Patient satisfaction 8-14 years after dental implant therapy - a questionnaire study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this questionnaire study was to investigate patient satisfaction 8-14 years after dental implant therapy and complications influencing the degree of satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was sent by post to 587 patients at a specialist clinic of periodontology. The questionnaire consisted of 19 statements or questions such as the degree of satisfaction with the implants and knowledge of complications. In nine of the questions, respondents were asked to grade the extent of their agreement with a statement by selecting from fixed answers. Three of the questions were designed to be answered using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: In total, 400 individuals (81%) responded to the questionnaire. The mean time elapsed since implant installation was 10 years. A great majority (81%) experienced a high chewing comfort and was satisfied or sufficiently satisfied (94%) with the aesthetic aspects of their implant restorations, while 32% of the individuals had experienced problems with their implant reconstructions. The disadvantage that patients remarked on was the cost of the treatment. Those who had experienced problems with their implant reconstructions were also less satisfied with the treatment. CONCLUSION: A great majority of the patients expressed a high degree of satisfaction with their dental implants 8-14 years after the treatment. Patients were less satisfied if they had experience of problems with their implant reconstructions and in cases when the clinicians were unable to resolve their complications.

The influence of normative and subjective oral health status on schoolchildren's happiness.

BACKGROUND: Traditional methods to measure oral health based on clinical standards are limited because they do not consider psychosocial and functional aspects of oral health. It has been recommended that these measures need to be supplemented by data obtained from patients regarding their individual perceptions on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Happiness is a multidimensional construct comprising both emotional and cognitive domains, and has been defined as "the degree to which an individual judges the overall quality of his or her life as a whole favorably". It has been associated with several health outcomes, including oral health. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of oral health conditions, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and socioeconomic factors on the subjective happiness of Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012 on a representative sample of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Santa Maria-RS, Brazil. The data were collected through dental examinations and structured interviews. The participants underwent an evaluation aimed at detecting dental caries, traumatic dental injuries, malocclusion, and gingival bleeding. They also completed the Brazilian versions of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire-short form (CPQ11-14-ISF: 16) and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), which was our outcome variable. Socioeconomic conditions were evaluated through a questionnaire that was completed by the participants' parents. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between the explanatory variables and the outcome. Moreover, a correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the SHS scores and the overall and domain scores of the CPQ11-14-ISF: 16. RESULTS: A total of 1,134 children were evaluated. Unadjusted analyses showed that happiness was associated with socioeconomic indicators, the use of dental services, clinical status, and scores on the OHRQoL measure. After adjustment, household overcrowding (RR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93-0.98), dental caries (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-0.99), malocclusion (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99), and the severity associated with the CPQ11-14 (RR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93-0.97) still showed a significant association with lower levels of the mean SHS score. CONCLUSIONS: Happiness is influenced by oral conditions, socioeconomic status, and OHRQoL.

Oral health self-care behaviors of rural older adults.

OBJECTIVES: This analysis describes the dental self-care behaviors used by a multiethnic sample of older adults and delineates the associations of self-care behaviors with personal characteristics and oral health problems. METHODS: A cross-sectional comprehensive oral health survey conducted with a random, multiethnic (African-American, American Indian, white) sample of 635 community-dwelling rural adults aged 60 years and older was completed in two rural southern counties. RESULTS: Rural older adults engage in a variety of self-care behaviors, including the use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicine (12.1 percent), OTC dental products (84.0 percent), salt (50.9 percent), prayer (6.1 percent), and complementary therapies (18.2 percent). Some gender and ethnic class differences are apparent, with greater use by women of OTC medicine and salt and greater use by African-Americans and American Indians of OTC medicine and OTC dental products. The use of dental self-care behaviors appears to be driven by need. Those reporting oral pain, bleeding gums, and dry mouth have greater odds of engaging in most of the dental self-care behaviors, including the use of complementary therapies. CONCLUSIONS: The major factor leading to the use of self-care behaviors is need. Although oral pain does increase the use of self-care behaviors, so do bleeding gums and dry mouth. Research and practice should address self-care behaviors used for oral health problems in addition to pain. Investigators should expand analysis of dental self-care behavior and the relationship of self-care behavior to the use of professional services. Further research also should explore the use of complementary therapies in dental self-care.

The role of cognitive ability in socio-economic inequalities in oral health.

Studies have postulated a role for cognitive ability in socio-economic inequalities in general health. This role has not been examined for oral health inequalities. We examined whether cognitive ability was associated with oral health, and whether it influenced the relationship between oral health and socio-economic position. Data were from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994), for participants aged 20-59 years. Oral health was indicated by extent of gingival bleeding, extent of loss of periodontal attachment, and tooth loss. Simple reaction time test, symbol digit substitution test, and serial digit learning test indicated cognitive ability. Education and poverty-income ratio were used as markers of socio-economic position. Participants with poorer cognitive ability had poorer oral health for all indicators. The association between oral health and socio-economic position attenuated after adjustment for cognitive ability. Cognitive ability explained part, but not all, of the socio-economic inequalities in oral health.

Present state of dental health knowledge, attitudes/behaviour and perceived oral health of Japanese employees.

The aim of this survey was to assess the present state of dental health knowledge, attitudes/behaviour and perceived oral health of Japanese employees. A 60-item questionnaire was used in a dental health project in the work place. The subjects comprised 77,845 employees, 76 per cent of whom reported delaying a dental visit until they had toothache, with about 60 per cent delaying even when they discovered a decayed tooth. The majority did not regard decayed teeth as a disease and only a minority reported regular dental visits. About three quarters reported bleeding gums on brushing, although more than half had never been taught professionally how to clean their teeth and less than 5 per cent flossed daily. More than half believed that false teeth were inevitable in old age, and that their teeth were getting worse despite daily brushing. About 70 per cent of the employees thought that it was impossible to prevent gum disease with toothbrushing alone, and nearly half believed a toothpaste with fluoride was effective in preventing periodontal disease. Reorientation of oral health care in Japan, therefore, is urgently needed and dental services have to be provided for the implementation of systematic oral health promotion for employees in the workplace.

Periodontal awareness among adult Finns in 1972 and 1990.

Surveys were conducted in 1972 and 1990 to analyze conceptions among Finns of their own periodontal status. The interview samples, drawn to represent the Finnish population, aged 15 years and more, comprised 965 persons in 1972 and 1,006 in 1990. After excluding edentulous individuals, a total of 732 in 1972 and 853 in 1990 were accepted for the interview study. In 1990, 2% of the respondents stated that they currently had gingivitis, the percentage being highest in the youngest age group (6%). In both years there were no statistically significant differences between the age, education, and residence subgroups with regard to gingivitis: nearly 60% of those in all subgroups claimed that they had never had gingivitis. The proportions of those who had never experienced gingival bleeding were 54% in 1972 and 50% in 1990. During the first observation period the youngest age group (15-24 years) was the only one in which the increment in self-recognized gingivitis was accompanied by a higher proportion experiencing gingival bleeding. The overall low prevalence of self-recognized gingivitis is at variance with the estimated periodontal treatment need according to Finnish clinical epidemiologic data. Our results indicate that knowledge concerning periodontal disease is still poor in Finland.

[Motivation for seeking periodontal care in a Palermo population]. / Motivazione alla richiesta di visita parodontale in un campione delle città di Palermo.

The Authors find a disagreement between symptomatology referred by patients and clinical pictures of pathology observed by sanitary operators. For instance a large percentage of patients considers bleending less important than the presence of calcolus. It is necessary a better information and secondary prevention increased.