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Background: Oral disorders are still a major global public health challenge, considering their perpetuating and chronic nature. Currently, there is no direct index to measure the quality of care on a population scale. Hence, we aim to propose a new index to measure the quality of care for oral disorders worldwide. Methods: We generated our database using the data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2017. Among different variables such as prevalence, incidence, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life years, we utilised principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the component that bears the greatest proportion of information to generate the novel quality of care index (QCI) for oral disorders. Results: Global QCI for oral disorders gradually increased from 1990 to 2017 (from 70.5 to 74.6). No significant gender disparity was observed during this period, and the gender disparity ratio (GDR) was considered optimal in 1990 and 2017. Between 1990 and 2017, the age-standardised QCI for all oral disorders increased in all the SDI regions. The highest QCI for all oral disorders in 2017 belonged to high-middle SDI countries (=80.24), and the lowest YLDs rate was seen in the low SDI quintile. In 1990, the quality of care in European, Central Asian, and Central and South American countries was in the lowest quintiles, whereas the North American, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and some African countries had the highest quality of dental care. Maynmar (=100), Uganda (=92.5), Taiwan (=92.0), China (=92.5), and the United States (=89.2) were the five countries with the highest age-standardised QCI. Nicaragua (=41.3), Belgium (=40.2), Venezuela (=38.4), Sierra Leone (=30.5), and the Gambia (=30.3) were the five countries with the least age-standardised QCI values. Conclusion: The quality of care for all oral disorders showed an increasing trend on a global scale from 1990 to 2017. However, the QCI distribution was not homogenous among various regions. To prevent the exacerbation of imminent disparities in this regard, better attention to total tooth loss in high-income countries and prioritising primary healthcare provision in low-income countries are recommended for oral disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the convergence and divergence in the discourses and practices of comparative education in Japan, North America, and Greater China. Research demands, institutional settings, and social and historical background determine the nature of the research discussed and practiced in each place. Some particular patterns were identified in Japanese traditional comparative education such as thick description, limited reference to theories, and a focus on systems and the structural level rather than on classroom practices and pedagogy. Further, an orientation to borrowing foreign policy ideas and to learning about the educational system in neighboring Asian countries has made some themes and geographic research sites popular. Examination of research trends reveals that similar demands to identify policy options also exist in Mainland China and Taiwan. Together with the research on policies and practices in other countries, in Japanese comparative education there is a strong tradition of area studies based on deep linguistic and cultural understanding of the research sites. Such a research approach is often found among members who conduct investigations in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In addition, there is another group of scholars who show strong interest in international agendas such as development or gender and who conduct research contributing to these fields. This type of scholar has increased since the 1990s and tends to focus on regions such as Africa and South Asia. This has brought Japanese research trends closer to that of North America where a large number of publications were on Africa, Latin America, and Asia throughout the post-World War II period. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of this academic field and its openness to quality research from diverse academic traditions, I argue that comparative education can serve as a platform for academic collaboration for advancing the horizon of research.