Melbourne Dental School - Research Publications
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ItemThe Impact of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation on Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review(MDPI, 2024-02)Molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) is a qualitative developmental enamel defect with a prevalence of 13% worldwide. This review aims to outline the current evidence regarding the impact of MIH on children's oral health and, more broadly, their day-to-day activities. MIH is associated with negative sequelae, including hypersensitivity, post-eruptive breakdown, the rapid development of carious lesions and poor aesthetics. Other concerns pertain to the clinical management of MIH and include difficulty in achieving local anaesthesia, increased dental fear and anxiety (DFA) and increased behaviour management problems. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is the most standardised measure of patient impact; however, no instruments have been validated for use in MIH populations. The few existing observational studies investigating the impact of MIH on OHRQoL in children have produced conflicting results. Interventions to alleviate hypersensitivity and improve aesthetics had a positive impact on the OHRQoL of MIH-affected children. Multiple methodological issues make it difficult to measure the impact of MIH, including heterogeneity in the MIH severity classification, an overlap in the indices used to diagnose dental caries and MIH as well as the subjectivity of outcome measures for hypersensitivity and DFA.
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ItemPerceptions of general practitioners towards managing dental presentations in Australia: a qualitative study.(CSIRO Publishing, 2024-04)Background Patients presenting with dental pain are common in general practice, despite dental infections being most appropriately managed with dental treatment to address the cause of the infection. Although antibiotics are not appropriate for the management of localised toothache without signs of systemic spread, general practitioners (GPs) often prescribe antibiotics and analgesics for the management of dental pain. The aim of this study was to explore GPs' perceptions and management of dental presentations in Australia. Methods Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs across Victoria, Australia, between October 2022 and January 2023. Data were thematically analysed. Results The study found that dental pain was the most common presenting complaint for patients attending general practice with a dental problem. Five major themes were identified in this study: knowledge, beliefs about capabilities, emotion, environmental context and resources, and social influences/social professional role and identity. In terms of knowledge and capabilities, GPs would advise patients to seek dental care, as they are aware that antibiotics would not resolve the underlying issue. Challenges for GPs included limited training in oral and dental treatment, as well as emotions, such as patient anxiety and phobia resulting in patients seeking dental care through a GP rather than a dentist. Barriers due to the context, such as access to dental care, long waiting lists within the public dental system and cost, were some of the reasons patients present to general practice rather than a seeing a dentist. Furthermore, issues that influenced GPs' antibiotic prescribing included patients' expectations for antibiotics to treat their dental pain, as well as dentists advising their patients to attend their GP for antibiotics prior to dental treatment. Conclusions This study identified factors that influenced GPs' management of patients with dental conditions. To address these issues, it is imperative to develop interventions addressing patients' knowledge around oral health, as well as providing improved access to dental care for these patients.
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ItemEosinophils in Oral Disease: A Narrative Review(MDPI, 2024-04)The prevalence of diseases characterised by eosinophilia is on the rise, emphasising the importance of understanding the role of eosinophils in these conditions. Eosinophils are a subset of granulocytes that contribute to the body's defence against bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections, but they are also implicated in haemostatic processes, including immunoregulation and allergic reactions. They contain cytoplasmic granules which can be selectively mobilised and secrete specific proteins, including chemokines, cytokines, enzymes, extracellular matrix, and growth factors. There are multiple biological and emerging functions of these specialised immune cells, including cancer surveillance, tissue remodelling and development. Several oral diseases, including oral cancer, are associated with either tissue or blood eosinophilia; however, their exact mechanism of action in the pathogenesis of these diseases remains unclear. This review presents a comprehensive synopsis of the most recent literature for both clinicians and scientists in relation to eosinophils and oral diseases and reveals a significant knowledge gap in this area of research.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableReal-time, label-free detection and identification of bacteria through non-invasive optical imaging.(Elsevier BV, 2024)Currently, traditional and newer molecular and mass spectrometry techniques of identifying bacteria from biological samples requires lengthy sample preparation, growth and labelling/staining assays. Thus, there is a pressing clinical need for an adjunct method that accurately identifies bacteria in real time. Here we report on the evaluation of confocal microscopy for the identification of clinically important and multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria in real time, using their intrinsic fluorescence features, i.e., emission spectra and fluorescence lifetime. The results demonstrate that difference in emission spectra and fluorescence lifetimes can be used as a fingerprint for identification of 12 bacterial species and MDR strains in real-time. Photostability or time-traces of bacteria demonstrated that these parameters could be used for tracking and recording without a need for labelling. Further, dilution experiments demonstrated that using intrinsic fluorescence S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli bacteria can be detected and identified at clinically relevant concentrations as low as 2 × 102 CFU/mL. This non-invasive, non-labelling optical methodology may serve as the basis for development of a device that would quickly and accurately identify bacteria in biological samples. Thus, this intrinsic fluorescence technique would provide clinicians information, within minutes from sampling, to base accurate and specific treatments for patients.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableRemineralisation of enamel and dentine with stabilised stannous fluoride dentifrices in a randomised cross-over in situ trial(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2024-04)OBJECTIVES: To compare the remineralisation efficacy and ion bioavailability of two novel SnF2-containing dentifrices in a blinded, cross-over, randomised in situ clinical study. METHODS: Six participants wore removal palatal appliances holding human enamel and dentine blocks with subsurface lesions. Appliances were worn for two treatment periods of 14 consecutive days each, with a one-week washout period in-between. Participants were randomly allocated to rinse with a 1:5 diluted coded slurry of one of two dentifrices containing either 5 % casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) +1100 ppm F as SnF2 [MIPOP], or 1100 ppm F as SnF2 [CT], for 1 min, four times a day. Saliva was collected post-treatment and analysed for tin, calcium, inorganic phosphate and fluoride ions using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and ion chromatography. Enamel and dentine lesions were analysed for percent remineralisation (%R) using transverse microradiography and percent surface microhardness recovery (%SMHR). RESULTS: MIPOP released significantly higher F (3.00 ± 0.27 mM), Ca (15.23 ± 3.23 mM) and Sn (1.18 ± 0.13 mM) into saliva whereas CT released 2.89 ± 0.32 mM F and only 0.84 ± 0.11 mM Ca and 0.28 ± 0.10 mM Sn. MIPOP produced significantly higher %R than CT: 25.6 ± 1.5 % compared to 15.2 ± 0.7 % in enamel, and 33.6 ± 3.1 % compared to 20.6 ± 1.1 % in dentine. Additionally, MIPOP produced significantly higher %SMHR (18.2 ± 7.9 %) compared to CT (4.1 ± 0.6 %). CONCLUSIONS: Both dentifrices promoted remineralisation, but the MIPOP dentifrice with added CPP-ACP and the ion-stabilising effects of CPP released higher amounts of bioavailable tin and produced significantly higher remineralisation and surface microhardness recovery. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Modern dentifrices contain SnF2 for a range of oral health benefits. Challenges associated with stability of these formulations can affect ion bioavailability, reducing efficacy. Two dentifrices with SnF2 promoted remineralisation in situ, however the dentifrice with the added saliva biomimetic CPP-ACP was superior and therefore may produce greater health benefits.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableSynthetic peptide branched polymers for antibacterial and biomedical applications(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-04-01)
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ItemThe global distribution of special needs dentistry across dental school curricula(Wiley, 2024-02-22)INTRODUCTION: Special needs dentistry (SND) is an emerging dental specialty, with ongoing developments in education and clinical practice focused towards the tailored management of individuals with special needs (SN). Patients with SN have a higher prevalence of oral diseases and unmet dental needs compared to the general population. Although inadequate training and experience in managing patients with SN has been highlighted as a significant barrier to accessing care, there is limited data about the extent of SND teaching at the entry-to-practice or higher levels. METHODS: This work is the first to map SND curricula globally, across 180 countries and 1265 dental schools. RESULTS: Although 74.62% of dental schools were found in developing economies, the distribution of programs that reported SND in their courses was highly skewed towards developed countries. In terms of advanced degrees, beyond basic entry-to-practice training, the USA delivered 60% of the SND programs, followed by Canada (15.56%), UK (13.33%), and Australia (8.89%). The term SND appeared in 33.95% of entry-to-practice level program curricula and was less commonly used in transitioning economies. Only 112 SND-specialized practitioners enter the workforce globally each year from developed economies, and all but three advanced degrees are found in G7 countries. CONCLUSION: By exploring the impact of economic status on its distribution, this paper highlighted the lack of SND representation in dental curricula, especially amongst programs in transitioning or developing economies. Education of both general dentists and specialists is critical as a collaborative effort is needed to manage the growing population of patients with SN.
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ItemAssociation between cash transfer programs and oral health-A scoping review(WILEY, 2023-03)OBJECTIVES: The aims of this scoping review are to assess the literature investigating the association between cash transfer programs and oral health; and to identify the theoretical frameworks applied to guide this literature. METHODS: A search strategy to identify studies published until December 2020 was applied to a range of databases. Observational and interventional studies that had cash transfer programs as exposure/intervention and oral health as outcome were considered. Dental health services utilization, as well as access to dental health services, were considered secondary outcomes. Cash transfer programs were considered programs based on conditional or unconditional cash transfer carried out as part of national social protection schemes, and interventional studies on the impact of cash transfer on oral health were also considered eligible. Data charting was performed in two steps and a narrative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: Of 6344 articles identified, four articles were included. These articles investigated three different conditional cash transfer programs, Universal Child Allowance (Argentina), Bolsa Família (Brazil) and Family Rewards (USA). Inconsistencies were identified in findings on the effect of conditional cash transfer programs on the prevalence of dental caries and these differences may be due to the comparison group selected for each study. Concerning dental visits, the results point in different directions, which makes these findings still inconclusive. No explicit theoretical framework was reported in the articles to guide the expected association. CONCLUSION: Although cash transfers play an important role in improving certain health outcomes, there is limited evidence to suggest an association between cash transfers and oral health.
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ItemPROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in Endodontics: A consensus-based development study(Wiley, 2023-03)Observational studies are non-interventional studies that establish the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations or analyse the relationship between health status and other variables. They also facilitate the development of specific research questions for future randomized trials or to answer important scientific questions when trials are not possible to carry out. This article outlines the previously documented consensus-based approach by which the Preferred Reporting items for Observational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023 guidelines were developed. A steering committee of nine members was formed, including the project leaders (PD, VN). The steering committee developed an initial checklist by combining and adapting items from the STrengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist and the Clinical and Laboratory Images in Publications (CLIP) principles, as well as adding several new items specifically for the specialty of Endodontics. The steering committee then established a PROBE Delphi Group (PDG) and a PROBE Online Meeting Group (POMG) to obtain expert input and feedback on the preliminary draft checklist. The PDG members participated in an online Delphi process to reach consensus on the clarity and suitability of the items present in the PROBE checklist. The POMG then held detailed discussions on the PROBE checklist generated through the online Delphi process. This online meeting was held via the Zoom platform on 7th October 2022. Following this meeting, the steering committee revised the PROBE checklist, which was piloted by several authors when preparing a manuscript describing an observational study for publication. The PROBE 2023 checklist consists of 11 sections and 58 items. Authors are now encouraged to adopt the PROBE 2023 guidelines, which will improve the overall reporting quality of observational studies in Endodontics. The PROBE 2023 checklist is freely available and can be downloaded from the PRIDE website (https://pride-endodonticguidelines.org/probe/).
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ItemPROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in endodontics: Explanation and elaboration(Wiley, 2023-06)Observational studies play a critical role in evaluating the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations as well as in defining the benefits and potential hazards of health-related interventions. There are currently no reporting guidelines for observational studies in the field of Endodontics. The Preferred Reporting Items for study Designs in Endodontology (PRIDE) team has developed and published new reporting guidelines for observational-based studies called the 'Preferred Reporting items for OBservational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023' guidelines. The PROBE 2023 guidelines were developed exclusively for the speciality of Endodontics by integrating and adapting the 'STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)' checklist and the 'Clinical and Laboratory Images in Publications (CLIP)' principles. The recommendations of the Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting Guidelines were adhered to throughout the process of developing the guidelines. The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide for authors by providing an explanation for each of the items in the PROBE 2023 checklist along with relevant examples from the literature. The document also offers advice to authors on how they can address each item in their manuscript before submission to a journal. The PROBE 2023 checklist is freely accessible and downloadable from the PRIDE website (http://pride-endodonticguidelines.org/probe/).