[Subjective oral health, malocclusions and oral health related quality of life in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy]. / De subjectieve mondgezondheid, malocclusies en orale kwaliteit van leven van patiënten met Duchenne-spierdystrofie.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a hereditary progressive neuromuscular disorder. Deterioration and weakening of the muscles is also present in orofacial muscles. Both weakness of the muscles and the fact that patients become more dependent of care, can make oral care more difficult. At this moment, it is unknown how patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy experience their oral health and which problems regarding oral health and oral care may impact their oral health related quality of life. In this cross-sectional study, we found that, despite a high percentage of gingivitis, a high percentage of patients who experience halitosis and a high percentage of malocclusions, patients score their oral health related quality of life as good.

[Effects of mouthwash with essential oils on dental plaque and gingivitis]. / Effect van mondspoelmiddelen met essentiële oliën op tandplaque en gingivitis.

The advice for daily oral care is to brush teeth twice a day with toothpaste containing fluoride and to practice interdental cleaning. The use of mouthwash with essential oils is not part of this advice, but is sometimes recommended when daily oral care is insufficient, or if mechanical cleaning is temporarily difficult or impossible. The results of a systematic literature review show that there is sufficient evidence, of moderate methodological quality, mouthwash with essential oils can reduce dental plaque and gingivitis. Oral care professionals can recommend mouthwash with essential oils as an adjunct to daily oral care.

The association between polypharmacy and malnutrition(risk) in older people: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND & AIM: Malnutrition adversely influences a broad range of physical and psychological symptoms. Although polypharmacy is often mentioned to be associated with malnutrition, especially in older people it is unclear to what extent. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the extent of the association between polypharmacy and malnutrition in older people. METHODS: The methodology followed the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration. Literature search was performed in PubMed, CINAHL and Embase. The population of interest for this systematic review were people of 65 years and older with polypharmacy. Because there is ambiguity with regard to the actual definition of malnutrition and polypharmacy, in this systematic review all articles describing malnutrition prevalence rates were included, regardless of the criteria used. Both observational and intervention studies were screened for eligibility. Selection and quality assessment of the included full text studies was assessed by two reviewers independently. A level of evidence and methodological quality score was adjudged to each article based on this assessment. RESULTS: A total of 3126 studies were retrieved by the literature search, of which seven studies were included in this systematic review. There was considerable variation in the definition of polypharmacy between studies. Two studies defined polypharmacy as the use of five or more drugs, two studies as the use of six or more drugs, two studies provided a mean and standard deviation that corresponded to the minimum of five drugs, and one study distinguished between polypharmacy (five or more drugs) and excessive polypharmacy (ten or more drugs). However, all studies showed a statistically significant association between (the risk) of becoming malnourished and polypharmacy regardless the instrument or criterion used to define risk of malnutrition. Studies presented the associations respectively as OR ≥ 1.177, p-value ≤ 0.028, ß ≥ -0.62 and r  ≥ -0.31. CONCLUSION: This review demonstrated a statistically significant association between polypharmacy and malnutrition. Further research is required to determine the magnitude of the effect by increased number of drugs in combination with the type of drugs, on the risk of malnutrition.

[Effectiveness of electric or manual toothbrush in dental plaque removal in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances]. / Effectiviteit van plaqueverwijdering met elektrische of handtandenborstel bij vaste orthodontische apparatuur.

For patients with fixed orthodontic appliances, adequate daily dental plaque removal is more difficult. As a result, dental plaque accumulates more quickly and gingivitis and white spots develop more often. In non-orthodontic patients, electric toothbrushing is more effective in dental plaque removal than a manual toothbrush. This structured literature review shows that there is limited evidence that electric toothbrushes are more effective in plaque removal than a manual toothbrush in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.

[Is there an association between obesity and periodontitis?] / Is er een relatie tussen parodontitis en obesitas?

Periodontitis and obesity are multifactorial diseases. This literature review shows a weak association between obesity and periodontitis. Physiological mechanisms in obesity and periodontitis, such as increased inflammatory state, are more common in both people with obesity and people with periodontitis. In addition, socio-economic problems, low health literacy and an unhealthy lifestyle are more common in people with obesity and in people with periodontitis compared to people without these diseases.

[How effective is Blue®m?] / Hoe effectief is Blue®m?

Oral care products with active oxygen, such as Blue®m, can be used to support daily oral care. The question is, what evidence is currently available about the effectivity of Blue®m? In PubMed, 1 randomised controlled trial and 1 summary of a trial were found in which a Blue®m product was examined. Case studies were also found on the Blue®m website, none of which met the CARE criteria for describing case studies. After analyzing the scientific article and conducting a short-term pilot study, it can be concluded that there is currently no evidence that Blue®m oral care products are more effective than other oral care products.

[Research agenda oral care for older people in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium)]. / Wetenschapsagenda 'Mondzorg voor ouderen' in Nederland en Vlaanderen.

Oral care for older people is an underexposed topic in dentistry as well as in general healthcare, while oral care professionals are increasingly confronted with frail and multimorbid older people with complex care needs. The research agenda 'Oral care for the elderly' was developed to encourage the collaboration of researchers in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) to do more research in this area and in this way, to achieve an expansion and implementation of knowledge. This will make possible the provision of a socially responsible and robust basis for sustainable oral care for frail older people. The focus of the agenda is on 3 themes, namely oral health and oral function for older people; multi/interdisciplinary collaboration within primary care and the costs, benefits and long-term effect(s) of oral care throughout the entire course of life. This article provides an overview of this research agenda and the way in which it has been established.

[Interprofessional collaboration, the key to better oral healthcare for frail older people]. / Interprofessionele samenwerking; de sleutel tot betere mondzorg voor (kwetsbare) ouderen.

Globally, oral health diseases are a major problem that can have serious consequences at both the individual and social level. Despite sufficient knowledge about the prevention of oral health diseases, putting it into practice does not seem obvious, particularly not in a target group of frail older people. Inequality of health, partly increased by society becoming more multicultural and the ageing of the population, must be tackled. Diversity in the provision of care tailored to the care needs of different target groups is necessary. Another challenge lies in removing the barriers that (oral) healthcare providers experience when offering oral healthcare to frail older people. In order to provide a solution to the issues mentioned above, reorientation of oral healthcare services is needed. A more prevention-orientated approach to care, with methods of financing that support this, should be the goal. In addition, health literacy must be improved through health education and promotion. A model has been developed for interprofessional collaboration to optimise (oral) healthcare. This approach would lead to an increase in patient-centred care and in this way takes important steps forwards towards a healthier society.