Access to restorative oral health care for children living in Illinois with Medicaid vs private dental insurance: An audit study.

Background: Public dental insurance programs for children aim to provide access to care, but barriers remain that preclude care delivery. Understanding these barriers is an important health policy concern.

Methods: A telephone audit sought to ascertain availability of oral health care for children in dental offices eligible to bill Medicaid.

Factors associated with moderate sedation attendance at a university-based pediatric dental clinic.

To evaluate patient attendance for moderate sedation (MS) at a university-based pediatric dental clinic; to identify factors with negative impact on MS being completed and to assess for associations between no-show appointments and patient variables METHODS: The electronic health records of patients scheduled for MS appointments in a 22-month period were assessed by a single investigator. Demographic and clinical data related to appointment attendance and MS procedure performance were collected and statistically analyzed using chi-square, Spearman's rho correlation tests, and logistic regression (p < 0.05) RESULTS: A total of 618 scheduled MS appointments were included.

Female Caregivers' Depression Risk Affects Children's Attendance to Dental Appointments: A Pilot Study.

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the association between women's depression risk and their children's return for dental treatment. A total of 175 female caregivers of children presenting for an initial dental examination between May and October 2019 at a university clinic answered demographic questions and a validated survey on depression risk. An analysis of caregiver's depression risk relative to children's attendance at the next treatment appointment was made.

Gender Differences in Pediatric Dentistry Chairs in the United States and Canada.

Objective: To analyze gender differences in personal and professional demographics, job perceptions and work satisfaction between male and female pediatric dentistry academic leaders in the United States and Canada.

Study Design: A 40-question survey was sent electronically to department chairs requesting information about demographics, current circumstances of the position, professional history, and opinions about the position. Data was analyzed by the sex of the respondent.

A qualitative analysis of caregiver perceptions of pediatric dental surgery under general anesthesia.

Background: Dental surgery under general anesthesia (GA) is a common treatment for severe childhood caries and thus may serve as an event to motivate behavior change. The frequency of recurrent caries, however, indicates opportunities within current practice to change a child's oral health behaviors.

Aim: To assess caregiver experiences related to their child's dental surgery to inform development of a behavioral intervention.

Characteristics and Professional Development Needs of Pediatric Dentistry Chairs in the United States and Canada.

To describe the demographics of pediatric dentistry department chairs in the United States and Canada, characterize the skills and abilities required for the job, understand how they spent their time, and identify their professional development needs. An electronic survey was sent to 88 department chairs about personal demographics, leadership, management and personal qualities important for the job, and professional developmental needs. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Effect of Caregiver's Race and Ethnicity on Acceptance of Passive Immobilization for Their Child's Dental Treatment.

To determine if caregivers' race and ethnicity impact their willingness to accept passive immobilization for their child's dental treatment and to determine if a detailed description of passive immobilization will make caregivers more likely to accept the technique.
Caregivers of one- to 11-year-old patients were recruited in a university pediatric dental clinic. They completed two surveys and reviewed a written and pictorial description of passive immobilization.

Where Do Pediatric Dental Residents Intend to Practice? Exploring the Influence of Loan Repayment Programs and Other Factors.

The high cost of dental education and consequent loan burdens contribute to the shortage of pediatric dental providers in rural areas (RAs). Economic incentives are meant to recruit practitioners to RAs. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of government subsidized loan repayment programs (GSLRPs) to recruit pediatric specialists to practice in RAs.

Society of Behavioral Medicine position statement: Society of Behavioral Medicine supports oral cancer early detection by all healthcare providers.

In response to the increasing incidence of certain oral and oropharyngeal cancers, the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) calls on healthcare providers and legislators to expand awareness of oral and oropharyngeal cancer risk factors, increase early detection, and support policies that increase utilization of dental services. SBM supports the American Dental Association's 2017 guideline for evaluating potentially malignant oral cavity disorders and makes the following recommendations to healthcare providers and legislators. We encourage healthcare providers and healthcare systems to treat oral exams as a routine part of patient examination; communicate to patients about oral/oropharyngeal cancers and risk factors; encourage HPV vaccination for appropriate patients based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; support avoidance of tobacco use and reduction of alcohol consumption; and follow the current recommendations for evaluating potentially malignant oral cavity lesions.

Timing of Case-Based Discussions and Educational Outcomes for Dental Students.

The aim of this study was to determine if the timing of a case-based discussion affected dental students' assessment scores. The study specifically investigated whether the timing of a 60-minute case-based discussion before or after a 90-minute lecture affected students' performance on a quiz on topics in pediatric dentistry. In addition, students' preferences for the timing of the case discussion and confidence in the material with different timings were assessed in a survey.

The Health System and Policy Implications of Changing Epidemiology for Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers in the United States From 1995 to 2016.

Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers are typically grouped under the general term, "oral cancer." Yet, the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers is increasing in the United States, while the incidence of oral cavity cancers has declined. These 2 distinct but conflated groups of oral cancers are attributed to different risk factors.

Assessing oral cancer early detection: clarifying dentists' practices.

Objective: This study explores new methods for assessing in greater detail what dentists do when they perform oral cancer early detection examinations. It clarifies practice behaviors and opens opportunities to identify factors that facilitate thorough early detection examinations by clinicians and to assess the relative effectiveness of different examination procedures.

Methods: A 38-item survey instrument was e-mailed to dentists in a western US, multistate dental practice group.

Training in the primary prevention and early detection of oral cancer: pilot study of its impact on clinicians' perceptions and intentions.

In this pilot study, we tested a new program for training medical care providers in the primary prevention and early detection of oral cancer. The training program consisted of two modules: (1) oral cancer epidemiology and head and neck examinations for the early detection of oral cancer and (2) assessment and counseling of patients in tobacco cessation. On a pretraining questionnaire, the 8 participating clinicians (3 primary care physicians, 4 ENT nurses, and 1 physician assistant) indicated that they had only a limited awareness of oral cancer, that they generally did not routinely examine asymptomatic patients for oral cancer, and that they engaged in only a limited amount of risk assessment/counseling with their patients.

Why implementation processes vary across the 5A's of the Smoking Cessation Guideline: administrators' perspectives.

Unrelated to any research, 18 maternal and child health case management agencies adopted a smoking cessation program that included the ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange components of the 2000 U.S. Public Health Service Smoking Cessation Guideline.