Objective
To investigate the learning programmes and teaching techniques used in interventions to enhance oral health literacy (OHL) or patient‐centred communication (PCC) for healthcare providers.
Materials and methods
A systematic review of OHL and PCC were obtained from four electronic databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest and Scopus) was undertaken. These searches covered the period from January 2008 to December 2017. The quality assessment tool was the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool for systematic reviews of effectiveness.
Results
The final review included nine studies amongst a total of 1475 studies. They showed three learning programmes (workshops, training and community‐based rotation) and 17 related teaching techniques to promote OHL and PCC. The most commonly used learning programmes to enhance OHL and PCC for healthcare providers were workshops, and the teaching techniques included feedback and reflection. The intervention periods of the programmes took 20 minutes to half a day. The three studies did not have a follow‐up, whilst the rest showed a follow‐up range of 2 months to 3 years. Interestingly, there was one study, which applied double follow‐ups to show the effectiveness of the programme.
Conclusion
Either workshops or training programmes with a combination of teaching techniques were effective in terms of enhancing their OHL or PCC. The more frequent follow‐up might increase the long‐term effectiveness of the learning programme.
Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate the salivary fluoride retention as fluoride concentration, amount of soluble fluoride, half-life (t 1/2) and salivary flow rate of different amounts of toothpaste and rinsing procedures. Design/methodology/approach-A randomized crossover study of 21 healthy volunteers was designed to compare pharmacokinetic parameters of 1 g (B1) and 0.3 g (B0.3) of toothpaste without rinsing and brushing with 1 g of toothpaste with expectoration followed by water rinsing (B1R). Unstimulated saliva was collected before brushing as a baseline and at 0, 5, 10, 30, 60 and 90 min after the completion of the tooth brushing procedure. Findings-The salivary fluoride concentration and amount of soluble fluoride of the B1 group were significantly higher than the B0.3 and B1R groups. The B1 and B1R groups prolonged the remineralizing level up to 60 min while the B0.3 group retained their remineralizing levels for 30 min. The initial t 1/2 (rapid phase) of B1 and B1R groups were significantly longer than the B0.3 group. The late t 1/2 (slow phase) of the B0.3 group was significantly longer than the B1 group. This is called the two-compartment open pharmacokinetics model. There was no statistical difference of salivary flow rates between all groups. Originality/value-Non-rinsing and the amount of fluoride toothpaste play an important role in raising salivary fluoride levels and prolonging the remineralizing level of the oral cavity.
Our results indicate that the spray and cotton swab fluoride delivery methods were effective alternatives to conventional mouth rinsing. Caregivers of individuals with acute and chronic illness, including developmental disabilities affecting cognitive or physical abilities, may consider using these alternative fluoride delivery methods to help promote dental hygiene.
SARS-CoV-2 can transmit undetected from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic patients in dental clinics. Triaging dental patients using temperature and questionnaire screening cannot completely exclude asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. Hence, asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals might visit dental hospitals/clinics seeking dental treatment without knowing that they are infected and might infect others, especially in a pandemic area. Ideally, a nasopharyngeal swab for real-time polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen screening for dental personnel and patients prior to their appointment should be done. However, the implementation of this approach is impractical in some situations. Here, we describe the procedures for dental hospitals/clinics in case of an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected individual involved in dental service/treatment and later after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Potential closely contacted individuals were traced and classified according to their exposure risk. The recommended course of action is to identify individuals based on their risk and take the risk-appropriate action. We also discuss the implementation of these procedures in a dental setting during the COVID-19 pandemic in our school as a case study.
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