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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 31534

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Dr. Chethan Sampath

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Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry, Department of Oral Diagnostics & Research, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
Interests: periodontitis; oral biology and health; bioactive compounds; metabolic disease and oral hygiene
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oral hygiene or oral health is the most neglected area of global health and research. The oral cavity harbors many bacterial populations and is suggested to be involved in several health complications. Poor oral health unknowingly increases the risk of many other health complications, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, chronic pulmonary disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and psoriasis. Despite the progress that has been made in understanding oral health, prevention, early diagnosis, and management remain a challenge.

In this Special Issue, we invite researchers to offer specific recommendations for dental patients, and oral health care professionals and policy makers who can share their thoughts on the best actions to improve the efficacy of oral health and disease prevention.

Dr. Chethan Sampath
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Periodontitis
Oral health
Oral microbiome
Periodontal health education
Pathogenesis
Periodontal medicine
Public health
Epidemiology
Dental care

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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15 pages, 822 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Preliminary Study of the Antimicrobial, Anticoagulant, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Five Selected Plants with Therapeutic Application in Dentistry

by Sonia M. López Villarreal, Joel H. Elizondo Luévano, Raymundo A. Pérez Hernández, Eduardo Sánchez García, María J. Verde Star, Roció Castro Ríos, Marsela Garza Tapia, Osvelia E. Rodríguez Luis and Abelardo Chávez Montes

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7927; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137927 - 28 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2981

Abstract

The usefulness of traditional plants in Mexico to treat human ailments has been known since ancient times. This work evaluated the antimicrobial, anticoagulant, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory potential of ethanolic extracts of Aloe vera, Equisetum arvense, Mimosa tenuiflora, Lippia graveolens, and Syzygium aromaticum. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was evaluated against Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sorbinus; a significant inhibitory effect of the L. graveolens extract on both bacteria was observed at concentration levels of 250 µg/mL and greater. The anticoagulant activity was evaluated in terms of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), A. vera and M. tenuiflora extracts showed no significant difference (p ˂ 0.05) in PT compared with the control, and for APTT the extracts of A. vera, L. graveolens, and S. aromaticum decreased the APTT significantly (p ˂ 0.05) compared with the control. The antioxidant potential by DPPH assay indicated that the E. arvense extract behaved statistically the same as the control. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated in HGF-1 cells using the fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay technique, and none of the extracts was toxic at 125 and 250 µg/mL concentrations. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using ELISA, where the A. vera extract showed the best anti-inflammatory capacity. Further research on the search for bioactive metabolites and elucidation of action mechanisms of the most promising extracts will be carried out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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10 pages, 358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immigrant Status and Ethnic Inequities in Dental Caries in Children: Bilbao, Spain

by Elena Rodriguez-Alvarez, Luisa N. Borrell, Elena Marañon and Nerea Lanborena

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4487; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084487 - 8 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2021

Abstract

This study examined the migratory status/ethnic inequities in dental caries in school children aged 4–9 years (n = 1388) and the impact of the Children’s Oral Health Program in the Municipality of Bilbao in the Basque Country Region, Spain. Using the 2017 Children’s Oral Health Survey, log binomial regression was used to quantify the association of parental immigration status/ethnicity with tooth decay for (1) the primary and the permanent dentitions, separately, in children 4–9 years old; and (2) for the permanent dentition in children aged 7–9 years. Compared with Spanish children, Spanish Roma and immigrant children had a higher probability of tooth decay in primary and permanent teeth after adjustment. Similarly, Spanish Roma and immigrant children had a higher probability of caries experience in primary and permanent teeth. In children aged 7–9 years, Spanish Roma children had a greater probability of tooth decay and caries experience (DMFT index ≥ 1; PR: 6.20; 95% CI: 3.18, 12.12; and PR: 4.52; 95% CI: 2.46, 8.32; respectively) compared with Spanish Children. These associations were not observed in immigrant children. This study shows that parental immigration status and/or ethnicity affect caries outcomes in immigrant and Roma children in both primary and permanent dentition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

31 pages, 2556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Czech and Slovak Dental Students’ Oral Health-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours (KAB): Multi-Country Cross-Sectional Study

by Abanoub Riad, Veronika Chuchmová, Ján Staněk, Barbora Hocková, Sameh Attia, Martin Krsek and Miloslav Klugar

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2717; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052717 - 25 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3292

Abstract

Dentists play a key role in the primary prevention of oral diseases and related systemic complications; therefore, their views on behavioural interventions need to be aligned with the current agendas for oral health. Likewise, dental students’ oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours (KAB) are of practical importance, as they are the future opinion leaders for oral health in their respective communities. A cross-sectional survey-based study was designed to evaluate the oral health KAB of dental students in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The study utilized translated versions of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI), and it aimed to recruit students from all Czech and Slovak dental schools. A total of 487 students were included in this study, out of which 372 (76.4%) were females, 271 (55.6%) were enrolled in preclinical years, 68 (14%) reported smoking tobacco at least once a week, and 430 (88.3%) reported problematic internet use. The mean HU-DBI score of Czech and Slovak dental students (8.18 ± 1.80) was comparable with the previously reported scores of dental students in Nordic and Western European countries. Czech students (9.34 ± 1.29) had a significantly higher score than their Slovak counterparts (7.56 ± 1.73). In both countries, preclinical students (8.04 vs. 8.35), the students who reported tobacco smoking (7.63 vs. 8.27), and those who reported problematic internet use (8.11 vs. 8.70) had significantly lower HU-DBI scores than their counterparts, respectively. In the Czech Republic, the significant increases in HU-DBI scores occurred after the first academic year when the students received preventive dentistry courses; therefore, one can put forward that early implementation of preventive elements in undergraduate dental curricula may yield better and more sustainable oral health gains for the students. Future research on Czech and Slovak dental curricula need to re-evaluate the oral hygiene and anti-smoking components and their impact on students’ views and attitudes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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10 pages, 600 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Sociodemographic Factors and Prevalence of Oral Lesions in People Living with HIV from Cacoal, Rondônia, Amazon Region of Brazil

by Graziela de Carvalho Tavares da Rocha, Ricardo Roberto de Souza Fonseca, Aldemir Branco Oliveira-Filho, Andre Luis Ribeiro Ribeiro, Silvio Augusto Fernandes de Menezes, Rogério Valois Laurentino and Luiz Fernando Almeida Machado

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2614; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052614 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1931

Abstract

Background: It is necessary to evaluate and understand the prevalence and risk factors of oral lesions (OL) in people living with HIV (PLWH) who were never studied before. The present study aimed to describe the prevalence of OL and its correlation with CD4⁺ T lymphocytes counts and HIV plasma viral load in PLWH treated in Rondônia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Cacoal city, Rondônia state, Northern Brazil. Sociodemographic, epidemiological, immunologic and virological information of 113 PLWH were collected from medical records and dental examination was conducted to diagnose and classify OL in PLWH. Statistical analysis was performed using relative frequency distribution, ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, T-student and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: The overall prevalence of oral lesions was 28.3% (32/113), with candidiasis (7/32; 21.8%) and aphthous ulcer (7/32; 21.8%) being the most prevalent. There was a predominance of females, most patients being married, with a low level of education, a family income of 1 to 3 minimum wages and a single partner. An association was observed between the presence of oral lesions and a high viral load, as well as a lower occurrence of oral lesions in individuals with a higher count of CD4⁺ T cells. Conclusions: This study reveals a low prevalence of OL among PLWH, as well as the absence of relationship between HIV viral load, CD4⁺ T cells count and OL high prevalence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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19 pages, 1997 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estonian Dental Students’ Oral Health-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours (KAB): National Survey-Based Study

by Abanoub Riad, Ave Põld, Jana Olak, Hans-Peter Howaldt, Miloslav Klugar, Martin Krsek and Sameh Attia

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1908; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031908 - 8 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4197

Abstract

The strategic plan for dentistry and oral health in Estonia of 2030 focuses on oral health promotion and disease prevention through undergraduate dental curricula and fostering public health-oriented research among students. The present study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study to evaluate oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours (KAB) of dental students in Estonia. The study was carried out in the spring semester of 2020, and it used a modified version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI). A total of 129 students responded to the survey, constituting a response rate of 93.5% due to the total population sampling (census) technique used in this study and the small target population size. Out of the 124 students included in the final analysis, 79% were females, 62.1% were clinical students, 11.3% reported smoking tobacco at least once a week, and 86.3% reported problematic internet use. The present study found that mean HU-DBI score of Estonian dental students was 8.09 ± 1.22 which is so far the highest recorded HU-DBI score in Europe. There was no significant difference between female vs. male or preclinical vs. clinical students in terms of HU-DBI score. While clinical students reported less faulty oral hygiene practices, such as hard toothbrush use and aggressive toothbrushing, preclinical students reported a slightly higher mean HU-DBI score. Smoking behaviour was more common among male and clinical students, and it was also associated with alcohol drinking and worry about teeth colour and halitosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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9 pages, 2461 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Stress Distribution and Force in External Hexagonal Implant: A 3-D Finite Element Analysis

by Vinod Bandela, Ram Basany, Anil Kumar Nagarajappa, Sakeenabi Basha, Saraswathi Kanaparthi, Kiran Kumar Ganji, Santosh Patil, Ravi Kumar Gudipaneni, Ghazi Sghaireen Mohammed and Mohammad Khursheed Alam

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 10266; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910266 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2157

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the stress distribution and the direction of force in external hexagonal implant with crown in three different angulations. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 samples of geometric models were used to analyze von Mises stress and direction of force with 0-, 5-, and 10-degree lingual tilt. Von Mises stress and force distribution were evaluated at nodes of hard bone, and finite element analysis was performed using ANSYS 12.1 software. For calculating stress distribution and force, we categorized and labeled the groups as Implant A1, Implant A2, and Implant A3, and Implant B1, Implant B2, and Implant B3 with 0-, 5-, and 10-degree lingual inclinations, respectively. Inter- and intra-group comparisons were performed using ANOVA test. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In all the three models, overall maximum stress was found in implant model A3 on the implant surface (86.61), and minimum was found on model A1 in hard bone (26.21). In all the three models, the direction of force along three planes was maximum in DX (0.01025) and minimum along DZ (0.002) direction with model B1. Conclusion: Maximum von Mises stress and the direction of force in axial direction was found at the maximum with the implant of 10 degrees angulation. Thus, it was evident that tilting of an implant influences the stress concentration and force in external hex implants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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14 pages, 789 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Antioxidant and Cytocompatibility of Mimusops elengi Linn Extract over Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells

by Shaeesta Khaleelahmed Bhavikatti, Mohmed Isaqali Karobari, Siti Lailatul Akmar Zainuddin, Anand Marya, Sameer J. Nadaf, Vijay J. Sawant, Sandeep B. Patil, Adith Venugopal, Pietro Messina and Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 7162; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137162 - 4 Jul 2021

Cited by 63 | Viewed by 4551

Abstract

Background—chlorhexidine (CHX) is most commonly used as a chemical plaque control agent. Nevertheless, its adverse effects, including teeth discoloration, taste alteration and calculus build-up, limit its use and divert us to medicinal herbs. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, and cytotoxic effects of Mimusops elengi Linn extract (ME) over normal human cultured adult gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Methods—in vitro phytochemical screening, total flavonoid content, antioxidant potential by DPPH and Nitric Oxide (NO) radical scavenging activity, and cytotoxic effects of ME extracts over HGF were explored. The viability of HGF cells was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT), neutral red uptake, and trypan blue assay after treatment with different concentrations of CHX and ME (0.3125 to 10 µg/mL). Results—ME showed some alkaloids, glycosides, saponins and flavonoids exhibited relatively moderate-to-good antioxidant potential. Increasing the concentration of CHX and ME from 0.3125 to 10 µg/mL reduced cell viability from 29.71% to 1.07% and 96.12% to 56.02%, respectively. At higher concentrations, CHX reduced the viability of cells by 52.36-fold compared to ME, revealed by MTT assay. At 10 µg/mL concentration, the mean cell viability of CHX and ME-treated cells was 2.24% and 57.45%, respectively, revealed by a neutral red assay. The viability of CHX- and ME-treated HGF cells estimated at higher concentrations (10 µg/mL) using trypan blue assay was found to be 2.18% and 47.36%, respectively. A paired t-test showed significance (p < 0.05), and one-way ANOVA difference between the mean cell viability of CHX- and ME-treated cells at different concentrations. One-way ANOVA confirmed the significant difference between the viability of CHX- and ME-treated cells. Conclusions—The cytoprotective and antioxidant effects of ME emphasize its potential benefits. Therefore, it could emerge as a herbal alternative and adjunct to conventional oral hygiene methods, that can diminish periodontal tissue destruction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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10 pages, 590 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring the Level of Medical-Emergency-Related Knowledge among Senior Dental Students and Clinical Trainers

by Giath Gazal, Hamzah Aljohani, Khalid H Al-Samadani and Mohammad Zakaria Nassani

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 6889; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136889 - 27 Jun 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2869

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to measure the level of medical-emergency-related knowledge among senior dental students and clinical trainers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional pilot survey was conducted at Taibah Dental College, Madina, Saudi Arabia between March 2017 and November 2018. Two hundred and seventy-five self-administered anonymous questionnaires on the management of common medical emergencies were distributed to all senior dental students and clinical trainers at Taibah Dental College. Results: There was a serious lack of knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency scenarios among the participants. Only 54% of participants knew the correct management for some frequent and life-threating conditions such as “crushed chest pain”, and only 30–35% of participants knew the correct management of deeply sedated patients with benzodiazepine overdose and crisis of hypoadrenalism. Moderate-quality knowledge (50–74% of participants responded correctly) was noted for the following conditions: sudden onset of brain stroke, psychiatric patient, unconscious patient with hypoglycemia, patient with postural hypotension, and patient with hyperventilation. Based on the scale of knowledge, there were significant differences in the level of knowledge between clinical trainers, senior dental students, and junior dental students (p ≤ 0.01). Almost all students and 90% of trainers declared the need for further training. Conclusions: The overall knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises in the dental chair was moderate. However, the scale of knowledge regarding the management of medical emergency crises has gradually increased with the number of years of experience. Most participants recognize the need for further training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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26 pages, 2170 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Individual, Family, and Socioeconomic Contributors to Dental Caries in Children from Low- and Middle-Income Countries

by Madiha Yousaf, Tahir Aslam, Sidra Saeed, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz and Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7114; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127114 - 10 Jun 2022

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6280

Abstract

Introduction: Collective evidence on risk factors for dental caries remains elusive in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on risk factors for dental caries in deciduous or permanent teeth in LMICs. Methods: Studies were identified electronically through databases, including Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed/MEDLINE, and CINAHL, using “prevalence, dental caries, child, family, socioeconomic, and LMIC” as the keywords. A total of 11 studies fit the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The MedCalc software and Review Manager 5.4.1 were used. Results: From 11,115 participants, 38.7% (95% CI: 28.4–49.5%) had caries and 49.68% were female. Among those with caries, 69.74% consumed sugary drinks/sweets (95% CI: 47.84–87.73%) and 56.87% (95% CI: 35.39–77.08%) had good brushing habits. Sugary drinks had a two times higher likelihood of leading to caries (OR: 2.04, p < 0.001). Good oral hygiene reduced the risk of caries by 35% (OR: 0.65, p < 0.001). Concerning maternal education, only secondary education reduced the likelihood of caries (OR: 0.96), but primary education incurred 25% higher risks (OR: 1.25, p = 0.03). A 65% reduction was computed when caregivers helped children with tooth brushing (OR: 0.35, p = 0.04). Most families had a low socioeconomic status (SES) (35.9%, 95% CI: 16.73–57.79), which increased the odds of caries by 52% (OR: 1.52, p < 0.001); a high SES had a 3% higher chance of caries. In the entire sample, 44.44% (95% CI: 27.73–61.82%) of individuals had access to dental services or had visited a dental service provider. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that high sugar consumption, low maternal education, and low and high socioeconomic status (SES) increased the risk of dental caries in LMICs. Good brushing habits, higher maternal education, help with tooth brushing, and middle SES provided protection against caries across LMIC children. Limiting sugars, improving oral health education, incorporating national fluoride exposure programs, and accounting for sociodemographic limitations are essential for reducing the prevalence of dental caries in these settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Health and Disease Prevention)

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