Cargando…

The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives

BACKGROUND: Dental caries, the most common childhood chronic disease, disproportionately affects vulnerable parts of the population and confers substantial impacts to children, families, and health systems. Because efforts directed toward oral health promotion and disease prevention are fundamentall...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Bhaskar, Vaishnavi, McGraw, Kathleen A, Divaris, Kimon
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove Medical Press 2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964025/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24672258
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CCIDE.S41499
_version_ 1782308589725024256
author Bhaskar, Vaishnavi
McGraw, Kathleen A
Divaris, Kimon
author_facet Bhaskar, Vaishnavi
McGraw, Kathleen A
Divaris, Kimon
author_sort Bhaskar, Vaishnavi
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Dental caries, the most common childhood chronic disease, disproportionately affects vulnerable parts of the population and confers substantial impacts to children, families, and health systems. Because efforts directed toward oral health promotion and disease prevention are fundamentally superior to dental rehabilitation secondary to disease development, early preventive dental visits (EPDVs) are widely advocated by professional and academic stakeholders. The aim of this comprehensive review was to critically review and summarize available evidence regarding the effectiveness of EPDVs in improving children’s oral health outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search of the PubMed and Embase electronic databases was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed publications investigating the effectiveness of EPDVs on oral health outcomes, including clinical, behavioral, and cost end points up to October 30, 2013. Outcomes of the identified studies were abstracted and summarized independently by two investigators. RESULTS: Four manuscripts met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. All studies were conducted in the US and employed a retrospective cohort study design using public insurance-claims data, whereas one study matched claims files with kindergarten state dental surveillance data. That study found no benefit of EPDVs in future clinically determined dental caries levels in kindergarten. The other three studies found mixed support for an association of EPDVs with subsequent more preventive and fewer nonpreventive visits and lower nonpreventive service-related expenditures. Selection bias and a problem-driven dental care-seeking pattern were frequently articulated themes in the reviewed studies. CONCLUSION: The currently available evidence base supporting the effectiveness of EPDVs and the year 1 first dental visit recommendation is weak, and more research is warranted. The benefits of EPDVs before the age of 3 years are evident among children at high risk or with existing dental disease. However, EPDVs may be associated with reduced restorative dental care visits and related expenditures during the first years of life.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-3964025
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2014
publisher Dove Medical Press
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-39640252014-03-26 The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives Bhaskar, Vaishnavi McGraw, Kathleen A Divaris, Kimon Clin Cosmet Investig Dent Review BACKGROUND: Dental caries, the most common childhood chronic disease, disproportionately affects vulnerable parts of the population and confers substantial impacts to children, families, and health systems. Because efforts directed toward oral health promotion and disease prevention are fundamentally superior to dental rehabilitation secondary to disease development, early preventive dental visits (EPDVs) are widely advocated by professional and academic stakeholders. The aim of this comprehensive review was to critically review and summarize available evidence regarding the effectiveness of EPDVs in improving children’s oral health outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search of the PubMed and Embase electronic databases was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed publications investigating the effectiveness of EPDVs on oral health outcomes, including clinical, behavioral, and cost end points up to October 30, 2013. Outcomes of the identified studies were abstracted and summarized independently by two investigators. RESULTS: Four manuscripts met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. All studies were conducted in the US and employed a retrospective cohort study design using public insurance-claims data, whereas one study matched claims files with kindergarten state dental surveillance data. That study found no benefit of EPDVs in future clinically determined dental caries levels in kindergarten. The other three studies found mixed support for an association of EPDVs with subsequent more preventive and fewer nonpreventive visits and lower nonpreventive service-related expenditures. Selection bias and a problem-driven dental care-seeking pattern were frequently articulated themes in the reviewed studies. CONCLUSION: The currently available evidence base supporting the effectiveness of EPDVs and the year 1 first dental visit recommendation is weak, and more research is warranted. The benefits of EPDVs before the age of 3 years are evident among children at high risk or with existing dental disease. However, EPDVs may be associated with reduced restorative dental care visits and related expenditures during the first years of life. Dove Medical Press 2014-03-20 /pmc/articles/PMC3964025/ /pubmed/24672258 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CCIDE.S41499 Text en © 2014 Bhaskar et al. This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed.
spellingShingle Review
Bhaskar, Vaishnavi
McGraw, Kathleen A
Divaris, Kimon
The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
title The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
title_full The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
title_fullStr The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
title_full_unstemmed The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
title_short The importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
title_sort importance of preventive dental visits from a young age: systematic review and current perspectives
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964025/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24672258
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CCIDE.S41499
work_keys_str_mv AT bhaskarvaishnavi theimportanceofpreventivedentalvisitsfromayoungagesystematicreviewandcurrentperspectives
AT mcgrawkathleena theimportanceofpreventivedentalvisitsfromayoungagesystematicreviewandcurrentperspectives
AT divariskimon theimportanceofpreventivedentalvisitsfromayoungagesystematicreviewandcurrentperspectives
AT bhaskarvaishnavi importanceofpreventivedentalvisitsfromayoungagesystematicreviewandcurrentperspectives
AT mcgrawkathleena importanceofpreventivedentalvisitsfromayoungagesystematicreviewandcurrentperspectives
AT divariskimon importanceofpreventivedentalvisitsfromayoungagesystematicreviewandcurrentperspectives