Orthodontic treatment demand for fixed treatment and aligners among young adults in middle Europe and South America - a questionnaire study.

BACKGROUND: Patients experiencing any malocclusion, may desire for treatment. However, there is no scientific information orthodontic treatment demand and the knowledge of young adults about orthodontic treatment. The aim of the study was to assess orthodontic treatment demand in young adults from Poland and Chile, their previous orthodontic experience and their knowledge on fixed and aligner orthodontic treatment. METHODS: The target group comprised people aged 18-30. The sample size was estimated as above 400 for each country. The survey was carried out in Polish and Spanish within 3 months and consisted of 25 questions delivered via social media. Comparisons were made between countries, age subgroups and gender. RESULTS: The response rate was 1,99%, what stands for 1092 responses, 670 from Chile and 422 from Poland, respectively. The percentage of young adults who were already treated was 42,9% in Poland and 25,0% in Chile. The ones planning to have orthodontic treatment within a year counted for 11,8% in Poland and 5,3% in Chile. Most young adults who want to be treated (20,6%) rely on doctor's recommendation on type of appliance while 14,7% of all respondents are interested solely in aligners. Most respondents have heard about aligners (58%). Direct provider-to-customer service without a doctor is not acceptable, neither in Poland (85,1%) nor in Chile (64,8%). Most young adults provided incorrect answers referring various aspects of aligner treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In both countries, patients demand to be treated and monitored by the orthodontist. A high percentage of patients want to be treated exclusively with aligners. Direct-to-consumer orthodontics does not seem attractive to patients. Young adults do not have adequate knowledge referring to aligner treatment. Many people want to be treated despite a previous orthodontic treatment.

Association of Three Genetic Loci with Molar Incisor Hypomineralization in Polish Children.

BACKGROUND: Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a qualitative, demarcated enamel defect of hypomineralization affecting one to four first permanent molars, often with incisor involvement. Its etiology is complex. However, evidence suggests the influence of genetic factors, potentially including the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2889956, rs4811117 and rs13058467, which were previously linked to MIH in a genome-wide association study of German children. The aim was to replicate analyses of possible associations between the SNPs and molar incisor hypomineralization in Polish children. METHODS: The final study group consisted of 778 children aged 126-168 months old. Saliva samples were taken, and genomic DNA was extracted and genotyped using beadchip microarrays. RESULTS: Among the 778 subjects, there were 68 (8.7%) subjects with MIH and 710 (91.3%) subjects without MIH. There were no significant differences in distributions in age, sex, or the frequency of caries in permanent dentition between the MIH and non-MIH groups. The rs2889956, rs4811117, and rs13058467 genotype distributions in the studied group conformed to the expected Hardy-Weinberg equilibria, and there were no significant differences in the distributions of their alleles or genotypes between the MIH and non-MIH groups. CONCLUSION: Our replication study did not confirm highly significant associations between the single nucleotide polymorphisms rs2889956, rs4811117, and rs13058467 with molar incisor hypomineralization in Polish children.

Influence of Shortened Tongue Frenulum on Tongue Mobility, Speech and Occlusion.

(1) Background: The incidence of ankyloglossia is 0.02-10.7%. Its effect on selected dysfunctions has been described; however, no studies report its impact on several disorders in a group of subjects. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ankyloglossia on swallowing, speech, occlusion and periodontium. (2) Methods: The study group consisted of 86 patients with ankyloglossia, and the control group (n = 86) had a normal tongue frenulum. Type of swallowing, tongue mobility, speech, occlusion and periodontium were assessed. (3) Results: Ankyloglossia pertained to 75.6% patients with infantile swallowing and 41.3% patients with mature swallowing. Limited tongue mobility was found in 29.4% subjects with moderate ankyloglossia and 70.6% subjects with severe ankyloglossia. All subjects with mild ankyloglossia and all the controls had normal tongue mobility. The relationship between dysglossia and ankyloglossia severity was statistically significant. Malocclusion or crowding was diagnosed in 62% subjects with ankyloglossia and 21.6% subjects in the control group. No periodontal abnormalities were found in any subject. (4) Conclusions: (1) A short tongue frenulum negatively influences swallowing and is associated with an "infantile swallowing pattern". (2) Moderate or severe ankyloglossia significantly limits tongue mobility. (3) A short tongue frenulum negatively influences speech. (4) Ankyloglossia is associated with higher prevalence of malocclusion.

FCN1 polymorphisms are not the markers of dental caries susceptibility in Polish children: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of four FCN1 SNPs: -542G>A (rs10120023), -144C>A (rs10117466), +6658C>T (rs148649884), and +7895A>G (rs150625869) with dental caries in Polish children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 261 15-year-old Polish teenagers: 82 children with "higher" caries experience (having Decayed Missing Filled Teeth, DMFT >5) and 179 children with "lower" caries experience (having DMFT ≤5). Moreover, in additional comparison, a group of 229 children with caries experience (DMFT ≥1) was compared to a caries-free (DMFT =0) group of 32 children. Extraction of genomic DNA was performed from buccal swabs, and genotyping was performed by Real-Time PCR. RESULTS: FCN1 SNPs +6658C>T and +7895A>G appeared to be monomorphic in our sample. The genotype, allele, or haplotype distributions in FCN1 SNPs -542G>A and -144C>A in children with "higher" caries experience did not differ significantly from those in "lower" caries experience group. Similar results with no significant differences were demonstrated for subjects with DMFT ≥1 compared to subjects with DMFT =0. CONCLUSION: FCN1 SNPs are not the markers of dental caries susceptibility in Polish children.

Oral Health Related Behaviors in Relation to DMFT Indexes of Teenagers in an Urban Area of North-West Poland-Dental Caries Is Still a Common Problem.

Caries has a negative influence on health and is still a public health problem among children and adolescents in Poland. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of dietary habits, oral hygiene behaviors and the frequency of usage of dental services with the dental caries index in teenagers in North-West Poland. The study enrolled 264 children (147M/117F) aged 15. Participants filled out a questionnaire regarding age, sex, frequency of visits to the dentist, dietary habits and oral hygiene behaviors, and the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth Index (DMFT) was calculated. Caries was found in 88.6% of subjects. The lower or no caries experience group (DMFT ≤ 5) comprised of 180 subjects, while higher caries experience (DMFT > 5) was found in 84 teenagers and was significantly inversely associated with tooth brushing after the last meal (OR = 0.45; 95% CI:0.21-0.97; p = 0.04) and the daily use of dental floss (OR = 0.12; 95% CI:0.01-0.92; p = 0.04). There is an emerging need for the implementation of effective caries prevention and recovery programs in Poland. Health promotion focusing on oral hygiene behaviors should be disseminated more widely because lower caries experience was demonstrated in teenagers declaring healthy oral habits. Another important need is the development of multi-sectorial actions aiming at the improvement of dietary habits.

[Assessment of HBV, HCV and HIV injection in a population of Polish orthopedic surgeons]. / Zakazenia wirusami hepatotropowymi i HIV w populacji polskich ortopedów.

UNLABELLED: Orthopedic surgeons are at risk for occupationally acquired infections with blood borne pathogens. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of infection with HBV, HCV, CMV and HIV among orthopedic surgeons. DESIGN: Voluntary, anonymous serosurvey at an annual meeting of Polish Association of Orthopedic Surgeons held in Szczecin, Poland in 2004. Serum samples were tested for anti-HIV, anti-CMV IgG, anti-HCV and markers of HBV infection: anti-HBc total and HBs. RESULTS: Of 1000 eligible orthopedic surgeons at the meeting, 101 (10.4%) participated; 75% participants reported a percutaneous blood contact in the previous month. None of the doctors was positive for HIV (0%, 95% CI:0-3.7%). One participant (1%, 95% CI: 0.2-5.4%), 26 years in profession, had anti-HCV. There was evi-dence of infection with HBV in 10 of 96 participants (10.4%) who had reported having no nonoccupational risk factors and in 5 participants with such factors. None of them developed a chronic infection. Only 5 out of 15 doctors infected with HBV knew their serological status, 13 out of those 15 had been immunized with hepatitis B vaccine, 4 revaccinated. The immunization rate was 91%. The seroprevalence for CMV was 63/101 (62%); it increased with age (p < 0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Despite infection control precautions and availability of hepatitis B vaccine, orthopedic surgeons remain at risk for acquiring bloodborne viral infection. CMV poses the highest risk, followed by HBV and HCV. As the majority of HBV infected doctors did not know their serological status and underwent immunization with hepatitis B vaccine, testing for anti-HBc before vaccination remains crucial.

Nurses and occupational exposures to bloodborne viruses in Poland.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To record descriptions of occupational exposures to blood, determine factors predictive of exposure, and identify interventions that might reduce the frequency of exposure. DESIGN: An analytic, cross-sectional survey. STUDY POPULATION: A total of 601 nurses from surgical wards, operating rooms, and emergency departments. STUDY INSTRUMENT: An anonymous questionnaire developed by the authors on the basis of previously published guidelines was distributed between January and March 2003. SAMPLING: Random, with 18 hospitals selected from 2 urban and rural locations. RESULTS: Almost half of respondents reported having had at least 1 puncture injury during the preceding year, 1 in 5 had exposure via mucous membranes, and more than half had worked at least once with a recent abrasion or cut on their hands. The number of injuries was independent of age (P=.26), duration of practice (P=.21), and workplace setting (P=.78). The percentage of nurses without percutaneous exposure during the preceding year was significantly higher in the group that received special HIV/AIDS training than in the group that did not (95% confidence interval, 5.8-24.1%; P<.002). The most recent exposure was primarily caused by hollow-bore needles, involved the palm and fingers II-V, was self-inflicted, took place during an elective procedure, and was not reported to the hospital's infection control center by 74% of respondents. The most common reason for not reporting the exposure (38% of cases) was the conviction that the source patient was not infected. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the large number of occupational exposures to blood, especially those due to injuries with hollow-bore needles, nurses should adopt more adequate behavioral strategies to prevent the transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Policies for providing adequate education programs tailored to encourage nurses to report all exposures are urgently required.