Oral Health and Brain Injury: Causal or Casual Relation?

BACKGROUND: To systematically review the current literature investigating the association between oral health and acquired brain injury. METHODS: A structured search strategy was applied to PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CENTRAL electronic databases until March 2017 by 2 independent reviewers. The preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis guidelines were used for systematic review. RESULTS: Even though the objective was to assess the association between oral health and acquired brain injury, eligible studies focused solely on different forms of stroke and stroke subtypes. Stroke prediction was associated with various factors such as number of teeth, periodontal conditions (even after controlling for confounding factors), clinical attachment loss, antibody levels to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia. The literature showed no consensus on the possible association between gingivitis and stroke. Patients with stroke generally had poorer oral hygiene practices and oral health. Dental prophylaxis and professional intervention reduced the incidence of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, oral health and stroke were related. Periodontitis and tooth loss were independently associated with stroke. However, prevention and timely intervention may reduce the risk of stroke. Stroke was the main cerebral lesion studied in the literature, with almost no publications on other brain lesions.

Finding an upper limit of what might be achievable by patients: oral cleanliness in dental professionals after self-performed manual oral hygiene.

AIMS: Though patients have been shown to have difficulties in achieving oral cleanliness after self-performed oral hygiene, scientifically and empirically justified standards for the degree of oral cleanliness they should achieve are lacking. Oral cleanliness of dental staff was therefore assessed as an indicator of what might be an upper limit of what can be expected by patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a multicentre study, N = 64 university dentists, N = 33 dental students and N = 30 dental assistants were asked to perform manual oral hygiene to the best of their abilities. The presence or absence of dental plaque adjacent to gingival margins was assessed by the marginal plaque index (MPI). As full-crown index, the Turesky modification of the Quigley and Hein Index (QHIm) was applied. RESULTS: Only three participants showed papillary bleeding and only one a clinical pocket depth of more than 3.5 mm. After self-performed oral hygiene, no differences between groups were observed with respect to plaque nor did results differ between those who habitually used a powered toothbrush only and those who did not. Most participants (96%) achieved oral cleanliness at more than 70% of their gingival margins and QHIm levels below .63. Half of the participants showed QHIm levels below .17 and oral cleanliness at 96% of gingival margins. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Considering that half of the dental professionals achieved oral cleanliness at 96% of gingival margins and QHIm levels below .17 after thorough oral hygiene, this might reflect an upper limit of what can be expected by patients.

Network meta-analysis of studies included in the Clinical Practice Guideline on the nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis.

AIM: The recent ADA-commissioned Clinical Practice Guideline on the nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis has provided the most exhaustive library of clinical trials on scaling and root planing (SRP) with or without adjuncts. This network meta-analysis (NMA) compared the adjuncts against each other. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A star-shaped NMA was performed based on 36 indirect comparisons of clinical attachment-level (CAL) gains among nine adjuncts in 74 studies from the Clinical Practice Guideline. RESULTS: All pairwise differences were accompanied by wide confidence intervals, and none of the adjuncts were statistically significantly superior to another. Local doxycycline hyclate and photodynamic therapy with a diode laser had the highest probabilities for ranking first and second, respectively. Publication bias was evident, with fewer than expected studies with small effects. The lack of these studies inflated the treatment effects by an estimated by 20%. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuncts improve CAL gain by about a third of a mm over 6-12 months compared with SRP alone, but no significant differences were found among the adjuncts. The patient-perceived benefit of this gain is unclear because CAL is a physical measure made by the clinician and not a patient-oriented outcome. Publication bias inflated the observed treatment effects.

Analysis of volume and costs of dental care provided in outpatient settings. / Analiz ob''emov i stoimosti stomatologicheskoi pomoshchi, okazyvaemoi v ambulatornykh usloviyakh.

A conducted analysis of volume and cost of dental care provided in outpatient settings proves the need for harmonization of Russian Ministry of Health's documentation regulating dental checks in adults and children, and the Programme of state guarantees.

Probing depth in periodontal pockets: In vitro evaluation of contributions to variability due to probe type and operator skill.

Periodontal probing aims at detecting the presence, type and gravity of periodontal diseases influencing distance between gingival margin and connective ligament. Measurements in vivo are affected by substantial uncertainty, owing, for example, to probe features, anatomic variations and operator's skill. Inadequate reproducibility in periodontal probing may lead to diagnostic mistakes and inappropriate therapeutic decisions. In vitro evaluation of reproducibility of measurements of periodontal pockets was aimed at while developing a Periodontal Calibration Box designed to calibrate periodontal probe operators, catering also for simulating contraction observed in vivo. Probe type and clinical experience of operators were found to affect substantially probing errors.

[Tooth decay and its complication prognosis in smokers].

The study focuses on complicated and non-complicated tooth decay course and prognosis in smokers. Oral status, prevention and treatment effectiveness was assessed in 330 non-smokers and 345 smoking patients. The results allowed concluding with guidelines for tooth decay prevention and treatment in smokers.

IQuaD dental trial; improving the quality of dentistry: a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing oral hygiene advice and periodontal instrumentation for the prevention and management of periodontal disease in dentate adults attending dental primary care.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease is the most common oral disease affecting adults, and although it is largely preventable it remains the major cause of poor oral health worldwide. Accumulation of microbial dental plaque is the primary aetiological factor for both periodontal disease and caries. Effective self-care (tooth brushing and interdental aids) for plaque control and removal of risk factors such as calculus, which can only be removed by periodontal instrumentation (PI), are considered necessary to prevent and treat periodontal disease thereby maintaining periodontal health. Despite evidence of an association between sustained, good oral hygiene and a low incidence of periodontal disease and caries in adults there is a lack of strong and reliable evidence to inform clinicians of the relative effectiveness (if any) of different types of Oral Hygiene Advice (OHA). The evidence to inform clinicians of the effectiveness and optimal frequency of PI is also mixed. There is therefore an urgent need to assess the relative effectiveness of OHA and PI in a robust, sufficiently powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) in primary dental care. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a 5 year multi-centre, randomised, open trial with blinded outcome evaluation based in dental primary care in Scotland and the North East of England. Practitioners will recruit 1860 adult patients, with periodontal health, gingivitis or moderate periodontitis (Basic Periodontal Examination Score 0-3). Dental practices will be cluster randomised to provide routine OHA or Personalised OHA. To test the effects of PI each individual patient participant will be randomised to one of three groups: no PI, 6 monthly PI (current practice), or 12 monthly PI.Baseline measures and outcome data (during a three year follow-up) will be assessed through clinical examination, patient questionnaires and NHS databases.The primary outcome measures at 3 year follow up are gingival inflammation/bleeding on probing at the gingival margin; oral hygiene self-efficacy and net benefits. DISCUSSION: IQuaD will provide evidence for the most clinically-effective and cost-effective approach to managing periodontal disease in dentate adults in Primary Care. This will support general dental practitioners and patients in treatment decision making. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Protocol ID: ISRCTN56465715.

Keeping current: a commitment to patient care excellence through evidence based practice.

The desire to improve the oral health of clients begins with the hygienist's commitment to keeping current with useful scientific knowledge. The challenge is mastering the skills to discriminate between the many claims and what actually has been shown to be effective. One approach is through evidence-based decision-making (EBDM), which helps practitioners find relevant clinical evidence when it is needed for treatment decisions and for answering client questions. The purpose of this article is to discuss EBDM and its use in practice, potential challenges, future developments and resources that will assist in keeping current.

Effects of dental magnification lenses on indirect vision: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of magnification lenses on the indirect vision skills of dental hygiene students. METHODS: This pilot study examined the accuracy and efficiency of dental hygiene students' indirect vision skills while using traditional safety lenses and magnification lenses. The sample was comprised of 14 students in their final semester of a dental hygiene program. A crossover study approach was utilized, with each participant randomly assigned to a specific order of eyewear. The study included evaluation of each participant taking part in 2 separate clinical sessions. During the first session, each participant completed a clinical exercise on a dental manikin marked with 15 dots throughout the oral cavity while wearing the randomly as signed eyewear, and then completed a similar exercise on a differently marked dental manikin while wearing the randomly assigned eyewear. This procedure was repeated at a second clinical session, however, the dental manikin and eyewear pairings were reversed. Accuracy was measured on the number of correctly identified dots and efficiency was measured by the time it took to identify the dots. Perceptions of the participants' use of magnification lenses and the participants' opinion of the use of magnification lenses in a dental hygiene curriculum were evaluated using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Comparing the mean of the efficiency scores, students are more efficient at identifying indirect vision points with the use of magnification lenses (3 minutes, 36 seconds) than with traditional safety lenses (3 minutes, 56 seconds). Comparing the measurement of accuracy, students are more accurate at identifying indirect vision points with traditional safety lenses (84%) as com pared to magnification lenses (79%). Overall, the students report ed an increased quality of dental hygiene treatment provided in the clinical setting and an improved clinical posture while treating patients with the use of magnification lenses. CONCLUSION: This study did not produce statistically significant data to support the use of magnification lenses to enhance indirect vision skills among dental hygiene students, however, students perceived that their indirect vision skills were enhanced by the use of magnification lenses.

How regular visits and preventive programs affect onset of adult caries.

If it is to be effective, preventive dental treatment must be based on an individual's risk of caries and periodontal disease. However, hitherto, preventive treatment has been generally conducted without proper caries-risk assessment because of lack of knowledge about an individual's caries risk. This study sought to identify high-risk adult patients and examine the effectiveness of preventive programs. Data for 442 patients from a single general practice who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Multiple logistic-regression analysis showed that high levels of mutans streptococci (SM) correlated with the onset of primary and secondary caries, with odds ratios of 2.34 (95%CI: 1.15-4.76, p = 0.019) and 2.22 (95%CI: 1.06-4.62, p = 0.034), respectively. Lactobacilli (LB) also correlated with secondary caries, with an odds ratio of 3.34 (95%CI: 1.35-6.85, p = 0.007). When the patients were checked after three years of a preventive program, the correlation with SM and LB disappeared. Survival analyses by Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier methods showed that secondary caries was difficult to control by conventional preventive programs alone in patients with high levels of cariogenic bacteria. In conclusion, cariogenic bacteria play an important role in the incidence of caries, and additional intensive preventive treatment should be considered for high-risk patients.

Clinical efficacy of antimicrobial mouthrinses.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this report is to present the current state of the evidence evaluating the efficacy of anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis mouthrinses and to determine the clinical relevance of the evidence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To accomplish this goal a two stage approach was used. First a systematic review of the literature was done to find any systematic review that evaluated the efficacy of anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis mouthrinses from long term (six months) randomized placebo controlled clinical trials. Secondly, the clinical relevance was determined by comparing the percent reduction in plaque and gingivitis attributable to the anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis mouthrinses to change over time in the placebo groups attributable to adult prophylaxis and oral hygiene instructions. RESULTS: Three systematic reviews and one meta-analysis were found that evaluated the efficacy of anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis mouthrinses. The systematic reviews concluded that there is strong evidence supporting the efficacy of chlorhexidine and essential oils as anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis mouthrinses. The evidence for cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC) was weaker due to few clinical trials testing the same formulations of CPC. There was one meta-analysis of studies from a manufacture of Delmopinol, but it was not a systematic review of the literature. The report based on the meta-analysis concluded that Delmopinol was an effective anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis agent. Evaluation of clinical relevance by estimating percent reduction due to the active agents and changes over time in the placebo groups, demonstrated that the clinical effect of both chlorhexidine and essential oil containing mouthrinses met or exceeded reductions over time for placebo groups. Again the results for CPC were less consistent, but were similar to reductions over time in the placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the clinical benefits of anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis mouthrinses are similar to the benefits of oral prophylaxis and oral hygiene instructions at six month recall appointments.

"Six-month recall dental appointments, for all children, are (un)justifiable".

Each child is an individual with specific needs, which necessitates a different plan of management based on the type of oral disease or disability present. This raises a question as to whether the customary fixed six-month recall visits for children commonly advocated by dental professionals need to be altered/adjusted so as to reflect the individual's oral health needs more closely, in order to optimize their clinical and cost-effectiveness. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the evidence to either justify or refute the six-month recall dental appointments for all children. Based on the available evidence, we conclude that the judgment about appropriate intervals should be made by the dental practitioner on an individual risk basis as insufficient evidence exists to either justify, or refute the six-month recall dental appointments.

Bacteriemia secundaria a procedimientos odontológicos periodontales / Bacteremia after periodontal procedures

Introducción. La bacteriemia ocurre con frecuenciadespués de la cirugía oral y de los procedimientos odontológicos.La periodontitis puede afectar a la incidencia y el espectrobacteriano de la bacteriemia. La enfermedad periodontalpuede ser un factor de riesgo significativo en eldesarrollo de enfermedades sistémicas. El objetivo del presenteestudio es evaluar la frecuencia de aparición de bacteriasaerobias y anaerobias en muestras de sangre despuésdel raspado y alisado radicular.Material y métodos. Fueron estudiados 13 pacientescon enfermedad periodontal crónica generalizada. Se tomarondos muestras de sangre para cultivo en diferentes momentos:pretratamiento e inmediatamente después del tratamientoodontológico.Resultados. En ninguno de los 13 pacientes se detectóbacteriemia previa al tratamiento. Después del raspado yalisado radicular la bacteriemia ocurrió en 10/13 (76,9%)pacientes con enfermedad periodontal. Predominaron lasbacterias anaerobias (Prevotella spp., Micromonas micros yFusobacterium nucleatum).Conclusiones. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que los procedimientosperiodontales inducen bacteriemia y puedenrepresentar un riesgo para el desarrollo de complicacionessistémicas. El empleo de profilaxis antibiótica resulta crucialpara su prevención (AU)

Introduction. Bacteremia frequently occurs afteroral surgery and odontology procedures. Periodontitismay affect the incidence and bacterial spectrum of bacteremia.Periodontal disease may be a significant riskfactor for the development of certain systemic diseases.This study has aimed to evaluate the frequency of aerobicand anaerobic bacteria in the bloodstream followingscaling and root planing.Material and methods. Thirteen patients with generalizedchronic periodontitis were included in the study.Two samples of peripheral blood were drawn for cultureat different times: pre-treatment and immediately afterodontology treatment (full-mouth scaling).Results. None of the 13 patients had bacteremia beforethe procedures. Bacteremia after scaling occurred in10/13 (76.9 %) of periodontitis patients. The anaerobicbacteria (Prevotella spp., Micromonas micros and Fusobacteriumnucleatum) were the most predominant microorganism.Conclusions. Our findings suggest that periodontalprocedures induce bacteremia and may represent risk ofdeveloping systemic complications. The use of antibioticprophylaxis is crucial for its prevention (AU)