Journal of public health dentistry
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J Public Health Dent · Jan 2014
Inequality in dental caries distribution at noncavitated and cavitated thresholds in preschool children.
To evaluate the inequality in dental caries distribution according to different thresholds assessed using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) and to investigate the associations of socioeconomic factors with caries lesions at both noncavitated and cavitated thresholds. ⋯ Caries lesions were more equally distributed when noncavitated lesions were included in the dental survey. Socioeconomic factors are found to be associated with the inequalities in caries distribution in this age group.
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J Public Health Dent · Jan 2014
Patterns of dental service utilization following nontraumatic dental condition visits to the emergency department in Wisconsin Medicaid.
To examine patterns of dental service utilization for adult Medicaid enrollees in Wisconsin following nontraumatic dental condition (NTDC) visits to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Almost one in five adult Medicaid enrollees will subsequently return to the ED following a previous NTDC visit. The provision of definitive care for these individuals appears to primarily consist of extractions.
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J Public Health Dent · Jan 2014
Prescription of opioid and nonopioid analgesics for dental care in emergency departments: Findings from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
The aim of this study was to examine trends and associated factors in the prescription of opioid analgesics, nonopioid analgesics, opioid and nonopioid analgesic combinations, and no analgesics by emergency physicians for nontraumatic dental condition (NTDC)-related visits. Our secondary aim was to investigate whether race/ethnicity is a possible predictor of receiving a prescription for either type of medication for NTDC visits in emergency departments (EDs) after adjustment for potential covariates. ⋯ Prescription of opioid analgesics increased over time. ED physicians were more likely to prescribe opioid analgesics and opioid and nonopioid analgesic combinations for NTDC-related visits with reported severe pain.
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J Public Health Dent · Jan 2013
An examination of racial/ethnic disparities in children's oral health in the United States.
To assess the extent factors other than race/ethnicity explain apparent racial/ethnic disparities in children's oral health and oral health care. ⋯ Racial/ethnic disparities in children's oral health status and access were attributable largely to socioeconomic and health insurance factors. Efforts to decrease disparities may be more efficacious if targeted at social, economic, and other factors associated with minority racial/ethnic status and may have positive effects on all who share similar social, economic, and cultural characteristics.
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J Public Health Dent · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyA brief 20-item dental/medical health literacy screen (REALMD-20).
Few health literacy instruments are available to clinicians to help understand the implications of patient difficulty understanding health information. Those that do exist are lengthy and would not be conducive to use in a busy clinical setting. Long-term dental and medical outcomes may improve if health care providers can identify individuals with low health literacy levels who may benefit from tailored communication, yet few instruments are available for clinical use. The purpose of this study is to introduce a brief 20-item screener for limited dental/medical health literacy among adult dental patients. ⋯ The REALMD-20 is a quick screening instrument that can be used by clinicians to detect limited dental/medical health literacy among adult patients seeking treatment in dental/medical clinic settings.