Interdisciplinary assessment and management of a patient with a fibrous gingival enlargement of unknown origin: A case report.

A gingival enlargement of unclear cause could only be diagnosed after interdisciplinary cooperation as plasma cell gingivitis of unknown origin. Interdisciplinary approaches remain crucial when diagnosing rare gum diseases.

Evaluation of time and resources required for professional dental cleaning in nursing home residents.

AIM: We aimed to describe time requirements and costs associated with professional dental cleaning (PDC) performed by a dental nurse in one German nursing home, and to reveal potential differences in required time for demented versus nondemented and mobile versus immobile residents. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of treatment time and costs, including a transparent, easily adaptable path of action that allows implementation of PDC in nursing homes. Total mean (±SD) treatment time for one session per resident was documented, including differences in demented and immobile residents, and projected treatment costs (€/$) per resident. We found no differences in required time for one PDC (37 ± 11 minutes) in residents with or without dementia (P = 0.803) or, immobile versus mobile residents (P = 0.396). Mean projected treatment costs of PDC were €14.98/$17.07 per resident per cleaning session, resulting in total costs of €13.5 million ($15.4 million). CONCLUSION: Cognitive status and mobility does not affect the mean time required to perform PDC by a dental nurse in nursing home residents. Main cost factor is working time of dental staff; consumable supplies have less impact. Our data may stimulate to include PDC as initial step toward implementation of long-term oral hygiene strategies.

Self-assessment of oral health, dental health care and oral health-related quality of life among Parkinson's disease patients.

OBJECTIVE: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common condition in elderly people and can adversely affect oral health (OH). However, the subjective burden of oral symptoms on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with PD is largely unknown and needs to be better understood. The objective of this study was to explore self-assessed dental care in patients with PD, including the ability to perform oral hygiene, self-assessed xerostomia, drooling and dysphagia problems, and the impact on OH-related QoL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was completed by 100 patients with PD in Germany recruited from PD support groups, and included self-assessment of dental care, the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) score, the levodopa equivalent daily dose, the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-II and the leading OH-related symptoms. RESULTS: Participants experienced xerostomia (49%), drooling (70%) and dysphagia (47%) and suffered from a limited ability to perform oral hygiene (29%). The oral symptoms xerostomia, drooling and dysphagia impaired the OH-related QoL [OHIP total score 14.6 (9.7)-16.8 (11.4) compared to 11.3 (9.9) in participants without symptoms]. In total, 91.8% of participants had their own dentist. Only 6.1% of participants with xerostomia received advice regarding management. CONCLUSION: In this study, patients with PD suffered from OH-related symptoms (xerostomia, drooling, and dysphagia) that impaired their OH-related QoL. Participants felt that they received adequate dental health care; however, dental advice regarding management of PD-related OH problems was often lacking.