Mental Health and Oral Health in a Nationally Representative Cohort.

Evidence connects mental illness to other adverse health conditions, including oral health. However, longitudinal associations between mental and oral health remain understudied. We aimed to examine mental health-oral health associations prospectively in a nationally representative US cohort. Data were from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener measured 3 types of mental health symptoms: internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems. Six self-reported oral health conditions related to periodontal disease were evaluated: self-rated oral health, bleeding gums, loose teeth, tooth extraction, gum disease, and bone loss around teeth. Cross-sectional analysis within PATH Study wave 4 (2016 to 2018, n = 30,746) compared the survey-weighted prevalence of the 6 oral health outcomes according to severity of mental health problems. Prospectively, oral health outcomes were assessed 2 y later (wave 5, 2018 to 2019) according to wave 4 (baseline) mental health problems (n = 26,168). Survey-weighted logistic regression models controlled for confounders (age, sex, tobacco use, etc.) with imputation for missing values. All 6 adverse oral health conditions were greater in prevalence among participants with severe internalizing problems. Multiple conditions were also associated with severe externalizing or substance use problems. Longitudinally associations attenuated, but multiple associations of meaningful magnitude persisted, most with internalizing problems. For example, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.50) for bleeding gums and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.68) for tooth extraction when we compared severe versus none/low internalizing problems. Providers should expect higher levels of oral disease among patients with adverse mental health symptoms. Independent of externalizing and substance use problems, symptoms of internalizing problems (related to depression and/or anxiety) are plausible risk factors for future oral disease. Better integration and coordination of mental and oral health treatment and prevention are recommended.

Perceived Patient Barriers to Tooth-Retaining Treatment in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is the most common chronic health condition of humankind and goes untreated in many resource-limited settings. When clinical dental care is accessible, tooth extraction is often chosen over potentially more quality-of-life favorable restorative services. OBJECTIVES: To identify patient-perceived barriers to utilization of dental restorative services among Tanzanian dental patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients in 5 public dental facilities in Tanzania. Participants (N = 736) were interviewed before and after their dental visit on the same day using structured questionnaires. Sociodemographic characteristics, oral care-seeking behavior, previous experiences with dental restorations, and perceived barriers toward utilization of dental restorative services were assessed. Among patients treated for dental caries, logistic regression models estimated associations between patient factors and receipt of either dental extractions or restorative treatment. RESULTS: About one-third (36.3%) of patients who reported being diagnosed with dental caries received a dental restoration. Stated barriers to utilization of restorative care included uncertainty about treatment outcomes (43.1%), cost (31.5%), and fear of treatment (31.0%). Among all patients who had received restorative treatment in the past, almost two-thirds (61.7%) reported ≥1 negative experience associated with the treatment. In multivariable adjusted modeling, higher education and income levels, having health insurance, and less perceived uncertainty about treatment outcomes were positively associated with receiving restorative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In this setting, most public dental patients with caries received extractions over restorative care. Addressing cost, quality of care, and other patient concerns may all be needed to increase utilization of tooth-retaining procedures. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: For many public dental patients in Tanzania, dental caries is addressed with extractions over restorative care. To advance greater utilization of tooth-sparing treatment, patient factors, including uncertainty about the quality of restorative care and delayed dental care-seeking behavior, should be addressed. Targeted interventions to increase patient awareness on positive outcomes of restorative care and strengthen preventive dental visits are required.

Oral Health in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Tobacco use is a well-established risk factor for multiple adverse oral conditions. Few nationally representative oral health data sets encompass the current diversity of tobacco and nicotine products. This investigation examines the validity of oral health measures in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to assess relationships between tobacco use and oral health. Cross-sectional data from PATH Study wave 4 (N = 33,643 US adults, collected 2016-2018) were used to obtain estimates for 6 self-reported oral conditions (e.g., bone loss around teeth, tooth extractions) and compared with analogous estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle 2017-2018 (N = 5,856). Within the PATH Study, associations were calculated between tobacco use status and lifetime and past 12-mo experience of adverse oral conditions using survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression. Nationally representative estimates of oral conditions between the PATH Study and NHANES were similar (e.g., ever-experience of bone loss around teeth: PATH Study 15.2%, 95% CI, 14.4%-15.9%; NHANES 16.6%, 95% CI, 14.9%-18.4%). In the PATH Study, combustible tobacco smoking was consistently associated with lifetime and past 12-mo experience of adverse oral health (e.g., exclusive cigarette smoking vs. never tobacco use, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for loose teeth in past 12 mo: 2.02; 95% CI, 1.52-2.69). Exclusive smokeless tobacco use was associated with greater odds of loose teeth (AOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.15-3.26) and lifetime precancerous lesions (AOR, 3.85; 95% CI, 1.73-8.57). Use of other noncigarette products (e.g., pipes) was inconsistently associated with oral health outcomes. PATH Study oral health measures closely align with self-reported measures from NHANES and are internally concurrent. Observed associations with tobacco use and the ability to examine emerging tobacco products support application of PATH Study data in dental research, particularly to examine potential oral health effects of novel tobacco products and longitudinal changes in tobacco use behaviors.

California Dentists' Engagement in Media Advocacy for Sugar Restriction Policies.

OBJECTIVES: Increasing dentists' visibility in the media to make the case for sugary beverage taxes can help advance public policy that improves oral health outcomes. We assessed California dentists' media engagement behaviors related to sugar restriction policies for dental caries prevention and correlates of engaging in such behavior. METHODS: Survey items related to sugar policies and media engagement were embedded in an electronically distributed statewide survey of dentists' tobacco cessation counseling behaviors. Descriptive statistics were calculated for respondent characteristics, perceived professional responsibility to discuss selected topics with patients, and attitudes and behaviors related to sugar restriction policy and media communication. Multivariable models identified independent correlates of media engagement. RESULTS: Of 624 respondents, most had never talked to traditional media (78%) or posted to social media (64%) about sugar or sugar policies for dental caries prevention. Respondents with the highest level of media engagement were more likely to agree that sugary beverage taxes are effective at reducing dental caries, that they had support from dental professional organizations to talk to the media, that it is realistic for patients to reduce their sugar consumption, and that sugar and sugary drinks are extremely harmful to health. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to increase dentists' media engagement related to sugar restriction policies for dental caries prevention should address dentists' negative attitudes toward the effectiveness of sugar restriction policies and may require increased support from dental professional societies. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Study findings identify dentists' low engagement in media advocacy to support sugar restriction policy adoption. The results identify correlates of media engagement and of dentists' willingness and confidence to act, which could serve to inform interventions to support and enhance engagement.

Electronic Cigarettes and Oral Health.

Novel nicotine products, particularly electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), have become increasingly popular over the past decade. E-cigarettes are sometimes regarded as a less harmful alternative to tobacco smoking, and there is some evidence of their potential role as a smoking cessation aid. However, there are concerns about their health consequences, particularly in users who are not tobacco smokers, and also when used long term. Given the mode of delivery of these products, there is potential for oral health consequences. Over the past few years, there have been an increasing number of studies conducted to explore their oral health effects. In vitro studies have reported a range of cellular effects, but these are much less pronounced than those resulting from exposure to tobacco smoke. Microbiological studies have indicated that e-cigarette users have a distinct microbiome, and there is some indication this may be more pathogenic compared to nonusers. Evidence of oral health effects from clinical trials is still limited, and most studies to date have been small in scale and usually cross-sectional in design. Epidemiological studies highlight concerns over oral dryness, irritation, and gingival diseases. Interpreting data from e-cigarette studies is challenging, given the different populations that have been investigated and the continual emergence of new products. Overall, studies reveal potential oral health harms, underscoring the importance of efforts to reduce use in nonsmokers. However, in smokers who are using e-cigarettes as an aid to help them quit, the benefits of quitting tobacco smoking may outweigh any negative oral health impacts of e-cigarette use, particularly in the short term. Future research is needed to understand the clinical significance of some of the biological changes observed by following different cohorts of users longitudinally in carefully designed clinical studies and pragmatic trials supported by high-quality in vitro studies.

Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies: Achievements, Challenges, and Potential.

Birth cohorts are those among observational studies that provide understanding of the natural history and causality of diseases since early in life. Discussions during an International Association for Dental Research symposium in London, United Kingdom, in 2018, followed by a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019, concluded that there are few birth cohort studies that consider oral health and that a broader discussion on similarities and differences among those studies would be valuable. This article aims to 1) bring together available long-term data of oral health birth cohort studies from the low, middle, and high-income countries worldwide and 2) describe similarities and differences among these studies. This work comprises 15 studies from all 5 continents. The most studied dental conditions and exposures are identified; findings are summarized; and methodological differences and similarities among studies are presented. Methodological strengths and weaknesses are also highlighted. Findings are summarized in 1) the negative impact of detrimental socioeconomic status on oral health changes over time, 2) the role of unfavorable patterns of dental visiting on oral health, 3) associations between general and oral health, 4) nutritional and dietary effects on oral health, and 5) intergenerational influences on oral health. Dental caries and dental visiting patterns have been recorded in all studies. Sources of fluoride exposure have been documented in most of the more recent studies. Despite some methodological differences in the way that the exposures and outcomes were measured, some findings are consistent. Predictive models have been used with caries risk tools, periodontitis occurrence, and permanent dentition orthodontic treatment need. The next steps of the group's work are as follows: 1) establishing a consortium of oral health birth cohort studies, 2) conducting a scoping review, 3) exploring opportunities for pooled data analyses to answer pressing research questions, and 4) promoting and enabling the development of the next generation of oral health researchers.

Interdental Cleaning and Oral Health Status in an Adult Cohort, 2015 to 2018.

Interdental cleaning is routinely recommended, despite limited evidence supporting efficacy to prevent advanced oral disease endpoints, such as caries and periodontal disease. We aimed to examine associations between interdental cleaning and oral health in a large, generalizable prospective cohort of adults in the United States. Data were drawn from wave 3 (2015 to 2016, n = 26,086 included in analysis) and wave 4 (2016 to 2018, n = 22,585) of the adult component (age ≥18 y) of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Survey-weighted multivariable regression models estimated the associations between wave 3 weekly interdental cleaning frequency and 6 measures of self-reported oral health-overall rating, tooth extractions, gum bleeding, loose teeth, bone loss around teeth, and gum disease-cross-sectionally and prospectively, with adjustment for established periodontal disease risk factors. As compared with no interdental cleaning, interdental cleaning ≥7 times/wk was prospectively associated with greater odds of excellent self-rated oral health (adjusted odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.62), lower odds of bleeding gums (adjusted odds ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.70), but not statistically significantly lower odds of other oral health conditions in the following 12 mo. Older age, lower socioeconomic status, diabetes, and cigarette smoking were consistently associated with worse oral health across all outcome measures. Findings were largely robust to alternative model and variable specifications. Interdental cleaning is associated with better perceived oral health and less self-reported gingivitis. Prevention of more advanced disease states was not demonstrated. These findings should be interpreted cautiously given the self-reported nature of the measures and relatively short follow-up period.

Dental Professionals' Engagement in Tobacco, Electronic Cigarette, and Cannabis Patient Counseling.

OBJECTIVES: California features low smoking prevalence, cautionary electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) public messaging, and legal recreational cannabis: a unique landscape for dental professionals to navigate tobacco cessation promotion. This cross-sectional study assessed California dental professionals' self-reported tobacco patient counseling behaviors and the correlates of providing such assistance. METHODS: Statewide surveys of dental hygienists (n = 701) and dentists (n = 725) were distributed electronically. The dentist survey was weighted for sampling and nonresponse. Prevalence of asking patients about use was compared for cigarette and noncigarette products (e.g., e-cigarettes, cannabis). Multivariable models identified independent correlates of providing cessation assistance to tobacco-using patients. RESULTS: Respondents reported frequently (often/always) documenting patient tobacco use (hygienists: 80%; dentists: 73%) but less commonly provided forms of assistance (hygienists: 27%-49%; dentists: 10%-31%). Most respondents asked patients about cigarette smoking, but noncigarette product use (cigar, hookah, pipe, e-cigarette, or cannabis) was not commonly assessed. Greater confidence and willingness to assist were positively associated with providing assistance in multivariable models, but perceived barriers (e.g., lack of time and remuneration) were not. Results were robust to model specifications. CONCLUSIONS: California dental professionals often ask about smoking but lag in providing cessation assistance and inquiring about noncigarette products. Successful efforts to encourage dental professionals' engagement in tobacco prevention and cessation must enhance providers' self-efficacy and motivation and likely will require system and organizational change. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Study findings identify substantial gaps in dental professionals' engagement in patient tobacco cessation. The results identify correlates of providing assistance and of dental professionals' willingness and confidence to do so, which could serve to inform interventions to support and enhance engagement.

Changes in Caries Risk in a Practice-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

To demonstrate that Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) can be successfully implemented in dental practice, 30 dentists were recruited to perform a 2-y CAMBRA trial. Twenty-one dentists (18 private practices, 3 community clinics) participated in a randomized, controlled, parallel-arm, double-blind clinical trial with individual-level assignment of 460 participants to standard of care (control) versus active CAMBRA treatment (intervention). Control or active antimicrobial and remineralizing agents were dispensed at baseline and 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-mo recall visits according to risk level and assigned treatment arm. Primary outcome measure was dentist-determined caries risk level at recall. Among initially high-risk participants, secondary outcomes were recorded disease indicators. Generalized estimating equations were used to fit log-linear models for each outcome while accounting for repeated measurements. At 24 mo, follow-up rates were 34.3% for high-risk participants (32.1% intervention, 37.1% control) and 44.2% for low-risk participants (38.7% intervention, 49.5% control). Among 242 participants classified as high caries risk at baseline (137 intervention, 105 control), a lower percentage of participants remained at high risk in the intervention group (statistically significant at all time points). At 24 mo, 25% in the intervention group and 54% in the control group remained at high risk ( P = 0.003). Among 192 participants initially classified as low risk (93 intervention, 99 control), most participants remained at low risk. At 24 mo, 89% in the intervention group and 71% in the control group were low caries risk ( P = 0.18). The percentage of initially high-risk participants with recorded disease indicators decreased over time in both intervention and control groups, being always lower for the intervention group (statistically significant at the 12- and 18-mo time point). In this practice-based clinical trial, a significantly greater percentage of high-caries-risk participants were classified at a lower risk level after CAMBRA preventive therapies were provided. Most participants initially assessed at low caries risk stayed at low risk (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01176396).

The Evidence for Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA®).

A system for Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA®) has been developed in California. The purpose of this article is to summarize the science behind the methodology, the history of the development of CAMBRA, and the outcomes of clinical application. The CAMBRA caries risk assessment (CRA) tool for ages 6 y through adult has been used at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), for 14 y, and outcome studies involving thousands of patients have been conducted. Three outcomes assessments, each on different patient cohorts, demonstrated a clear relationship between CAMBRA-CRA risk levels of low, moderate, high, and extreme with cavitation or lesions into dentin (by radiograph) at follow-up. This validated risk prediction tool has been updated with time and is now routinely used at UCSF and in other settings worldwide as part of normal clinical practice. The CAMBRA-CRA tool for 0- to 5-y-olds has demonstrated similar predictive validity and is in routine use. The addition of chemical therapy (antibacterial plus fluoride) to the traditional restorative treatment plan, based on caries risk status, has been shown to reduce the caries increment by about 20% to 38% in high-caries-risk adult patients. The chemical therapy used for high-risk patients is a combination of daily antibacterial therapy (0.12% w/v chlorhexidine gluconate mouth rinse) and twice-daily high-concentration fluoride toothpaste (5,000 ppm F), both for home use. These outcomes assessments provide the evidence to use these CRA tools with confidence. Caries can be managed by adding chemical therapy, based on the assessed caries risk level, coupled with necessary restorative procedures. For high- and extreme-risk patients, a combination of antibacterial and fluoride therapy is necessary. The fluoride therapy must be supplemented by antibacterial therapy to reduce the bacterial challenge, modify the biofilm, and provide prevention rather than continued caries progression.

Breastfeeding and Oral Health: Evidence and Methodological Challenges.

Breastfeeding is a powerful health-promoting behavior. A 2016 Lancet global collaboration to review the health implications of breastfeeding was among the first to consider oral health outcomes. While a role was suggested for breastfeeding in preventing malocclusion, caries was the only included disease condition unfavorably associated with breastfeeding. The present critical review examines the evidence connecting breastfeeding practices to these outcomes and discusses the methodological challenges inherent in reaching causal conclusions. Published systematic reviews show some evidence of a protective effect of breastfeeding against primary dentition malocclusion but no supportive evidence for mixed dentition and permanent dentition malocclusions. Regarding caries, well-conducted studies report a benefit with breastfeeding up to 12 mo but a positive association between caries and breastfeeding of longer duration, at times that vary between 12 and 24 mo, as well as nocturnal feeding. Future studies would be methodologically stronger if focused on specific malocclusion traits that are plausibly associated with sucking movements rather than using general malocclusion indices. Studies should use detailed and consistent terminology for breastfeeding definition, including frequency, intensity, and timing. Analytical studies should be carried out to distinguish between confounders (e.g., prematurity) and mediators (e.g., use of pacifier). Regarding a link to caries, standard terminology for exposures (e.g., nocturnal feeding) is recommended. Statistical analyses must account for known confounding factors (e.g., socioeconomic conditions) but avoid inappropriate adjustment for variables on a causal path between exposure and outcome or for variables not associated with breastfeeding (e.g., tooth brushing), as can be guided using tools such as direct acyclic graphs. For dental practice, the potential caries risk of long-duration breastfeeding should be part of individual patient counseling that incorporates patient values and circumstances. Given the unquestioned overall health benefits of breastfeeding, the dental community should support World Health Organization guidelines that encourage and promote breastfeeding.

Understanding treatment effect mechanisms of the CAMBRA randomized trial in reducing caries increment.

The Caries Management By Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) randomized controlled trial showed that an intervention featuring combined antibacterial and fluoride therapy significantly reduced bacterial load and suggested reduced caries increment in adults with 1 to 7 baseline cavitated teeth. While trial results speak to the overall effectiveness of an intervention, insight can be gained from understanding the mechanism by which an intervention acts on putative intermediate variables (mediators) to affect outcomes. This study conducted mediation analyses on 109 participants who completed the trial to understand whether the intervention reduced caries increment through its action on potential mediators (oral bacterial load, fluoride levels, and overall caries risk based on the composite of bacterial challenge and salivary fluoride) between the intervention and dental outcomes. The primary outcome was the increment from baseline in decayed, missing, and filled permanent surfaces (ΔDMFS) 24 mo after completing restorations for baseline cavitated lesions. Analyses adjusted for baseline overall risk, bacterial challenge, and fluoride values under a potential outcome framework using generalized linear models. Overall, the CAMBRA intervention was suggestive in reducing the 24-mo DMFS increment (reduction in ΔDMFS: -0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.01 to 0.08; P = 0.07); the intervention significantly reduced the 12-mo overall risk (reduction in overall risk: -19%; 95% CI, -7 to -41%;], P = 0.005). Individual mediators, salivary log10 mutans streptococci, log10 lactobacilli, and fluoride level, did not represent statistically significant pathways alone through which the intervention effect was transmitted. However, 36% of the intervention effect on 24-mo DMFS increment was through a mediation effect on 12-mo overall risk (P = 0.03). These findings suggest a greater intervention effect carried through the combined action on multiple aspects of the caries process rather than through any single factor. In addition, a substantial portion of the total effect of the CAMBRA intervention may have operated through unanticipated or unmeasured pathways not included among the potential mediators studied.

Excessive gestational weight gain over multiple pregnancies and the prevalence of obesity at age 40.

OBJECTIVE: Although several studies have found an association between excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and obesity later in life, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have explored the role of GWG events across the life course. DESIGN AND METHODS: We describe how the prevalence of midlife obesity (BMI⩾30 at age 40 or 41) among women varies by life course patterns of GWG (using 2009 IOM guidelines) in the USA's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort. RESULTS: Among women who reported 1-3 births before age 40, the prevalence of midlife obesity increased with a rising number of excessive GWG events: from none (23.4%, n=875) to one (37.6%, n=707), from none (23.4%, n=875) to two (46.8%, n=427) and from none (23.4%, n=875) to three (54.6%, n=108), P<0.00005 for trend. Obesity prevalence was similar for the same number of excessive GWG events, regardless of parity. No clear pattern emerged for the sequencing of excessive GWG event(s) and later obesity. CONCLUSIONS: In our descriptive exploratory study, excessive GWG events appear to be associated with increased prevalence of obesity for parous women, suggesting the importance of preventive interventions regardless of timing of pregnancy-related weight changes over the life course.

Maternal oral bacterial levels predict early childhood caries development.

OBJECTIVE: To calculate the association of maternal salivary bacterial challenge (mutans streptococci [MS] and lactobacilli [LB]) from pregnancy through 24 months' postpartum with child caries incidence (≥1 cavitated or restored teeth) at 36 months. MATERIALS & METHODS: Dental, salivary bacterial, sociodemographic, and behavioral measures were collected at three- to six-month intervals from a birth cohort of low-income Hispanic mother-child dyads (N = 243). We calculated the relative child caries incidence, adjusted for confounding, following higher maternal challenge of MS (>4500 colony-forming units per milliliter of saliva [CFU/mL]) and LB (>50 CFU/mL) based on multivariable models. RESULTS: Salivary MS and LB levels were greater among mothers of caries-affected children versus caries-free children. Mothers with higher salivary MS challenge were more likely to have MS-positive children (>0 CFU/mL), but maternal LB challenge was not a statistically significant predictor of child LB-positive status. Adjusting for sociodemographics, feeding and care practices, and maternal dental status, higher maternal salivary challenge of both MS and LB over the study period predicted nearly double the child caries incidence versus lower MS and LB (cumulative incidence ratio: 1.9; 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 3.8). CONCLUSION: Maternal salivary bacterial challenge not only is associated with oral infection among children but also predicts increased early childhood caries occurrence.

Cluster-randomized trial of infant nutrition training for caries prevention.

The objective of this study was to estimate the caries impact of providing training in infant feeding guidelines to workers at Brazilian public primary care clinics. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial (n = 20 clinics), health care workers either were trained in guidelines for infant nutrition, stressing healthful complementary feeding, or were assigned to a 'usual practices' control, which allowed for maternal counseling at practitioner discretion. Training occurred once; the amount of counseling provided to mothers was not assessed. Eligible pregnant women were enrolled to follow health outcomes in their children. Early childhood caries (ECC) was measured at age three years (n = 458 children). The overall reductions in ECC (relative risk, 0.92; 95%CI, 0.75, 1.12) and severe ECC (RR, 0.87; 95%CI, 0.64, 1.19) were not statistically significant. There was a protective effect among mothers who remained exclusively at the same health center (S-ECC RR, 0.68; 95%CI, 0.47, 0.99) and among those naming the health center as their principal source of feeding advice (S-ECC RR, 0.53; 95%CI, 0.29, 0.97). Health care worker training did not yield a statistically significant reduction in caries overall, although caries was reduced among children of mothers more connected to their health centers.

Food expenditures, cariogenic dietary practices and childhood dental caries in southern Brazil.

Family expenditures on food for children may represent an important barrier to the adoption of healthy feeding practices in populations of low socioeconomic status. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between cariogenic feeding practices, expenditures on food for children and dental caries. This cross-sectional study included 329 four-year-old children from São Leopoldo in southern Brazil. Cariogenic dietary practices were assessed at 4 years of age using two 24-hour recalls conducted with the children's mothers. Expenditures on food for children were estimated based on all reported food items and the respective amounts ingested. Early childhood caries and severe early childhood caries were assessed by clinical examination at 4 years of age. Cariogenic dietary habits were not associated with lower food expenditures. On the contrary, in multivariable regression analysis, the intake of chocolate (p = 0.007), soft drinks (p = 0.027) and a higher number of meals and snacks per day (p < 0.001) was associated with greater expenditures on food for children. No statistically significant differences were observed in food expenditures or in the proportion of household income spent on feeding children between caries-free children, those with early childhood caries and those with severe early childhood caries. In conclusion, keeping children free of dental caries does not necessarily increase food expenditures or the proportion of household income spent on feeding children in low-socioeconomic status populations. Some cariogenic dietary practices were associated with greater expenditures on child feeding.

Pharmacy database for tracking drug costs and utilization.

A pharmacy database for tracking drug costs and physician prescribing trends is described. Accuracy problems plagued data systems used to make drug-use-policy decisions at a tertiary care teaching hospital because of structural deficiencies within the systems and their nonclinical orientation. To resolve these problems, a programmer analyst, a clinical supervisor, and a clinical pharmacist developed a hierarchical database of drug costs. The database was designed to be valid for tracking drug costs according to patterns of clinical use. Internal controls were created that could identify and correct cost-tabulation errors arising within the ordering, order-entry, and billing processes. The database was able to tabulate drug costs according to the clinical service on which the patient was being treated at the time so that reports could compare aggregate prescribing trends from one time period to another for the same service. Similarly, the database could track and report drug use by disease or financial classification. Flagging elements were introduced to the database for cancer chemotherapy and antimicrobial drug products to enable reporting by these categories and by therapeutic subcategories within the antimicrobial category. Routine monthly reports were distributed to end users. Development of a database for tracking drug costs and utilization allowed a teaching hospital to derive the cost of medications from billing-charge information and to report data to health care professionals on the basis of important factors like clinical services.

Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of flumazenil for routine outpatient EGD.

BACKGROUND: Flumazenil is a benzodiazepine antagonist indicated for reversal of the sedative effects of benzodiazepines. Previous studies suggest that flumazenil may shorten recovery time after endoscopy, but there are few data on actual recovery room times and charges. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing routine upper endoscopy were sedated with midazolam alone in the usual titrated manner. Patients were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either flumazenil or saline immediately after procedure. Assessments of responsiveness, speech, facial expression, and ptosis (Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation [OAA/S] scale) were made before procedure, immediately after procedure and every 15 minutes thereafter. The patient was discharged from the recovery room when vital signs and OAA/S scale reached preprocedure levels. Recovery room times and charges were recorded. RESULTS: The flumazenil group demonstrated shorter recovery room times and recovery room charges than the placebo group (p < 0.001). The difference in recovery room charges was not statistically different when flumazenil charges were included (p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The routine use of flumazenil after midazolam sedation for upper endoscopy significantly shortened recovery time and charges but did not statistically reduce overall charges.

Evaluating and improving the delivery of heart care: the University of Michigan experience.

With increasing pressure to curb escalating costs in medical care, there is particular emphasis on the delivery of cardiovascular services, which account for a substantial portion of the current healthcare dollar spent in the United States. A variety of tools were used to improve performance at the University of Michigan Health System, one of the oldest university-affiliated hospitals in the United States. The tools included initiatives to understand outcomes after coronary bypass operations and coronary angioplasty through use of proper risk-adjusted models. Critical pathways and guidelines were implemented to streamline care and improve quality in interventional cardiology, management of myocardial infarction, and preoperative assessment of patients undergoing vascular operations. Strategies to curb unnecessary costs included competitive bidding of vendors for expensive cardiac commodities, pharmacy cost reductions, and changes in nursing staff. Methods were instituted to improve guest services and partnerships with the community in disease prevention and health promotion.