Conventional oral health education is not effective nor efficient. Many oral health programmes are developed and implemented in isolation from other health programmes. This often leads, at best to a duplication of effort, or worse, conflicting messages being delivered to the public. In addition, oral health programmes tend to concentrate on individual behaviour change and largely ignore the influence of socio-political factors as the key determinants of health. Based upon the general principles of health promotion this paper presents a rationale for an alternative approach for oral health policy. The common risk factor approach addresses risk factors common to many chronic conditions within the context of the wider socio-environmental milieu. Oral health is determined by diet, hygiene, smoking, alcohol use, stress and trauma. As these causes are common to a number of other chronic diseases, adopting a collaborative approach is more rational than one that is disease specific. The common risk factor approach can be implemented in a variety of ways. Food policy development and the Health Promoting Schools initiative are used as examples of effective ways of promoting oral health.

Fluoride toothpastes for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (Review)

Dental health status may influence nutrition. The objective of this part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey was to assess if there is a relationship between dental status in people 65 years and older and intake of certain nutrients and any link between dental status and blood-derived values of key nutrients. Random national samples of independently living subjects and those living in institutions had dental examinations, interviews, four-day food diaries, and blood and urine analyzed. In the sample living independently, intakes of most nutrients were lower in edentate than dentate subjects. Intake of non-starch polysaccharides, protein, calcium, non-heme iron, niacin, and vitamin C was significantly lower in edentate subjects. People with 21 or more teeth consumed more of most nutrients, particularly of non-starch polysaccharide. This relationship in intake was not apparent in the hematological analysis. Plasma ascorbate and plasma retinol were the only analytes significantly associated with dental status.

No abstract

Objective: To examine the contribution to fruit and vegetable eating in children of potential predictive variables within the domains of demographics, parental feeding practices and personality traits. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Questionnaires were distributed to parents through 22 London nursery schools. Subjects: Questionnaires were completed and returned by 564 parents or principal caregivers of 2-6-year-old children.

OPINION• Severe untreated dental caries is very common in pre-school children in many countries.• Following treatment of affected decayed teeth there is more rapid weight gain and growth velocity in the treated children.• Children with untreated early childhood caries (ECC) have signifi cantly poorer oral healthrelated quality of life than children without ECC.• Comprehensive treatment in pre-school children makes a very signifi cant difference to the psychological and social aspects of the child's life. I N B R I E FDental caries affects body weight, growth and quality of life in pre-school childrenThe effect of a relatively common chronic disease, severe dental caries, affects young childrens' growth and well-being. Treating dental caries in pre-school children would increase growth rates and the quality of life of millions of children. Severe untreated dental caries is common in pre-school children in many countries. Children with severe caries weighed less than controls, and after treatment of decayed teeth there was more rapid weight gain and improvements in their quality of life. This may be due to dietary intake improving because pain affected the quantity and variety of food eaten, and second, chronic infl ammation from caries related pulpitis and abscesses is known to suppress growth through a metabolic pathway and to reduce haemoglobin as a result of depressed erythrocyte production.

The aim of the study was to measure incidence of oral impacts on daily performances and their related features in a low dental disease population. 501 people aged 35-44 years in 16 rural villages in Ban Phang district, Khon Kaen, Thailand, were interviewed about oral impacts on nine physical, psychological and social aspects of performance during the past 6 months, and then had an oral examination. The clinical and behavioural data showed that the sample had low caries (DMFT = 2.7) and a low utilization of dental services. 73.6% of all subjects had at least one daily performance affected by an oral impact. The highest incidence of performances affected were Eating (49.7%), Emotional stability (46.5%) and Smiling (26.1%). Eating, Emotional stability and Cleaning teeth performances had a high frequency or long duration of impacts, but a low severity. The low frequency performances; Physical activities, Major role activity and Sleeping were rated as high severity. Pain and discomfort were mainly perceived as the causes of impacts (40.1%) for almost every performance except Smiling. Toothache was the major causal oral condition (32.7%) of almost all aspects of performance. It was concluded that this low caries people have as high an incidence of oral impacts as industrialized, high dental disease populations. Frequency and severity presented the paradoxical effect on different performances and should both be taken into account for overall estimation of impacts.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 3702 boys and girls aged 9-14 years, attending public and private primary schools in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A multi-stage sampling technique using an equal probability scheme was adopted to select the children. The response rate for the total sample was 97%. Dental examinations were carried out by one dentist (MISC). Intra-examiner agreement was very good. The prevalence of dental injuries increased from 8% at the age of 9 years to 13.6% at 12 and 16.1% at 14 years. Adjusted results showed that children from high socio-economic backgrounds were 1.4 (95% CI = 1.15-1.79) times more likely to present with a dental injury than children with low SES. Boys were 1.7 times (95% CI = 1.41-2.16) more likely to have dental injuries than girls. Children with an overjet size greater than 5.0 mm were 1.37 times (95% CI = 1.06-1.80) more likely to have a dental injury than children with an overjet size equal or lower than 5.0 mm. Finally, children with an adequate lip coverage were 0.56 times (95% CI = 0.44-0.72) less likely to have a traumatic dental injury than those with inadequate lip coverage.