Oral health of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) is of utmost importance. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of dental caries and attendance to dental care in Finnish heart-operated CHD patients born in 1997-1999.
The cohort of children born in 1997-1999 was selected using a national register on all heart-operated children in Finland. Gender, general health problems, diagnosis, type of the heart defect (shunting, stenotic and complex defects), and number of operations were available and included in the analyses. Dental records from primary health care were collected from municipalities with their permission. The data comprised of the number of dental examinations and data on caries status (dt, DT, dmft, DMFT) at the age of 7 (grade 1), 11 (grade 5) and 15 (grade 8) years and at the most recent examination. The control group consisted of dental data on patients born in 1997-1999 provided by the City of Oulu, Finland (n?=?3356).
Oral patient records of 215/570 children were obtained. The difference between the defect types was statistically significant both for DT (p?=?0.046) and DMFT (p?=?0.009) at the age of 15 (grade 8). The prevalence of caries did not differ between the study population and the controls. High present and past caries experiences were not associated with higher number of visits to oral health care, especially to oral hygienist, or with oral health promotion. National obligations concerning dental visits were not implemented in all municipalities.
There seems to be a need for oral health promotion and preventive means implemented by oral hygienists among those with CHD.
Our aim was to evaluate the impact of deep wound infection after hip fracture surgery on functional outcome and mortality. Two thousand, two hundred and seventy-six consecutive surgically treated patients with non-pathological fractures, aged over 50 years (mean age 78.3 years), were followed up prospectively. The 29 patients who had deep infection (rate 1.3%) and who received revision surgery were compared with controls without infection, matched for age, sex, residential status at fracture, fracture type, treatment method and walking ability. When the functionality of hip fracture patients was evaluated four months after the primary operation, the patients with deep wound infection had impaired walking ability (P=0.039) and required walking aids, including wheelchairs, more often than the control patients (48% vs 20.8%, P=0.022). At four months, the mean duration of hospitalization at the primary hospital was significantly longer for the cases than the controls (P
Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Paediatric Dentistry, Research Unit of Oral Health Sciences, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5281, 90014, Oulu, Finland. paivi.rajavaara@gmail.com.
To analyse the occurrence and causes of dental general anaesthesia (DGA) in healthy and medically compromised children, and to investigate if there are differences between those groups considering factors associated with DGA and DGA procedures.
The data was collected from medical records of children under 7 years of age treated under DGA in the years 2009 and 2010 at the Oulu University Hospital, Finland. The children were divided into two groups: 0-35-month-olds and =36-month olds. Background information (year, age, gender, dental diagnosis, health) and the procedures performed were registered. The procedures were analysed considering the child's age and tooth types.
The number of children treated under DGA increased between 2009 (58) and 2010 (82), particularly in the group of healthy children. The two main diagnoses leading to DGA were dental caries and dental fear. Dental caries as the first dental diagnosis leading to DGA was more common among the medically compromised children (61.5%) compared to the healthy children (38.6%). The procedures performed were similar among the two groups. However, they varied between the age groups and tooth types and even between upper and lower teeth. The medically compromised children had been treated more frequently under DGA in the past.
The threshold for treating medically compromised children under DGA seems to be lower than for healthy children. However, the occurrence of DGA among healthy children has increased recently. To avoid unnecessary DGA, the control of caries should be carried out according to individual needs and independent of whether the child is healthy or has a chronic disease.
Notes
Cites: Community Dent Health. 2011 Dec;28(4):255-8 PMID 22320061
To analyse the occurrence and causes of dental general anaesthesia (DGA) in healthy and medically compromised children, and to investigate if there are differences between those groups considering factors associated with DGA and DGA procedures.
The data was collected from medical records of children under 7 years of age treated under DGA in the years 2009 and 2010 at the Oulu University Hospital, Finland. The children were divided into two groups: 0-35-month-olds and =36-month olds. Background information (year, age, gender, dental diagnosis, health) and the procedures performed were registered. The procedures were analysed considering the child's age and tooth types.
The number of children treated under DGA increased between 2009 (58) and 2010 (82), particularly in the group of healthy children. The two main diagnoses leading to DGA were dental caries and dental fear. Dental caries as the first dental diagnosis leading to DGA was more common among the medically compromised children (61.5%) compared to the healthy children (38.6%). The procedures performed were similar among the two groups. However, they varied between the age groups and tooth types and even between upper and lower teeth. The medically compromised children had been treated more frequently under DGA in the past.
The threshold for treating medically compromised children under DGA seems to be lower than for healthy children. However, the occurrence of DGA among healthy children has increased recently. To avoid unnecessary DGA, the control of caries should be carried out according to individual needs and independent of whether the child is healthy or has a chronic disease.
Laser fluorescence in monitoring the influence of targeted tooth brushing on remineralization of initial caries lesions on newly erupted molar teeth - RCT.
This study aimed to monitor mineralization changes in initial caries lesions on newly erupted second molars using laser fluorescence (LF) scanning after a 1-month targeted tooth brushing intervention.
Altogether, 124 13- to 14-year-old school children were invited to participate. Of those who fulfilled the clinical criteria (at least one initial lesion with LF value >10 in second molars), 51 gave their written consent to participate. Laser fluorescence values were registered at baseline and after 1-month follow-up period. All participants were individually taught targeted tooth brushing of their second molars and randomly provided tooth paste with 0 or 1500 ppm fluoride. Brushing frequency was investigated at baseline and after the follow-up. Change in LF values was compared considering the tooth, content of fluoride in the paste and brushing frequency.
In lesions with LF values =30 at baseline, change in LF values demonstrated improvement. Improvement was detected especially in upper molars. In lesions with LF values >30 at baseline, improvement was least detected. Brushing frequency increased slightly during the intervention.
Laser fluorescence is a simple method and useful in monitoring remineralization of incipient lesions even in weeks. Targeted tooth brushing seems to induce remineralization even in weeks. Laser fluorescence could be a valuable motivating tool in promoting patients' self-care.
A randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of a Web-based health behaviour change support system and group lifestyle counselling on body weight loss in overweight and obese subjects: 2-year outcomes.
Weight loss can prevent and treat obesity-related diseases. However, lost weight is usually regained, returning to the initial or even higher levels in the long term. New counselling methods for maintaining lifestyle changes are urgently needed.
An information and communication technology-based health behaviour change support system (HBCSS) that utilizes persuasive design and methods of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was developed with the aim of helping individuals to maintain body weight. The purpose of this study was to assess whether CBT-based group counselling combined with HBCSS or HBCSS alone helps to maintain improved lifestyle changes needed for weight loss compared to self-help guidance or usual care.
A randomized lifestyle intervention for overweight or obese persons (BMI 27-35 kg m-2 and age 20-60 years), recruited from the population registry in the city of Oulu, Finland, was conducted. This study comprised six randomly assigned study arms: CBT-based group counselling (eight sessions led by a nutritionist), self-help guidance-based group counselling (SHG; two sessions led by a nurse) and control, each with or without HCBSS, for 52 weeks. Subjects visited the study centre for anthropometric measurements, blood sample collection and to complete questionnaires at baseline, 12 and 24 months. The main outcome was weight change from baseline to 12 months and from baseline to 24 months.
Of the 1065 volunteers screened for the study, 532 subjects (51% men) met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. The retention rate was 80% at 12 months and 70% at 24 months. CBT-based counselling with HBCSS produced the largest weight reduction without any significant weight gain during follow-up. The mean weight change in this arm was 4.1% [95% confidence interval (CI), -5.4 to -2.8, P
To develop an automatic system for utilizing electronic dental records, a data mining system to extract the diagnostic and treatment codes from the records for an intermediate file and automatic drawing of Kaplan-Meier-type survival curves was first created. Then this intermediate file was analyzed with SAS software for the scientific determination of Kaplan-Meier survival of tooth/surface-specific healthy time and survival of restorations in each permanent tooth, health center, and age cohort and also combined. All patients born in 1985, 1990 or 1995 in 28 health centers in Finland were analyzed. Patients classified as caries-active were those who had caries in any first permanent molar under the age of 8 years, while resistant patients did not have caries in these teeth before 10 years. In the younger age cohorts, a shortening of survival of caries-free teeth was seen. The shortest caries-free survival was seen in mandibular and maxillary molars in the youngest age cohort. Occlusal surfaces of molars determined their caries onsets and proximal caries occurred equally in molars, incisors and premolars, whereas canines or mandibular incisors did not have caries in these age cohorts. Caries-prone subjects had the shortest survival in all their teeth. The median longevity of all restorations was 11.7 years, with great variation between health centers and teeth. Because of the great variation between individual teeth, the tooth-specific approach seems appropriate in both caries epidemiology and material sciences.
University of Oulu, Finland DDS (Pediatric Dentistry), PhD student, Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Pediatric Dentistry, Research Unit of Oral Health Sciences, Dental Teaching Unit and Unit of Specialized Care, Municipal Health Centre, Oral Health Care, City of Oulu, Finland.
Treatment under general anaesthesia (DGA) is a rising trend in Finland. There is a great need to investigate the causes leading to it. Our purpose was to examine family-related factors reported by parents, such as the family size and favoring DGA in the family, and their influence on children being treated under DGA. This survey was based on a questionnaire targeted to parents of children whose dental treatment could not be performed in a conventional setting.
Guardians of 87 healthy children treated under DGA at a municipal health center in the city of Oulu, Finland, between November 2014 and December 2015 answered the questionnaire on family-related background factors and on the respondent's own as well as their child's presumed dental fear.
According to most guardians (83.9% of the cases), the reason for DGA was caries. Male gender, vague family structure, large number of siblings (?4), and DGA history in the family were all important family-related background factors leading to DGA. Self-reported parental dental fear was quite common (25.3%). Children's dental fear reported by parents was associated with DGA in almost half of the cases (46.0%).
The survey highlights the role of the entire family in association with children ending up being treated under DGA. It is essential for the success of dental health care to also consider family-related factors when planning the treatment, particularly with children demanding DGA.
