Dept of Oral Health, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
Dept of Oral Medicine and Pathology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
BMC Oral Health. 2024 Jan 8;24(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-03813-2.
Despite the high prevalence of oral dryness and awareness of its complications, there is limited research on the clinical management of patients with oral dryness in general dental care.
To (1) describe and compare awareness among dental care professionals regarding saliva functions, potential causes and complications of oral dryness, and patient management (2) Investigate if the length of professional experience influences these aspects.
A digital self-administrated survey was sent to 2668 dental care professionals working in the general dental care, Public Dental Service, in Sweden. Twelve dental care professionals reviewed the questionnaire prior to its distribution. The questionnaire comprised 32 questions about patient management, awareness of saliva functions, causes and complications of oral dryness, and self-assessment queries.
The response rate was 18.6% (241 dentists and 257 dental hygienists). Older adults (65+) were asked more often about dry mouth (93.0%) compared to those aged 18-23 years (50.0%) and those under 18 years (24.9%). Dental hygienists encountered individuals with oral dryness more frequently (61.1%) than dentists (48.5%) (p < 0.01), and more often asked individuals in the age groups 18-23 years (p = 0.003), 24-40 years (p = 0.045), and 41-65 years (p = 0.031) about dry mouth. A higher proportion of dental hygienists (88.3%) than dentists (51.0%) had measured salivary secretion rate, (p < 0.001) and more often suggested preventive dental care 3-4 times a year, (42.5% vs. 30.5%) (p < 0.007). Dentists had a higher awareness of saliva functions, while dental hygienists had a higher awareness about causes and complications of oral dryness. Higher proportions of dentists and dental hygienists with over 10 years of professional experience had measured salivary secretion rate (69.1% vs. 95.7%) compared to their counterparts with less than 10 years of professional experience (35.9% vs. 79.5%) (p < 0.001 for both).
Compared to dentists, dental hygienists were more attentive to patients with oral dryness as they encountered these individuals more often, asked more age-groups, suggested frequent preventive measures, and had higher awareness of the causes and complications of oral dryness. Length of professional experience could improve both the management of patients with oral dryness and awareness of its causes, particularly for dental hygienists.
尽管口腔干燥的患病率很高,且人们也意识到其并发症,但在一般牙科护理中,针对口腔干燥患者的临床管理的研究却很有限。
(1)描述并比较牙科护理专业人员对唾液功能、口腔干燥潜在原因和并发症以及患者管理的认知;(2)调查专业经验的长短是否会影响这些方面。
向瑞典一般牙科护理和公共牙科服务机构的 2668 名牙科护理专业人员发送了一份数字自我管理调查。在分发问卷之前,有 12 名牙科护理专业人员对问卷进行了审查。问卷包含 32 个问题,涉及患者管理、唾液功能、口腔干燥的原因和并发症以及自我评估查询。
回复率为 18.6%(241 名牙医和 257 名牙科保健师)。与 18-23 岁(50.0%)和 18 岁以下(24.9%)的人群相比,65 岁以上的老年人(93.0%)更常被问及口干问题。与牙医(48.5%)相比,牙科保健师更常遇到口腔干燥的患者(61.1%)(p<0.01),并且更常询问 18-23 岁(p=0.003)、24-40 岁(p=0.045)和 41-65 岁(p=0.031)的人群有关口干问题。与牙医(51.0%)相比,更多的牙科保健师(88.3%)测量过唾液分泌率(p<0.001),并更常建议每年进行 3-4 次预防性口腔护理(42.5%比 30.5%)(p<0.007)。牙医对唾液功能的认知度更高,而牙科保健师对口腔干燥的原因和并发症的认知度更高。与经验不足 10 年的同行相比,经验超过 10 年的牙医和牙科保健师测量唾液分泌率的比例更高(分别为 69.1%比 95.7%)(p<0.001)。
与牙医相比,牙科保健师更关注口腔干燥的患者,因为他们更常遇到这些患者,询问更多的年龄组,建议更频繁的预防措施,并且对口腔干燥的原因和并发症有更高的认识。专业经验的长短可以提高口腔干燥患者的管理水平和对其病因的认识,特别是对牙科保健师而言。