The contribution of the Scottish doctor Robert Erskine to the development of Russian medicine in the 18th century.

The Scottish doctor Robert Erskine (1677-1718) became Chief Doctor of Russia and personal physician to Tsar Peter the Great. Extensive archival material documents his remarkable career. From schooling in the village of Alva and apprenticeship to an Edinburgh apothecary, he went on to study medicine in Paris and Utrecht and was admitted to the Royal Society in London.

Rural clinical school dental graduates views on rural and metropolitan employment.

Introduction: There is a maldistribution of dental professionals working in rural and remote regions of Australia. This study investigates dental graduates from a newly established rural clinical school (RCS) at Charles Sturt University (CSU), New South Wales, Australia, and records graduates' workforce locations and views on working in both metropolitan and rural practice.

Materials And Methods: In late 2015 to early 2016, CSU graduates of 2013 and 2014 were asked to complete a telephone interview related to their employment choices.

An evaluation of health workforce models addressing oral health in residential aged care facilities: A systematic review of the literature.

Background: In Australia and globally, there is an increasing problem of unmet oral health needs of older people above 65 residing in aged care facilities. Various workforce models have been trialled to implement oral health care programmes in aged care facilities, but the evidence behind these programmes and their underlying workforce models is not known.

Objective: To systematically review the literature on the effectiveness, and economic feasibility of the current workforce models addressing oral care in aged care facilities.

What factors are associated with dental general anaesthetics for Australian children and what are the policy implications? A qualitative study.

Background: Dental general anaesthetics undertaken on young children are amongst the most common of all potentially preventable hospitalisations of children in Australia. They are costly for families and the community and entail some risk. The aim of the study was to explore the views of stakeholders about factors associated with children's dental general anaesthetics in Victoria, Australia and to identify policy implications.

A pilot study on the feasibility of training nurses to formulate multicomponent oral health interventions in a residential aged care facility.

Objectives: This 10 weeks feasibility study investigated whether residential care nurses with 12 hours advanced oral health training in assessments and saliva testing could formulate, implement and monitor individualised oral care plans of early dementia residents.

Method: Four trained lead advocate nurses using SXI-D, OHIP14, oral health assessment tool (OHAT) assessments and a modified saliva test formulated nurse scheduled comprehensive oral care plans (NSCOCPs) by selecting and scheduling preventive products and procedures multiple times throughout the day to alkalise the mouth of 8 residents as an adjunct to assisted brushing and high-fluoride toothpaste.

Results: Nurse assessments, saliva tests and care plans were validated against oral health therapist (OHT) findings.

The oral health status of older patients in acute care on admission and Day 7 in two Australian hospitals.

Objective: to determine the oral health status of older patients in acute care wards at admission and after 7 days.

Methods: a prospective descriptive study was conducted in two acute tertiary referral hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Oral health was assessed on admission (within 24 h) and Day 7 using the Oral Health Assessment Tool.

Dental caries and fluorosis experience of 8-12-year-old children by early-life exposure to fluoride.

Background: It is important to evaluate concurrently the benefit for dental caries and the risk for dental fluorosis from early exposure to fluoride among children.

Aim: To evaluate associations of different levels of exposure to fluoride in early childhood with dental caries and dental fluorosis experience in school children.

Methods: A Child Dental Health Survey (CDHS) was conducted among school children in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) in 2007.

The Early Childhood Oral Health Program: promoting prevention and timely intervention of early childhood caries in NSW through shared care.

Issue Addressed: Early childhood caries (ECC) continues to have high prevalence worldwide, despite being largely preventable. The Early Childhood Oral Health (ECOH) Program was established in New South Wales (NSW) using a model of shared responsibility for oral health, which involves a partnership between child health professionals, oral health professionals and parents of young children, to facilitate the primary prevention, early identification and early intervention of ECC.

Methods: An evaluation of the ECOH program was conducted, using mixed methods.

Economic evaluation of preventive dental programs: what can they tell us?

The role of public health program planners is to determine the effectiveness of public health programs, what recommendations should be made, what future initiatives should be taken, and what policies should be developed. At a basic level, to choose between competing alternatives, two characteristics of an intervention must be considered; these are its outcome and its cost. Based on cost and outcome, planners must select the option that offers the most advantages.

Utilisation of the Medicare Teen Dental Plan in NSW, 2008-2010.

Aim: To examine the use of the Medicare Teen Dental Plan in NSW, its uptake in the private and public dental sectors and to map the geographical pattern of program use.

Methods: Data describing the use of the Medicare Teen Dental Plan were assembled from a variety of sources including Medicare, the NSW Oral Health Data Collection and the NSW Teen Dental Survey 2010.

Results: In 2010, use of the Medicare Teen Dental Plan across the entire NSW eligible aged population ranged from 20 to 25.

Factors influencing perceived oral health of Japanese middle-aged adults.

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between subjective oral health symptoms and clinical oral health conditions on the perceived oral health of 1799 Japanese middle-aged adults. A self-administered questionnaire together with dental examinations was administered. A structural equation modeling analysis with Bayesian estimation was used to examine the factors influencing perceived oral health as a latent variable with 4 other latent variables: subjective oral health symptoms, clinical tooth conditions, clinical periodontal conditions, and other clinical oral conditions.

A qualitative process evaluation of an oral health promotion program for older migrant adults.

Issues Addressed: Qualitative process evaluation of a community-based health promotion program conducted to improve the use of oral health services, oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of older Greek and Italian adults living in Melbourne, Australia.

Method: Fifteen focus groups were conducted with a sample of program participants (n=151) aged 55 and over, drawn from nine Italian and six Greek ethnic clubs. The focus groups sought participants' views about all aspects of the oral health promotion program and delivery, including the use of educational seminars; the preparation of simple language printed material known as the ORHIS (Oral Health Information Seminars/Sheets); and the distribution and demonstration of oral care products relevant to each individual seminar.

Factors associated with self-reported use of dental health services among older Greek and Italian immigrants.

The authors discuss utilization of dental health services by older Greek and Italian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia. Their study involved 374 Greek and 360 Italian adults who completed a questionnaire and received an oral examination. Nearly 41% of Greek and 45% of Italian respondents had used dental services in the previous year.

Oral health promotion programme for older migrant adults.

Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of a community-based oral health promotion programme on the use of oral health services, oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of older Greek and Italian adults attending community clubs and living in Melbourne, Australia.

Methods: The oral health promotion intervention consisted of three components: a series of oral health seminars, held at the clubs in the participants' native languages, the provision of oral health care products, and the production of oral health information sheets. The intervention programme was known as the Oral Health Information Seminars/Sheets (ORHIS).