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Data Sources and Search Strategy: Seven databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, Cochrane and Google Scholar) were searched up to the third week in June 2022. Keyword search terms were based on four key concepts: oral health, primary health, strategies, and integration., Study Selection: Peer-reviewed studies that evaluated any strategies to integrate oral health into primary care (e.g., guidelines, policies, workforce programmes) were included in the review. Eligibility was restricted to papers written in English language. Papers in non-primary care settings or which did not describe an evaluation were excluded. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and thereafter full texts. Disagreements were resolved by consulting a third reviewer., Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data were extracted by one reviewer; a second person verified accuracy. Covidence was used for data extraction. Two independent reviewers critically appraised the papers using the relevant tools (e.g. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Cochrane Collaboration, and STrengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology). PRISMA flow diagram was used to present the study selection process. Review findings were reported using a narrative synthesis approach. The Health System Building Blocks (HSBB) was used as a basis for structuring the results/discussion. Heterogeneity among the included studies was high and therefore no meta-analysis was conducted., Results: Forty-nine studies were included, of which two were RCTs. Most studies described oral healthcare delivered by non-dental primary care professionals within primary care services. Other settings included community, schools, and care homes. Outcomes of interest included: access to oral healthcare, knowledge/attitudes/perceptions, change in dental caries estimates. Almost all studies, except two studies which found no difference in the outcomes measured, favoured an integration strategy. Integration was achieved by enhancing competency (e.g. oral health promotion-trained educators), re-orientating responsibilities of health professionals at an organisation level and/or policy changes (e.g. expanded health insurance policy coverage to include oral health). Integration strategies enhanced access through improved referral pathways, documentation processes, operating efficiency, the number of health staff on hand, increased visits for oral health issues, higher fluoride varnish application rates for children, and more visits to dental health professionals., Conclusions: In this review, promoting an integrated approach for oral health was associated with improvements across a range of outcomes. Integrating oral health into primary care is complex but holds promise for reducing the burden of dental diseases. Identifying the best practice models of service integration requires further research and evaluation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to British Dental Association.)

Introduction UK dentists experience high levels of stress, anxiety and burnout. Poor mental health can lead practitioners to exit the profession, contributing to workforce and service loss. Therefore, there is a need to focus on interventions to protect the mental health and wellbeing of dental teams. Three levels of intervention can be deployed in the workplace to support mental health and wellbeing: primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention.Aim The aim of this systematic review was to identify evidence on interventions used to prevent, improve or tackle mental health issues among dental team members and dental profession students in countries of very high development.Methods This systematic review was conducted according to a predefined protocol and reported according to PRISMA guidelines. The MEDLINE, Embase CINAHL, DOSS, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases were searched. Prospective empirical studies were considered for inclusion. The Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool (EPHPP) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. The identified interventions were categorised according to level of prevention.Results The search yielded 12,919 results. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. All of the studies concerned dentists or dental students. There were no studies for other groups of dental professionals. No primary prevention-level studies were identified. Secondary prevention-level studies (n = 4) included various psychoeducational interventions aiming to raise awareness and improve coping skills and led to significant improvements in stress levels and burnout of dentists and dental students. Tertiary prevention-level studies (n = 4) mainly employed counselling which was shown to be beneficial for dentists and students experiencing psychological ill-health.Conclusions Mental wellbeing awareness should be put at the centre of dental education and the workplace. Leadership and innovation are required to design primary-level interventions which can be implemented in the UK dental sector, with its distinct organisational and service characteristics., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the British Dental Association.)

Data sources Databases searched included PsycINFO, PubMed, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science.Study selection Cross-sectional, longitudinal and retrospective studies that compared caries, periodontal disease or tooth loss in people who use drugs as compared to those who do not. Studies that included psychiatric populations and alcohol or tobacco users were not included in the review. Qualitative studies, in vitro investigations, animal studies, reviews, case reports and series, letters to editor and conference abstracts were also excluded. The authors included only English studies published before 1 July 2019. Two independent reviewers screened the papers on title and abstract and then full text. In case of disagreements, these were discussed between the two reviewers and a third one was consulted if needed.Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers extracted the data and contacted the primary authors for necessary clarifications, if needed. The unweighted kappa was applied to examine inter-examiner agreement. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for observational studies was used to critically appraise the studies. The study selection results were presented through a flowchart. For the meta-analysis, the authors considered adjusted data. In some cases, crude estimates were used. Heterogeneity was estimated using the I2 statistic. The 'meta' package was used for the meta-analysis.Results Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis. Drug use was associated with higher risk of periodontal disease (OR 1.44; 95% CI 0.8-2.6) and higher DMFT index (OR 4.11; 95% CI 2.07-8.15).Conclusions The review showed high risk of periodontal disease and caries among people who use drugs. The authors concluded that this association may be explained by irregular tooth brushing and long history of drug use. It is important to develop programmes that aim to improve oral hygiene practices among people who use drugs.

Data sources Databases searched included Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus.Study selection Cross-sectional studies that estimated dental healthcare needs and unmet dental needs in young people, aged 10-19 years were considered for inclusion. No limitations in terms of year of publication, language, location of the study, gender and race of the participants, or the type of dental health needs and unmet needs were applied. The papers were screened on title and abstract, and then on full text by two reviewers. Any disagreements were resolved through discussion and consultation with a third reviewer.Data extraction and synthesis Data were extracted by three reviewers. Critical appraisal was conducted by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. A PRISMA flowchart was used to present the study selection results. Summary measures on the prevalence of dental health needs and unmet needs were calculated. For the meta-analysis, the inverse variance method was used to obtain pooled summary measures.Results Fifty-seven studies were included in the review. The overall prevalence of dental healthcare needs was 49% (95% CI: 42-56) across all types of dental care. The highest prevalence was that for periodontal treatment needs (71%; 95% CI: 46-96 as reported in four studies), followed by that of general treatment needs (59.0%; 95% CI: 42-75 as reported in 12 studies), orthodontic treatment (46%; 95% CI: 38-53 as reported in 32 studies) and lastly that of malocclusion treatment needs (39%; 95% CI: 28-50 as reported in nine studies). The pooled prevalence of unmet dental needs as reported in nine studies was 34% (95% CI: 27-40) with the highest prevalence found in Southeast Asia (72.3%; 95% CI: 70.1-74.5) and the lowest in Europe (11.8%; 95% CI: 3.4-20.3).Conclusions The results of this review showed that the prevalence of dental healthcare needs was higher in America and Europe while unmet needs were more prevalent in Southeast Asia and Africa. The former could partly be explained by the lower number and sample sizes of studies conducted in developing countries.Commentary.

Data sources PubMed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library database and ProQuest databases were searched.Study selection Observational and non-randomised studies in English language were considered for inclusion. Two reviewers independently selected the relevant studies. Any disagreement was resolved by discussion with a third reviewer. The outcome of interest for this review was oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with Alzheimer's disease.Data extraction and synthesis Data extraction was conducted independently by two reviewers. Critical appraisal was conducted by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute 'Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument'.Results Six studies were included in the review, of which five were cross-sectional and one was a non-randomised controlled trial. OHRQoL was measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in one study and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) in the other five included studies. All six studies were judged as methodologically strong. When the results of four studies which used the GOHAI were pooled together in a meta-analysis, no statistically significant differences in the GOHAI scores between patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls were found (SMD = 0.09; 95%CI: -0.66 to 0.85).Conclusions The results of this review showed no significant difference in OHRQoL between patients with Alzheimer's disease and healthy controls.

Data sources Databases searched included the International Database for Medical Research MEDLINE/Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS).Study selection Studies of observational design that examined the association between any screen-time behaviour and dietary intake in preschool and school-aged children (younger than 12 years) were selected by two independent reviewers. If a consensus could not be reached, a third reviewer was consulted.Data extraction and synthesis Data were extracted independently by two reviewers using a pre-tested data extraction form. Risk of bias was assessed using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for cross-sectional studies. A PRISMA flow chart was used to present the study selection results. The GRADE system was used to evaluate the strength of evidence. A qualitative synthesis was used to report the results. A meta-analysis was not conducted.Results Nineteen studies were included in the review, all of which were of cross sectional design or conducted cross-sectional analysis. Fourteen studies were assessed as high quality, three as moderate quality and two as low quality. All studies found a significant positive association between television and/or total screen-time viewing and poor quality diet including lower intake of fruit and vegetables and higher intake of unhealthy foods. Screen-based sedentary behaviour was positively associated with cariogenic foods consumption in 15 studies. Based on the GRADE rating, there was moderate evidence of an association between TV viewing and intake of potentially cariogenic diet.Conclusions Although there could be an association between TV viewing and poor quality cariogenic diet in preschool and school-aged children, the authors conclude that the strength of evidence is limited.Commentary.