Oral care

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-month early postnatal lifestyle intervention program in women with gestational diabetes in a recent pregnancy. METHODS: This study was a prospective randomized intervention study conducted at a diabetes center in Hong Kong. Chinese women aged 18-45 years, who developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in their most recent pregnancy, were invited. Eligible women were randomized in 1:1 ratio at baseline (6-12 weeks postpartum), to standard care or lifestyle intervention (diet and physical activity) groups for 12 months...

BACKGROUND: Extrinsic factors for erosive tooth wear (ETW) have been widely reported, but the intrinsic factors for wear remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with the prevalence of ETW in patients with reflux oesophagitis (RO). To prevent severe ETW with RO, factors associated with severity of ETW were also evaluated. METHODS: A total of 270 patients with RO were recruited. A modified tooth wear index was used to evaluate the prevalence and severity of ETW...

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 infection is associated with the development of immune mediated neuropathies like chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), but the impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and COVID-19 infection on genetic disorders such as Charcot-MarieTooth (CMT) remains unclear. CASE PRESENTATION: A 42-year-old male with occulted CMT neuropathy type lA (CMT1A) who developed limb numbness and weakness after the second SARS-CoV-2-vaccination was confirmed by identifying characteristic repeats in the p11...

BACKGROUND: The French RAMSES study is an observational prospective multicentre real-life cohort including severe asthmatic subjects. The objective of the study was to compare the characteristics of patients, in terms of phenotype and asthma care trajectories, between those managed by tertiary referral centres (TRCs) or secondary care centres (SCCs). METHODS: Patients were prospectively recruited and enrolled for a 5-year follow-up. Patients' characteristics were analysed at inclusion and compared between TRCs and SCCs...

A gastrostomy is a common procedure for patients with swallowing problems or inability to maintain regular oral nutrition. These gastrostomy tubes need special attention, as complications can occur if the tubes are left unattended. In rare scenarios, these tubes can migrate and cause severe life-threatening difficulties such as bowel obstruction and pancreatitis. We present the case of a 76-year-old quadriplegic woman who had a gastrostomy tube. Suddenly, the tube was missing, and after urgent medical care, the gastrostomy tube was found within her bowel...

Patients with severe cardiopulmonary morbidity present a unique challenge to peri- and intraoperative providers. Inducing general anesthesia in this patient population poses the risk of adverse events that could lead to poor surgical outcomes, prolonged debilitation, or death. Therefore, it is important that anesthesiologists become comfortable with preoperative evaluation as well as alternative strategies to providing surgical anesthesia. This case report details the clinical course of a patient with severe cardiopulmonary morbidity who underwent open inguinal hernia repair without oral or intravenous sedation after receiving multi-level paravertebral blocks in addition to isolated ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve blocks...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate gaps in the delivery of two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender identity (2SLGBTQ+) curricula and identify curricular challenges within Canadian dental schools. METHODS: A 21-item closed-ended questionnaire was distributed to curriculum experts across 10 dental schools in Canada. The survey questions were organized into three sections: institution characteristics, current 2SLGBTQ+ content and delivery, and opinions on the improvement of the 2SLGBTQ+ curriculum...

BACKGROUND: Root caries are prevalent issues that affect dental health, particularly among elderly individuals with exposed root surfaces. Fluoride therapy has shown effectiveness in preventing root caries, but limited studies have addressed its cost-effectiveness in elderly persons population. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a fluoride treatment program for preventing root caries in elderly persons within the context of Chinese public healthcare. METHODS: A Markov simulation model was adopted for the cost-effectiveness analysis in a hypothetical scenario from a healthcare system perspective...

Optimal pain relief in day-case surgery is imperative to patient comfort and timely discharge from hospital. Short-acting opioids are commonly used for analgesia in modern anaesthesia, allowing rapid recovery after surgery. Plasma concentration fluctuations from repeated dosing of short-acting opioids can cause patients to oscillate between analgesia with potential adverse effects, and inadequate analgesia requiring rescue dosing. Methadone's unique pharmacology may offer effective and sustained analgesia with less opioid consumption, potentially reducing adverse effects...

Professional collaboration is a key component of patient care and a source of fulfilment for oral health care providers. However, reports of incivility in employment as well as education are increasing impacting individuals in all settings including patients. Uncivil behavior implies a disregard for others and creates an atmosphere of disrespect, conflict, and stress. In contrast, civility towards others implies polite, respectful behavior towards others. This short report presents case studies in dental hygiene clinical practice and in dental hygiene education with strategies for approaching uncivil behavior...

Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) signs and symptoms may be first identified by dental hygienists during routine extra and intra-oral examinations. A comprehensive extra-oral and intra-oral examination during regular dental hygiene assessment is paramount to identifying oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and cancerous lesions for timely referral and treatment. Integrating a systematic list of questions during the medical and dental assessment along with careful visual and tactile examinations is critical to identifying OPMDs and cancerous lesions...

Purpose The relative newness of Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) has revealed a void in assessment protocols and treatment guidelines for dental settings. Providing oral health care practitioners with an assessment and treatment protocol could facilitate the delivery of comprehensive oral health care. The purpose of this study was to test a protocol for assessing and treating patients with PCC in dental practice settings. Methods A qualitative exploratory research design was used to conduct the study. A PCC assessment and treatment protocol (ATP) was developed and was used by dental hygienists in clinical practice in California for a period of 6 weeks...

OBJECTIVE: Caffeine is widely used in preterm infants to prevent or treat apnoea of prematurity. Adverse gastrointestinal effects of caffeine have not been thoroughly researched in preterm infants. With this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to summarise the results of trials on the gastrointestinal effects of caffeine in preterm infants. DESIGN: We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus and ClinicalTrials.gov up to 21 April 2023. We included randomised controlled trials assessing caffeine versus placebo in preterm neonates and reporting gastrointestinal side effects...

Men who have sex with men (MSM) is an inclusive term used to refer to phenotypic males who have insertive or receptive sex (penile-anal or penile-oral) with other phenotypic males, including people who are transgender or have other gender identities. MSM may report their sexual orientation as homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, or something else, but this stated sexual orientation may not align with their sexual attraction or behaviors. Several health conditions disproportionately affect MSM compared with age-matched heterosexual men, including HIV infection, anal cancer, syphilis, and depression...

BACKGROUND: Posaconazole is a vital drug to treat and prevent invasive fungal infections. Several factors, such as sex, body weight, total serum proteins, dietary intake, and severe mucositis, affect posaconazole pharmacokinetics (PKs). However, the relevance of other factors that affect the PKs of posaconazole in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is unknown. This study explored factors influencing the PKs of posaconazole in HSCT recipients and nontransplant patients with hematological diseases...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Understanding trends in the use of medications for secondary stroke prevention is crucial for identifying areas for improvement in stroke care. We examined the use of lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, glucose-lowering, oral anticoagulant, and antiplatelet medications after ischemic stroke hospitalization, from 2005 to 2021. METHODS: Using nationwide registries in Denmark, we identified a cohort of patients discharged from hospital with a first-time or recurrent ischemic stroke (N = 150,744)...

INTRODUCTION: Abemaciclib is an oral inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). Data from the clinical trial monarchE (2023) showed improved survival from invasive disease. The aim of the present article was to conduct an economic assessment of adjuvant treatment with abemaciclib in women with luminal, HER2- and node-positive breast cancer. METHODS: A Markov model was constructed with four mutually exclusive health states (disease-free, local recurrence, distal recurrence and death)...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the individual and community factors that contribute to dental utilization among young children on Medicaid utilizing the Anderson Model and the Socio-Ecological Framework. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted using baseline data (socio-demographics, clinical dental need) from a cluster-randomized hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial among 1021 child-parent dyads recruited from primary care practices across northeast Ohio...

Aims Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is a chronic progressive respiratory disorder occurring at a rate ranging from 4.2 to 278.1 cases per 100,000 persons, depending on age, in the United States. For many patients with NCFB, the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) makes treatment more complicated and typically has worse outcomes. Management of NCFB can be challenging, warranting a better understanding of the burden of illness for NCFB, treatments applied, healthcare resources used, and subsequent treatment costs...

BACKGROUND: Children with disabilities generally face poorer oral health outcomes compared with their non-disabled peers due to a range of factors including inadequate oral hygiene, infrequent dental visits and systemic barriers in accessing care. AIM: This ethnographic study explored the perspectives of caregivers and professionals to identify the ways that children with disabilities are included in oral health. DESIGN: A purposive sample of 10 caregivers, all mothers with disabled children aged 9-15 years, five healthcare providers and five educators in Saudi Arabia, participated...