Navigating Disparities in Dental Health-A Transit-Based Investigation of Access to Dental Care in Virginia.

Objective: To identify vulnerable areas and populations with limited access to dental care in Virginia, the study aimed (1) to calculate travel time and accessibility scores to dental care in Virginia using a transit-based accessibility model for all dental clinics and dental clinics participating in the Medicaid dental program and (2) to estimate factors associated with accessibility to dental clinics participating in the Medicaid dental program in Virginia.

Methods: The study used building footprints as origins of transit trips to dental care services (or destinations). The study then computed transit-based origin-destination travel time matrices based on the detailed trip information, including in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle travel time.

Perceived Impacts of the Expanded Child Tax Credit Cessation Based on Family Income Level.

The 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit (ECTC) lifted millions of children out of poverty and drastically improved well-being. These impacts were particularly salient for families with lower income among those who received the full ECTC benefit. This study gathered lived experiences on the ECTC cessation and explored differential impacts across income levels to inform discussions around policy restoration.

Effect of motivational interviewing on preventive strategies for children receiving full-mouth dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) is an approach to increase parental compliance to follow up and recall of their children. It has proven to be successful in motivating parents to adopt and maintain preventive child oral health behaviors.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of motivational interviewing on prevention strategies for parents of children who have received full-mouth dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA).

The Impact of Dental Operatory Color on Anxiety in Committed Youth.

To examine the impact of dental operatory room color on the level of anxiety in committed youth at a juvenile correctional center. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a juvenile correctional center using an approved continuous quality assurance survey. The dental assistant collected self-reported anxiety scores from 164 individuals alternating between two dental operatory rooms.

Safety protocols at the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Oral Clinical Examination during COVID-19.

Background: There are continued concerns about holding large group gatherings with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) made the decision to cancel the Oral Clinical Examination (OCE) in 2020 with a goal to host the exam in 2021. This cancellation postponed the board certification of over 400 pediatric dentists.

Patterns Of Food Security And Dietary Intake During The First Half Of The Child Tax Credit Expansion.

Temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) during the COVID-19 pandemic provided additional monthly income for US families, with no restrictions on use, from July through December 2021. This study examined food security and children's dietary intake after three months of expanded CTC payments. Parents completed online surveys before and after three months of CTC payments.

The Impact of Preventive Dental Services on Subsequent Dental Treatment for Children in Medicaid.

Objective: The goal of this study was to use claims data linked with community-level measures to evaluate the impact of preventive services on the time to subsequent restorative, advanced restorative, and complex dental treatment among children enrolled in the Virginia Medicaid program.

Methods: Four data sources were used (dental claims, eligibility files, American Community Survey, and Area Health Resource Files) for fiscal years 2011 to 2018. The outcomes of interest were time to first treatment services from birth.

Prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain and offspring caries experience: Avon longitudinal study of parents and children.

Pre-existing maternal overweight/obesity and pregnancy weight gain are associated with adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight and prematurity, which may increase the risk of developmental tooth defects and early childhood caries. We sought to investigate the association between prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain (GWG) and the risk of early childhood caries. Data from 1,429 mother-offspring participants of the 1991/1992 Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were analyzed.

Oral Health Knowledge, Barriers to Dental Care, and Awareness of a Medicaid Pregnancy Dental Coverage Among Reproductive-Age Women.

Oral health is an integral part of women's health, yet many women face barriers and go without necessary dental care. The objectives of this study were to (1) examine and compare pregnancy-related oral health knowledge and barriers to dental care access during pregnancy among women with private and public insurance and (2) estimate awareness of available Medicaid pregnancy dental benefit among Medicaid-enrolled women and explore associated factors. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a convenience sample of 21- to 45-year-old women ( = 187) visiting a large urban academic health center in Virginia.

The impact of dental Medicaid reform on dental care provider activity and market penetration of dental support organizations.

Background: Medicaid state dental programs have experienced changes related to provider practice settings with the increased growth of dental support organizations (DSOs). The authors conducted this study to assess the impact of state Medicaid reform on the dental practice environment by examining provider activity and practice setting.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of more than 13 million dental claims in the Virginia Medicaid program.

A scoping review of the roles, training, and impact of community health workers in oral health.

Objective: To synthesize English or Spanish-language literature on community health workers' (CHWs') roles, training, and impact in oral health.

Basic Research Design: A scoping review conducted in accordance with the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodological framework.

Method: Electronic literature searches were conducted in Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), DOSS, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Global Health CAB from inception of the databases to April 2020.

COVID-19 and Dental and Dental Hygiene Students' Career Plans.

Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate whether dental and dental hygiene students' career plans postgraduation were affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to examine wellness and readiness for clinical practice among students who reported a change in career plans.

Methods: An anonymous online REDCap survey was developed and emailed to 436 dental and dental hygiene students at a US dental school. The survey consisted of 81 questions that covered demographics, career plans postgraduation, and readiness and wellness measures.

A descriptive pilot study of the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on dental and dental hygiene students' readiness and wellness.

Background: The ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted dental students training across the U.S. academic dental institutions by moving classroom instruction to an online modality, limiting patient care, canceling external rotations, and rescheduling of licensure examinations.

Prenatal smoking and the risk of early childhood caries: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Dental caries is a chronic complex disease of multifactorial etiology that affects a quarter of U.S. children.

Lifestyle risk factor related disparities in oral cancer examination in the U.S: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Oral cancers account for 3% of annual U.S. cancer diagnosis, 2 in 5 of which are diagnosed late when prognosis is poor.

Utilization of and Dental Students' Perceived Benefits of an Urgent Care Clinic in a Dental School.

The aims of this study were to describe patient utilization of an urgent care clinic (UCC) in a dental school for one year and to assess dental students' perceptions of the benefits of training in this clinic. Aggregate clinic data from July 3, 2017, through July 6, 2018, were used to determine number of patients, number of new patients, number of new patients who elected to transfer their primary dental care to the university, number who were seen for a follow-up, and service/clinic to which each patient was referred. Student evaluations were used to determine the benefits students perceived in their training in the UCC.

Accuracy of Maternal Reports of Young Children's Dental Disease Status: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Parental reports of their children's health status is integral to pediatric medical and dental care. Therefore, understanding the accuracy of such reports is vital. Our objectives were to (1) assess the correlation between maternal reports of their children's indicators of caries experience (subjective assessment) and actual caries status determined by oral examination (objective assessment), and (2) identify potential modifiers of this correlation.

Factors Associated with Preventive Dental Visits Before and During Pregnancy.

Poor prenatal oral health has implications for maternal, fetal, and infant health. Studies have shown an association between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, and pre-eclampsia. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with preventive dental visits before and during pregnancy and examine the relationship of dental insurance with those visits among Virginia women.

Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Oral Health Measures in Adulthood: Findings from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negative life events occurring before the age of 18 y. ACEs are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes in adult life. Furthermore, individuals who experience ACEs are more likely to smoke and become obese-factors associated with poor oral health.

Serum cotinine, vitamin D exposure levels and dental caries experience in U.S. adolescents.

Introduction: Epidemiologic studies of risk and protective factors for poor oral health have mostly been among children and adults, seldom focusing on adolescents. The aims of this study were to examine whether serum cotinine, a marker of tobacco exposure, and serum vitamin D are independently associated with dental caries experience among adolescents.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 2579 adolescent participants in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey were analysed.

Effectiveness of a Preventive Recall Strategy for Children After Dental Rehabilitation with General Anesthesia.

Purpose: To test a more frequent preventive recall strategy following full-mouth dental rehabilitation (FMDR) in children with early childhood caries (ECC).

Methods: Patients were randomized into two groups: controls, who were scheduled to return at six-month intervals (6-MR); and the intervention group, who were scheduled to return at three-month intervals (3-MR and 6-MR). At baseline and at each recall, a caries risk assessment (CRA) and dental exam were completed.

Impact of Community-Based Clinical Training on Dental Students' Confidence in Treating Pediatric Patients.

With a significant need for more general dentists to provide care for pediatric patients, previous studies have found that community-based clinical training experience with children increased dental students' willingness to provide care to pediatric patients after graduation. The aim of our study was to determine the impact of community-based clinical training with pediatric patients on dental students' self-perceived confidence in treating pediatric patients, both overall and related to specific procedures. Of the total 105 fourth-year dental students at one U.

Provider Appearance: A Survey of Guardian and Patient Preference.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to: (1) assess children's preferences for their pediatric dentist's attire; (2) assess guardians' preferences for their child's pediatric dentist's attire; and (3) determine which attributes are associated with different types of attire. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using survey methodology with patients and parents who attended the pediatric dental clinic at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va., USA.

Management of the Maxillary Diastema by Various Dental Specialties.

Purpose: There is considerable controversy in the literature concerning the indications for frenectomy for treating a maxillary diastema and for timing of the procedure. The purpose of this study was to survey pediatric dentists, orthodontists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons on their opinion of this matter to develop a consensus.

Materials And Methods: An anonymous 7-item electronic questionnaire was sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, the American Association of Orthodontists, and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons asking about the etiology of the maxillary diastema, its diagnosis, and treatment.