Los Angeles County dentists' opinions on discussing human papilloma virus-related oral health issues and recommending vaccine to patients.

Dentists are well-positioned to discuss oral health issues related to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and recommend the HPV vaccine to their patients, mainly because the HPV virus causes oropharyngeal cancers.. We assessed Los Angeles (LA) County dentists' opinions on discussing HPV-related oral health issues and recommending the HPV vaccine to their patients.

A national sample of developmentally disabled adolescents with obesity and their utilization of preventive dental care services.

Background: Previous literature indicates that adolescents with developmental disabilities and obesity may have more oral health complications than healthy adolescents. However, dental care utilization among adolescents with developmental disabilities (DDs) and obesity is unclear. We investigated the differences in the utilization of preventive dental services between this high-risk group of adolescents and those with no DDs or obesity.

Association between oral health knowledge, perceived oral health related quality of life, perceived oral health status and emergency department and/or urgent care visit: Results from the multi-site oral health literacy study.

Objectives: To assess the link between oral health knowledge (OHK), self-perceived oral health, and emergency room (ER)/urgent care utilization for a dental problem.

Methods: Data were analyzed from a convenience sample of 790 adult participants who presented to two US dental schools and completed an interviewer-administered survey. Key independent variables were OHK assessed with the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK) instrument, self-perceived oral health status and quality of life determined using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) scores.

Dental care utilization among developmentally disabled adolescents experiencing difficulty with decayed teeth: A population-level study.

Aims: To determine if adolescents with developmental disabilities (DDs) who experienced difficulty with dental caries differed by dental visits in the past 12 months and receipt of preventive services (fluoride treatment and dental sealants) during those visits compared to adolescents with no DDs or difficulty with dental caries.

Methods And Results: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data of 91 196 adolescents aged 10-17 years from the 2016-2020 National Survey of Children's Health. Descriptive and bivariate statistics and multivariable regression models were conducted.

Hospital emergency department visits made by developmentally disabled adolescents with oral complications.

Purpose: We used Andersen's Behavioral Model in a cross-sectional study to determine the factors associated with utilization of the emergency department (ED), controlling for whether an adolescent has a developmental disability (DD) and one or more oral complications (toothaches, decayed teeth, bleeding gums, eating or swallowing problems).

Methods: Data from the 2016-2019 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) was used for this secondary data analysis study. We used frequencies and percentages to describe the sample characteristics.

Oral Health in America: Implications for dental practice.

Background: Important, but insufficient, gains have been achieved in access to and delivery of oral health care since the 2000 US surgeon general's report on oral health in America. Access to care has increased for children and young adults, but considerable work remains to meet the oral health care needs of all people equitably. The National Institutes of Health report, Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges, reviews the state of the US oral health care system, achievements made since 2000, and remaining challenges.

Assessing oral health content in nondental professional association websites.

Objectives: Determine the prevalence and type of oral health (OH) content among nondental health professional associations' websites.

Methods: Fifty-nine organizations were selected from three lists of health professional associations and categorized as physician-, nurse- and other healthcare-related professions. Eight dental search terms were used on searchable websites.

The Evolving Role of Health Literacy in Improving Oral Health.

This chapter provides a review of the evolution of oral health literacy including its impact on oral health outcomes, the current status of oral health literacy initiatives and future research needs. Using the Healthy People 2010 definition, the chapter describes opportunities needed to improve oral health literacy among health providers as well as individuals/patients, communities and policy-makers. Studies of the two most prevalent dental diseasesâĂŤdental caries and periodontal diseases - reveal that increasing the oral health literacy of the public and health care providers can play a major role in reducing these diseases.

Bridging the dental-medical divide: Case studies integrating oral health care and primary health care.

Background: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine commissioned an environmental scan describing the status of health care integration of oral health and primary care services.

Methods: The authors conducted an environmental scan of US integration activities with publications from January 2000 through August 2017. They categorized services as preventive oral health services (POHS) provided by medical care providers, POHS provided by dental providers in nondental settings, preventive health services provided by dental providers, or care coordination using dedicated personnel and technology.

Integrating Oral Health and Primary Care in the Changing Health Care Landscape.

The bi-directional relationship among oral health and other systemic diseases and conditions provides a strong rationale for integration of oral health and primary care practice. Patient care services may be coordinated across different times, places, and professional disciplines to provide a team approach to care for overall health.

The value of a combined word recognition and knowledge measure to understand characteristics of our patients' oral health literacy.

Objective: The objective of the analysis was to examine the association between sociodemographic and dental understanding and utilization characteristics and lower oral health literacy (HL) and knowledge.

Methods: The cross-sectional Multicenter Oral Health Literacy Research Study (MOHLRS) recruited and interviewed 923 English-speaking, initial care-seeking adults. The questionnaire included participant sociodemographic characteristics, measures of the participant's understanding and utilization of dentistry, and two oral HL measures, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D) and the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK), which were combined into a new composite HL and knowledge measure, the MOHLR-K.

Oral health conceptual knowledge and its relationships with oral health outcomes: Findings from a Multi-site Health Literacy Study.

Objectives: In 2010, a health literacy instrument designed to measure oral health conceptual knowledge was introduced. This developmental work was limited in that it included a relatively small and homogeneous study population and few oral health measures against which to test concurrent validity. The purpose of the present investigation is to expand upon the earlier work by utilizing a larger study sample and additional outcome variables.

Did you know Medicare does not usually include a dental benefit? Findings from a multisite investigation of oral health literacy.

Objectives: Medicare does not usually include a dental benefit. Adults who are unaware of this fact risk unanticipated expenses after retirement. This report will explore the sociodemographic and oral health literacy determinants of this knowledge.

Comparing Well-Tested Health Literacy Measures for Oral Health: A Pilot Assessment.

There has been growing national concern over the low health literacy of Americans and, coinciding with this, a growing importance placed on measuring health literacy. Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, and use information to make health decisions. Health literacy in an oral health context means access to accurate information about oral health, understanding the risks of neglecting oral care, and calculating the chances of getting periodontal disease.

Oral Health Literacy and Measures of Periodontal Disease.

Background: Existing evidence demonstrating a relationship between health literacy (HL) and periodontal health is insufficient to identify how providers can help patients manage periodontal disease. This study assesses associations between HL measures (word recognition, numeracy, and conceptual knowledge) and signs of periodontal disease.

Methods: This study included 325 new patients at a dental school clinic and employed an oral HL (OHL) survey, full-mouth radiographs, and clinical examination.

Developing core dental public health competencies for predoctoral dental and dental hygiene students.

Dental professionals are an "underutilized" workforce, when it comes to advocating for prevention and wellness in populations. The goal of this HRSA-funded project is to develop dental public health (DPH) competencies and curriculum for US predoctoral dental and dental hygiene programs. These competencies and accompanying curriculum are designed to better prepare the oral health workforce to meet the needs of the entire population, including the chronically underserved, those challenged by poor health literacy, or communities encountering barriers to accessing oral health care.

Pilot testing a predoctoral dental public health curriculum: reporting process and outcomes.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to pilot test the predoctoral dental public health (DPH) curriculum developed by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD) in various US dental schools and dental hygiene programs.

Methods: Following the Lewy's theoretical framework, we used all three curriculum tryout methods (laboratory tryout, pilot tryout, and field tryout) for the pilot testing process. Open-ended questions on the structure, presentation, and content of the curriculum were sent to faculty pilot testing the DPH curriculum to obtain critical feedback and comments.

Developing a flexible core Dental Public Health curriculum for predoctoral dental and dental hygiene schools.

Objective: The curriculum for graduating dental and dental hygiene students must prepare them to contribute to the improvement or maintenance of health for individual patient's and the public's health. The objective is to describe the background for and the process used to develop a core Dental Public Health Curriculum for such students.

Methods: The process used was to solicit and review existing dental public health curriculum in dental and dental hygiene schools; review curriculum for other health professionals; identify the themes needed to frame the curriculum; select usable materials and identify gaps in existing curricular materials; and develop appropriate curriculum materials that would embody the competencies developed for undergraduate dental and dental hygiene education.

The association of patients' oral health literacy and dental school communication tools: a pilot study.

The aim of this pilot study was to assess adult patients' ability to read and understand two communication tools at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry: the dental school clinic website and a patient education brochure pertaining to sedation in children that was written by dental school personnel. A convenience sample of 100 adults seeking treatment at the school's general dental clinic during 2012-13 completed a health literacy screening instrument. They were then asked to read clinic educational and informational materials and complete a survey.

The association between oral health literacy and failed appointments in adults attending a university-based general dental clinic.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the association between personal characteristics, a person's oral health literacy, and failing to show for dental appointments at a university dental clinic.

Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted on data collected from 200 adults at a university dental clinic between January 2005 and December 2006. In the original study, an oral health literacy instrument, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D), was administered, sociodemographic and health information seeking behavior was gathered, and electronic records were reviewed.

Impact of cone-beam computed tomography on orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

Introduction: In this study, we measured the impact of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) on orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

Methods: Participant orthodontists shown traditional orthodontic records for 6 patients were asked to provide a diagnostic problem list, a hypothetical treatment plan, and a clinical certainty. They then evaluated a CBCT scan for each patient and noted any changes, confirmations, or enhancements to their diagnosis and treatment plan.

A brief 20-item dental/medical health literacy screen (REALMD-20).

Objectives: Few health literacy instruments are available to clinicians to help understand the implications of patient difficulty understanding health information. Those that do exist are lengthy and would not be conducive to use in a busy clinical setting. Long-term dental and medical outcomes may improve if health care providers can identify individuals with low health literacy levels who may benefit from tailored communication, yet few instruments are available for clinical use.

Dentition, dental health habits, and dementia: the Leisure World Cohort Study.

Objectives: To explore the association between dentition and dental health behaviors and incident dementia.

Design: Longitudinal cohort.

Setting: Leisure World, Laguna Hills, CA; a retirement community.

Dental health behaviors, dentition, and mortality in the elderly: the leisure world cohort study.

In the last decade the effect of oral health on the general health and mortality of elderly people has attracted attention. We explored the association of dental health behaviors and dentition on all-cause mortality in 5611 older adults followed from 1992 to 2009 (median = 9 years) and calculated risk estimates using Cox regression analysis in men and women separately. Toothbrushing at night before bed, using dental floss everyday, and visiting the dentist were significant risk factors for longevity.