Socioeconomic, behavioral, and psychological factors related to oral health in Myanmar: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the effects of socioeconomic, behavioral, and psychological factors on oral health status and oral health-related quality of life in Myanmar adults. METHODS: Data were from a convenience sample of Myanmar adults who are from a township health center in Yangon city. Face-to-face interviews using a paper-based questionnaire in the Myanmar language and clinical oral examinations were performed at the health center. Mann-Whitney U test and linear regressions were used to assess the association of socio-demographic, behavioral, and psychological variables with oral health outcomes. RESULTS: In socio-demographic variables, significant associations were observed in individual income with periodontal pocket and OHIP-14, and history of COVID-19 infection with OHIP-14. However, there were no associations between behavioral factors and oral health outcomes. After adjustment for sex, age, educational level, and individual income, the depression subscale was statistically significant with the number of present teeth, decayed teeth, decayed, missing, and filled teeth, and OHIP-14. The anxiety subscale remained significant with periodontal pocket, but no stress subscale was associated with oral health outcomes. CONCLUSION: The experiences of oral health status were high, and the oral health-related quality of life was unfavorable in Myanmar adults. A large proportion of them suffers from psychological distress. Additionally, individuals with lower income and who experienced a history of COVID-19 infection were susceptible to poor oral health-related quality of life. Psychological distress indicates a higher risk for oral health problems in Myanmar adults.

Anti-caries and Anti-microbial Effects of School-based Fluoride Programs in Myanmar Schoolchildren.

PURPOSE: To investigate the anti-caries effects of the school-based fluoride varnish (FV) application at 3-month intervals and ?weekly fluoride mouthrins?ing? (FMR) ?on primary teeth and to evaluate the anti-microbial effects of FV or FMR on cariogenic bacteria among Myanmar children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 6-month interventional study was conducted on 234 schoolchildren who were divided into three groups: group A received FV application at 3-month intervals, group B received weekly FMR,? and group C received no fluoride application. A clinical oral examination and caries risk tests were performed at baseline and the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Caries prevalence and ?the debris score did not change statistically significantly from baseline to the 6-month follow-up in all groups, whereas the dmfs score statistically significantly increased in group C (p = 0.001). The plaque and saliva scores of Dentocult SM statistically significantly decreased in group A (p = 0.049 and p = 0.006), but those scores statistically significantly increased in group C (p = 0.001 and p = 0.014) after six months. On the other hand, no statistically significant changes were observed in group B. Although the Cariostat scores decreased from baseline to the 6-month follow-up in group A and group B, but increased in group C, no statistically significant differences were observed in any of the groups. CONCLUSION: Better anti-microbial effects were obtained for children who received FV application than for those who received FMR, but no statistically significant difference existed between the anti-caries effects of these two approaches.

A comparative study of the susceptibility of cut and uncut enamel to erosive demineralization.

This study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of cut and uncut enamel surfaces to an erosive challenge and to examine the resultant characteristics/morphological changes. Ten extracted human incisors were used for preparation of enamel samples, and samples were immersed in citric acid. After 3 (total 3 min) and 6 cycles (total 6 min) of erosive challenges, surface loss (SL) and morphological changes were measured using scanning microscopy and FIB-TEM. Ca release (CA) and surface hardness (SH) were measured using a calcium-sensitive electrode and hardness tester respectively. Mean values of all measurements were statistically analyzed by using a t-test. Uncut enamel samples had significantly lower SL and greater SH than cut enamel (p<0.01). Cut enamel samples after 3 cycles showed higher CA compared with those from uncut enamel samples (p<0.05). Cut enamel was shown to be more susceptible to acidic dissolution and deeper acid penetration than uncut enamel after erosive demineralization.