The objectives of the study were to describe the oral health status and treatment needs of the 5- to 6-year-old and 12-year-old children in Southern China; to describe the patterns of oral health behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes among the 12-year-olds; and to assess the effects of socio-behavioral factors on the 12-year-old children's dental caries experiences. The study sample was comprised...

This paper reviews the historical development of public health policies in Brazil and the insertion of oral health in this context. Since 1988, Brazil established a Unified National Health System ("Sistema Unico de Saúde"--SUS), which was conceived to assure access to health actions and services, including oral health. However, a history of lack of access to health services and the health probl...

Pregnancy is a unique time in a woman's life and is characterized by complex physiological changes. These changes can adversely affect oral health. Pregnancy is also an opportune time to educate women about preventing dental caries in young children, a common childhood problem. Although multiple studies have shown an association between periodontal infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such...

Although there are sufficient dentists in the world today, the majority of people do not have access to adequate, affordable, and acceptable oral health services. Discussions about the effectiveness of dental procedures and dental care in general are dominated by the concerns of dentists in industrialized countries. Are lasers useful in periodontal treatment? Which glass-ionomer cement should b...

The present study investigated the prevalence of poor self-perceived oral health and its association with oral health, general health and socioeconomic factors among elderly individuals from São Paulo, Brazil. The sample consisted of 871 elderly individuals enrolled in the Health, Wellbeing and Aging cohort study. Self-perceived oral health was measured by the question: "How would you rate your...

This article describes the essential components of oral health information systems for the analysis of trends in oral disease and the evaluation of oral health programmes at the country, regional and global levels. Standard methodology for the collection of epidemiological data on oral health has been designed by WHO and used by countries worldwide for the surveillance of oral disease and healt...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Development of patient-based outcome measures has enhanced our ability to assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Present study aimed to compare the performance of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) as two methods of assessment of oral health-related quality of life.METHODS: In this cross-sectio...

Indigenous Australians experience poor oral health. Oral health perceptions among a group of rural-dwelling Indigenous Australians were explored so that a culturally appropriate, community-owned oral health promotion initiative might be developed. Focus group methodology was used, with prompt questions including oral health knowledge, oral health's role in general health, how community oral hea...