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"Dental public health"
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Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
Access to oral health care is essential to promoting and maintaining overall health and well-being, yet only half of the population visits a dentist each year. Poor and minority children are less likely to have access to oral health care than are their nonpoor and nonminority peers. Older adults, people who live in rural areas, and disabled individuals, uniformly confront access barriers, regardless of their financial resources. The consequences of these disparities in access to oral health care can lead to a number of conditions including malnutrition, childhood speech problems, infections, diabetes, heart disease, and premature births.
Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations examines the scope and consequences of inadequate access to oral health services in the United States and recommends ways to combat the economic, structural, geographic, and cultural factors that prevent access to regular, quality care. The report suggests changing funding and reimbursement for dental care; expanding the oral health work force by training doctors, nurses, and other nondental professionals to recognize risk for oral diseases; and revamping regulatory, educational, and administrative practices. It also recommends changes to incorporate oral health care into overall health care. These recommendations support the creation of a diverse workforce that is competent, compensated, and authorized to serve vulnerable and underserved populations across the life cycle.
The recommendations provided in Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations will help direct the efforts of federal, state, and local government agencies; policy makers; health professionals in all fields; private and public health organizations; licensing and accreditation bodies; educational institutions; health care researchers; and philanthropic and advocacy organizations.
eBook
Making the American Mouth
Why are Americans so uniquely obsessed with teeth? Brilliantly white, straight teeth?Making the American Mouthis at once a history of United States dentistry and a study of a billion-dollar industry. Alyssa Picard chronicles the forces that limited Americans' access to dental care in the early twentieth century and the ways dentists worked to expand that access--and improve the public image of their profession. Comprehensive in scope, this work describes how dentists' early public health commitments withered under the strain of fights over fluoride, mid-century social movements for racial and gender equity, and pressure to insure dental costs. It explains how dentists came to promote cosmetic services, and why Americans were so eager to purchase them. As we move into the twentyfirst century, dentists' success in shaping their industry means that for many, the perfect American smile will remain a distant--though tantalizing--dream.
eBook
Effect of Surface Polishing on Nano-Hardness and Elastic Modulus of Different Resin Composites after Immersion in Alcoholic Medium
There has been a great tendency toward using resin composite in dentistry and exploring nano-hardness, elastic modulus, and effect of polishing on its mechanical properties after its artificial ageing. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of surface polishing of four different resin composites on their nano-hardness and elastic modulus. This effect was tested right after light curing of composite resin and after its artificial ageing (immersion in alcoholic medium). Nanoindentation test preparations, surface roughness, surface hardness, and scanning electron microscope were conducted across the four different resin composites: Clearfil AP-X (APX), Estelite Sigma Quick (ESQ), Beautifil II (BE2), and FiltekTM Supreme Ultra Universal restorative (FSU). We found that difference in fillers load and particle size are amongst the factors influencing hardness and modulus of elasticity. The APX is the highest in term of hardness due to fillers load and size while the ESQ is the lowest because all fillers in nano size and distributed homogenously. The significance of surface polishing of the studied resin composite restorations was highlighted. Future research may focus on exploring survival rate of polished and non-polished composite surfaces with emphasis on measuring degree of conversion and impacts of polished and non-polished surfaces on the individuals’ oral health quality of life.
Journal Article
Advancing Oral Health in America
Though it is highly preventable, tooth decay is a common chronic disease both in the United States and worldwide.Evidence shows that decay and other oral diseases may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
eBook
Can Teledentistry Improve the Monitoring of Patients during the Covid-19 Dissemination? A Descriptive Pilot Study
The aim of this pilot study was to describe the advantages of telemedicine (TM) in dental practice during the current national emergency condition due to the Covid-19 dissemination. At Department of Oral Surgery and Pathology—Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, regional reference center for Covid-19—two groups of patients were determined: patients with urgent conditions (group U) and patients in follow-up (group F). Both groups were instructed to implement remote consultations using a messaging service (WhatsApp Messenger, WhatsApp Inc., Mountain View, California, USA) to send photos. A total of 418 photos were collected by 57 patients. Thirty-four photos were obtained by five patients in the U group after surgical procedures. All patients sent photos on the established evening, except for two patients who sent two photos outside the set days. In the F group, 384 photos were collected by 52 patients. None of them sent more photos than the number that was established by the protocol. Telemedicine allowed a monitoring of all patients, reducing costs and limiting human contact, decreasing the risk of Covid-19 dissemination.
Journal Article
The Future of Payment for Dental Care
Purpose of Review
To examine the literature on dental reimbursement methods, with emphasis on paying for value (e.g., health care outcomes) rather than procedure. To make recommendations that would facilitate the expansion of access to dental care for those most in need and improve the oral health of the US population.
Recent Findings
Although the health care system is moving toward paying for performance and outcomes, dentistry lags behind. We review publications that identify obstacles to payment for outcomes in oral health as well as moving away from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement.
Summary
Payment for value in dentistry is a long way from becoming a reality; however, the testing of models within Medicaid that set aside a small percentage of the fee for a procedure to be reimbursed based on the improved oral health of the patient and/or the population of the practice may facilitate its adoption. A similar set aside in capitation-based programs could ensure the delivery of essential services and avoid the underutilization traditionally associated with this type of reimbursement system. Similar incentives could be tested in group practices and perhaps even community health centers. Widespread adoption of diagnostics code, missing in dental records, would enable better tracking of met needs. Educational systems that foster intra- and interprofessional teamwork and the appropriate use of personnel operating at the top of their competency would increase efficiency while adding value at the same or lower cost.
Journal Article
Restructuring Dental Education to Facilitate Access to Oral Health Care
Purpose of Review
To review recent literature evaluating how current models of dental education are contributing to reducing oral health disparities in the USA. Recent innovations in dental schools’ curricula and admissions processes will be examined, as well as how oral health disparities have driven the education and subsequent expansion of the allied dental workforce.
Recent Findings
Dental school curricula and admissions changes have had minimal impact on reducing oral health disparities. Subsequently, educational innovations have resulted in the traditional duties of dentists being performed by dental therapists, advanced dental hygiene practitioners, and independent dental hygienists.
Summary
Public perception is that extended employment of allied dental professionals has resulted in improved access and delivery of dental care to underserved members of the population. Development of a diversified oral health workforce that provides team-based, inter-professional care will help decrease the oral health inequities that exist in the USA.
Journal Article
COVID-19 transmission risk and protective protocols in dentistry: a systematic review
Background
Among several potential transmission sources in the spreading of the COVID-19, dental services have received a high volume of attention. Several reports, papers, guidelines, and suggestions have been released on how this infection could be transmitted through dental services and what should be done. This study aimed to review the guidelines in order to develop a practical feasibility protocol for the re-opening of dental clinics and the reorientation of dental services.
Methods
This study systematically reviewed the published literature and the guidelines of international health care institutions on dentistry and COVID-19. We searched Pubmed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS electronic databases using MESH terms. The recommendations identified were tested with a convenience sample of experienced practitioners, and a practical step-by-step protocol is presented in this paper.
Results
To the date this paper was drafted, 38 articles were found, of which 9 satisfied our inclusion criteria. As all the nine studies were proposed in a general consensus, any elective non-emergency dental care for patients with suspected or known COVID-19 should be postponed for at least 2 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only urgent treatment of dental diseases can be performed during the COVID-19 outbreak taking into consideration pharmacological management as the first line and contagion-reduced minimally invasive emergency treatment as the secondary and final management.
Conclusions
While the currently available evidence has not demonstrated a clear and direct relationship between dental treatment or surgery and the possibility of the transmission of COVID-19, there is clearly the potential for transmission. Therefore, following the protective protocols in the COVID-19 crisis is of utmost importance in a dental setting.
Journal Article
Fluoridation Facts
All-in-one resource in for everything related to fluoridated water, from its impact on dental health to its safety and cost-effectiveness in Q&A format.
eBook