ABSTRACT
This investigation was aimed at determining the time intervals from the presenting symptoms until the beginning of oral cancer treatment and their relative contribution to the total time, and to assess the impact of the presenting symptom on diagnostic timelines and patient referral routes. A cross-sectional, ambispective study was designed to investigate symptomatic incident cases. The Aarhus statement was used as a conceptual framework. Strategies for minimizing potential recall biases were implemented. A sample of 181 patients was recruited (power: 99.5%; α = 0.05). The patient interval reached 58.2 days (95% CI, 40.3-76.2), which accounted for 74% of the whole prereferral interval and for more than one third of the total time interval. The presenting symptom (trigger for consultation) influenced both the number of primary care consultations and the length of time to diagnosis. General dental practitioners generated longer intervals to diagnosis (p < 0.005) and needed more consultations before referring a patient (RR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61-0.93), than general medical practitioners. The current study identifies the patient as the main target for interventions to improve awareness and reinforces the need for increased alertness amongst healthcare professionals about presenting symptoms of oral cancer and to diminish the number of prereferral consultations in order to optimize the primary care interval.
Subject(s)
Biopsy/methods , Gingival Diseases/pathology , Artifacts , Biopsy/instrumentation , HumansABSTRACT
Enseñar el correcto cepillado de dientes a alumnos de enseñanza primaria en el propio colegio es un recurso ampliamente empleado en la educación sanitaria. El artículo analiza los resultados de una intervención educativa de instrucciones en higiene oral sobre 58 escolares de seis años del ayuntamiento de Burela (Lugo). Tras recibir instrucciones de cepillado mediante la técnica rotatoria, presentan dificultades en las hemiarcadas derechas, la arcada inferior en general y las caras linguales de los molares en particular(AU)
To teach how to correctly brush teeth to elementary students in their own school is a method widely used by health educators. This article analyses the results of an educational project promoted by the Burela, Lugo mayors office which instructed 58 six-year-old students in oral hygiene. After receiving instructions how to brush their teeth using a rotational technique, those students had problems with their right side half arches, lower dental arch in general, and the molar tongue faces(AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child , Health Education/methods , Dental Caries/prevention & control , Toothbrushing/methods , Health Promotion/methods , Dental Caries/epidemiology , Nursing Care/methods , School Health ServicesABSTRACT
En atención primaria, la aportación específica de los enfermeros a la salud de la comunidad se hace patente en el cuidado de los individuos con procesos crónicos, con los que se actúa fundamentalmente como agentes educadores. En el control del paciente diabético la enfermería ocupa un rol fundamental en el seguimiento periódico y en la educación diabetológica. Sin embargo no es una práctica habitual que se preste la atención adecuada a las patologías y autocuidados orales en estas consultas, cuando los requerimientos de tiempo no son desorbitados y la información disponible destaca la necesidad de contemplar la salud oral tanto en la educación como en los controles del paciente diabético, independientemente de su edad y grado de control metabólico (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Periodontal Diseases/etiology , Diabetes Mellitus/complications , Oral Health/standards , Nursing Care/methods , Primary Health Care/methods , Patient Education as Topic/methods , Self Care/methods , Periodontal Diseases/nursing , Chronic Disease/nursingABSTRACT
In primary health care, the specific contribution nurses make to the community they serve manifests itself clearly when treating individuals suffering from chronic illnesses, with whom nurses basically fulfill an educational role. In the control of diabetics, a nurse plays a fundamental role in their periodical check-ups and their education about diabetes. Nonetheless, it is not a common practice to provide an adequate treatment for these pathologies nor oral hygiene self methods during these office visits, when the time requirements are not extensive and when the information available highlights the need to contemplate oral hygiene in both educational aspects and check-ups for diabetics, regardless of his/her age or the degree of metabolic control.
