Dental Care

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2018) | Viewed by 36295

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: prevention and management of early childhood caries; clinical uses of fluorides and community dental care
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The focus of this Special Issue, “Dental Care”, is for original theoretical or empirical work related to dental care of older adults. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Models of dental services, advance in dental care, dental care for children, older adults and people with special needs, literature reviews, research protocols and innovative, interdisciplinary approach in dental care.

Dr. Chun-Hung Chu
Dr. Duangporn Duangthip
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2172 KiB  
Article
Oral Health in Pregnant Chinese Women in Singapore: A Call to Go beyond the Traditional Clinical Care
by Preethi Balan, Hong-Gu He, Fengchunzhi Cao, Mun Loke Wong, Yap-Seng Chong, Violeta Lopez, Shu-E. Soh and Chaminda Jayampath Seneviratne
Healthcare 2018, 6(3), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6030077 - 09 Jul 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4822
Abstract
Objective: To examine the correlations among oral health knowledge, attitude, practices and oral disease among pregnant Chinese women in Singapore. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted in pregnant Chinese women in Singapore. A questionnaire was used to collect data of [...] Read more.
Objective: To examine the correlations among oral health knowledge, attitude, practices and oral disease among pregnant Chinese women in Singapore. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted in pregnant Chinese women in Singapore. A questionnaire was used to collect data of oral health knowledge, attitude and practices. Plaque index scores were used to assess the oral health of subjects. Results: A total of 82 pregnant women participated in the study, out of whom 38% showed adequate oral health knowledge, nearly half of them achieved adequate and oral health attitude and practice scores while 34% had good Plaque index scores. The lower income group had higher experience of self-reported dental problems during pregnancy than those in the higher income group (p = 0.03). There were significant positive correlations between scores of oral health practice, attitude and oral health knowledge levels. The plaque index scores negatively correlated with the oral health practice scores (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Our findings provided evidence that oral health knowledge, attitude and practices among Chinese pregnant women were not optimal which implies the importance of promoting their oral health during pregnancy through the improvement of knowledge and attitudes. This would facilitate formulation and implementation of appropriate oral health promotion policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dental Care)
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7 pages, 1218 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of Oral Health Status between International and Japanese University Student Patients in Japan
by Ai Ohsato, Masanobu Abe, Kazumi Ohkubo, Hidemi Yoshimasu, Liang Zong, Kazuto Hoshi, Tsuyoshi Takato, Shintaro Yanagimoto and Kazuhiko Yamamoto
Healthcare 2018, 6(2), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6020052 - 22 May 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4261
Abstract
Background: The number of international students enrolled in universities in Japan is increasing. To provide better oral care services for international students, we have to understand their oral environment and dental health behaviors. However, few studies have investigated the oral health status of [...] Read more.
Background: The number of international students enrolled in universities in Japan is increasing. To provide better oral care services for international students, we have to understand their oral environment and dental health behaviors. However, few studies have investigated the oral health status of international university students. The object of the present study was to clarify the current oral status of international university students. Methods: The subjects were students who visited the dental department at the University of Tokyo’s Health Services Center between April 2012 and March 2013. Our medical records were reviewed with regard to the following items: attributes (nationality, gender, and age); chief complaint (reason for visit); history of dental treatment; mean number of decayed (D), missing (M) or filled (F) teeth as a single (DMFT) index; degree of calculus deposition; gingival condition; and oral hygiene status. Results: The records of 554 university students (138 international and 416 non-international students) were analyzed; 88.4% of the 138 international students were from Asian countries (n = 122), of which 47.1% were from China and 10.9% from Korea, followed by North America (5.8%), Europe (4.3%), and Africa (1.5%). Although no significant differences were found regarding the history of dental treatment between international and non-international students (49.3% and 48.8%, respectively), international students had a significantly higher dental caries morbidity rate (60.1%) than non-international students (49.0%). The international students showed a significantly higher DMFT value compared with the non-international students: 5.0 and 4.0 per individual, respectively. Severe calculus deposition was observed in international students compared with non-international students (51.9% and 31.7%, respectively). Conclusions: The international university students had poorer oral health status than the non-international students, even though the result might include many uncertainties and possible biases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dental Care)
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Review

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10 pages, 930 KiB  
Review
Sclerostin Modulation Holds Promise for Dental Indications
by Mohamed G. Hassan, Abbas R. Zaher, Juan Martin Palomo and Leena Palomo
Healthcare 2018, 6(4), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6040134 - 23 Nov 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 9514
Abstract
Sclerostin modulation is a novel therapeutic bone regulation strategy. The anti-sclerostin drugs, proposed in medicine for skeletal bone loss may be developed for jaw bone indications in dentistry. Alveolar bone responsible for housing dentition share common bone remodeling mechanisms with skeletal bone. Manipulating [...] Read more.
Sclerostin modulation is a novel therapeutic bone regulation strategy. The anti-sclerostin drugs, proposed in medicine for skeletal bone loss may be developed for jaw bone indications in dentistry. Alveolar bone responsible for housing dentition share common bone remodeling mechanisms with skeletal bone. Manipulating alveolar bone turnover can be used as a strategy to treat diseases such as periodontitis, where large bone defects from disease are a surgical treatment challenge and to control tooth position in orthodontic treatment, where moving teeth through bone in the treatment goal. Developing such therapeutics for dentistry is a future line for research and therapy. Furthermore, it underscores the interprofessional relationship that is the future of healthcare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dental Care)
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17 pages, 4125 KiB  
Review
The Oral Healthcare System in Japan
by Takashi Zaitsu, Tomoya Saito and Yoko Kawaguchi
Healthcare 2018, 6(3), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6030079 - 10 Jul 2018
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 10633
Abstract
This paper describes the present Japanese oral healthcare system and outlines the future challenges and perspectives for Japan. Japan has developed a system for providing high-quality and appropriate health care efficiently through a universal health insurance system which has been in operation since [...] Read more.
This paper describes the present Japanese oral healthcare system and outlines the future challenges and perspectives for Japan. Japan has developed a system for providing high-quality and appropriate health care efficiently through a universal health insurance system which has been in operation since 1961. This health insurance covers most restorative, prosthetic and oral surgery treatment. Therefore, all people can receive dental treatment at a relatively low cost, with the same fees applying throughout the nation. In Japan, public oral health services are provided by the local governments according to the life stage of their populations. These services are mainly conducted by private dental practitioners under contracts with local governments. National oral health data shows that the oral health of the Japanese population has improved over the last several decades. Future challenges and perspectives for Japanese dentistry include: tackling the regional differences in oral health, decreasing the cost of health expenditure, establishment of sustainable emergency oral healthcare services in times of disaster, and the development a new tele-dental system for remote areas without access to dental professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dental Care)
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8 pages, 190 KiB  
Review
Oral Health Care in Hong Kong
by Sherry Shiqian Gao, Kitty Jieyi Chen, Duangporn Duangthip, Edward Chin Man Lo and Chun Hung Chu
Healthcare 2018, 6(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6020045 - 11 May 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6173
Abstract
Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, is a metropolitan city in Asia with a population of approximately 7.4 million. This paper reflects the oral health care situation in Hong Kong. Water fluoridation was introduced in 1961 [...] Read more.
Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, is a metropolitan city in Asia with a population of approximately 7.4 million. This paper reflects the oral health care situation in Hong Kong. Water fluoridation was introduced in 1961 as the primary strategy for the prevention of dental caries. The fluoride level is currently 0.5 parts per million. Dental care is mainly provided by private dentists. The government’s dentists primarily serve civil servants and their dependents, with limited emergency dental service for pain relief offered to the general public. Nevertheless, the government runs the school dental care service, which provides dental treatments to primary school children through dental therapists. They also set up an oral health education unit to promote oral health in the community. Hong Kong had 2280 registered dentists in 2017, and the dentist-to-population ratio was about 1:3200. The Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong is the only institution to provide basic and advanced dentistry training programs in Hong Kong. Dental hygienists, dental surgery assistants, dental therapists, and dental technicians receive training as paradental staff through the university or the government. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dental Care)
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