Trend in basic oral treatment needs in relation to taxation of sweets, ice cream, and sugar-sweetened beverages in Finland: a registry-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The aims were to explore the trend in basic oral treatment needs and total operating cost of public dental services (PDS) in relation to total excise tax revenue generated from sugary products during 2011-2020 and to evaluate the impact of tax policy in excise tax revenue of sugary products and average sugar consumption. METHODS: The study comprised longitudinal data retrieved from Finnish registries during the years 2011-2020. Basic oral treatment needs, and total operating cost of PDS, total excise tax revenue generated from sugary products and average sugar consumed (kg per capita) during the years 2011-2020 were obtained. Simplified panel analyses and sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate the effects of explanatory variables on outcomes.  Results: An approximate one EUR 1,000,000 increase in total excise tax revenue generated from sugary products corresponds to a 0.4% increase in total operating cost of PDS. There was a significant positive trend in total operating cost of PDS in Finland over the study period. Similarly, an approximate one EUR 1,000,000 rise in total excise tax revenue corresponds to a 0.2% increase in basic oral treatment needs. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference in the average excise tax revenue for sugary products between the periods before and after 2017. CONCLUSION: No change in average sugar consumption was observed despite implementing the new sugar policy. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to reconsider the excise tax on sweets and ice cream as it will significantly increase the total national revenues.

How personality affects reaction. A mental health behavioral insight review during the Pandemic.

The fear caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is changing our psychology and behavior. This ongoing negative event, imposing restrictions such as home isolation and social distancing, can result in heightened anxiety, depression and a sense of loneliness, with immediate effects on mental health. This study investigates adolescents' reaction to the pandemic, by analyzing the behavioral mental health trends of depression, anxiety and sense of loneliness, in relation to personality traits. After controlling for demographics and family background, our results reveal strong relationships between several personality traits and psychological health indicators, during the pandemic in Greece. A total of 419 secondary school students (aged 12-18) were administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Child Depression Inventory (CDI), the Big Five Inventory for measuring personality (BFI) and the Children's Loneliness Questionnaire (CLS) during two time periods within pandemic. Overall, it appears that depression increased significantly in line with the escalation of the pandemic, while anxiety decreased, with the strongest predictors being the personality variables of extraversion, neuroticism and openness. Surprisingly, the study also revealed that the level of extraversion has a positive effect on changes in anxiety, while a negative one on changes in depression. On the other hand, neuroticism and openness seem to negatively correlate with anxiety changes and positively with depression changes. These findings highlight the importance of considering these variables in addressing individuals' mental health behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic and elucidate the literature by offering a deeper understanding of the strong relationship between personality, depression and anxiety.