Associations of multidimensional health literacy with reported oral health promoting behaviour among Slovak adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Modification of health literacy (HL) is an important factor for improving and maintaining oral health. The aim of the study is to examine the association of HL with oral health-promoting behaviour (OHPB) and assess possible mediating effects of HL on the impact of socioeconomic status on OHPB. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey on the Slovak general adult population (N = 360, mean age 39) was conducted in 2014 and 2015. The association of HL (9 domains of the Health Literacy Questionnaire) and OHPB was analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for gender, age and educational level. Testing the mediating effect of HL domains between education attainment and OHPB was performed using the Sobel test. RESULTS: Women and respondents with higher education reported better OHPB. Regular tooth-brushing is associated with better HL in five domains: Feeling understood and supported by healthcare provider, Having sufficient information to manage my health, Activelymanaging my health, Social support for health, Appraisal of health information (Odds ratios (ORs) from 1.64 to 2.33, p < 0.05). Using interdental tools is in association with better HL in two domains: Feeling understood and supported by a healthcare provider and Having sufficient information to manage my health (ORs 1.71 to 1.80, p < 0.05). Respondents who visited a dentist for prevention score higher in Social support for health (OR 1.79, p < 0.05). Using a tongue scraper and single brush and reporting gums bleeding is notstatistically significantly associated with HL. Mediation was confirmed between the effect of respondents' education on using fluoride toothpaste - mediated respondent's ability to find good health information. Frequency of tooth-brushing and using interdental hygiene aids were both mediated by patient's sufficient information to manage health. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate HL to be an important factor related to good oral health, and HL should be considered when planning oral health interventions.

Trends in Laboratory Diagnostic Methods in Periodontology.

This work presents a summary of current knowledge on the laboratory diagnosis of periodontitis. It focuses on the theoretical foundations and is supplemented with new knowledge. It subsequently describes specifically the laboratory diagnosis methods of periodontitis: the protein expression of inflammation, oral microbiology and molecular diagnostics. Periodontitis is a serious disease worldwide and its confirmed association with systemic diseases means its severity is increasing. Its laboratory diagnosis has the potential to rise to the level of clinical and diagnostic imaging. The transfer of diagnostic methods from laboratory to clinical use is increasingly used in the prevention and monitoring of the exacerbation and treatment of periodontal disease, as well as of its impact on systemic disease.

4.1 Web-based interactive learning programmes.

In the future, the training of competent dentists will need to take advantage of up-to-date digital technologies and learning practices. In order to accomplish this, the following goals should be considered: i) the design of 'customizable' web-based curriculum matrices that accommodate the training philosophies and resources of individual dental schools; ii) the development of digital instructional modules that can be incorporated or downloaded into specific parts of a curriculum; iii) the establishment of an e-consortium, which provides peer view and guidance in the design of teaching modules, and which is responsible for the storage, maintenance, and distribution of teaching modules within the consortium; iv) the development of central human and physical resources at each dental school to enable the seamless delivery of instructional modules in a variety of learning environments; and v) the assessment and provision of ICT training to students and faculty with respect to the use of computers and related digital technologies and educational software programmes. These goals should lead to the creation of a 'virtual dental school'. Within this project summative and formative evaluations should be performed during both the production and development of teaching material (e-learning material) and the learning process. During the learning process the following aspects should be measured and evaluated: i) students' behaviour; and ii) effectiveness, retention and the transfer of e-learned material into the clinical situation. To obtain evidence of the efficacy of e-learning material a certain amount of research has to be done in the near future. It is suggested that all parameters currently known have to be implemented during the development of a learning programme. Previous workers have evaluated the following elements with e-learning: i) planning, ii) programming and technical development, iii) learning behaviours, iv) learning outcomes of both the programme and the student, v) the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitude and vi) the transfer of e-learned skills into clinical situations.