SPECIAL FEATURE. PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY.

There are approximately 2 million children living in the state of Michigan who will receive dental care with one of more than 5,500 MDA member dentists. Of these 5,500 MDA members, only approximately 100 are pediatric dentists.(1-3) Thus, it's safe to say that most children will find their dental homes in general dental offices. These general dentists will be providing preventive, diagnostic, and restorative care to most children under most circumstances. And with that in mind, it's of great importance that all dentists be comfortable providing high quality care to the majority of children, referring only a select group for care by a pediatric dentist.

The impact of sickle cell disease on oral health-related quality of life.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of sickle cell disease (SCD) on oral health and examine its impact on quality of life. METHODS: Fifty-four study subjects were recruited from the sickle cell clinic and 52 control subjects from the adolescent medicine clinic at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. A dental exam was performed to determine each participant's caries burden. The Child Oral Health Impact Profile survey was used to assess their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). RESULTS: Most subjects in both the SCD and control groups rated their overall health and oral health as "good" or "excellent." There was no statistically significant difference in OHRQoL between these groups. Additionally, no significant relationship was found between white blood cell count, medication intake, or the number of sickle cell crises as related to the caries burden. Statistically significant differences were detected in caries burden between the control group and the sickle cell hemoglobin C disease (HbSC) group (P<.02) and between the sickle cell anemia and HbSC subjects (P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with sickle cell hemoglobin C disease had fewer caries than peers with sickle cell anemia or controls, though the cause of this finding is not clear.

Alternatives for hand over mouth exercise after its elimination from the clinical guidelines of the american academy of pediatric dentistry.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to survey the alternative behavior management techniques that might be utilized by pediatric dentists in place of hand over mouth exercise (HOME) after its elimination from the clinical guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). METHODS: A questionnaire was electronically mailed to 2,600 AAPD members. The survey included items related to HOME alternatives after the elimination, concerns with its use, and if the elimination had affected access to care for children. RESULTS: Seven hundred four respondents (30%) completed the survey. Voice control was the first alternative, and minimum/moderate sedation was the second most common. Three hundred fifty respondents (50%) believed that HOME is an acceptable behavior management technique, and 290 (41%) believed it should be continued to be recognized by the AAPD. Only 7% believed that HOME elimination affected access to care for some children. CONCLUSION: Advanced behavior management techniques will be utilized more by pediatric dentists after the elimination of the hand over mouth exercise from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's clinical guidelines.