BackgroundHealth literacy has been found to be a strong predictor of an individuals’ health, health behavior and health outcomes. Lower literacy has been linked to problems with the use of preventive services, delayed diagnoses of medical conditions, poor adherence to medical instructions, poor self-management skills, increased mortality risks, poor health outcomes, and higher health care costs. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between oral health literacy (OHL) and oral health status among patients attending a University-affiliated dental clinic.MethodsA convenience sample of participants was drawn from the dental patients presenting at School of Dental Medicine (SODM), Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Information about the subjects’ demographic details, income, family size, insurance type and smoking history were collected using a data collection form. Data about the patients’ periodontal and caries risk assessment, caries experience and periodontal status was extracted from the patients’ electronic dental records. The Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK) was used to record the oral health literacy. The median CMOHK score was 18, and this was used to categorize the sample into limited OHL (≤18) and adequate OHL (> 18) groups. A multivariate logistic regression model was built to examine the associations between the various independent variables and OHL levels.ResultsData of 150 respondents were analyzed. More than half of the participants were female (55.3%) and the majority were Caucasian (60%). The average age of participants was 53.3 years [standard deviation (SD) 16.8]. Higher percentage of African Americans and individuals with low education had limited OHL levels (p < 0.05). The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) score for this population was 7.33 ± 2.68. Subjects with limited OHL had significantly higher mean values for missing teeth (p < 0.05) and lower mean values for filled teeth (p < 0.05) as compared with subjects with adequate OHL Significantly, higher percentage of subjects with limited OHL had severe periodontitis as compared with those with adequate OHL (p = 0.04). Multivariate analysis found that the periodontal status was significantly associated with the OHL scores (p = 0.015).ConclusionSubjects with limited OHL levels had poorer periodontal health. Improving the OHL of patients may help in the efforts to improve the adherence to medical instructions, self-management skills and the overall treatment outcomes. Future research could focus on assessing the impact of OHL interventions on the oral health, which could be valuable for clinical practitioners.

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Aim The purpose of this study was to assess the difference in the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) and the oral health status between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Methods This cross-sectional study included 150 pregnant women (mean age 23.8 ± 3.01) and 150 non-pregnant women (mean age 25.2 ± 3.35). Data were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire, followed by an oral examination. Oral health impact profile-49 (OHIP-49) questionnaire was used to capture the individual's perceived OHRQoL. The periodontal disease assessment was based on the pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) measured with the cemento-enamel junction as the reference point. Decayed (D), Missing(M) and Filled (F) teeth (DMFT) index was used to measure the caries experience. Results The overall OHIP score for pregnant women (47.33 ± 8.56) was significantly (p = 0.03) higher, when compared to non-pregnant women (37.87 ± 9.61). Higher scores indicate a poorer OHRQoL among the pregnant women. Fourteen items of the OHIP-49 were higher for pregnant women and the subgroups that were significantly different between the two groups were: 'functional limitation', 'physical pain', 'psychological discomfort', 'psychological disability' and 'handicap'. The mean PD and CAL for pregnant women was significantly higher than that of non-pregnant women (p < 0.01). Dichotomized DMFT scores (≤6 and >6) showed significant difference (p < 0.01) between the two groups. Multivariate regression model showed that periodontitis (p = 0.01) and pregnancy status (p < 0.01) had a positive linear relationship with OHIP-49 scores after adjusting for all other variables. Conclusion The periodontal health and OHRQoL of pregnant women was poorer than non-pregnant women.

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of malocclusion and its relationship with dental caries among school children in southern India.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 1,800 students aged 11 - 15 years whose Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) and dentition status were recorded and analyzed. The chi-square test, ANOVA, and Spearman's correlation tests were carried out.ResultsThe mean DAI score ± the standard deviation was 18.61 ± 6.1. Approximately 85% of the students (83.0% males, 86.8% females) had DAI scores of < 26 and were classified as not requiring orthodontic treatment. One tenth of the sample had mean DAI scores between 26 - 30 (indicating definite malocclusion and elective treatment), while about 3% had mean scores between 31 - 35 (indicating severe malocclusion and treatment desirability). Only 29 children (1.6%; 16 boys, 13 girls) had a DAI score of > 35, which suggested very severe or handicapping malocclusion requiring mandatory treatment. The mean decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) was 2.28 ± 1.47. A DMFT of > 0 was observed in 91.8% of the study subjects. Children with a DAI score of > 35 were found to have significantly (p < 0.001) higher caries experience as compared to other children. Moreover, the DAI scores showed a significant correlation with the mean DMFT scores (r = 0.368, p < 0.05).ConclusionsA positive correlation was found between the severity of malocclusion and dental caries.

This study indicates that the frequency of C. albicans is higher than the frequencies of C. dubliniensis, C. tropicalis and C. glabrata in diabetic patients with periodontitis. Candida infections were observed at increased frequencies among subjects with high blood sugar levels and PPDs≥5.

Periodontal disease is a possible risk factor for preterm delivery in this population.

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Inappropriate antibiotic prescription practice was highly prevalent in this population.