BackgroundThe main aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of erosive tooth wear and its association with dental caries and socio-demographic factors among middle-aged Finnish adults.MethodsOf the total Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 12,058), a convenience sample (n = 3181 adults) was invited for an oral health examination of which 1962 (61.7 %) participated, comprising the final study group. Clinical examinations were carried out by trained and calibrated dentists. Erosive tooth wear was assessed by sextants using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination Index (BEWE, 0–18) and dental caries at surface level using the ICDAS criteria (0–6). Socio-demographic data were obtained from a postal questionnaire. A logistic regression model was generated to test the association of the variables.ResultsThe prevalence of erosive tooth wear was 75 % and the mean of the BEWE sum score was 3.4 (SD 3.30). Almost half of the members needed non-invasive or invasive measures to prevent further progression of the condition. Of those with erosive lesions, 14.6 % suffered from severe erosive tooth wear. There was a strong positive relationship between the presence of severe erosive tooth wear (BEWE sum score ≥9) and male gender and restorative treatment need.ConclusionsErosive tooth wear is a common finding in Finnish adult population; almost one in ten suffer from severe erosive tooth wear. Restorative treatment need seems to be associated with severe erosive tooth wear.

Objective: To assess the influence of self-reported intrinsic factors [gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), long-term alcoholism, long-term heavy use of alcohol and multiple pregnancies] on erosive tooth wear in a middle-aged cohort sample. Materials and Methods: Of the total Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC 1966), a convenience sample (n = 3,181) was invited for an oral health examination in 2012-2013, of which 1,962 participated, comprising the final study group. Erosive tooth wear was assessed by sextants using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination Index (BEWE, 0-18). Clinical data were supplemented by questionnaires conducted in 1997/1998 and 2012/2013. The participants were divided into severe (BEWE sum ≥9) and no-to-moderate (BEWE sum 0-8) erosive wear groups, and the logistic regression model was applied. Results: Selected intrinsic factors were quite rare in this cohort sample and explained only 5.9% of the difference in the prevalence and severity of erosive wear. Daily symptoms of GERD [odds ratio (OR) 3.8, confidence interval (CI) 1.2-12.0] and hyposalivation (OR 3.8, CI 1.2-11.8) were the strongest risk indicators for severe erosive wear. Additionally, variables associated with an elevated risk for severe erosive wear were diagnosed alcoholism at any point (OR 2.5, CI 0.7-9.7) and self-reported heavy use of alcohol in both questionnaires (OR 2.0, CI 0.6-6.2). Even low-dose long-term consumption of alcohol was associated with erosive wear. Conclusions: In this cohort sample, intrinsic factors such as GERD or alcoholism alone are relatively uncommon causes of erosive tooth wear. The role of long-term use of alcohol in the erosion process may be bigger than presumed.

Objectives:To evaluate the impact of untreated dental caries and its consequences on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), school absenteeism and school performance in Nepal.Methods: This is a population-based, national cross-sectional study. This study was conducted among three WHO index age groups (5-6, 12-and 15-year-olds) of schoolchildren from 18/75 randomly selected districts of Nepal. Clinical findings on untreated dental caries lesions (decay in primary and permanent dentition, dt/DT) and its consequences (pufa/PUFA) were recorded, and the participants were graded into four categories based on the severity of untreated dental caries (GUDC). The Nepali version of Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (C-OIDP) was used to assess the information on OHRQoL. Similarly, school-related information (school absenteeism and school performance) was collected from the school registry. Generalized linear mixed models with random effects were used to evaluate the association between dental caries and OHRQoL, school absenteeism and school performance.Results: Among the study sample, the mean (SD) C-OIDP score was 2.4 (5.0). It was observed that the 15-year-olds, those belonging to the Newari ethnic group, and children with high GUDC grades had poor OHRQoL. After adjusting for confounding factors, high dt + DT or pufa + PUFA was associated with higher impact on OHRQoL.Similarly, lower grades of GUDC (Grade 1 and Grade 2) also had less impact on OHRQoL than the most severe Grade 4. High dt + DT or pufa + PUFA were associated with maximum school absenteeism. Furthermore, high C-OIDP and a grade of GUDC ≥2 score were associated with poor school performance.Conclusion: Untreated dental caries and its consequences have a considerable impact on OHRQoL. These conditions may contribute to high school absenteeism and poor school performance. K E Y W O R D Schildren, dental caries, oral health-related quality of life, school absenteeism, school performance

Among Nepalese children, oral diseases are common, and geographical variation is prevalent. The health policy should address the alarming oral health situation and need for urgent treatment and population-based preventive programmes that is evident in Nepal.

Background: A fundamental skill in education includes the ability to search for, evaluate, and synthesize information, and this cannot be underestimated in dental education. The aim of this study was to assess how dental students from Malaysia and Finland acquire scientific information and to compare their information retrieval skills. Methods: Fourth and fifth-year dental students from Malaysia and Finland were invited to participate. A self-administered structured questionnaire including items about the use of information sources, subjective assessment of literature retrieval skills and knowledge was used. Results: A total of 226 dental students participated in the survey: 131 from Malaysia and 95 from Finland. In both countries, the highest interest for data retrieval among students was found in the oral surgery specialty. The three most used sources of information among Malaysian students were personal lecture notes, dental textbooks, and colleagues; while Finnish students used colleagues, lecture notes, and current clinical guidelines. Students’ knowledge of evidence-based practice was inadequate in both student groups. Though the majority of participants reported that they had good or passable skills in literature retrieval, more students from Finland judged themselves to have at least good skills compared to those from Malaysia. Conclusion: Dental education in both countries includes information retrieval studies and mandatory research projects. However, students did not often use those sources that are considered essential in evidence-based dentistry. Universities should further develop educational and training interventions that guide students to use knowledge resources more effectively for critically appraising scientific evidence.