ijerph-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

2nd Edition: Approach to Promoting Oral Health

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Dankook University, 119 Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam 31116, Republic of Korea
Interests: dental health education; dental health services; healthcare inequality; dental health surveys; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As oral health issues impair quality of life and have a negative impact on the well-being of people, oral health has become one of the important indicators for assessing health status. Oral health is closely related to our systemic health and physical strength, while it has also been reported to relate to emotion, mentality, and cognitive ability. In particular, the oral health of the population suffering health disparities and from inequality is much poorer, requiring us to launch a more vigorous search for solutions.

To resolve oral health issues for specific population groups, we need to conduct close observations and examinations of the multi-level determinants operating across the life course determining healthcare disparities, health inequities, and health care services, as well as further research to delve into in-depth interventions and randomized clinical trials. Furthermore, it is also necessary to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the results of individual studies. This research will lead to the establishment of the foundation theories that could help narrow oral health disparities and inequities, improve oral health conditions of individuals and community, and enhance the cost-effectiveness of health care, ultimately contributing to the development of health care delivery system.

This Special Issue focuses on multidisciplinary approaches and integrated care to address oral health issues, specifically for various population groups suffering from oral health disparities and inequities. We kindly invite you to submit original research articles, care reports, and reviews. All kinds of submissions will be welcomed to deal with diverse oral health issues, as well as those regarding the keywords presented below.

Prof. Dr. Jong-Hwa Jang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dental care utilization
  • dental health education
  • oral diseases
  • oral health
  • oral health behavior
  • oral health-related quality of life
  • oral health disparities
  • oral health inequities
  • risk assessment

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

10 pages, 2046 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of Oral Function in Older In- and Outpatients: An Observational Study
by Anna K. Eggimann, Leo Badura, Rahel Zehnder, Miriam Koemeda, Ramona Buser and Martin Schimmel
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(8), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21080995 - 29 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1207
Abstract
(1) Background: Insufficient data exist regarding oral function among older adults in Europe. Therefore, we aimed to assess and compare oral function between older in- and outpatients and identify predictors of low masticatory performance. (2) Methods: Patients were consecutively recruited from the outpatient [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Insufficient data exist regarding oral function among older adults in Europe. Therefore, we aimed to assess and compare oral function between older in- and outpatients and identify predictors of low masticatory performance. (2) Methods: Patients were consecutively recruited from the outpatient center (n = 31) and the inpatient geriatric department (n = 31) at a tertiary University Hospital in Switzerland in 2023. Assessments on oral function included the total number of intraoral eruptive teeth, number of supporting zones with dentures, maximal bite force (Dental Prescale II, Fuji Film Corp., Tokyo, Japan), and masticatory performance (Hue-Check Gum©, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland) using a visual (SA1–SA5) and a digital (SD_Hue) scale. The visual and digital assessment of masticatory performance showed a strong correlation (Kendall tau = 0.83). Low masticatory performance was defined as SA-Grade 1–2 (vs. SA3–SA5 as reference). In a multivariate model adjusting for age, sex, and clinical setting, we investigated associations of maximal bite force, few eruptive teeth, and few supporting zones with low masticatory performance. (3) Results: Mean age was 81.9 (standard deviation (sd) 5.2) years, and 62.9% were female. Overall, maximal bite force was 247 N (sd 261). A total of 39 patients (63.9%) had a low masticatory performance, 62.9% a low maximal bite force, and 50% a low number of eruptive teeth (<10). Masticatory performance, number of eruptive teeth, and maximal bite force did not significantly differ between in- and outpatients. The number of supporting zones was significantly higher in outpatients compared to inpatients (median 4, interquartile range (IQR) 4–4; vs. 4, IQR 2–4; p = 0.03). In the multivariate model, maximal bite force and a low number of eruptive teeth were independently associated with low masticatory performance (adjusted odds ratio 7.4 (95% CI, 1.8–30.4; p < 0.01), and OR 7.8 (95% CI, 1.7–36.4; p < 0.01), respectively). (4) Conclusions: Impaired oral function is highly prevalent in both European older in- and outpatients to a similar degree. The association of low masticatory performance with maximal bite force and with a low number of eruptive teeth may indicate that a basic screening should include either of these parameters to identify impaired oral function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Approach to Promoting Oral Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 823 KiB  
Article
Public Dental Service Access Policies for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: A Pre-Evaluation Study
by Ednaldo de Jesus-Filho, Sandra Garrido de Barros, Maria Isabel Pereira Vianna and Maria Cristina Teixeira Cangussu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(5), 555; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21050555 - 27 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1587
Abstract
This study sought to carry out a systematic and preliminary evaluation of the policies on access to public dental services for people with ASD in a Brazilian city. The study, conducted between November/2019 and February/2020, was developed through document analysis, the design of [...] Read more.
This study sought to carry out a systematic and preliminary evaluation of the policies on access to public dental services for people with ASD in a Brazilian city. The study, conducted between November/2019 and February/2020, was developed through document analysis, the design of the theoretical logical model of the policies, and seven semi-structured interviews with key informants. The sample was intentionally selected. We also considered the answers to 108 questionnaires from a pilot study on the access of people with ASD to dental services applied to caregivers, dentists, and non-dental professionals. No refusals were recorded. The availability study showed that the policies’ objectives were not being achieved in terms of care network organization: there were no institutional flows, personal contacts were used between professionals to guarantee access to secondary attention, there was no specific training for the dentists about ASD, and the oral health care network was unknown to non-dentist professionals and caregivers. Most people with ASD have visited the dentist at least once in their lives, but a large percentage of those within this study did not do so in the last year. This study identified difficulties in implementing policies and suggested possible strategies for overcoming them as dimensions and subdimensions for evaluation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Approach to Promoting Oral Health)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop