The prevalence of AP in root-filled and untreated teeth was comparable to that reported in previous methodologically compatible studies. The quality of both the root filling and the restoration were found to impact on the periapical health of root-filled teeth, with the impact of the restoration being most critical when the quality of the root filling was adequate.

Initial testing of OHLI suggested that it is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate oral health literacy among adults, although additional work is needed to investigate the instrument's predictive validity and sensitivity to change using oral health outcomes with population groups known to be at high risk of low functional oral health literacy.

Objectives To describe oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among New Zealand adults and assess the relationship between clinical measures of oral health status and a well-established OHRQoL measure, controlling for sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and use of dental services. Methods A birth cohort of 924 dentate adults (participants in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study) was systematically examined for dental caries, tooth loss, and periodontal attachment loss (CAL) at age 32 years. OHRQoL was measured using the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP-14). The questionnaire also collected data on each study member’s occupation, self-rated oral health and reasons for seeing a dental care provider. SES was determined from each individual’s occupation at age 32 years. Results The mean total OHIP-14 score was 8.0 (SD 8.1); 23.4% of the cohort reported one or more OHIP problems ‘fairly often’ or ‘very often’. When the prevalence of impacts ‘fairly/very often’ was modeled using logistic regression, having untreated caries, two or more sites with CAL of 4+ mm and 1 or more teeth missing by age 32 years remained significantly associated with OHRQoL, after adjusting for sex and ‘episodic’ dental care. Multivariate analysis using Poisson regression determined that being in the low SES group was also associated with the mean number of impacts (extent) and the rated severity of impacts. Conclusions OHIP-14 scores were significantly associated with clinical oral health status indicators, independently of sex and socioeconomic inequalities in oral health. The prevalence of impacts (23.4%) in the cohort was significantly greater than age- and sex-standardized estimates from Australia (18.2%) and the UK (15.9%).

A population-based, matched case-comparison study was undertaken in 30 schools in two Ontario communities to measure the impact of dental trauma on quality of life (QoL) in Canadian school children. Dental hygienists screened 2422 children aged 12-14 years using the dental trauma index, the decayed, missing and filled teeth index (DMFT) and the aesthetic component of the index of orthodontic treatment needs (AC-IOTN). Cases (n = 135) were children with evidence of previous dental trauma. Controls (n = 135) were classmates matched for age and gender. Oral-health-related QoL was assessed using mailed Child Perception Questionnaires (CPQ(11-14)) completed by all children. Data were analyzed using simple and multiple conditional logistic regressions after adjusting for DMFT and AC-IOTN, CPQ(11-14), overall impact and item-specific impacts. Approximately 64% of injuries were untreated enamel fractures and just over 30% were previously injured restored teeth. Untreated children experienced more chewing difficulties (P = 0.026), avoided smiling (P = 0.029) and experienced affected social interactions (P = 0.032) compared with their non-injured peers. When treated and non-injured groups were compared, the only statistically significant effect was difficulty in chewing (P = 0.038). Injured children who were untreated experienced more social impact than their non-injured peers. Restoration of injured teeth improved aesthetics and social interactions but functional deficiencies persisted as a result of periodontal or pulpal pain.

Canal dressing for 1 week with 2% CHX may provide residual antimicrobial activity against E faecalis.