Do dental anxiety and satisfaction with dental professionals modify the association between affordability and dental service use? A population-based longitudinal study of Australian adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the association between affordability in terms of difficulty paying dental bills in Australian dollars and dental service use in the presence of sociodemographic confounders, and to assess the role of dental anxiety and satisfaction with dental professionals as mediators. The second aim was to investigate how dental anxiety and satisfaction with dental professionals modify the association between affordability and use of dental services in Australian adults. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the Australian National Study of Adult Oral Health (2004-06 and 2017-18) was used. Poisson regression and path analysis were conducted to determine the association between affordability and frequency of use of dental services. Effect measure modification (EMM) analysis was performed by stratification of dental anxiety and satisfaction with dental professionals. RESULTS: The study included 1698 Australian adults and identified that the prevalence of low frequency of dental visits was 20% more for those who had difficulty paying dental bills. Adults with dental anxiety (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.14) and those who were dissatisfied with dental professionals (PR = 1.17) had a higher prevalence of low frequency of dental visits in the presence of difficulty paying dental bills. This indicated that dental anxiety and dissatisfaction with dental professionals were effect modifiers on this pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Adults who experience dental anxiety and dissatisfaction with dental professionals are more likely to avoid dental visits when faced with difficulty paying dental bills. However, it is important to note that these associations do not necessarily imply a causal relationship.

Theories, Models, Frameworks, Guidelines, and Recommendations for Trauma-Informed Oral Healthcare Services: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic life experiences (TLE) are common and can affect a person's physical being and health-related behaviors, including those related to oral health. This scoping review aimed to identify evidence exploring the implementation and provision of trauma-informed care (TIC) in oral health services delivery. METHODS: Arksey and O'Malley's framework with enhancements proposed by Levac et al. and Peters et al. was used. Studies were selected based on a preset inclusion and exclusion criteria and the population/concept/context framework. Primary charting of descriptive data was conducted, followed by thematic analysis to identify ideas common within the included literature. Searches were conducted in Medline (via Ovid), APA PsycINFO (via Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), Scopus, CINAHL (via EBSCO), and Cochrane databases. Google Scholar and ProQuest were used to identify grey literature. RESULTS: The search identified 251 records, with fifteen records meeting the inclusion criteria. Limited models, frameworks, and recommendations for trauma-informed practices in oral health services were identified. Recommendations for TIC practices were identified, and clinical practice adjustments for dental practitioners were described to improve service delivery for patients who may have experienced trauma. Avenues for future research were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence exists to guide trauma-informed practice in oral health service delivery. This scoping review highlights the need for further research into approaches and practices of TIC for oral health services delivery to assess their efficacy and the need to develop evidence-based TIC frameworks to meet the unique needs of oral health service providers and populations.

Theoretical evidence explaining the relationship between socio-demographic and psychosocial barriers on access to oral health care among adults: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Current global models for oral health care are outdated. Out of pocket payments and exclusion from most national health systems has created a gap for access of services by socio-economically vulnerable adults. Our objective is to understand barriers to access and the causal associations between barriers to care. DATA: All study designs with a theoretical/conceptual framework to explain access and barriers among adults were included. SOURCES: 6 electronic databases (PubMed, Medline (EBSCO), CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science) including grey literature searches (ProQuest) and expert consultation. The identified studies were then analysed using narrative synthesis and NVivo. STUDY SELECTION/RESULTS: 40 studies using a theoretical framework to explain access among adults were identified. Andersen's behavioural model was most used. Cost was the primary causal factor that perpetuated the effect of other barriers. Associations were found between age and education level, cost and need, cost and dental anxiety. Study design and analysis used to identify these associations had limitations in determining causality. CONCLUSION: Oral health access research is based in theory, leading to the identification of socio-demographic and psychosocial barriers and their relationships. However, a lack of explanation of causal associations persists. This review recognises the importance of understanding the cause of barriers in addition to their nature. Appropriate study designs and analysis considering the impact of time varying factors on access is required. Empirical analysis needs to focus on the role of confounders and mediators to determine causality successfully. To achieve this a theory driven causal model has been proposed.

What is the function of psychosocial factors in predicting length of time since last dental visit? A secondary data analysis.

AIM: To conduct a secondary analysis of the Adult Dental Health Survey, UK (ADHS.UK) data to investigate the function of psychosocial factors (costs, dental anxiety, communication) and whether their interaction mediates the relationship between perception of need and length of time since last dental visit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data used from the ADHS.UK interview questionnaires included demography, costs, perception of treatment need, communication, dental anxiety and reported dental attendance. The data were subjected to χ2 -analysis and hierarchical logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Time since last dental visit was significantly associated with all demographic and psychosocial variables. The hierarchical logistic regression analysis tested three models. Model 1 examined the demography and explained 2% of the variance. Model 2 showed that those in intermediate (e.g. clerical staff) and routine (e.g. agriculture workers) occupations and those who were unemployed/never worked had a greater likelihood of increased interval between dental visits, explaining an additional 2% of the variance of the time interval between dental visits. Model 3 provided an additional 10% of the variance, which included costs, perceived need, communication and dental anxiety. The interaction of the perception of need by extreme dental anxiety (OR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.69) improved the fit of the model [χ2 (df1) = 22.85, P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that dental anxiety, communication and treatment costs acted as barriers to accessing dental care. Dental anxiety acted as a mediator in the relationship between perception of need and increased time interval between dental visits.

Regular supervised fluoride mouthrinse use by children and adolescents associated with caries reduction.

Data sourcesCochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS, BBO, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, Web of Science Conference Proceedings, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.Study selectionRandomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials where blind outcome assessment was stated or indicated, comparing fluoride mouthrinse with placebo or no treatment in children up to 16 years of age with a duration of at least 12 months.Data extraction and synthesisA least two reviewers independently selected studies, abstracted data and assessed risk of bias.ResultsThirty-seven trials involving 15,813 children and adolescents were included. Supervised rinsing in schools was tested in all trials. Twenty-eight studies were at high risk of bias, nine at unclear risk. Thirty-five trials (15,305 participants) contributed data on permanent tooth surface for meta-analysis and found a prevented fraction for D(M)FS = 27%(95%CI 23% to 30%; I2 = 42%) (moderate quality evidence). Meta-regression showed no significant association between estimates of D(M)FS with baseline caries severity, background exposure to fluorides, rinsing frequency or fluoride concentration. The pooled estimate of prevented fraction from 13 studies for D(M)FT = 23% (95%CI, 18% to 29%; I2 = 54%).There was limited information on possible adverse effects or acceptability of the treatment regimen in the included trials.ConclusionsThis review found that supervised regular use of fluoride mouthrinse by children and adolescents is associated with a large reduction in caries increment in permanent teeth. We are moderately certain of the size of the effect. Most of the evidence evaluated use of fluoride mouthrinse supervised in a school setting, but the findings may be applicable to children in other settings with supervised or unsupervised rinsing, although the size of the caries-preventive effect is less clear. Any future research on fluoride mouthrinses should focus on head-to-head comparisons between different fluoride rinse features or fluoride rinses against other preventive strategies, and should evaluate adverse effects and acceptability.