This study aims to investigate the utilization status of dental services by foreign children living in Seoul and their level of satisfaction with the treatments. We developed a structured questionnaire with 35 questions, which comprised 14 questions (demographic characteristics) and 21 questions (oral hygiene and dental experience of the child). In this study, the distribution of nationality of 391 participants differed from the actual statistics in Korea. It consisted of high percentage of participants from African countries (23.6%), as well as North American countries (24.1%). In addition, the education status of most parents was above the level of college graduate. Despite the relatively high socioeconomic status of the participants, they showed minimal dental health knowledge regarding the aspect of oral hygiene. Utilization of dental health services and the types of dental clinics visited by them were similar before and after coming to Korea. The participants showed overall satisfaction with the care, but many of them expressed the need for improvement with regard to treatment fee and communication. In conclusion, foreign children living in Seoul require appropriate dental health education and governmental support to promote regular dental checkups , to improve their overall oral health, and prevent the incidence of dental caries.
There are many reasons for tooth discoloration. An increase in the bilirubin level may cause tooth discolorations. Such cases are rare, but most involve tooth discoloration with a greenish hue. The purpose of this case report is to describe green discoloration of the primary dentition in the presence of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. 2 boys aged 16 and 22-months presented with chief complaints of erupting teeth of abnormal color. Their primary teeth exhibited a greenish discoloration along enamel hypoplasia. Both patients were born prematurely with a low birth weight and had been diagnosed with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Systematic diseases can affect the hard tissue of teeth during their formation and result in changes in tooth color. Periodic follow-ups are required for establishing a normal dental condition and meeting the esthetic needs of patients. A pediatric dentist may be the first person to observe patients with discoloration in their primary dentition. In such cases the dentist can deduce the systematic disease responsible for this discoloration.
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