there were no statistically significant changes in the improvement of grip strength. In a subgroup of patients with MUST score 0 (17 patients), we observed an increase in their median daily energy intake (p<0.001) and median protein intake (p=0.003).
Nutritional intervention delivered by a clinical dietitian improved patients' nutritional intake and nutritional and functional status.
In the last two decades, the introduction of tandem mass spectrometry in clinical laboratories has enabled simultaneous testing of numerous acylcarnitines and amino acids from dried blood spots for ...detecting many aminoacidopathies, organic acidurias and fatty acid oxidation disorders. The expanded newborn screening was introduced in Slovenia in September 2018. Seventeen metabolic diseases have been added to the pre-existing screening panel for congenital hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria, and the newborn screening program was substantially reorganized and upgraded.
Tandem mass spectrometry was used for the screening of dried blood spot samples. Next-generation sequencing was introduced for confirmatory testing. Existing heterogeneous hospital information systems were connected to the same laboratory information system to allow barcode identification of samples, creating reports, and providing information necessary for interpreting the results.
In t he first y ear of t he expanded newborn screening a total of 15,064 samples w ere screened. Four patients were confirmed positive with additional testing.
An expanded newborn screening program was successfully implemented with the first patients diagnosed before severe clinical consequences.
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