Donoff RB, Simon L.
To achieve oral health in America, dental education needs to evolve. The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2022;153 (8) :731-733.
Publisher's Version Choi SE, Mo E, Palmer N, Fox K, Da Silva JD, Nagai S, Barrow JR.
Cognitive impairment and edentulism among older adults: an observational study using claims data. 2022;22 (1) :278.
Publisher's VersionAbstractThe scientific link between mastication strength and cognitive function has not yet been strongly corroborated in population studies. Utilizing large-scale claims, we aim to investigate the association between edentulism and cognitive impairment in older American adults.
Chandel T, Alulaiyan M, Farraj M, Riedy CA, Barrow JR, Brennan L, Thompson L, Bass MB, Chamut S.
Training and educational programs that support geriatric dental care in rural settings: A scoping review. Journal of Dental EducationJournal of Dental EducationJ. Dent. Educ. 2022;n/a (n/a).
Publisher's VersionAbstractAbstract Purpose/Objectives Access to dental care for older adults is challenging, especially for those living in rural areas. People living in rural areas are less likely to visit the dentist, have greater oral health needs, and face significant oral health disparities. Given the projected increase in the older adult population, the aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review (SR) to identify the current landscape of geriatric dental training in rural healthcare settings. Methods Four guiding concepts (i.e., dental workforce, education/training, rural setting, and older adult population) were searched in PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), Dental and Oral Sciences Source (EBSCO), and ERIC (EBSCO) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. EndNote and Covidence were used for de-duplication algorithms and title/abstract screening. Results Seventy-nine citations were identified for the final full-text review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and ten articles were eligible for data extraction as applicable to the research question. Three themes emerged from the review: geriatric dentistry inclusion within dental school curricula, clinical training at rural/remote locations, and improving geriatric oral health knowledge through interprofessional training. Conclusion This SR highlights the limited number of currently trained geriatric dentists, as well as, the paucity of dental programs/curricula offered to produce competent dental geriatricians with an advanced skill set for practicing in rural settings. Our review indicates the need to expand the dental workforce, curricula, and training to better position dentists to serve the older and underserved population in rural and remote areas.
Bahdila D, Ticku S, Nath S, Aflatooni N, Dolce MC, Hackley DM, Barrow JR.
Pandemic preparedness in dental education: A US-based national survey. Journal of Dental EducationJournal of Dental EducationJ. Dent. Educ. 2022;n/a (n/a).
Publisher's VersionAbstractAbstract Objectives The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the need for pandemic preparedness (PP) in health professions training. We aimed to (1) establish a current profile on curricular content of PP in US dental schools and (2) examine how schools were adapting their curricula in response to COVID-19. Methods An online survey was developed and sent to senior leadership to all 66 Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited US dental schools including Deans of Academic or Clinical Affairs from November 2020?February 2021. Questions addressed PP curricular content, teaching methods, and evaluation. Participants were asked about the barriers and facilitators for the inclusion of this content. The survey also included questions on redeployment of the clinical workforce in response to the pandemic. Results The response rate was 31.8% (n = 21) with representation from every US Census Bureau-designated division. While all responding dental schools agreed that dental professionals can play an important role during pandemics, 38.1% reported including content on PP into their pre- or postdoctoral curriculum. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 47.6% indicated redeployment of their clinical workforce to participate in disaster life support, assisting physicians in COVID-19 cases, and assisting hospitals with personal protective equipment (PPE). Conclusion There was general agreement that dental professionals can play an important role during pandemics. The participating US dental schools responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by integrating novel clinical activities. More efforts are required to include PP in dental education.
Walji MF, Spallek H, Kookal KK, Barrow J, Magnuson B, Tiwari T, Oyoyo U, Brandt M, Howe BJ, Anderson GC, et al. BigMouth: development and maintenance of a successful dental data repository. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2022 :ocac001.
Publisher's VersionAbstractFew clinical datasets exist in dentistry to conduct secondary research. Hence, a novel dental data repository called BigMouth was developed, which has grown to include 11 academic institutions contributing Electronic Health Record data on over 4.5 million patients. The primary purpose for BigMouth is to serve as a high-quality resource for rapidly conducting oral health-related research. BigMouth allows for assessing the oral health status of a diverse US patient population; provides rationale and evidence for new oral health care delivery modes; and embraces the specific oral health research education mission. A data governance framework that encouraged data sharing while controlling contributed data was initially developed. This transformed over time into a mature framework, including a fee schedule for data requests and allowing access to researchers from noncontributing institutions. Adoption of BigMouth helps to foster new collaborations between clinical, epidemiological, statistical, and informatics experts and provides an additional venue for professional development.
Brock M, Bahammam S, Sima C.
The Relationships Among Periodontitis, Pneumonia and COVID-19. Frontiers in Oral Health. 2022;2.
Publisher's VersionAbstractPeriodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the supporting structures of the teeth that affects approximately half of adults 30 years and older. There is increasing interest in the direct and indirect relationships between periodontitis and systemic diseases, including respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the evidence on links among periodontitis, pneumonia, and COVID-19. Oral and periodontal bacteria may be linked to respiratory disease directly by aspiration of pathogens into the lungs causing pneumonia. As SARS-CoV-2 began to spread worldwide in 2020, questions have arisen of how periodontal disease may also be connected to SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity, including potential replication and dissemination of the virus from periodontal pockets. Some proposed mechanisms include the oral cavity acting as a reservoir or point of entry for SARS-CoV-2, overgrowth of periodontal pathogens, and increased production of proinflammatory cytokines. Due to potential links between periodontal disease and respiratory infections like pneumonia and SARS-CoV-2, oral hygiene and management of periodontitis remain essential to help reduce infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Choi SE, Choudhary A, Huang J, Sonis S, Giuliano AR, Villa A.
Increasing HPV vaccination coverage to prevent oropharyngeal cancer: A cost-effectiveness analysis. 2022;13 :200234.
Publisher's VersionAbstractThe incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) has been rising, especially among middle-aged men. While Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been irrevocably implicated in the pathogenesis of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), the current HPV vaccination uptake rate remains low in the US. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of increased HPV vaccination coverage on HPV-associated OPC incidence and costs. A decision analytic model was constructed for hypothetical cohorts of 9-year-old boys and girls. Two strategies were compared: 1) Maintaining the current vaccination uptake rates; 2) Increasing HPV vaccination uptake rates to the Healthy People 2030 target (80%) for both sexes. Increasing HPV vaccination coverage rates to 80% would be expected to prevent 5,339 OPC cases at a cost of $0.57 billion USD. Increased HPV vaccination coverage would result in 7,430 quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains in the overall population, and it is estimated to be cost-effective for males with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $86,940 per QALY gained under certain conditions. Expanding HPV vaccination rates would likely provide a cost-effective way to reduce the OPC incidence, particularly among males.