Neurotic personality trait as a predictor in the prognosis of composite restorations: A 24-month clinical follow up study.

The role of personality traits in modulating the incidence and progression of medical disease conditions are well documented, however, there is a paucity of information for its effects on dental health conditions and specifically on the prognosis of restorative dental materials. This study aims to evaluate the clinical performance of Micro-hybrid and Nano-ceramic composite restorations among patients with different personality traits. A total of 323 patients, indicated to receive operative treatment at a University Dental College Hospital, were invited to participate in this study. Consenting patients were requested to complete the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44 Item) personality questionnaire and were evaluated by a psychiatrist for categorizing the participants based on their personality traits. Out of the recruited patients, 124 patients falling in to the dominant trait of Agreeableness (n = 62) and Neuroticism (n = 62) were included in the study for further investigation. Next, patients from the Agreeableness (Group A) and the Neuroticism personality trait group (Group N) were randomly divided into two subgroups each-sub group Am (n = 44) and Nm (n = 48) for Micro-hybrid composite restorations and Sub group An (n = 42) and Nn (n = 47) for Nano-ceramic composite restorations. Two trained and calibrated dentists prepared the cavities according to previously published methodology. The restorations were evaluated at baseline (immediately after restoration), 6-months, 12-months and 24-months intervals by two blinded independent dental professionals for anatomical form, secondary caries, color match, retention, marginal adaptation, surface texture, marginal discoloration and post-operative sensitivity. There is no statistically significant difference noted in various parameters of restoration performance between Micro-hybrid composite and Nano-ceramic composite compared among 'agreeableness' personality group and among 'neuroticism' personality group after controlling the personality trait factor. Higher 'Neuroticism' individuals had higher restoration deterioration in color matching and surface texture when compared to higher 'Agreeableness' trait individuals. Regression analysis showed no effect of gender or cavity size on the outcome of results. Assessment of personality traits may serve as a useful tool during treatment planning which would aid clinicians in choosing suitable restorative dental material and prosthesis design according to individual patient's physiological and functional needs, thereby overall improving the quality of treatment provided.

The use of a psychological testing instrument as an indicator of dissatisfaction with aesthetic dental treatment - a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: The use of psychological testing to indicate the potential for dissatisfaction with dental treatment has many potential patient and clinician benefits but has been rarely investigated. The study aimed to explore the use of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) psychological testing instrument in describing the relationship between pre-treatment psychological traits and aesthetic restorative treatment satisfaction. METHODS: Thirty patients requiring aesthetic restorative dental treatment completed three questionnaires, namely 1) a pre-treatment expectation assessment, 2) an SCL-90-R analysis pre-treatment and 3) an outcome assessment post-treatment to assess patient's expectations and satisfaction of the proposed dental treatment relating to function, aesthetics, comfort and tissue preservation. Logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of psychological variables on patient satisfaction after adjusting for baseline expectations (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The satisfaction for the aesthetic component of treatment was significantly associated with psychoticism and positive symptom distress index. The satisfaction for the comfort component of treatment was significantly associated with obsessive compulsive symptoms, depression and anxiety. Following adjustment for baseline expectation, tissue preservation satisfaction was associated with somatization, obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression and global severity index. No baseline psychological measures were significantly associated with chewing satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The SCL-90-R shows initial promise in assisting clinicians to identify and understanding patients who have a high risk of dissatisfaction with aesthetic dental treatment. The ability to indicate aesthetic restorative treatment dissatisfaction is of great benefit to clinicians in maximising success and mitigating risk.

Factors associated with the number of filled teeth in adolescents from public schools: a cohort study.

This study aimed to assess the association of demographic conditions, socioeconomic status, clinical variables, and psychosocial factors with the number of filled teeth in adolescents from public schools. This cohort study comprised 1,134 12-year-old adolescents enrolled in public schools in Santa Maria, Brazil, in 2012. They were followed-up in 2014, where 743 individuals were reassessed (follow-up rate of 65.52%) for the number of filled teeth. Data were collected via dental examinations and structured interviews. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were collected from parents or legal guardians. The psychosocial factor comprised students' subjective measurement of happiness (Brazilian version of the Subjective Happiness Scale - SHS). Dental examinations were performed to assess the number of filled teeth through decay, missing, and filled teeth index (DMF-T). Unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression analyses were performed to assess the association between baseline variables and filled teeth at follow-up. The number of filled teeth in 2012 and 2014 were 193 (17.02%) and 235 (31.63%), respectively. The incidence of filled teeth in 2014 was 42 (5.65%). Adolescents with untreated dental caries, those who visited the dentist in the last 6 months, those that exhibited being happier, and those who had filled teeth at baseline were associated with a higher number of filled teeth at follow-up. We conclude that the number of filled teeth in adolescents was influenced by clinical and psychosocial factors, emphasizing the need to focus on oral health policies in individuals with higher disease burden and those who feel psychologically inferior.

Patient Perceptions of New Robotic Technologies in Clinical Restorative Dentistry.

Patient perception research has failed to focus on burgeoning technology within the dental field. Specifically, researchers have yet to focus on developing robotic technologies which are being utilized by dentists to help perform certain procedures with added precision and route mapping. The current study attempts to fill the gap created by a lack of intersection between dental technology research, consumer perceptions research, and automation research. The current research takes a two-study approach, with study 1 investigating if gender or price of the procedure affects willingness to undergo a robotic dental procedure. Study 2 further investigates this phenomenon, identifying ten separate types of dental procedures (ranging from minimally invasive to extremely invasive) to further understand consumer perceptions. Results indicate that females are less willing to undergo a robotic dental procedure, and that participants in general are more willing to undergo a procedure if it is half price than if it full price. Willingness is influenced by gender and the type of procedure being performed - participants were less willing to undergo invasive procedures such as gum surgery than noninvasive procedures such as teeth whitening. These results, and their theoretical and practical significance are discussed.

The motivational effect of multicolored dental restoration on dental behavior of first preliminary school children.

Objectives: To assess the motivational effect of multi-colored restoration on the anxiety level of pediatric patients at thedental clinic and its motivational effect on their oral hygiene status. Material and methods: A total of 30 participants. Results: Both groups revealed reduction in the anxiety level and improvement in their behavior at the dental office but did not reach significance. Plaque index showed a significant reduction per group and a near significance as compared between test groups. Conclusions: The use of the multicolored restoration could provide a potential advantage to improve the oral health status of children and might aid in enhancing their behavior at dental clinic particularly younger age groups.

Prosthetic dental restorations in Swedish samples: prevalence and agreement between self-report, clinical findings, and influence on quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of dental prosthetic restorations in an adult population, to study the agreement between self-reports and clinical findings of prosthetic restorations, and to study answers from a questionnaire in relation to the prevalence of prosthetic restorations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to a sample of 10,000 adults. A further sample of 1000 individuals was invited to answer the questionnaire and also participate in a clinical study. The agreement between self-report and clinical findings was analyzed, as were the associations between prosthetic restorations and questionnaire responses, using the chi2 test. RESULTS: A total of 40% of the sample had fixed dental prostheses (FDP), 2.7% had removable dentures. The agreement between self-report and clinical findings was 93%. 34.7% of the individuals with no prosthetic restorations were university graduates and 4% of individuals with removable complete dentures. Oral health had the greatest impact on the quality of life of younger individuals with FDP, with an OHIP-14 (Oral Health Impact Profile) score of 7.3 for the age group 20-39 years compared to 4.9 for the age group 65-89 years. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire method can be a cost-effective way to determine the prevalence of prosthetic restorations.

Psychological symptoms and self-image of patients with complaints attributed to dental restorative materials.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to study self-image and the level of psychological symptoms in patients with symptoms attributed to their dental restorative materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire containing questions regarding dental and medical history was answered by 257 participants, one group with local oral symptoms only (LSO), and one group with multi-symptoms (M-S). A reference group was randomly selected from a research database at the Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Sweden. The self-image was assessed using the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB). Psychological symptoms such as somatization, depression, and anxiety were assessed using the Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90) and the Global Severity Index (GSI) was used to determine the level of psychological symptoms. RESULTS: SASB showed that the M-S group and the LSO-group scored significantly higher on the "spontaneous" and "positive self-image" than the reference group. In the SCL-90, the M-S group scored significantly higher than the LSO-group and the references on the somatization subscales. On depression, anxiety, and the GSI scale, the M-S group scored significantly higher than the reference group. CONCLUSIONS: The two subgroups scored significantly higher on the SASB Spontaneous and Positive clusters which indicates that these patients have an excessively positive self-image, are very spontaneous and have an overconfidence in themselves compared to the reference group. In the M-S group there was a clear tendency to somatization, depression, and anxiety and they were more psychologically stressed than the reference group. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Among the patients with illness attributed to their dental materials, the M-S-patients had a significantly higher level of general psychological distress and somatization than the control group which may lead to mental stress.

Factors associated with the number of filled teeth in adolescents from public schools: a cohort study

Abstract This study aimed to assess the association of demographic conditions, socioeconomic status, clinical variables, and psychosocial factors with the number of filled teeth in adolescents from public schools. This cohort study comprised 1,134 12-year-old adolescents enrolled in public schools in Santa Maria, Brazil, in 2012. They were followed-up in 2014, where 743 individuals were reassessed (follow-up rate of 65.52%) for the number of filled teeth. Data were collected via dental examinations and structured interviews. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were collected from parents or legal guardians. The psychosocial factor comprised students' subjective measurement of happiness (Brazilian version of the Subjective Happiness Scale - SHS). Dental examinations were performed to assess the number of filled teeth through decay, missing, and filled teeth index (DMF-T). Unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression analyses were performed to assess the association between baseline variables and filled teeth at follow-up. The number of filled teeth in 2012 and 2014 were 193 (17.02%) and 235 (31.63%), respectively. The incidence of filled teeth in 2014 was 42 (5.65%). Adolescents with untreated dental caries, those who visited the dentist in the last 6 months, those that exhibited being happier, and those who had filled teeth at baseline were associated with a higher number of filled teeth at follow-up. We conclude that the number of filled teeth in adolescents was influenced by clinical and psychosocial factors, emphasizing the need to focus on oral health policies in individuals with higher disease burden and those who feel psychologically inferior.

Adaptação infantil ao tratamento odontológico: relato de caso / Child adaptation to dental treatment: a case report

Na odontopediatria, o ambiente odontológico gera medo e ansiedade, demonstrados de diversas formas pela criança, de modo que há necessidade de promover sua adaptação para que entenda o processo e se sinta parte dele. É importante, ainda, que se identifiquem situações em que o desconforto estético possa gerar constrangimento na convivência diária das crianças. Objetivo: relatar um caso clínico de resolução de comprometimento estético causado por defeito de desenvolvimento do esmalte (DDE) e utilização de técnicas de adaptação de comportamento. Relato de caso: uma paciente do sexo feminino, 3 anos de idade, nascida prematura, apresentava DDE no incisivo central superior esquerdo, que, ao sorrir, cobria com as mãos. O perfil da criança foi avaliado e, a partir das suas características, foram escolhidas as técnicas de dizer-mostrar-fazer, controle de voz, reforço positivo, distração e repetição, usando-as de forma associada para melhores resultados, considerando a necessidade da repetição das visitas ao consultório. Após cinco consultas, foi possível realizar a restauração com resina fotopolimerizável, restabelecendo a estética e o conforto para a criança. Considerações finais: para o atendimento odontológico de crianças, é de fundamental importância conhecer técnicas de manejo infantil e usá-las de acordo com as necessidades individuais, com a finalidade de tornar as crianças participativas no processo, diminuindo a ansiedade, o medo e as reações que podem dificultar ou impedir o atendimento. (AU)

In pediatric dentistry, the clinical environment generates fear and anxiety, which children show in a number of ways, causing the need to promote their adaptation so they understand the process and feel part of it. It is also important to identify situations in which the aesthetic discomfort may lead to embarrassment in the daily lives of the children. Objective: to report a clinical case of resolution of aesthetic impairment caused by the developmental defect of enamel (DDE) and the use of behavioral adaptation techniques. Case report: female patient, three years old, born premature, presented DDE in the upper left central incisor and, when smiling, covered it with her hands. The profile of the child was evaluated and, based on her characteristics, the techniques of tell-show-do, voice control, positive reinforcement, distraction, and repetition were chosen and used in association for better results, considering the need for repeat visits to the dental office. After five consultations, it was possible to perform the restoration with light-curing resin, restoring the aesthetics and comfort of the child. Final considerations: for the dental care of children, it is essential to know child management techniques and use them according to the individual needs, with the purpose of promoting the participation of the children in the process, decreasing their anxiety, fear, and reactions that may hinder or prevent the treatment. (AU)

Attitudes towards tooth fillings in Tanzanian adults and its association with previous filling experience.

BACKGROUND: Tooth filling treatment is utilized at low levels in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs), further, little is known about the prevailing attitudes towards such treatment. This study aimed to assess attitudes towards tooth filling among Tanzanian adults and how previous tooth filling experience is associated with these attitudes. METHODS: A pretested structured questionnaire was distributed among 1522 out-patients in four regional hospitals in Tanzania in 2015-16. The questionnaire had eight statements on a 6-point Likert scale measuring attitudes towards tooth filling. Responses were analyzed independently and through a constructed attitude sum score. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the association of previous tooth fillings on attitudes towards tooth filling treatment. RESULTS: The respondents were mostly female (57.3%), with a mean age of 33.1 years (SD 11.3). About one third of the respondents (36.4%) had primary level of education. Attitudes towards tooth filling treatment were generally negative. Low levels of education and income were associated with more negative attitudes. A small proportion (11.5%) had a previous tooth filling. Having a previous tooth filling was associated with a more positive attitude towards tooth fillings regardless of socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that even in areas with limited resources and availability of services, previous experience of tooth fillings is related to more positive attitudes towards restorative treatment, which should be taken into account when planning oral health care programs.

Periodontal surgery improves oral health-related quality of life in chronic periodontitis patients in Asian population.

The effect of periodontal surgery on patients' quality of life was investigated. Sixty patients received regenerative surgery or resective osseous surgery. Oral health-related quality of life and health-related quality of life instruments were used to assess the participants' quality of life before surgery and 4 weeks after surgery. Periodontal surgery can improve patients' quality of life by alleviating the physical pain and psychological discomfort. The scores were lower (more favorable) in the regenerative surgery group, and the functional limitations of the regenerative surgery group improved substantially compared with those of the resective osseous surgery group (P = 0.0421). The patients' oral health-related quality of life scores improved significantly after periodontal surgery. Clinicians can take advantage of the positive functional oral health-related quality of life impacts of regenerative surgery.

Treatment planning of damaged teeth: to recover or to extract?

BACKGROUND: Planning the treatment of a compromised tooth is challenging but the choice should refer to evidence-based criteria. The literature proved that patient-related factors influence the treatment plan, but what happens when the patient is a dentist? Aim of the study was to observe whether the dentist goes for the same option suggested to a patient in a hypothetical scenario. METHODS: One hundred volunteers were interviewed singularly in a quiet ambient. Radiographs of 15 compromised teeth were shown and were identified as belonging to a hypothetical patient with non-contributory medical history asking for the best treatment. For each clinical case, the dentist could decide between: extraction (E), endorestorative recovery (R); referral to a specialist (S) to save the tooth. After a 15-minute wash-out, the same radiographs were shown again with the question: if this was your tooth, what would you do? The alternatives could be E or R. Statistical analysis was performed in order to evaluate the discordance between the choice taken for the patient and for the dentist's teeth. RESULTS: A constant increase in recovered teeth was observed in group D with the only exception of case 12. Concordance ranged from scarce to substantial, while symmetry showed that, when changing their mind, the dentists recovered their own teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The dentists were more conservative on their teeth: this shows the absence of a coherent decision-making pattern and stresses the need for an improvement in the formation of dental practitioners.

Attitudes of dentists and interns in Riyadh to the use of dental amalgam.

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the attitudes of Saudi dentists to the use of amalgam for restorations are relatively rare. Considering the goals set forth by the Minamata Convention on Mercury, it appears prudent to investigate the attitudes of experienced dentists and fresh dental graduates to the use of amalgam. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of Saudi dentists and interns working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to the use of amalgam. Using a convenience sampling methodology, a total of 400 Saudi dentists and interns were contacted to request their participation in this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic and practice characteristics such as gender, type of practice, as well as their service sector and questions related to the use of dental amalgam. The data obtained was analyzed using Chi square tests to compare differences in distribution between groups. P values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 84% (336 of 400 potential participants). The majority of the participants (80.7%) did not use dental amalgam for restorations in their clinical practice frequently. A significantly higher number of participants working in private sector did not use amalgam frequently (P = 0.004), agreed on replacing good amalgam restoration with composite resin (P < 0.000) and on stopping the use of amalgam as a final restoration (P = 0.017) compared to participants working in public sector. A significantly higher number of interns did not use amalgam in their clinical practice frequently (P < 0.000), agreed on replacing good amalgam restoration with composite resin (P = 0.002) and on stopping the use of amalgam as a final restoration (P < 0.000) compared to dentists. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, dental amalgam seems to be less frequently used among the surveyed Saudi dentists and interns working in Riyadh. Fresh dental graduates used amalgam less frequently compared to experienced dentists. Furthermore, private dental practitioners showed a propensity to replace existing well-placed amalgam restorations with resin composite which reinforces their market-oriented attitude reported in earlier studies.

The Effect of Full-Mouth Rehabilitation on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life for Children with Special Health Care Needs.

OBJECTIVES: Changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among 40 children with special health care needs (CSHCN) aged 5-14 years before and 12 months after full-mouth rehabilitation (FMR) under general anesthesia (GA) in two hospitals in Jeddah city were assessed. STUDY DESIGN: The questionnaire was delivered to the parents/caregivers at baseline (pre-operative) and at the 12-month post-operative follow-up visit. Medical and dental histories and clinical findings were correlated accordingly. RESULTS: The follow-up response rate was 87.5% with 35 children completing a 12-month follow-up visit. The age range was from 5 to 12 years with a mean of 7.3 ± 2.4 years. More than half of the study sample was boys (63%) in the 5-8 year age-group (69%). The impact on OHRQoL was reportedly negative before FMR under GA, with overall scores ranging from 12 to 68 and a mean of 43.34 ± 14.83. OHRQoL improved significantly in all aspects evaluated (P<0.05) following FMR under GA with overall scores ranging from 4 to 41 and a mean of 18.86 ± 8.54. CONCLUSIONS: Treating CSHCN under GA, with 3-month recall visits for the patients, had a significant long-term effect on their OHRQoL extending up to 12 months postoperatively.

Patients' experiences of changes in health complaints before, during, and after removal of dental amalgam.

In this article, we explore how patients with health complaints attributed to dental amalgam experienced and gave meaning to changes in health complaints before, during, and after removal of all amalgam fillings. We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with 12 participants from the treatment group in a Norwegian amalgam removal trial. Interviews took place within a couple months of the final follow-up 5 years after amalgam removal. Using the NVivo9 software, we conducted an explorative and reflective thematic analysis and identified the following themes: Something is not working: betrayed by the body, You are out there on your own, Not being sure of the importance of amalgam removal, The relief experienced after amalgam removal, and To accept, to give up, or to continue the search. We discuss the findings in the context of patients' assigning meaning to illness experiences.

Psychometric properties of the faces version of the Malay-modified child dental anxiety scale.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDASf) Malay version in 5-6 and 9-12 year-old children. METHODS: The MCDASf was cross culturally adapted from English into Malay. The Malay version was tested for reliability and validity in 3 studies. In the Study 1, to determine test-retest reliability of MCDASf scale, 166 preschool children aged 5-6 years were asked to rank orders five cartoons faces depicting emotions from 'very happy' to 'very sad' faces on two separate occasions 3 weeks apart. A total of 87 other 5-6 year-old children completed the Malay-MCDASf on two separate occasions 3 weeks apart to determine test-retest reliability for Study 2. In study 3, 239 schoolchildren aged 9-12 years completed the Malay-MCDASf and the Malay-Dental Subscale of the Children Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) at the same sitting to determine the criterion and construct validity. RESULTS: In study 1, Kendall W test showed a high degree of concordance in ranking the cartoon faces picture cards on each of the 2 occasions (time 1, W = 0.955 and time 2, W = 0.954). The Malay-MCDASf demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.63, p <0.001) and acceptable internal consistency for all the 6 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77) and 8 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73). The highest MCDASf scores were observed for the items 'injection in the gum' and 'tooth taken out' for both age groups. The MCDASf significantly correlated with the CFSS-DS (Pearson r = 0.67, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These psychometric findings support for the inclusion of a cartoon faces rating scale to assess child dental anxiety and the Malay-MCDASf is a reliable and valid measure of dental anxiety in 5-12 year-old children.

Longitudinal evaluation of the impact of dental caries treatment on oral health-related quality of life among schoolchildren.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of dental caries treatment on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among schoolchildren and the responsiveness of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10 ) instrument. Brazilian schoolchildren, 8-10 yr of age, were randomly selected and assigned to two groups--dental caries treatment (DCT) and caries-free (CF)--according to their caries experience [decayed, missing, or filled primary teeth (dmft) and decayed, missing or filled secondary teeth (DMFT) values of ≥ 0]. The CPQ8-10 instrument was administered at baseline and at 4 wk of follow-up (i.e. 4 wk after completion of dental treatment). In the DCT group, increases in CPQ8-10 scores were observed between the baseline and follow-up results. However, longitudinal evaluation of the CF group demonstrated no statistically significant difference in CPQ8-10 scores. Responsiveness of the CPQ8-10 instrument (magnitude of change in CPQ8-10 scores) in the DCT group was greater (effect size >0.7) than in the CF group. The findings of this study show that dental caries treatment has an important impact on OHRQoL of children. The CPQ8-10 was considered an acceptable instrument for longitudinal measurement of changes in OHRQoL.

An experimental elective report examining and comparing current levels of dental anxiety and disease in child populations in Peru and the UK.

INTRODUCTION: Dental anxiety is an important factor in influencing patients' decisions to access treatment. It is crucial dental care professionals understand its causative factors in order to prevent and manage it, particularly as dentally anxious patients often have poor oral health. This report is of an elective study that tried to ascertain whether children with signs of dental neglect suffered greater dental anxiety, as existing research suggests that anxiety can stem from previous experiences. METHOD: 100 children in both the United Kingdom and Peru were examined for signs of dental neglect using the PUFA (Pulpal exposures, Ulcers, Fistulas & Abscesses) system, and their anxiety levels surveyed with the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale. A Spearman's rank analysis was performed. RESULTS: Both groups showed similar disease levels, but Peruvian children were significantly less anxious. The r values (United Kingdom r=-0.020 Peru r=-0.0099) were less than rc=0.165 at a significance level of P=0.05, showing that increased dental neglect does not make children more anxious. DISCUSSION: It appears that having a neglected dentition as a child does not make you more anxious, but the resultant invasive treatment procedures likely to have been experienced as a child may have a role. Ultimately, cultural background and attitude to dental care are suggested as being more important in determining the dental anxiety levels of children.

Impact of early childhood caries on oral health-related quality of life of preschool children.

AIM: Child oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL) has been assessed in developed areas; however, it remains unstudied in mainland China. Studies on COHRQoL would benefit a large number of children in China suffering from oral health problems such as dental caries. This study explored the relationship between COHRQoL and early childhood caries, adjusted by socioeconomic factors, in 3- to 4-year-old children in a region of southern China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 1062 children aged 3-4 years were recruited by cluster sampling and their oral health statuses were examined by a trained dentist. The Chinese version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and questions about the children's socioeconomic conditions were completed by the children's parents. A negative binomial regression analysis was used to assess the prevalence of early childhood caries among the children and its influence on COHRQoL. RESULTS: The total ECOHIS scores of the returned scale sets ranged from 0 to 31, and their average scores was 3.1±5.1. The negative binomial analysis showed that the dmfs indices were significantly associated with the ECOHIS score and subscale scores (P<0.05). The multivariate adjusted model showed that a higher dmft index was associated with greater negative impact on COHRQoL (RR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.13; P < 0.05). However, demographic and socioeconomic factors were not associated with COHRQoL (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The severity of early childhood caries has a negative impact on the oral health-related quality of life of preschool children and their parents.

Attitudes and preferences of parents about being present in the dental operatory.

PURPOSE: To determine if there was an association between the type of dental procedure being performed on children and parental desire to be present in the operatory. METHODS: Parents (N=339) whose children had dental appointments at a university pediatric dental clinic or affiliated practices in Southern Nevada completed a survey. Parents identified attitudes/preferences associated with five commonly conducted pediatric dental procedural scenarios. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests (P=.05). RESULTS: Most respondents (N=339) were female (N=248) and/or Hispanic (N=204), had a household income of less than $50,000 annually (N=251), and a high school education. The primary reason (78 percent) parents wanted to be present during their child's dental treatment was comfort. Most parents wanted to observe exams/X-rays (70 percent), sedation procedures (69 percent), fillings and crowns (66 percent), extractions (64 percent), and physical restraint (61 percent). Only 38 percent of parents would be content with the dentist unilaterally deciding about their presence in the operatory. CONCLUSIONS: Parents in this study expressed a preference to remain with their child during any dental treatment. Practitioners are encouraged to consider their presence customary and establish office policies and protocols that beneficially involve parents in the pediatric patient's care.