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How Often Do You Think About Oral Health as an Essential Part of Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle?
Published in Gia Merlo, Kathy Berra, Lifestyle Nursing, 2023
Judith Haber, Erin Hartnett, Jessamin Cipollina
Twenty-one years have passed since the landmark Surgeon General’s Report Oral Health in America declared early childhood caries (ECC) a “silent epidemic,” yet it remains the most common chronic disease of childhood, five times more common than asthma (HHS, 2000). Key findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015–2016) show that dental caries in children and adolescents age 2–19 increase with age from 21% to 45%, dental caries are higher in populations of color than in White children and adolescents, and higher in populations with lower incomes (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016). Prevalence of treated and untreated dental caries among US youth in this age group was found to be 45.8%, and incidence of caries increased with age with youth age 2–5 at 21.4%, youth age 6–11 at 50.5%, and youth age 12–19 at 53.8% (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016). Non-Hispanic Black youth showed the highest rates of untreated dental caries at 17.1%, followed by Hispanic (13.%), non-Hispanic White (11.7%), and non-Hispanic Asian (10.5%) youth groups (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016). As family income levels increased, the prevalence of treated and untreated dental caries decreased, with 56.3% of youth from families living below the federal poverty level compared to 34.8% of youth from families with income levels greater than 300% of the federal poverty level (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016).
Global Oral Health and Inequalities
Published in Vincent La Placa, Julia Morgan, Social Science Perspectives on Global Public Health, 2023
Extreme oral health inequalities exist for the most marginalised groups, for example, the homeless, prisoners, refugees, Indigenous groups, and those with long-term disabilities (Peres et al., 2019). Homeless people, living in HICs, have more untreated dental caries, more severe tooth loss, and are more likely to experience dental pain, than the general population (Parker et al., 2011). Prisoners have extremely poor oral health. Boyer et al. (2002) reported that prisoners in the USA had 8.4 times more untreated caries than non-institutionalised adults. There is little evidence about people who are homeless or prisoners in LMICs, although the oral health gradient will broadly adhere to the social gradient for each individual LMIC, with people in these groups, located at the bottom. Poorly resourced or limited availability of services in many LMICs is likely to exacerbate the problem. Indigenous peoples globally are especially vulnerable to oral diseases, even if living in a HIC, where general population oral health is good. Early childhood caries in Indigenous people has been reported to range from 68 to 90% and with increased severity (Parker et al., 2010). Adults from Indigenous groups have also been shown to have poorer oral health and higher treatment needs (Schroth et al., 2009).
Community practice
Published in Graham C. M. Watt, The Exceptional Potential of General Practice, 2018
Other challenges were traffic safety, addressing epidemics of lice and scabies and, later, tackling the poor dental condition of the youngsters. When family physicians examined children’s throats and mouths, they often observed the disastrous state of their teeth. A cross-sectional study of 30-month-old toddlers indicated that 18% had early childhood caries (2). Children whose parents had lower education, lower-ranking jobs, lower incomes and were living in more deprived neighborhoods had a significantly higher risk of early childhood caries. Children whose mother had an East European nationality had even higher prevalence rates. This study was one of the decisive arguments to integrate accessible dental care in the Community Health Center in 2006. Moreover, the Flemish government decided to integrate dental screening at 30 months in the official program of ‘Well-baby and Child clinics’.
Streptococcus mutans-associated bacteria in dental plaque of severe early childhood caries
Published in Journal of Oral Microbiology, 2022
Yixin Zhang, Jiakun Fang, Jingyi Yang, Xiaolei Gao, Liying Dong, Xuan Zheng, Liangjie Sun, Bin Xia, Na Zhao, Zeyun Ma, Yixiang Wang
Dental caries is a prevalent chronic disease, resulting from the demineralization of tooth tissues caused by acids produced from the bacterial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates. To date, dental caries remains a significant public health challenge. In 2017, the age-standardized prevalence of caries in deciduous teeth was 7.8%, while the number of prevalent cases reach to 532 million [1]. Early childhood caries (ECC) is defined as the presence of one or more noncavitated or cavitated lesions, caries-caused missing or filled surfaces, in any primary tooth of a child under six years old [2]. Early childhood caries (ECC) can cause serious oral problem as well as general health, including mouth pain and dental abscesses, impaired nutrition status, sleep disturbances [3,4]. Severe ECC (SECC) is an aggressive form of ECC. Based on the definition of SECC by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), children aged 3–5 years who have one or more cavitated lesions, caries-caused missing or filled smooth surface in primary teeth or decayed, missing or filled surfaces greater than or equal to four (age of 3), five (age of 4) or six (age of 5) are diagnosed as SECC patients. It occurs earlier in life, with more incidence and affects children growth, even physical and psychological health of the subjects during their whole lifespan [5].
The relationship between obesity and dental caries according to life style factors in schoolchildren: a case-control study
Published in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 2020
Dental caries is still known as the most prevalent chronic childhood disease in the world, although its prevalence has dropped in recent decades in many developed countries. In the United States, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011–2012) stated that more than 50% of children aged 6–18 years were affected with caries [1]. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Children’s Dental Health survey (2013) [2] reported the obvious caries experience as 49%, 34% and 46% in children aged 8, 12 and 15 years, respectively. In Turkey, National Survey carried out in 2004 by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with Hacettepe University, reported that 70% of the children at age of 5 and 61% of the children at age of 12 presented caries [3]. Early childhood caries which affects primary teeth during early stages of life, continues as a threatened risk in school years and track into adulthood. This growing burden of dental caries can have a deep effect on the oral and overall health and quality of life of children.
Comparison of remineralization by fluoride varnishes with and without casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate in primary teeth
Published in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 2019
Nehal Raid Salman, Magda ElTekeya, Niveen Bakry, Samia Soliman Omar, Maha El Tantawi
Compared to the studies conducted on the remineralization potential of MI varnish versus sodium fluoride varnishes in permanent teeth, fewer studies investigated this potential in primary teeth. Such a potential may provide an additional tool for controlling and preventing early childhood caries in younger children. The hypothesis of the study was that a fluoride varnish containing CPP-ACP (MI varnish) would be better than a varnish containing only fluoride (Prevident varnish) in remineralizing primary teeth. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of MI varnish and Prevident varnish in reducing the depth of caries-like lesions in primary teeth through minerals deposition.