Are Teachers Working with Visually Impaired Children Prepared to Be Advocates of Oral Health? Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with visual impairment are at increased risk of oral cavity diseases. Pro-health education in their prevention and the role of educators and school counselors are extremely important in this aspect. The aim of the study was to collect information, and compare and analyze the level of pro-health awareness in the field of oral health prevention among teachers working with visually impaired children in Poland and Slovakia. METHODS: The questionnaire survey covered 109 school educators working with visually impaired children. The survey contained general information about participants concerning their knowledge of oral health, basic information about oral hygiene, and children's care needs in this area. The obtained results were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The level of knowledge about oral health was assessed by the majority of respondents as rather good (60.56%), 28.44% as very good, and 11.01% as middling. Teaching children about oral hygiene at school was declared by a majority of them and over half of the correct answers were given by only 48.42% of the respondents. CONCLUSIONS: It is advisable to intensify the oral cavity diseases prevention training of teachers working with visually impaired children and youth and there is a great need to organize and carry out educational campaigns in schools for them.

Dental Erosion and Its Relation to Potential Influencing Factors among 12-year-old Hungarian Schoolchildren.

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional observational study evaluated the frequency of dental erosion in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Hungary and its connection to gender, geographical region, eating/drinking habits, and to socioeconomic factors, such as the educational level of their mothers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 579 randomly selected children aged 12 (287 boys and 292 girls) were examined in our cross-sectional study from 14 different regions in Hungary. Clinical examinations were carried out by the same examiner, using the 'Basic Erosive Wear Examination' (BEWE) index. A self-administered questionnaire was filled in by each child, surveying their oral hygiene, nutritional habits and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: 21.2% of the children showed dentitions with signs of erosion. We found statistically significantly higher BEWE scores in urban than in rural areas (p = 0.0058). There was no difference between genders. Among children drinking carbonated soft drinks once or more daily, the prevalence of BEWE score < 3 was statistically significantly lower than among those who consumed these kinds of beverages less frequently (83.6% vs 90%, respectively, p = 0.034). Children of mothers with a highschool diploma had a BEWE score ≥ 3 statistically significantly less frequently than those whose mothers had not graduated from highschool (8.4% vs 22.5%, respectively, p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental erosion among 12-year-old children in Hungary is not as high as reported previously in Western European countries. A positive correlation was observed between the consumption of carbonated soft drinks, the educational level of the mothers and the level of erosion. These factors statistically significantly affected the prevalence and severity of erosive dental lesions.

Changing Levels of Dental Caries over 30 Years among Children in a Country of Central and Eastern Europe - The Case of Hungary.

PURPOSE: Improved oral health of children is noted in most Western countries, but this coincides with a high burden of oral disease in several countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of the present study was to describe the current level of dental caries in Hungarian children aged 5, 6, and 12 years and to assess the long-term trends in caries over 30 years. In addition, the report aims to highlight the oral health habits of 12-year-old children in Hungary. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A representative survey was undertaken in 2016-2017 according to the WHO Pathfinder methodology, which was also applied in previous national oral health surveys of 1985, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008. Children of 5-6 and 12 years were sampled systematically in all surveys over 30 years. Data were gathered through clinical examinations and a questionnaire used for 12-year-olds. RESULTS: In 2016-2017, 42.6% of 5- to 6-year-olds were caries free, with the proportion lower in rural than urban settings. Approximately four primary teeth were affected by caries among children aged 5-6 years. Most of the disease burden consisted of untreated caries. Caries experience was higher for children living in rural areas. At age 12, about two permanent teeth suffered from caries, and the D-component of the caries index was high. The percentage of caries-free 6-year-olds grew from 9% in 1985 to 42.6% in 2016-2017. In 1985, 12-year-olds had on average 5 teeth affected by caries, and after 30 years, the level of caries declined to 2.3 DMFT in 2016-2017. The responses to the questionnaire showed that 11.9% of 12-year-olds visited the dentist because of oral pain or discomfort and 40.5% were dissatisfied by the appearance of their teeth. About 40% of children consumed soft drinks or sweets/candy, several times a day. CONCLUSIONS: Hungary has not yet achieved the WHO goals for children aged 5-6. While Hungary accomplished the WHO goal for oral health of 12-year-olds by the year 2000, it is seems unrealistic for the country to achieve the WHO goal for 12-year-olds by the year 2020. For better oral health of children, strong emphasis should be given to population-directed oral disease prevention, including the reduction of sugar consumption and implementing public health programmes for the effective use of fluoride.

[Fissure sealing. A review]. / Barázdazárás. Osszefoglaló referátum.

The aim of this review is to give an overview of 50 years experience of fissure sealing and draw conclusions about the applicability and effectiveness of the method. Another purpose is to provide a summary of the relevant scientific evidence that will assist clinicians with their decision-making process. A fissure sealant is a material that is placed in the pits and fissures of teeth in order to prevent the development and/or to arrest of initial caries progression. Sealants, by providing a physical barrier, inhibit microorganisms and food particles from collecting in pits and fissures. Sealants are highly effective in preventing dental caries in pits and fissures of teeth when applied by trained operators. Sealant should be placed on pits and fissures of children's and adolescents' permanent teeth when it is determined that the tooth or the patient is at risk of developing caries. Fissure sealing can be recommended as a caries preventive measure. Whilst there is a good evidence to support the inclusion of fissure sealants as part of a preventive programme from the dental team, a number of related issues need to be considered. In areas of high caries prevalence it has been shown that treatment costs can actually be reduced by sealing susceptible surfaces, usually the occlusal surfaces of first permanent molars. Fissure sealing was introduced and first investigated in the years 1960-1970. During the past decades, evidence-based approaches have developed concerning the effectiveness of this primary and secondary preventive measure. It is generally accepted that the effectiveness of sealants for caries prevention depends on long-term retention. Resin-based sealants are the first choice of material for dental sealants. Glass-ionomer cement may be used as an interim preventive agent. Whilst cost-effectiveness is an important consideration, from an ethical standpoint the protection of oral health should not be viewed purely in economic terms. The oral health care professional should monitor and reapply sealants as needed to maximize effectiveness.

[State of oral health of adults and the elderly in Hungary]. / A hazai felnott- es idoskorú lakosság orális egészségi allapota az ezredfordulón.

The purpose of this survey was to assess the oral health situation of the Hungarian adult and elderly population at the turn of the millennium and to compare the data with the results of previous surveys. A total of 1627 male and female individuals were clinically examined at 17 sample sites according to the WHO basic criteria using the pathfinder methodology. National epidemiological examinations (pathfinder surveys) were carried out in 1985, 1991 and 2000 in adults. But nationwide oral data among 65-74-year-olds were never collected before 2000. It is strongly suggested by World Health Organization to undertake a regular epidemiological survey in 5-year intervals to monitor changes in oral health of the key-age groups. During recent years, in children, a dramatic caries decline has been observed. In adults, however, a similar change has not occurred although other important favourable trends have been documented as well. The basic findings were: The mean DMFT score was high, and strongly influenced by MT. At age 35-44, the caries prevalence was 15.7 DMFT and at 65-74 it was 23.3 DMFT. For non-smokers, the MT mean value was 8.7, and for smokers 10.8. For those who had smoked more than 20 years the MT mean value was 12.7. The periodontal condition of both age groups was poor. Of the adult sample only 4.5% had healthy gingiva and 25.2% had at least 3 healthy sextants. Between 1985 and 2000, the percentage of edentulous adult persons increased from 0.3 to 1.4 and in 2000 the ratio of edentulous persons among elderly was 26%. The population's need for treatment at all levels (restorative, periodontal and prosthetic) was enormous. The authors concluded that in Hungary "health for all" efforts have been inadequate. Greater emphasis on risk- and preventive orientated praxis and management is needed; increased individual activities and financial support are also required.

[Effect of chewing sugar-free gum on dental caries]. / Cukormentes rágógumi hatása a dentális cariesre.

Previous in vivo studies have demonstrated that chewing sugar-free gum after eating reduces the development of dental caries. To investigate the extrapolation of these findings, a two-year clinical study was conducted on 547 schoolchildren in Budapest. Subjects in the "gum" (test) group were instructed to chew one stick of commercially available sorbitol-sweetened chewing gum for 15-20 minutes after meals, three times daily. The "control" group was not provided with chewing gum. After two years, excluding white spots, the "gum" group exhibited a 38.7% caries increment reduction compared to the "control" group. Including white spots, a corresponding 33.1% reduction was indicated. These results clearly suggest that even in a population with moderate caries prevalence and normal oral hygiene habits (including the use of fluoride dentifrices), an after-meal gum chewing regimen can significantly reduce the rate of caries development.