Special care dentistry perception among dentists in Jakarta: An online survey study.

Special Care Dentistry (SCD) or Special Needs Dentistry is a branch of dentistry concerned with the oral health of people with a variety of medical conditions or limitations that require more than routine delivery of care. There were reports on oral status of special care patients and special interest group for SCD dentists in Indonesia has existed. However, there was not perception report on SCD amongst dentists in Jakarta. This paper will describe the perception of dentists in Jakarta towards SCD. A cross-sectional questionnaire, translated and cross adapted to Indonesian, was distributed online through Whatsapp to dentists registered in Jakarta late 2019. Quantitative data was analyzed using statistical software for proportion and correlation using Chi-Square test. The questionnaire explored dentists' perception towards SCD. A total of 250 dentists participated in this study, of them 173 general practitioners and 77 specialist dentists. Most respondents reported that they did not have SCD component during undergraduate dental school and did not provide treatment to patients with special needs in their clinical practice. Most respondents have poor perception of SCD, however, most of the respondents showed motivation and interest towards SCD training. Dentists in Jakarta involved in this study had poor perception of SCD. More efforts should be performed to improve SCD education and awareness.

Association between disability status and dental attendance in Australia-A population-based study.

AIMS: Disability is a key social determinant of health. The objective of this study was to test the association between disability status and irregular dental attendance among the Australian population, and to examine whether the observed association varied among adolescents. METHODS: Data on 17 501 participants from The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) were analysed. The main outcome examined was irregular dental attendance (two or more years since last dental visit) with disability as the primary exposure. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to test the associations between disability and dental attendance pattern. Models were adjusted for age, gender, country of birth, region of residence, education and income. Analysis was repeated among adolescents (15- to 24-year-old) to examine for variations in observed association. RESULTS: One in four participants reported having a disability. Unadjusted model showed that the odds for irregular dental attendance were 1.40 times greater (95%; CI, 1.30-1.51) in those with disability than those without disability. After adjusting for all covariates, participants with disability had 1.20 times higher odds (95%; CI 1.10-1.30) of irregular dental attendance than those without disability. Irregular dental attendance was 1.41 times greater (95%; CI 1.10-1.80) in those with disability aged 15-24 years than those without disability. CONCLUSIONS: Australian individuals with disability are more likely to have irregular dental attendance than those without.

Incidence of oral cancer in Western Australia (1982-2009): Trends and regional variations.

AIM: Oral cancer remains a significant issue for many communities of the world. In Australia, there are approximately 2000 new diagnoses each year, and the rates are growing. The divide between city and rural, rich and poor, is, in many countries, found to be linked to the incidence of oral cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the trends in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (specifically cancer of the parotid and major salivary glands, pharynx, and tongue) in Western Australia over a 27-year period, from 1982 to 2009, and determine the geographic distribution of incidence within the state. METHODS: The de-identified data were provided by the Western Australian Cancer Registry, as oral cancer is a notifiable condition in Australia. RESULTS: There were a total of 2801 cases reported with pharynx, tongue, major salivary glands and parotid cancers over a 27-year period: 73.2 percent were male and 26.8 percent were female. The age-standardized incidence rate was 67.4 per 100 000 persons per annum for pharyngeal cancer, 54.1 for tongue cancer, 22.2 for parotid gland cancer and 5.5 for major salivary gland cancer. The age-standardized rates for pharyngeal and tongue cancer (but not parotid) were higher in country areas of Western Australia than in the metropolitan areas. The burden of some site-specific oral cancers is continuing to rise. An increasing trend with older age is also consistent throughout the study period. CONCLUSION: This study finds that the incidence of oral cancers in Western Australia is not inconsistent with other parts of Australia and fundamentally shows there is a rural-urban difference for oral cancer.