Recent Changes in the Curriculum of Chinese Dental Schools

et al. 2015

BMC Oral Health

BackgroundThe Dai people are one of the ethnic minorities in China and have a population of 1,260,000. They have the same origin as one of the main ethnic groups in Laos and Thailand. The study aims to describe the dental caries and gingival status of 12-year-old Dai children in China and to study the factors affecting their oral-health status.MethodsThis cross-sectional oral-health survey was conducted from 2011–2012 with ethics approval. A sample of 12-year-old Dai children living in Yunnan, China, was selected using a multistage and cluster sampling method. One trained examiner performed the clinical examination. Caries experience was measured using DMFT index, and gingival status was assessed with CPI index. A self-completed questionnaire was sent to the children, and they were asked about their backgrounds and oral-health-related behaviors and oral-health knowledge. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors that affected the caries status.ResultsA total of 875 children were invited, and 823 (94 %) joined the survey. The prevalence of caries experience among the participants was 40 %. The mean DMFT and DT scores were 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. Most children (93 %) had gingivitis, and many (46 %) had calculus. Girls and those who had visited a dentist during the previous year had a higher prevalence of caries.ConclusionDental caries were prevalent among 12-year-old Dai children in China. The periodontal condition of most of the children was poor. Caries were associated with gender and dental attendance.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12903-015-0106-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental and periodontal status of 12-year-old Dai school children in Yunnan Province, China: a cross-sectional study

Zhang

et al. 2015

BMC Oral Health

“…In our study, only 23.6% of IDC had visited a dentist in the preceding 12 months and 32% of IDC brush their teeth more than once a day; their prevalence rates for caries and DMFT scores were significantly lower in comparison with those of other children ( p < 0.01). In China, because of a lack of dentists [ 36 ] and insufficient programs for public information and education about oral health, many parents have little access to information on dental health [ 37 ], and parental lack of scientific understanding can result in low rates of dental consultation for IDC faced with caries lesions [ 9 , 38 ]. Further, IDC always have difficulties in self-cleaning and communicating oral health needs [ 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Oral Health Behaviors on Dental Caries in Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Guangzhou, China

Luo

et al. 2014

IJERPH

Dental care is consistently reported as one of the primary medical needs of children with disabilities (IDC). The aim of the present study was to explore the influence of oral health behaviors on the caries experience in children with intellectual disabilities in Guangzhou, China. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 477 intellectually disabled children, 12 to 17 years old, who were randomly selected from special educational schools in Guangzhou. A self-administered parental questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and oral health behavior variables, and 450 valid questionnaires were returned. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the factors associated with dental caries. The average age of those in the sample was 14.6 years (SD = 1.3), 68.4% of whom were male, and the caries prevalence rate was 53.5% (DMFT = 1.5 ± 2.0). The factors significantly affecting the development of dental caries in IDC included gender, the presence or absence of cerebral palsy, and the frequency of dental visits and toothbrushing. In conclusion, the presence of cerebral palsy contributed to an increase risk of caries experience in intellectually disabled children, while toothbrushing more than twice a day and routine dental visits were caries-protective factors. Oral health promotion action may lead to a reduction in dental caries levels in IDC.

“…For children with CHD, their parents habitually considered dental health as a low priority in the grand scheme of birth defects. In China, because of the lack of dentists [ 25 ] and insufficient projects for public information and education about oral health, few parents have taken their child for regular dental visits. By not taking their children to a dentist, they lose an important source of knowledge about dental health, and this vicious cycle continues as such.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Counseling Role of Primary Care Physicians in Preventing Early Childhood Caries in Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Zhou

et al. 2014

IJERPH

The dental health of preschool children with congenital heart disease (CHD) is usually poor, which may contribute to the development of infective endocarditis (IE). Primary care physicians play an important role in providing access to preventive dental services, particularly for preschool children. The object of this study was to provide epidemiologic evidence for the impact of primary care physicians’ (PCP’s) counseling role on early childhood caries in children with CHD in Guangzhou, China, which might guide future caries prevention to decrease the risk of IE in children with CHD. A hospital-based, case-control study was performed, which contained 100 children with newly diagnosed early childhood caries and 100 matched (sex and age) children without dental caries. All of the subjects were diagnosed with CHD at birth and recruited from Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute from 2012 through 2013. A conditional multivariate logistic-regression model was used to assess the associations between PCPs’ role and early childhood caries with a significance level of 5%. Our findings revealed that mother’s education level (OR = 0.36, CL = 0.14–0.92) and knowledge, being educated on the relationship between CHD and infective endocarditis (OR = 0.48, CL = 0.25–0.94) and the impact of oral health on infective endocarditis (OR = 0.37, CL = 0.18–0.79) by the PCP were associated with early childhood caries. PCPs played an important role in preventing early childhood caries among preschool children with CHD in Guangzhou, China.