Community dentistry and oral epidemiology
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Community Dent Oral Epidemiol · Jun 2010
Independent predictors of satisfaction in impacted third molar surgery patients.
Patient satisfaction and dissatisfaction are critical dimensions leading to favorable or unfavorable treatment outcomes. Although impacted third molar (ITM) surgery is one of the most common dental surgical procedures, it is a challenging operation because of numerous potential complications and patients generally suffer from severe psychosomatic symptoms as a result of severe perioperative anxiety. We hypothesize that multiple independent factors, including perioperative anxiety and various postoperative complications, affect satisfaction of the ITM surgery patients. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the patients who undergo ITM surgery often have severe anxiety that seriously impacts patient satisfaction and resultant treatment outcomes. In addition, patient satisfaction directly depends on the occurrence of some postoperative complications. Appreciation of these predictive factors and increasing patient satisfaction may help clinicians to provide optimal care for ITM surgery patients.
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Community Dent Oral Epidemiol · Apr 2010
Public preferences for seeking publicly financed dental care and professional preferences for structuring it.
To test the hypotheses that socially marginalised Canadians are more likely to prefer seeking dental care in a public rather than private setting, and that Canadian dentists are more likely to prefer public dental care plans that approximate private insurance processes. ⋯ There appears to be a policy disconnect between the preferences of those populations where governmental involvement is most warranted, and the current mechanisms for financing and delivering dental care in Canada. By concentrating almost exclusively on third-party-type financing and indirect delivery, public dental care policy may not be adequately responding to those most in need, especially in an environment where dentists are largely dissatisfied with public plans.
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Community Dent Oral Epidemiol · Feb 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyThe effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: a cluster randomised-controlled trial.
To review the effect of lavender scent on anticipatory anxiety in dental participants. ⋯ Although anxiety about future dental visits seems to be unaffected, lavender scent reduces state anxiety in dental patients.
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Community Dent Oral Epidemiol · Dec 2009
Quantification of betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking in oral cancer patients.
Betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking are two of the risk factors for some dental diseases as well as oral cavity cancer in Taiwan. The aim of the study was to quantify these factors in oral cavity cancer patients and compare the prevalence of these factors in patients and the general population. ⋯ On average, it took two decades of betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking before oral cavity cancer diagnosis, making the life-time consumption of these substances an astonishing amount. Betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking patients are more likely to be diagnosed with oral cavity cancer at a younger age than those who have just one habit or none. Patients that smoke more are not only more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age, but also at an advanced stage.
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Community Dent Oral Epidemiol · Oct 2009
Development and evaluation of an oral health literacy instrument for adults.
To develop and validate an instrument to measure the functional oral health literacy of adults. ⋯ Initial testing of OHLI suggested that it is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate oral health literacy among adults, although additional work is needed to investigate the instrument's predictive validity and sensitivity to change using oral health outcomes with population groups known to be at high risk of low functional oral health literacy.