Implementation of a 4Ms approach in age-friendly oral health care at an Academic Specialty Care Dental Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Implementing the Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) framework into dental care provides a significant opportunity to link oral health to healthy aging. This project aimed to implement the AFHS 4Ms (what matters, medications, mentation, and mobility) in the provision of oral health care. This article describes the planning, integration, training development, and outcome measurements supporting a 4Ms approach at an academic dental clinic. METHODS: The Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH) implemented screening instruments based on the 4Ms framework recommended for ambulatory care clinics by the Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI). These ambulatory instruments were integrated into the workflows of a Specialty Care Clinic through the development of a plan-do-study-act cycle, utilization of available clinic resources, and creation of interdisciplinary collaborations. RESULTS: This project demonstrated the feasibility of implementing an AFHS checklist and tracking forms in dental practice by integrating available resources and prioritizing the 4Ms elements. This effort necessitated interdisciplinary collaborations between dental, medical, and social service professionals. It also created a new age-friendly focused education and training curriculum for dental residents and faculty. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot project is the first to establish dental standards for AFHS implementation, adapting the 4Ms assessment and metrics to oral health. This AFHS underscores key oral health processes, including assessment, planning, and personalized oral health care, adapted to the unique needs of the older adult population, especially those with cognitive impairment.

Psychosocial Risk Exposure Limits Routine Pediatric Oral Health Care.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify social, psychological, and contextual factors that influenced attendance at routine oral health visits in a cohort of 189 preschool children who were followed over a 2-year period. Methods: Generalized estimating equation was used to examine the association between clinic attendance and the predictors. ORs and 95% CIs were reported in the multiple logistic regression models. The study was conducted in Rochester, New York, between February 2016 and February 2021. Results: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic declaration, the rate of canceled and no-show appointments was greater for routine clinic visits (20% and 24%, respectively) than for research visits (14% and 9%, respectively) for the same participants; these rates increased during the pandemic. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the likelihood of a canceled or no-show appointment was associated with parental depression (OR=1.06, CI=1.03, 1.09), regardless of the type or occurrence of the visit. Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate that attendance to oral health care in young children is reliably reduced with parental depression and that this may provide one mechanism for early emerging health inequalities of oral health.

Dental staff and patient attitudes about nicotine replacement therapy samples in dental care: A National Dental Practice-Based Research Network study.

OBJECTIVES: Cigarette smoking negatively affects oral health. Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT; e.g. nicotine patch or lozenge) and brief interventions (e.g. Ask-Advise-Refer; AAR) can improve cessation outcomes but are underutilized. NRT sampling (NRTS) increases NRT utilization by providing patients with samples of NRT as part of routine healthcare. Ask-Advise-Refer is a brief intervention where practitioners: ask patients about tobacco use, advise those using tobacco to quit and refer to the state quit line. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore dental care practitioners' and patients' attitudes and experiences regarding tobacco cessation treatment and perceptions of two brief intervention models, assessed separately: NRTS and AAR. METHODS: Twenty-four dental care practitioners and nine patients, recruited through the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. Interviews assessed experiences with tobacco use intervention and attitudes towards NRTS and AAR. Thematic analysis identified emergent themes related to feasibility and acceptability of NRTS and AAR. RESULTS: Practitioners varied on how they address tobacco use, from systematically to idiosyncratically. Some practitioners recommend NRT; few had prescribed it. Practitioners had favourable attitudes towards AAR and NRTS, with most believing that both interventions would be acceptable and feasible to implement. Concerns regarding AAR were time and patient resistance to discussing tobacco use. Concerns regarding NRTS were patient resistance to using NRT, side effects or medication interactions, and capacity to provide follow-up. Patients reported that oral health practitioners generally ask about tobacco use but do not provide interventions. Patients were open to discussing their tobacco use with practitioners and had favourable attitudes about NRTS. CONCLUSIONS: This formative work suggests that NRTS and AAR may be feasible to implement in dental care settings. Future studies are needed to assess the effectiveness and implementation potential of NRTS in dental care settings.

Characteristics of dentists in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

OBJECTIVES: Our aims are to describe the characteristics of dentists, members of the US National Dental practice-based research network (PBRN) in the United States, and determine how often these dentists provide specific dental procedures. METHODS: Dentists completed a questionnaire when they enrolled in the Network about their demographic and training characteristics and characteristics of their practices and patients. Dentists also reported the frequency of providing specific dental procedures. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of 4,483 dentists in active clinical practice, 34% identified as females, 70% as white, and 73% as general dentists. Most dentists practiced in large metropolitan areas (87%) and in solo or small practices (72%). On average, they reported about one-half of their patients were children or older adults, a third were from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and one-quarter were covered by public insurance. Most dentists routinely performed restorations and fixed prosthetics (78%), extractions (59%), removable (44%) and implant (40%) prosthetics, and endodontics on incisor and premolar teeth (44%). CONCLUSIONS: Dentists participating in the National Dental PBRN have much in common with dentists at large. The network has a broad representation of dentists, practice types, patient populations, and treatments offered, including diversity regarding race/ethnicity, gender, insurance, and geography of its practitioners and patients. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Characteristics of National Dental PBRN dentists suggest that a broad range of dentists is interested in participating in national-level research studies, thereby enabling an array of clinical study settings and topics that can optimize the generalizability of study findings.

Onset and resolution of pain among treated and untreated posterior teeth with a visible crack: Three-year findings from the national dental practice-based research network.

OBJECTIVE: Cracked teeth may be associated with pain, especially biting pain, and to a lesser degree cold and spontaneous pain.  Described are how commonly these pains remain constant, develop, or resolve over time, none of which have been well-described, especially among untreated cracked teeth. METHODS: Cracked teeth from the Cracked Tooth Registry (CTR) study were followed for 3 years.  Assessments of cold, biting, and spontaneous pain and treatments performed were completed at enrollment (Y0) and at each annual recall visit. RESULTS: 209 practitioners enrolled 2,858 patients, each with a visible crack on a posterior tooth; 2601 (91%) patients attended at least one recall visit. Overall, 960 (37%) were treated, primarily with crowns. Among both treated and untreated cracked teeth with biting pain or spontaneous pain at Y0, the vast majority (92-99%) had their pain resolved by the time of a recall visit and 85-93% remained pain-free after initial resolution. The observations for cold pain were similar: 68% (untreated) and 78% (treated) became free of cold pain at some point during follow-up, and 84% of these stayed free of cold pain after initial resolution. Few teeth developed biting or spontaneous pain (4-8%) and 44-67% of these had pain resolution during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: In this study, treatment resolved a preponderance of pain associated with a cracked tooth.  Pain was also resolved for most untreated cracked teeth, especially biting pain, and to a lesser degree spontaneous and cold pain, although not to the same degree as with the treated cracked teeth.

Outcomes of treatment and monitoring of posterior teeth with cracks: three-year results from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

OBJECTIVES: To describe treatment and monitoring outcomes of posterior teeth with cracks at baseline followed in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network for up to three years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and nine dentists enrolled a convenience sample of 2,858 patients, each with a posterior tooth with at least one visible crack and followed them for three years. Characteristics at the patient, tooth, and crack level were recorded at baseline and at annual recall visits. Data on all teeth referred for extraction were reviewed. Data on all other teeth, treated or monitored, seen at one or more recall visits were reviewed for evidence of failure (subsequent extraction, endodontics, or recommendation for a re-treatment). RESULTS: The survival rate for teeth with cracks at baseline exceeded 98% (only 37 extractions), and the failure rate for teeth that were treated restoratively was only 14%. Also, only about 14% of teeth recommended at baseline for monitoring were later recommended to be treated, and about 6.5% of teeth recommended for monitoring at baseline were later treated without a specific recommendation. Thus, about 80% of teeth recommended at baseline for monitoring continued with a monitoring recommendation throughout the entire three years of the study. Treatment failures were associated with intracoronal restorations (vs. full or partial coverage) and male patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this large 3-year practice-based study conducted across the USA, the survival rate of posterior teeth with a visible crack exceeded 85%. Clinical relevance Dentists can effectively evaluate patient-, tooth-, and crack-level characteristics to determine which teeth with cracks warrant treatment and which only warrant monitoring.

Assessment of an Innovative Mobile Dentistry eHygiene Model Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network: Protocol for Design, Implementation, and Usability Testing.

BACKGROUND: Amid COVID-19, and other possible future infectious disease pandemics, dentistry needs to consider modified dental examination regimens that render quality care, are cost effective, and ensure the safety of patients and dental health care personnel (DHCP). Traditional dental examinations, which number more than 300 million per year in the United States, rely on person-to-person tactile examinations, pose challenges to infection control, and consume large quantities of advanced-level personal protective equipment (PPE). Therefore, our long-term goal is to develop an innovative mobile dentistry (mDent) model that takes these issues into account. This model supplements the traditional dental practice with virtual visits, supported by mobile devices such as mobile telephones, tablets, and wireless infrastructure. The mDent model leverages the advantages of digital mobile health (mHealth) tools such as intraoral cameras to deliver virtual oral examinations, treatment planning, and interactive oral health management, on a broad population basis. Conversion of the traditional dental examinations to mDent virtual examinations builds upon (1) the reliability of teledentistry, which uses intraoral photos and live videos to make diagnostic decisions, and (2) rapid advancement in mHealth tool utilization. OBJECTIVE: In this pilot project, we designed a 2-stage implementation study to assess 2 critical components of the mDent model: virtual hygiene examination (eHygiene) and patient self-taken intraoral photos (SELFIE). Our specific aims are to (1) assess the acceptance and barriers of mDent eHygiene among patients and DHCP, (2) assess the economic impact of mDent eHygiene, and (3) assess the patient's capability to generate intraoral photos using mHealth tools (exploratory aim, SELFIE). METHODS: This study will access the rich resources of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network to recruit 12 dentists, 12 hygienists, and 144 patients from 12 practices. For aims 1 and 2, we will use role-specific questionnaires to collect quantitative data on eHygiene acceptance and economic impact. The questionnaire components include participant characteristics, the System Usability Scale, a dentist-patient communication scale, practice operation cost, and patient opportunity cost. We will further conduct a series of iterative qualitative research activities using individual interviews to further elicit feedback and suggestion for changes to the mDent eHygiene model. For aim 3, we will use mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) to assess the patient's capability of taking intraoral photos, by analyzing obtained photos and recorded videos. RESULTS: The study is supported by the US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. This study received "single" institutional review board approval in August 2021. Data collection and analysis are expected to conclude by December 2021 and March 2022, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study results will inform the logistics of conducting virtual dental examinations and empowering patients with mHealth tools, providing better safety and preserving PPE amid the COVID-19 and possible future pandemics. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/32345.

Anticholinergic medication: Related dry mouth and effects on the salivary glands.

OBJECTIVE: Salivary glands are among the most sensitive target organs of medications with anticholinergic (AC) properties, interrupting the neural stimulation of saliva secretion and reducing saliva flow. Hyposalivation results in dry mouth, leading to dental caries, intraoral infection, orofacial pain, problems with speaking and swallowing, and diminished oral health--related quality of life. Current understanding of the pharmacokinetics of AC medications and their effect on muscarinic receptors in the salivary glands were reviewed to assist clinicians in predicting salivary damage in patients with AC medication-induced dry mouth. STUDY DESIGN: We summarized the literature related to the mechanisms and properties of AC medications, anticholinergic adverse effects, and their effect on salivary function and management strategies to prevent oral health damage. RESULTS: Although a large number of studies reported on the frequencies of medication-induced dry mouth, we found very limited data on predicting individual susceptibility to AC medication--caused hyposalivation and no prospective clinical studies addressing this issue. CONCLUSION: Dry mouth is most frequently caused by medications with AC properties, which interrupt the neural stimulation of saliva secretion. Interdisciplinary care should guide pharmacotherapeutics and dental interventions should aim in preventing AC salivary adverse effects and reducing the oral health burden from AC medication-induced dry mouth.

The use of teledentistry in facilitating oral health for older adults: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Teledentistry is used in many countries to provide oral health care services. However, using teledentistry to provide oral health care services for older adults is not well documented. This knowledge gap needs to be addressed, especially when accessing a dental clinic is not possible and teledentistry might be the only way for many older adults to receive oral health care services. TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED: Nine databases were searched and 3,396 studies were screened using established eligibility criteria. Included studies were original research or review articles in which the intervention of interest was delivered to an older adult population (≥ 60 years) via teledentistry. The authors followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review criteria. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were identified that met the criteria for inclusion. Only 1 study was from the United States. Seven studies had results focusing on older adult participants only, with most of those conducted in elder care facilities. The remainder consisted of studies with mixed-age populations reporting distinct results or information for older adults. The included studies used teledentistry, in both synchronous and asynchronous modes, to provide services such as diagnosis, oral hygiene promotion, assessment and referral of oral emergencies, and postintervention follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Teledentistry comprises a variety of promising apps. The authors identified and described uses, promising possibilities, and limitations of teledentistry to improve the oral health of older adults.

Baseline characteristics as 3-year predictors of tooth fracture and crack progression: Findings from The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

BACKGROUND: The authors of this practice-based study estimated the risk of experiencing tooth fractures and crack progression over 3 years and correlated baseline patient-, tooth-, and crack-level characteristics with these outcomes. METHODS: Two-hundred-and-nine National Dental Practice-Based Research Network dentists enrolled a convenience sample of 2,601 participants with a cracked vital posterior tooth that had been examined for at least 1 recall visit over 3 years. Data were collected at the patient, tooth, and crack levels at baseline, annual follow-up visits, and any interim visits. Associations between these characteristics and the subsequent same-tooth fractures and crack progression were quantified. RESULTS: Of the 2,601 teeth with a crack or cracks at baseline, 78 (3.0%; 95% confidence interval, 2.4% to 3.7%) subsequently developed a fracture. Of the 1,889 patients untreated before year 1, 232 (12.3%; 95% confidence interval, 10.9% to 13.8%) had some type of crack progression. Baseline tooth-level characteristics associated with tooth fracture were the tooth was maxillary and had a wear facet through enamel and a crack was detectable with an explorer, on the facial surface, and in a horizontal direction. Crack progression was associated with males and teeth with multiple cracks at baseline; teeth with a baseline facial crack were less likely to show crack progression. There was no commonality between characteristics associated with tooth fracture and those associated with crack progression. CONCLUSIONS: Development of tooth fractures and crack progression over 3 years were rare occurrences. Specific characteristics were associated with the development of tooth fracture and crack progression, although none were common to both. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This information can aid dentists in assessing factors that place posterior cracked teeth at risk of experiencing adverse outcomes.

Interprofessional collaboration and smartphone use as promising strategies to improve prenatal oral health care utilization among US underserved women: results from a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Data on barriers and facilitators to prenatal oral health care among low-income US women are lacking. The objective of this study was to understand barriers/facilitators and patient-centered mitigation strategies related to the use of prenatal oral health care among underserved US women. METHODS: We used community-based participatory research to conduct two focus groups with eight pregnant/parenting women; ten individual in-depth interviews with medical providers, dental providers and community/social workers; and one community engagement studio with five representative community stakeholders in 2018-2019. Using an interpretive description research design, we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for thematic content. RESULTS: We identified individual and systemic barriers/facilitators to the utilization of prenatal oral health care by underserved US women. Strategies reported to improve utilization included healthcare system-wide changes to promote inter-professional collaborations, innovative educational programs to improve dissemination and implementation of prenatal oral health care guidelines, and specialized dental facilities providing prenatal oral health care to underserved women. Moreover, smartphones have the potential to be an innovative entry point to promote utilization of prenatal oral care at the individual level. CONCLUSIONS: Low-income women face multiple, addressable barriers to obtaining oral health care during pregnancy. Inter-professional collaboration holds strong promise for improving prenatal oral health care utilization.

Human genes influence the interaction between Streptococcus mutans and host caries susceptibility: a genome-wide association study in children with primary dentition.

Streptococcus mutans is a well-known cause of dental caries, due to its acidogenicity, aciduricity, and ability to synthesize exopolysaccharides in dental plaques. Intriguingly, not all children who carry S. mutans manifest caries, even with similar characteristics in oral hygiene, diet, and other environmental factors. This phenomenon suggests that host susceptibility potentially plays a role in the development of dental caries; however, the association between host genetics, S. mutans, and dental caries remains unclear. Therefore, this study examined the influence of host gene-by-S. mutans interaction on dental caries. Genome-wide association analyses were conducted in 709 US children (<13 years old), using the dbGap database acquired from the center for oral health research in appalachia (COHRA) and the Iowa Head Start programmes (GEIRS). A generalized estimating equation was used to examine the gene-by-S. mutans interaction effects on the outcomes (decayed and missing/filled primary teeth due to caries). Sequentially, the COHRA and GEIRS data were used to identify potential interactions and replicate the findings. Three loci at the genes interleukin 32 (IL32), galactokinase 2 (GALK2), and CUGBP, Elav-like family member 4 (CELF4) were linked to S. mutans carriage, and there was a severity of caries at a suggestive significance level among COHRA children (P < 9 × 10-5), and at a nominal significance level among GEIRS children (P = 0.047-0.001). The genetic risk score that combined the three loci also significantly interacted with S. mutans (P < 0.000 1). Functional analyses indicated that the identified genes are involved in the host immune response, galactose carbohydrate metabolism, and food-rewarding system, which could potentially be used to identify children at high risk for caries and to develop personalized caries prevention strategies.

Concordance between practitioner questionnaire responses and observed clinical treatment recommendations for treatment of dentin hypersensitivity: findings from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

BACKGROUND: Few published reports have presented concordance between treatment choices selected by dentists in hypothetical clinical scenarios and treatment choices made by the same dentists in actual clinical practice. The aim of the current cross-sectional study, conducted within the Management of Dental Hypersensitivity (MDH) study, was to assess the potential value of practitioners' questionnaire responses regarding their typical treatment provided for management of dentin hypersensitivity (DH), by evaluating agreement between these responses and subsequently-observed recommendations recorded during actual clinical examinations. METHODS: A total of 171 practitioners enrolled in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network completed both a questionnaire and a clinical study regarding methods they use to treat dental hypersensitivity. The questionnaire solicited first-, second- and third-choice products when prescribing or recommending management of dentin hypersensitivity. Agreement was calculated for first-choice products/recommendations and for inclusion in the top three choices, as identified by the practitioners, from 11 listed treatment options. Overall percent agreement and Cohen's kappa statistic were calculated, with associated 95% confidence intervals (CI). Associations between practitioner characteristics and agreement were also evaluated. RESULTS: For individual treatment modalities, percentage agreement ranged from 63 to 99%, depending on the specific item. Percentage agreement between typical treatment and actual treatment for each practitioner's top three treatment modalities, as a combined grouping, ranged from 61 to 100%. When these same agreement pairings were quantified to account for agreement above that expected by chance, kappa values were poor to low. CONCLUSIONS: Concordance between hypothetical clinical scenarios and treatment choices made by the same dentists in actual clinical practice showed moderate to high levels of percentage agreement, but Cohen's kappa values suggested relatively low levels of agreement beyond that expected by chance. This analysis adds to the larger work of the network which has now observed a wide range of agreement between hypothetical and actual care, depending upon the specific diagnosis or treatment under consideration. Questionnaire data for DH might serve as a useful adjunct to clinical data regarding treatment recommendations, but agreement was not sufficiently high to justify use of questionnaires alone to characterize patterns of treatment for this particular condition.

Electronic and paper mode of data capture when assessing patient-reported outcomes in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

AIM: Our objectives were to describe the approach used in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network to capture patient-reported outcomes and to compare electronic and paper modes of data capture in a specific network study. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter cohort study of 1862 patients with dentin hypersensitivity. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed based on patients' perception of pain using Visual Analog Scales and Labeled Magnitude scales at baseline and at 1, 4 and 8 weeks post-baseline. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of study patients chose to complete follow-up assessments via an electronic mode; 15% completed them via a paper mode. There was not a significant difference in the proportions of patients who completed the 8-week assessment when comparing the electronic mode to the paper mode (92% vs. 90.8%, P = 0.31, Rao-Scott clustered χ2 -test). CONCLUSION: The electronic mode of data capture was as operational as the traditional paper mode, while also providing the advantage of eliminating data entry errors, not involving site research coordinators in measuring the patient-reported outcomes, and not incurring cost and potential delays due to mailing study forms. Electronic data capture of patient reported outcomes could be successfully implemented in the community dental practice setting.

Association of periodontal disease with depression and adverse birth outcomes: Results from the Perinatal database; Finger Lakes region, New York State.

Preterm and low birth weight infants are at greater risk for mortality and a variety of health and developmental problems. Data from the Finger Lakes Perinatal Data System database on 316,956 deliveries occurring between 2004-2014 and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed to assess the association of periodontal (gum) disease with depression, other maternal factors and adverse birth outcomes. Adjusted effects of periodontal disease and depression on adverse birth outcomes were estimated using multiple logistic regression models and path analysis. Having preterm delivery was associated significantly with depression (OR = 1.177; 95% CI: [1.146, 1.208]), having adequate health care (OR = 1.638; 95% CI: [1.589, 1.689]), smoking during pregnancy (OR = 1.259; 95% CI: [1.220, 1.300]), and being less educated (OR = 1.214; 95% CI: [1.174, 1.256]). Having low birth weight was significantly associated with depression (OR = 1.206; 95% CI: [1.170, 1.208]), smoking during pregnancy (OR = 1.855; 95% CI: [1.793, 1.919]), and being less educated (OR = 1.322; 95% CI: [1.275, 1.370]). Periodontal disease was significantly associated with alcohol use during pregnancy (OR = 1.314; 95% CI: [1.227, 1.407]) and white race (OR = 1.192; 95% CI: [1.167, 1.217]). Depression was significantly associated with periodontal disease (OR = 1.762; 95% CI: [1.727, 1.797]) and alcohol use during pregnancy (OR = 1.470; 95% CI: [1.377, 1.570]). We concluded that a positive association existed between depression during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes, and that depression served as a mediator in the association of periodontal disease with adverse birth outcomes.

Preferences for peer-reviewed versus other publication sources: a survey of general dentists in the National Dental PBRN.

BACKGROUND: Medical professionals have access to a broad range of resources to address clinical information needs. While much attention is given to new sources of data such as those available on the internet, it is less clear how clinicians choose between peer-reviewed research literature and other publication-based sources. This analysis distinguishes between possible drivers of publication type preference (namely, practice setting, advanced training, professional development experiences). Dentists enrolled in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) are the population for this study. Theories of human and intellectual capital and institutional logics theory are used to understand how advanced training and other clinical experiences may explain the choices that dentists make when faced with clinical questions. METHODS: An online questionnaire was implemented with general dentists in the US National Dental PBRN. A series of logistic and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models were used to explain the use of peer-reviewed and other publications. Measures of knowledge-based human capital distinctions (advanced clinical training and research engagement, advanced professional status, personal motivation for professional advancement) were used to explain preferences for research literature as a clinical resource. RESULTS: General dentists with advanced training, as well as those with a skill advancement motivation, show a preference for peer-reviewed materials. General dentists who have been practicing longer tend to favor other dental publications, preferring those sources as a resource when faced with clinical challenges. Human capital and professional motivation distinguish the information preferences among general dentists. Further, these factors explain more variance in use of peer-reviewed materials than practice setting does. Few differences by demographic groups were evident. CONCLUSIONS: Results point to a distinct variation in the general dentistry professional community. Advanced training among general dentists, as well as the types of procedures typically conducted in their practice, distinguishes their information preferences from other general dentists, including those with more years of clinical experience.

Prenatal Oral Health Care and Early Childhood Caries Prevention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Despite the advancement of early childhood caries (ECC) prediction and treatment, ECC remains a significant public health burden in need of more effective preventive strategies. Pregnancy is an ideal period to promote ECC prevention given the profound influence of maternal oral health and behaviors on children's oral health. However, studies have shown debatable results with respect to the effectiveness of ECC prevention by means of prenatal intervention. Therefore, this study systematically reviewed the scientific evidence relating to the association between prenatal oral health care, ECC incidence, and Streptococcus mutans carriage in children. Five studies (3 randomized control trials, 1 prospective cohort study, and 1 nested case-control study) were included for qualitative assessment. Tested prenatal oral health care included providing fluoride supplements, oral examinations/cleanings, oral health education, dental treatment referrals, and xylitol gum chewing. Four studies that assessed ECC incidence reduction were included in meta-analysis using an unconditional generalized linear mixed effects model with random study effects and age as a covariate. The estimated odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals suggested a protective effect of prenatal oral health care against ECC onset before 4 years of age: 0.12 (0.02, 0.77) at 1 year of age, 0.18 (0.05, 0.63) at 2 years of age, 0.25 (0.09, 0.64) at 3 years of age, and 0.35 (0.12, 1.00) at 4 years of age. Children's S. mutans carriage was also significantly reduced in the intervention group. Future studies should consider testing strategies that restore an expectant mother's oral health to a disease-free state during pregnancy.