Mentoring of oral health professionals is crucial to improving access to care for people with special needs.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals with special health care needs continue to experience difficulties with accessing regular dental care. This has largely been due to clinicians feeling they lack the training and experience to manage their needs. The aim of this study was to determine whether working closely with specialists in special need dentistry influenced the willingness of clinicians to treat patients with special needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with specialists and clinicians involved in these mentoring initiatives. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to determine perspectives towards how this additional support influenced their willingness to treat individuals with special needs. RESULTS: The views of all participants towards these supports were positive with clinicians feeling it not only offered them opportunities to learn from the specialists, but also increased their willingness to treat individuals with special needs and the timeliness and quality of care they were able to provide. Likewise, despite some concerns about the inappropriate use of specialist support, the specialists felt these mentoring relationships offered many benefits including improving timely access to care and ensuring individuals were able to receive appropriate care. CONCLUSIONS: Mentoring provided by specialists in special needs dentistry improved the willingness of clinicians to provide care for individuals with special health care needs. Supports such as these are likely to be crucial to overcoming concerns of clinicians about their ability to manage the needs of these individuals and begin to address a significant barrier to access of care for individuals with special health care needs.

Perceived barriers encountered by oral health professionals in the Australian public dental system providing dental treatment to individuals with special needs.

AIMS: To investigate barriers experienced by clinicians treating individuals with special needs in the Australian public dental system. METHODS AND RESULTS: Oral health professionals working at primary care clinics in the public dental system were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews or focus groups to discuss the challenges they faced in managing patients with special needs. Qualitative methods, employing inductive thematic analysis, revealed two primary barriers: 1. clinicians lacked confidence in their ability to treat patients with special needs because of insufficient training and experience, and difficulties obtaining information about their patients, and 2. barriers within the public dental system, including inadequate funding, equipment and facilities, and productivity pressures prevented clinicians from being able to provide the care patients required. The priority and understanding of the oral health for these individuals within the public dental system and wider disability sector was also raised. CONCLUSION: A perceived lack of training and experience in managing individuals with special needs was a barrier to treating patients with special needs. Other significant barriers were under-resourcing of the public dental system and a lack of priority and understanding regarding oral health among carers of individuals with special needs and other health professionals.

Perceptions of oral health education and practice among nursing students in Malaysia and Australia.

OBJECTIVE: Representing the largest proportion of healthcare workers, nurses play a significant role in oral health (OH) maintenance as part of a larger effort to promote holistic patient care. The study aims to determine nursing students' perceptions of OH education and practice in Malaysian and Australian nursing schools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire (content- and face-validated) survey was undertaken, classroom style, amongst final-year nursing students from selected Malaysian (n = 122, Response rate=97.6%) and Australian (n = 299, Response rate=54.7%) institutions. Quantitative data were analysed via Statistical Package for Social Science software (Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, p ≤ 0.01). RESULTS: Significantly more Malaysian nursing students, compared to those in Australia, reported having encountered patients with OH issues (98.4% vs. 82.9%), namely halitosis (87.7% vs. 62.2%), oral ulcers (63.1% vs. 41.1%), oral/dental trauma (36.9% vs. 21.1%) and caries in children (28.7% vs. 7.7%). Less than half of Malaysian and Australian nursing students reported that they received adequate OH training (48.4% vs. 36.6%, p ≤ 0.01), especially in detecting oral cancer (18.0.0% vs. 22.6%, p ≤ 0.01) and preventing oral diseases (46.7% vs. 41.7%, p ≤ 0.01). Students in both countries demonstrated positive attitudes and believed in their role in OH care. Most students agreed that they should receive training in OH, especially in smoking cessation and providing OH care for patients with special needs. They also opined that a standardized evidence-based oral hygiene protocol is needed. CONCLUSION: Support for education and practice in this area of patient care suggested positive implications for further development of nurses' roles in OH promotion and management.

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.

Oral health education in the undergraduate nursing curriculum of Australian and Malaysian institutions.

INTRODUCTION: A high degree of training is necessary to prepare student nurses for their roles as oral healthcare partners that can promote a holistic approach to health in the community. This study aims to determine the extent of oral health education in Australian and Malaysian nursing institutions, as well as investigate educators' perceptions of education and practice in this area of care. METHODOLOGY: An audio-recorded, semi-structured qualitative phone interview was conducted with the heads of 42 nursing schools across Australia (n = 35) and Malaysia (n = 7) during the 2015 academic year. Qualitative data were analysed via thematic analysis. Quantitative data, wherever appropriate, were measured for frequencies. RESULTS: The response rate was 34.2% (n = 12) and 71.4% (n = 5) for the Australian and Malaysian subjects, respectively. Findings revealed that although all the nursing schools measured provided didactic and clinical training in oral health, curriculum content, expected learning outcomes, amount of clinical exposure and assessment approach lacked consistency. Most nursing educators across both countries perceived an overloaded curriculum as a barrier to providing oral health education. Whilst educators demonstrated their support for training in this area of care, they expressed the need for an established national guideline that highlights the educational requirement for future nurses in oral health maintenance and their scope of practice. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable information for further developing oral health education for nurses, to improve their competency and ultimately the health of the communities that they will serve.

Utilisation of dental services for people with special health care needs in Australia.

BACKGROUND: To explore the profile of patients and treatment delivered at specialist referral centres for individuals with special needs. METHODS: A cross-sectional audit was conducted of the health records of all patients with appointments at two of Australia's largest referral centres for patients with special needs, the Integrated Special Needs Department at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and the Special Needs Unit at the Adelaide Dental Hospital, for the month of August 2015. RESULTS: The profile of patients treated at these specialist units demonstrates the diversity of individuals with additional health care needs that general dentists feel require specialised oral health care. The Adelaide-based clinic had a greater proportion of complex medical patients in comparison to those treated in Melbourne who were more likely to have a disability or psychiatric condition and were less likely to be able to self-consent for treatment. Interestingly, despite similar workforce personnel numbers, there were approximately twice as many appointments at the Special Needs Unit in Adelaide than the Integrated Special Needs Department in Melbourne during the study period which may have reflected differences in workforce composition with a greater use of dental auxiliaries at the Adelaide clinic. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide an initial profile of patients with special needs referred for specialist care in Australia. However, the differences in patient profiles between the two units require further investigation into the possible influence of service provision models and barriers to access of care for individuals with special needs and to ensure equitable access to health care.

Teriparatide Promotes Bone Healing in Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: A Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial.

PURPOSE: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is an infrequent but morbid and potentially serious condition associated with antiresorptive and antiangiogenic therapies. Although MRONJ can be prevented by optimizing oral health, management of established cases is supportive and remains challenging. Teriparatide, an osteoanabolic agent that improves bone healing in preclinical studies and in chronic periodontitis, represents a potential treatment option. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, 34 participants with established MRONJ, with a total of 47 distinct MRONJ lesions, were allocated to either 8 weeks of subcutaneous teriparatide (20 µg/day) or placebo injections, in addition to calcium and vitamin D supplementation and standard clinical care. Participants were observed for 12 months, with primary outcomes that included the clinical and radiologic resolution of MRONJ lesions. Secondary outcomes included osteoblastic responses as measured biochemically and radiologically and changes in quality of life. RESULTS: Teriparatide was associated with a greater rate of resolution of MRONJ lesions (odds ratio [OR], 0.15 v 0.40; P = .013), and 45.4% of lesions resolved by 52 weeks compared with 33.3% in the placebo group. Teriparatide was also associated with reduced bony defects at week 52 (OR, 8.1; P = .017). The incidence of adverse events was balanced between groups, including nausea, anorexia, and musculoskeletal pain, most of mild severity. CONCLUSION: Teriparatide improves the rate of resolution of MRONJ lesions and represents an efficacious and safe treatment for it.

Oral management of patients with cancer / Manejo oral de pacientes con cáncer

Abstract The oral management of individuals affected by medical conditions, including those with a current cancer diagnosis, is often complex and as such should be provided by either experienced dentists or dental specialists (e.g. Special Needs Dentists) with adequate training and experience. Patients with cancer need early dental intervention as the cancer itself or its therapy may place them at increased risk of systemic and oral complications. In Colombia, Special Needs Dentistry (SND) has not been formally recognized as a specialty and does not form part of the current dental curricula suggesting a paucity of suitably qualified dentists to provide complex oral care for oncology patients. While it is accepted that general dentists will provide the bulk of care to these individuals, their knowledge base is unclear. This paper aims to improve the knowledge base around complex SND by addressing the oral complications faced by this patient cohort and how to prioritize treatment, together with proposing a simple protocol to streamline coordination of care between the dental, allied health and medical teams, that is, through a multidisciplinary approach. It is important to acknowledge that dentists have a role at all three levels of the multidisciplinary management of cancer patients: pre- treatment evaluation and preparation, oral care during treatment and post-treatment care.

Resumen El manejo oral de las personas afectadas por condiciones médicas, como el cáncer, a menudo es complejo y como tal debe ser proporcionado por dentistas experimentados o especialistas en áreas dentales (por ejemplo, dentistas que atienden necesidades especiales) que cuenten con la formación y la experiencia adecuadas. Los pacientes con cáncer necesitan una intervención dental temprana, ya que el cáncer en sí o su terapia pueden ponerlos en mayor riesgo de complicaciones sistémicas y orales. En Colombia, la Odontología de Necesidades Especiales (ONE) no ha sido reconocida formalmente como una especialidad y no forma parte de los planes de estudios de las escuelas de odontología, lo que indica que hay una escasez de dentistas adecuadamente calificados para proporcionar atención oral compleja para pacientes oncológicos. Si bien se considera que los dentistas generales pueden proporcionar la mayor parte de la atención a estas personas, su base de conocimiento no es clara. Este documento tiene como objetivo mejorar la base de conocimientos en torno a la ONE abordando las complicaciones orales a las que se enfrenta este grupo de pacientes y cómo priorizar el tratamiento, junto con la propuesta de un protocol simple para agilizar la coordinación de la atención entre los equipos médicos, dentales y personal de apoyo, es decir, a través de un enfoque multidisciplinario. Es importante anotar que los dentistas cumplen un papel en los tres niveles del manejo multidisciplinario de los pacientes con cáncer: evaluación y preparación previa al tratamiento, cuidado oral durante el tratamiento y atención postratamiento.

Oral Health Education for Medical Students: Malaysian and Australian Students' Perceptions of Educational Experience and Needs.

Education in oral health is important to prepare future medical professionals for collaborative roles in maintaining patients' oral health, an important component of general health and well-being. The aims of this study were to determine the perceptions of medical students in Malaysia and Australia of the quality of their training in oral health care and their perceptions of their professional role in maintaining the oral health of their patients. A survey was administered in the classroom with final-year Malaysian (n=527; response rate=79.3%) and Australian (n=455; response rate: 60%) medical students at selected institutions in those countries. In the results, most of these medical students reported encountering patients with oral health conditions including ulcers, halitosis, and edentulism. A majority in both countries reported believing they should advise patients to obtain regular dental check-ups and eat a healthy diet, although they reported feeling less than comfortable in managing emergency dental cases. A high percentage reported they received a good education in smoking cessation but not in managing dental trauma, detecting cancerous lesions, or providing dietary advice in oral disease prevention. They expressed support for inclusion of oral health education in medical curricula. These students' experience with and perceptions of oral health care provide valuable information for medical curriculum development in these two countries as well as increasing understanding of this aspect of interprofessional education and practice now in development around the world.

The use of general anesthesia to facilitate dental treatment in adult patients with special needs.

General anesthesia is commonly used to facilitate dental treatment in patients with anxiety or challenging behavior, many of whom are children or patients with special needs. When performing procedures under general anesthesia, dental surgeons must perform a thorough pre-operative assessment, as well as ensure that the patients are aware of the potential risks and that informed consent has been obtained. Such precautions ensure optimal patient management and reduce the frequency of morbidities associated with this form of sedation. Most guidelines address the management of pediatric patients under general anesthesia. However, little has been published regarding this method in patients with special needs. This article constitutes a review of the current literature regarding management of patients with special needs under general anesthesia.

Bisphosphonates, healthcare professionals and oral health.

OBJECTIVE: General medical and dental practitioner and pharmacists all encounter patients on bisphosphonates and as such require adequate knowledge regarding osteonecrosis of the jaw, a potential complication associated with its use. The cross-sectional study investigated perceived implications of and attitudes towards bisphosphonate use in oral health among general medical and dental practitioners and pharmacists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical and dental practitioners and pharmacists registered in Victoria, Australia, completed an online survey (SurveyMonkey©). Data analysis consisted of chi-square tests with significance as p < 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty six doctors (general medical practitioners, GMPs), 283 dentists (GDPs) and 26 pharmacists (PHs) participated. 70, 38 and 80%, respectively, reviewed patients prescribed bisphosphonates (BPs). GMPs (88%), GDPs (76%) and PHs (85%) were aware of osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ). GMPs (76%) and PHs (100%) advised patients to inform dentists. GMPs (45%) referred patients for dental assessments prior to commencing BPs with 71.9% of GDPs received such referrals. In terms of available information on oral health and BPs, GMPs (56%), GDPs (50%) and PH (53.8%) were either unsure any existed or reported receiving sufficient information. CONCLUSIONS: Discrepancies exist amongst different healthcare professionals in terms of BP use and oral health, and common consensus guidelines are warranted.

Declining Incidence of Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in Patients With Cancer.

CONTEXT: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is an infrequent, but severely debilitating condition. Given the significant morbidity attributable to MRONJ and the challenges associated with its management, prevention is crucial. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an active dental intervention in reducing MRONJ incidence. DESIGN AND SETTING: We identified all patients who received antiresorptive drug therapy at a specialized cancer center between January 2003 and December 2013 through hospital pharmacy records, whereas confirmed cases of MRONJ were identified through a hospital database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of MRONJ before and after the implementation of active dental intervention in July 2008 was quantified and compared. RESULTS: A total of 1243 patients received antiresorptive drug therapy, with 34 confirmed cases of MRONJ (crude overall incidence, 2.7%). The incidence of MRONJ was significantly lower in patients who received antiresorptive therapy after the implementation of guidelines that emphasized active dental input (0.8 vs 4.6%; χ(2) = 16.2; P = .00006). Using a binominal logistic regression model that adjusted for the number of doses of antiresorptive drug received, patients who received active dental input had an odds ratio of developing MRONJ of 0.24 (95% confidence interval, 0.09, 0.61; P = .004). CONCLUSION: The likelihood of developing MRONJ can be minimized through the implementation of prophylactic dental assessment and active dental intervention. This reinforces the importance of increased dental awareness and enhanced dental intervention in the prevention of MRONJ.

Undergraduate education in special needs dentistry in Malaysian and Australian dental schools.

Meeting the oral health care needs of the growing population of people with special health care needs (SHCN) starts with dental students' acquisition of sound knowledge and development of clinical competence at the predoctoral level. The aim of this study was to review the level of undergraduate education in Special Needs Dentistry (SND) in Malaysian and Australian dental schools. The deans of all six Malaysian public dental schools and eight of nine Australian dental schools participated in a postal survey on current undergraduate didactic and clinical training in SND at their institutions. The results showed the number of dental schools in Malaysia with teaching in SND as a specific discipline was relatively low compared to that of Australia. However, a high percentage of Malaysian and Australian dental schools reported incorporating teaching of SND into pediatric dentistry (83.3 percent vs. 75 percent), oral medicine/oral pathology (66.7 percent vs. 75 percent), and oral surgery (66.7 percent vs. 25 percent). Most respondents said their school delivered SND clinical training in dental school clinics, hospital-based settings, and residential aged care facilities. Respondents in both countries viewed lack of faculty expertise as the greatest barrier to providing SND education. The study provides valuable information that can direct SND curriculum development in the two countries.

A large case-control study reveals a positive association between bisphosphonate use and delayed dental healing and osteonecrosis of the jaw.

This study sought to investigate, using a case-control study design, the association between bisphosphonate therapy and delayed dental healing and osteonecrosis of the jaw. Identification of potential cases of delayed dental healing was by consecutive screening of Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial and Special Needs Dentist clinic records for patients aged older than 50 years, during a 6-month window, in Victoria, Australia. Cases were confirmed by a case adjudication panel blinded to bisphosphonate status. Cases associated with malignancy or local radiotherapy were excluded. Controls were matched for age, sex, and source of dental referral (1:4, n = 160 controls). Variables of interest were dental precipitants, dental clinic type, smoking history, and medical comorbidities. A total of 4212 of 22,358 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 69 were potential cases with 40 (0.95%) confirmed cases. The odds ratio (OR) for developing delayed dental healing when taking an oral bisphosphonate was 13.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.4 to 39.3; p < 0.001). There were no cases associated with intravenous bisphosphonate use. There was some evidence of an interaction with age, sex, and clinic type. When adjusted for smoking, the estimated odds ratio was 11.6 (95% CI 1.9 to 69.4; p = 0.01). There was an association between having another illness and delayed dental healing (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.0 to 5.2). A dental precipitant was present in 39 of 40 (97.5%) delayed dental healing cases. An important association between bisphosphonate use and delayed dental healing in the setting of benign bone disease, predominately in individuals with a dental precipitant, has been demonstrated.

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in non-malignant bone disease.

Bisphosphonates such as alendronate, risedronate and zoledronate have revolutionised the treatment for osteoporosis and Paget's disease. These drugs reduce fracture risk and probably mortality in patients with osteoporosis. However, they have a long in vivo half-life following cessation and may be associated with delayed dental healing and even the devastating complication of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Extensive media attention highlighting this issue has caused much concern among patients and healthcare professionals. This paper seeks to provide treating clinicians with a balanced multi-disciplinary review of the available evidence pertaining to this issue and practical advice regarding prevention and management of ONJ.

Oral health risk factors for bisphosphonate-associated jaw osteonecrosis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of oral health, including periodontitis, as a risk factor for bisphosphonate-associated jaw osteonecrosis (ONJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study compared cases with an ONJ history to controls. All had a history of bisphosphonate treatment for malignancy. Participants underwent oral examination, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) sampling, and phlebotomy. Serum was analyzed for biochemical parameters, bone markers, and immunoglobulin G titers against 4 periodontitis-associated bacteria. Cytokine levels were determined in GCF using a multiplex assay. RESULTS: Caries development was comparable between groups. Periodontitis was significantly associated with ONJ using the US National Center for Health Statistics periodontitis definition (P = .002), at least 1 site with a probing depth of at least 4 mm (P = .003), and the percentage of sites per participant with a probing depth of 4 to 5 mm (P = .044). Immunoglobulin G titer against Porphyromonas gingivalis and GCF interleukin-1ß level were also significantly associated with ONJ (P = .018 and P = .044, respectively). CONCLUSION: In participants with a history of bisphosphonate treatment for malignancy, periodontitis was associated with ONJ when measured using clinical parameters, serum immunoglobulin G titers against P gingivalis, and GCF interleukin-1ß levels, suggesting that periodontitis and associated bacteria are potentially important in ONJ pathophysiology.

Understanding of basic concepts of orofacial pain among dental students and a cohort of general dentists.

OBJECTIVES: Temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain are common presenting conditions to dentists. There has been a call for improvement in teaching about these conditions in the international literature since the 1970s. DESIGN: This study evaluates the current state of knowledge about basic pain mechanisms and management in dental students and dentists in Victoria, Australia, using a pain knowledge test adapted for dentists. RESULTS: The results show that overall 47% of fourth year dental students and 58% of final year dental students scored correctly on the pain knowledge test compared with 48% of a convenience sample of practicing dentists on the same test. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study indicates that levels of knowledge about pain are consistently low among dental students. There does appear to be improvement in knowledge after exposure to teaching in advanced training years in this dental school. There is some evidence that graduate dentists as a group may also have low levels of knowledge about basic pain mechanisms and evidenced-based treatment principles. This study highlights the need for improved training of dentists and dental students with regard to pain and orofacial pain.

Workforce education--the co-ordination of oral health care for the elderly--the role of the dental profession.

It is a well-understood fact that the world's population is ageing. Concomitant with that is an increase in the chronicity of disease including dental disease. The challenges faced by the dental profession in managing patients as they age are becoming increasingly important. What do we know and understand about diseases and their impact on dental health in the elderly? What role do salivary dysfunction and biofilms play and how are these integrated with general and oral health? Are we really prepared to manage the impact of these factors and what is the profession doing to better equip itself for the inevitable change to dental practice that is likely to ensue? Dental education in Special Needs Dentistry and in particular geriatric care expands beyond the realms of the University setting. There is potential to expand knowledge in dental care amongst the elderly through continuing professional development that is now mandatory across Australia and New Zealand. Training should not be limited to University curricula. It should extend to include medical and allied health staff, staff in aged care facilities and all those involved in policy and decision making for the elderly. The aim of this paper is to address where education in geriatric oral health is currently placed and the role to be played by all key stakeholders from University to Community arenas.