Swedish Dental Journal

The aim of this study was to compare treatment provided to adult heavy and low users of dental services in the Finnish Public Dental Service (PDS) and to analyse changes in patients' oral health status. We assigned all adults who attended the PDS in Espoo in 2004 to a group of heavy users (n = 3,173) if they had made six or more dental visits and to a comparison group of low users (n = 22,820), if they had made three or fewer dental visits. Data were obtained from the patient register of the PDS. A sample of 320 patients was randomly selected from each group...

With the aim of studying frequency of aural symptoms and associations with symptoms of TMD new patients referred to the Orofacial Pain Clinic, Odontologen, Göteborg, were asked, at their first appointment and before meeting a specialist, to report any symptoms regarding pain or fullness/swelling of the ear, impaired hearing, sensitivity to sound, and irritation/itching of the ear. They also answered a standardized questionnaire regarding temporomandibular pain and/or dysfunction, and classified their degree of TMD symptoms on a five-point verbal scale and a visual analogue scale...

The aim was to study the cognizance of and attitudes towards the Shortened Dental Arch (SDA) concept among Swedish General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) and the application of the SDA concept in their treatment planning using Qualitative Content Analysis. Eleven Swedish GDPs were purposively selected and all agreed to participate. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted and covered treatment considerations concerning two patient cases and the participants' reflections regarding pre-formulated statements about the SDA concept...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Swedish moist powder tobacco product known as "snus" on dental caries and to measure the pH fall in dental plaque. The subjects comprised male and female adults between 26 and 62 years of age (n = 102), all habitual snus users for ≥ 10 years. The control group (n = 101) consisted of similar individuals in terms of gender, age and educational level but with no tobacco use for ≥ 10 years. A clinical and radiographic examination and a questionnaire were completed...

The effects of immigration on the demographics of the Swedish population have changed the situation for many dental care providers, placing increased demand on cultural competence. The aim of this investigation was to study the choice of sedation method among children with immigrant background, referred to paediatric dentistry specialists, because of behaviour management problems or dental fear in combination with treatment needs. The material consisted of dental records from children referred to two clinics for paediatric dentistry: 117 records from children with an immigrant background and 106 from children with a non-immigrant background...

The aim was to study oral health and oromotor function in individuals with rare diseases. A disease is defined as rare when it affects no more than 100 individuals per million population and leads to a marked degree of disability. An affected nervous or musculoskeletal system, cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric disorders and craniofacial malformations are common in rare diseases and may all be risk factors for oral health and oromotor function. In 1996-2008, 1,703 individuals with 169 rare diseases, aged 3-67 years, answered a questionnaire about general health, oral health and orofacial function and 1,614 participated in a clinical examination...

Exposure of root surfaces due to inflammatory tissue breakdown is a clinical characteristic of periodontitis. The gingival margin may further recede during treatment. Pellicles and early dental plaque on enamel surfaces of periodontitis patients have previously been described. The binding properties of exposed root surfaces, which may affect the incorporation of proteins from especially the GCF into the enamel pellicle and thereby early dental plaque formation are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine if exposed root surfaces could affect pellicle and initial dental plaque formation on the enamel surface by the analysis of proteins and early adhering bacteria binding to the exposed root surfaces and to the adjacent, gingival enamel surface...

A case-based approach was used in a two-day periodontal continuing professional development course as a strategy to stimulate active learning. The present study investigates the outcome of this course format in terms of feasibility, perceived efficiency as a learning approach and reported individual learning goals. The study was performed in five identical courses entitled'risk analysis and treatment in periodontal patients'at Malmö University between 2011-2014. Before the course, clinical cases were used to activate participants' prior knowledge and to attune their focus on the course content...

The aim of this study was to explore dental fear in a multicultural population of child and adolescent dental patients, with background, gender, age, and socioeconomic status taken into account. A specific aim was to investigate whether the level of DF differed between patients with a non- Swedish background and patients with a Swedish background. In conjunction with a routine visit to the dental clinic, 301 patients (8-19 years old) assessed their dental fear on the Children's Fear Survey Schedule - Dental Subscale, using self-ratings...

The aim of this study was to analyze if the same protective factors are significant for both self-rated health and oral health. It was hypothesized that these factors should be the same. The material is based on a population sample of 17 113 women and men aged 18-84 years in one county in central Sweden.The response rate was 61%. The data were collected through a postal questionnaire "Life and Health" in 2008. The questionnaire comprised of 149 questions and was divided into a number of areas, e.g. socioeconomic conditions, quality of life, social relations, lifestyle, and health...

The aim of this study is to find out how professionals in Swedish dental care perform diagnostic procedures in general. Is there a common ground between dentists and dental hygienists concerning sharing different job assignments in an effective way? Are the methods of treatment used in accordance with degree of severity of the disease and to what extent is proposed treatment in accordance with the National Guidelines? A questionnaire consisting of three different patient cases with periodontal disease was sent to 804 private practitioners, 809 dentists in Dental Public Service, 802 dental hygienists and 40 dental students on their final semester at the Dental School in Malmö...

The aim of this epidemiological study performed in 2013 was to analyze various clinical and radiographic data on oral health and compare the results to those of four cross-sectional studies carried out 1973-2003. In 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2013 random samples of 1,000; 1,104; 1,078; 987; and 1,010 individuals, respectively, were studied. The individuals were evenly distributed in the age groups 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80o years. Eighty-year-olds were not included in 1973. All subjects were inhabitants of the city of Jönköping, Sweden...

The aim of the this study was to present data on oral care habits and knowledge of oral health in 2013, and to compare these data with results from a series of four previous cross-sectional epidemiological studies. All these studies were carried out in the city of Jönköping, Sweden, in 1973, 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2013. The 1973 study constituted a random sample of 1,ooo individuals evenly distributed in the age groups 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 years. The same age groups with addition of a group of 80-year-olds were included in the 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2013 studies, which comprised 1,104; 1,078; 987; and 1,010 individuals, respectively...

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered to provide the most reliable evidence on the efficacy of interventions. The aim of this study was to describe the recruitment process of an RCT study set up to evaluate a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention programme for adolescent patients with dental anxiety (DA). The participants were recruited from a consecutive sample of adolescent patients (12-19 yrs old) referred for DA to a specialised pediatric dentistry clinic. Age, gender, and reason for referral were recorded for the possible eligible patients as part of the drop-out analysis of the recruitment process...

The aims of this study were to 1) evaluate the objective success rate of Class II malocclusion treatment with functional appliances five years after completion of treatment and 2) to compare the remaining objective treatment need with an untreated control group. Records of all listed patients between 18-20 years (n=1054) treated in a general practice were reviewed for the purpose of finding treatments with removable functional appliances. Among all subjects (n=61) who previously had been treated, 58 accepted to participate in the study...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency and severity of positioning errors in panoramic radiography in general dentistry. A total of 1904 digital panoramic radiographs, taken by the Public Dental Service in the county of Sörmland, Sweden, were analysed retrospectively. The study population consisted of all patients who underwent a panoramic examination during the year 2011. One experienced oral radiologist evaluated all radiographs for 10 common errors. Of the 1904 radiographs examined, 79 per cent had errors...

The aim of this study was to compare porcelain-veneered implant-supported FDPs based on zirconium dioxide and titanium respectively. Sixteen patients received 18 implant-supported partial fixed dental prostheses (FDPs); 8 titanium-based and 10 zirconia-based. The FDPs were randomized between the two material groups. Follow-up of the patients was performed at 3 months and thereafter once a year. An assessment protocol based on the California Dental Association (CDA) quality assessment system was used. Results: All patients were seen at follow-up...

The aim of the present study was testing the hypothesis that the adoption of nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation (NTRI) will improve the technical quality of root-fillings. The investigation was carried out within a mandatory continuing education program (CEP) for general dental practitioners (GDPs). The study was conducted amongst GDPs employed by the Public Dental Health Service in the County of Stockholm. Identical questionnaires were distributed before the CEP (Pre-Q) and 9 to 12 months after the course (Post-Q)...

The aim was to evaluate the evidence on outcomes of the combination of non-selective NSAID/ paracetamol compared to either drug alone, to relieve acute pain following oral surgery in adult patients. A systematic review of available literature was performed. The first step comprised searches in three electronic databases. Original studies written in English were searched. As a second step, the reference lists of included publications were searched for additional publications. Abstracts were retrieved if the title contained information on postoperative pain, NSAID, and paracetamol in combination with oral surgery...

Adverse events cause suffering and increased costs in health care. The main way of registering adverse event is through dental personnel's reports, but reports from patients can also contribute to the knowledge of such occurrences. This study aimed to analyse the adverse events reported by dental personnel and patients in public dental service (PDS) in a Swedish county. The PDS has an electronic system for reporting and processing adverse events and, in addition, patients can report shortcomings, as regards to reception and treatment, to a patient committee or to an insurance company...