Individual, familial and country-level factors associated with oral hygiene practices in children: an international survey.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining good oral hygiene is key to preventing dental caries and periodontal disease. Children and adolescents with good oral hygiene behaviours are likely to grow into adults with the same behaviours. This study assessed the frequency of using various oral hygiene methods among children and adolescents from different countries and individual, familial and country-level factors associated with the use of these methods. METHODS: A multi-country online survey collected data from caregivers of children in 2020-21 about children's use of oral hygiene methods including toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss and miswak using self-administered, close-ended questions. Adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between each of the five oral hygiene methods (dependent variables) and the independent factors: sex, age, and history of dental visits (individual factors), mother's education and area of residence (familial factors) as well as country income and region (country-level factors). RESULTS: A total of 4766 parents/caregivers were included from 20 countries (77.4% Eastern Mediterranean-region and 41.6% lower middle income countries). The most frequent oral hygiene methods were using toothbrush and toothpaste (90% and 60.3%). The use of oral hygiene methods differed by age, sex and history of dental visits as well as mother's education and area of residence (P < 0.05). In addition, children from low income countries had significantly lower odds of using mouthwashes and dental floss than those from high income countries (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.31, 0.98 and AOR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12, 0.97) whereas children from the European region had higher odds of using mouthwash (AOR = 2.82, 95% CI 1.27, 6.26) and those from the region of the Americas had higher odds of using dental floss (AOR = 3.84, 95% CI 1.28, 11.52) than those from the Eastern Mediterranean region. CONCLUSIONS: The use of various oral hygiene methods is associated with individual, familial and country-level factors. Oral health promotion programs should be developed taking into account these influences.

Pulmonary Function Test Outcomes in Adult Omani Patients: Preliminary findings from a single-centre study.

Objectives: This study aimed to document the distribution of PFT outcomes among adult Omani patients. There is limited information regarding the distribution of pulmonary diseases (PD) in Oman. Pulmonary function test (PFT) outcome patterns could indicate an indirect distribution of PD. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2015 at a tertiary hospital in Oman. A total of 1,118 adults referred for PFTs during this period were included. Results: There were 605 (54.1%) female and 513 (45.9%) male patients. The mean age of the patients was 47.11 ± 18.1 years. Most patients underwent spirometry with reversibility (36.8%) or full lung function testing with reversibility (29.7%). Among the 1,064 patients with conclusive PFT outcomes, 39.9% had normal findings, 26.1% had obstructive defects, 19.6% demonstrated restrictive defects and 10.6% had mixed obstructive/restrictive defects. Conclusion: This study generated important preliminary data regarding PFT outcomes (defects) in Omani patients.

Effect of dental trauma management resources on dental practitioners' confidence and knowledge: A pilot cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The knowledge of standardized care guidelines is critical to the confidence of practitioners in managing dental trauma. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the awareness, use and impact of the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines, and the online Dental Trauma Guide on general dental practitioners' self-reported confidence and knowledge in managing traumatic dental injuries in the primary and permanent dentitions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, pre-piloted, 27-item self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed electronically to general dental practitioners' working within five member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar) between September and December 2020. Data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test analysis for relevant comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 294 respondents completed the survey, with the majority being from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (47.4%) and Qatar (27.3%). A lack of evidence-based knowledge in managing traumatic dental injuries was evident among more than half of the respondents. Respondents who were cognizant of the recent International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines (2020) and those who use the Dental Trauma Guide routinely demonstrated a higher self-reported confidence level in managing both simple and complex primary dentition trauma, as well as simple traumatic dental injuries in the permanent dentition (p < .05). CONCLUSION: This survey highlights critical deficiencies in the knowledge of a large number of the respondents in the management of dental trauma which is likely to cause irreversible long-term patient effects.