Background

Radiotherapy (RT) is associated with significant acute and long-termside effects that may impair oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This systematic review aimed to synthesise the existing evidence on how RT affects OHRQoL in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods

This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023448568). A systematic search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus,Web of Science, and EBSCO host using combinations of terms related to RT, HNC, andOHRQoL. Only observational studies involving adult patients treated with RT were included. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers.

Results

A total of 5100 records were identified, with 73 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The results were categorised into impacts during RT, and shortterm (<6 months), and long-term (≥6 months), impacts after RT. During RT, OHRQoL was most affected by oral mucositis (OM), pain, xerostomia/dry mouth, and taste dysfunction (TD). Short-term after RT the most notable effect on OHRQoL was pain, xerostomia/dry mouth and sticky saliva, similar to outcomes during RT. In the longterm, xerostomia/dry mouth and TD remained the predominant issues, often persisting for years after treatment and contributing to sustained reductions in OHRQoL.

Conclusion

RT for HNC is associated with poorer OHRQoL. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution, as all included studies were observational and of moderate quality. Xerostomia/dry mouth and related oral complications were the most consistently reported contributors to reduced quality of life (QoL). These findings underscore the need for individualised, interprofessional care strategies that integrate clinical assessments with patient-reported outcomes (PROMs).

Abuse of older people (AOP) is a global public health problem with serious consequences for older adults. To protect them, several countries have introduced mandatory reporting by healthcare professionals. Dental care professionals frequently interact with older adults and, according to the literature, have specific knowledge enabling them to recognize signs of AOP. However, to what extent they apply this knowledge in clinical practice is not well studied. This scoping review mapped how dental care professionals identify and respond to AOP. Eight studies were included in the review following a systematic search in five databases. The findings were organized into thematic categories and showed that dental care professionals used various signs to identify AOP. However, many did not act on these observations, due to limited knowledge, training, and support systems. The included studies focused primarily on dentists, emphasizing the need for updated research involving a broader range of dental care professionals.

Introduction and aims

Children with Down syndrome (DS) face increased oral health risks and barriers to dental care. Understanding caregivers’ perceptions about their child’s dental care is key to better outcomes. This study aimed to investigate primary caregivers’ perceptions of the dental and orthodontic care of children with DS, and the association with cooperation in encounters involving the child and dental professionals.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire completed by 77 primary caregivers, mostly mothers, of children with DS aged 6 to 17 years. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyse the data.

Results

Children with DS often needed support with toothbrushing, but were frequently reported as cooperative during home care and dental visits. Many children used alternative communication methods and had difficulty being understood. About half of the caregivers discussed their child’s needs with dental professionals in a premeeting. Fewer than half of the professionals were reported as communicating effectively with the children. Children who were perceived by their primary caregivers as cooperative during toothbrushing at home were significantly more likely to be cooperative during dental visits (P < .05). Additionally, being referred for an orthodontic assessment was statistically associated with higher levels of cooperation during dental appointments, according to the primary caregivers (P < .05).

Conclusion

Despite communication challenges, many children showed cooperation during home care and dental visits. Perceived cooperation during toothbrushing at home and being referred for an orthodontic assessment were associated with higher cooperation during dental appointments for children with DS. Enhancing dental professionals’ communication skills and using personalised care approaches may improve dental outcomes and experiences for children with DS.

Clinical relevance

These findings underscore the importance of tailored dental care approaches and improved communication techniques to foster active participation and better dental outcomes for children with DS.

The aim was to describe how inclusive research was perceived by participants in a reference group within the Swedish research programme Mental Health and Participation in Habilitation for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities. The experience of the reference group was explored through 10 interviews analysed with thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: (1) Information; (2) Motivation and (3) Participation. Inclusive research requires clear communication, defined roles, structural adaptations and addressing power dynamics. This study emphasises the importance of involving children and individuals with disabilities as well as their primary caregivers in research, ultimately making research more inclusive and representative.

Oral dryness is common in persons with untreated obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) as well as in those using positive airway pressure (PAP). OSA with or without PAP treatment could therefore be a risk factor of dental caries.

Objectives: To describe and compare the prevalence of dental caries among persons with or without PAP-treated OSA.

Methods: Cross-sectional data derived from a clinical examination of 121 adults without OSA, and with or without long-time experience of PAP treated OSA (>10 years) were used. The participants responded to a questionnaire and were clinically and radiographically examined. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth, decayed surfaces, gingivitis and presence of dental plaque were registered. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe dental caries prevalence among groups. To compare groups, one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests was conducted.

Results: Participants (52% females, mean age 69.5±5.8 years) were categorised into groups based on OSA status; non-OSA (n=49), non-PAP-treated OSA (n=38), and PAP-treated OSA (n=34). Dental caries prevalence showed no statistically significant differences among groups, except for occlusal caries, where the PAP-treated OSA group had a higher mean compared to the non-OSA group (p=0.033). Most participants did not report xerostomia, but the highest prevalence was found in the non-PAP-treated OSA group (31.6%).

Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries was slightly higher in persons with PAP treated OSA compared to non-PAP-treated OSA and persons without OSA, but the results were not statistically significant.

OBJECTIVES: Through inflammation and hyposalivation, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is suggested to affect periodontal status over time. Our aim was to compare the clinical and radiographic periodontal status of hypertensive patients with or without long-term presence of OSA, treated or untreated with continuous positive airway pressure treatment (CPAP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2007-2009, a screening for OSA was conducted among 394 hypertensive primary care patients. Polygraphy was used to create three groups: no OSA, non-CPAP, or adherent CPAP based on the apnea hypopnea index (AHI). After 10 years, a cross-sectional sleep and periodontal examination including a clinical and radiographic examination, a questionnaire, and a matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) chair-side test was conducted. Based on levels of alveolar bone, bleeding on probing (BoP), and probing pocket depth (PPD), patients were categorized into four periodontal stages: periodontal health/gingivitis and three periodontal disease stages. Periodontal status and periodontal stages were compared between the OSA (n = 49), non-CPAP (n = 38), or adherent CPAP (n = 34) groups.

RESULTS: The 121 patients (53% women) had a median age of 71 years. No differences were seen between the OSA groups regarding median number of teeth (p = .061), teeth/implants, (p = .107), plaque index (p = .245), BoP (p = .848), PPD ≥ 4 mm (p = .561), PPD ≥ 6 mm (p = .630), presence of MMP-8 (p = .693) except for bone loss (p = .011). Among patients with stage periodontal health/gingivitis a significant difference was seen, as 70% of those were categorized as no OSA, 20% as non-CPAP, and 10% as adherent CPAP (p = .029). Differences were not seen in periodontal disease stages.

CONCLUSIONS: Hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) did not have an adverse clinical periodontal status compared to patients without OSA. However, when combining radiographic and clinical status into periodontal stages, patients without OSA more frequently exhibited periodontal health or gingivitis compared to patients without OSA, regardless of CPAP treatment.

Objective

To explore, as a part of oral health literacy conceptual content, how migrant mothers utilise oral health-related information to maintain and promote oral health in their children.

Materials and Methods

In-depth interviews were conducted with seven migrant mothers of children up to 10 years old resettled in Kalmar County, Sweden. The mothers had entered Sweden from 2015 onwards, and their native language was Somalian, Dari or Arabic. The participants were encouraged to describe their experiences seeking oral health information and oral health in general and dental health services. The interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis with coding in categories, followed by formulating a main category.

Results

The findings revealed a main category—combining different ways of information utilisation. The main category captures the essence of the migrant mothers' various ways of using oral health-related information in the Swedish context to maintain and promote oral health in their children. The main category draws upon four sub-categories that emerged from the analysis: cognitive processing, decision-making competencies, adapting to social norms and practical application.

Conclusions

The results provide an important insight into migrant mothers' approach to utilisation of oral health-related information. This approach distinguished being rational and making logical connections, believing in their capacity to know what is right for their children and acting based on these beliefs, as well as adapting to prevailing social norms and applying information in specific use. This knowledge can be used to support parental oral health actions and conduct further research in this area.

Objective

This interview study explored the oral health literacy of migrant mothers in Sweden, with special reference to where and why they access information about oral health and how they determine the credibility of such information.

Material and method

In-depth interviews were conducted with seven migrant mothers of children up to 10 years old. The mothers had entered Sweden from 2015 onwards and had been resettled in Kalmar County, Sweden. Their native language was Somalian, Dari or Arabic. The interview questions concerned the participants’ experiences of seeking oral health information, as well as oral health in general and dental health services. The interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis.

Findings

The main findings indicate that migrant mothers used information sourcing as a pathway to solve oral health literacy tasks. Three main categories were identified, each with subcategories, describing the migrant mothers’ experiences of accessing and evaluating oral health information: ‘accessible source of information’, ‘needs-related purpose of seeking information’ and ‘trustworthiness assessment’. The migrant mothers reported that in case of a dental emergency or general queries, they sought oral health information from professionals and social sources. Moreover, they perceived oral health information to be most reliable when it was provided by dental professionals, was a recurring theme, or constituted majority opinion.

Conclusion

To improve oral health literacy in migrant mothers of young children, it is important not only to provide consistent and recurrent oral health information through accessible information channels, but also to adapt dental care to be more culturally appropriate.

Parkinsons sjukdom är en av de vanligaste neurodegenerativa sjukdomarna och den blir vanligare i takt med åldrande. Risken för framför allt karies, men även för parodontit, ökar vid Parkinsons sjukdom. Då allt fler behåller sina tänder högt upp i åldern är det av största vikt att tidigt säkerställa att preventionsstrategier för god munhälsa fungerar.

INTRODUCTION: The identification of salivary molecules that can be associated to dental caries could provide insights about caries risk and offer valuable information to develop caries prediction models. However, the search for a universal caries biomarker has proven elusive due to the multifactorial nature of this oral disease. We have therefore performed a systematic effort to identify caries-associated metabolites and proteins in saliva samples from adolescents that had a caries experience and those that were caries-free.

METHODS: Quantification of approximately 100 molecules was performed by the use of a wide range of techniques, ranging from NMR metabolomics to ELISA, Luminex or colorimetric assays, as well as clinical features like plaque accumulation and gingival index. In addition, simplified dietary and oral hygiene habits questionnaires were also obtained.

RESULTS: The caries-free group had significantly lower consumption of sweetened beverages and higher toothbrushing frequency. Surprisingly, very few compounds were found to individually provide discriminatory power between Caries-experienced and Caries-Free individuals. The data analysis revealed several potential reasons that could underly this lack of association value with caries, including differences in metabolite concentrations throughout the day, a lack of correlation between metabolite concentrations in plaque and saliva, or sex-related differences, among others. However, when multiple compounds were combined by multivariate analysis and random forest modelling, a combination of 3-5 compounds were found to provide good prediction models for morning (with an AUC accuracy of 0.87) and especially afternoon samples (AUC=0.93).

CONCLUSION: While few salivary biomarker could differentiate between caries-free and caries-experienced adolescents, a combination of markers proved effective, particularcly in afternoon samples. To predict caries risk, these biomarkers should be validated in larger cohorts and longitudinal settings, considering factors such as gender differences, and variations in oral hygiene and diet.