Elżbieta Pietryka-Michałowska

The knowledge of pregnant women regarding appropriate oral hygiene practices of young children – a questionnaire survey

Abstract Maintaining appropriate oral cavity hygiene in a young child is closely related to the health awareness and health-promoting behaviours of their parents/guardians, and especially that of the child’s mother. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge of pregnant women regarding best practice oral hygiene procedures in young children. The survey involved 327 pregnant women aged 16-49 years, and the tool utilized was an anonymous questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included seven one-choice questions concerning basic information on proper oral hygiene procedures as should be practiced by young children. The statistical analysis was performed using Statistica PROGRAM 10 (StatSoft). The results of the survey reveal 60.55% of all surveyed had correct knowledge with regard to appropriate cleaning practices for the toothless oral cavity of an infant, that concerning the beginning of tooth brushing - 70.03%, tooth cleaning after night feeding - 39.76%, the duration of tooth brushing (at least 3-4 minutes) - 43.12%. What is more, the result of the survey demonstrate that slightly more than a half of the surveyed mothers (53.82%) would encourage their children to brush their teeth on their own from the first year of age, while 18.35% believe that children should be assisted in tooth brushing at least to their eighth year of age, and 59.63% would use fluoride toothpaste to brush their child’s teeth before he or she is one year old. Of the participants in this survey, pregnant women with university education, those living in large cities, or who are older, and those who had had previous pregnancies, show greater knowledge regarding suitable oral hygiene practices among young children. Our results reveal that extensive application of modern information technologies can be a means of preventing early childhood caries by facilitating the transmission of knowledge on proper nutrition and oral hygiene practices among young children.

Oral hygiene in patients using removable dentures

Abstract Introduction. Properly designed and used denture is conducive to proper rehabilitation of edentulism. Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and hygiene habits of patients using removable partial dentures (RPDs) including selected sociodemographic characteristics. Material and methods. The survey comprised 321 individuals wearing RPDs, the residents of the Lublin Province. They were asked about the age, gender, place of residence, education, duration of denture usage, repairs made to RPDs, preparations used for cleansing and disinfection of RPDs, storage at night, causes of visiting the dentist, which was associated with the use of the RPD and the frequency of visits. The results were statistically analyzed. Results. The average duration of removable partial dentures use was 7.8±5.7 years. The vast majority of respondents cleaned RPDs with a toothpaste – 90.9%, almost 2/3 of the surveyed population – did not disinfect their RPDs, 56.4% people not remove them for the night. Only 3.7% people visited the dentist on regular basis associated with the use of RPDs. Conclusions. Among people wearing RPDs, too long duration of current RPD usage is confirmed. Moreover, the dentist does not check them regularly because patients do not visit dentists for check-up. RPDs are cleaned using improper preparations and usually are not disinfected. They are inadequately kept at nighttime, if ever removed from the mouth during sleep. Incorrect handling related to the use of removable partial dentures applies to persons regardless of their level of education and place of residence.

Socio-medical analysis of patients aged 0-6 years reporting to the dentist

Abstract Introduction. The results of epidemiological and socio-medical studies of specific age groups in Poland indicate that tooth decay and periodontal diseases still pose a significant health problem. Aim. The aim of the study was the assessment of the reasons for reporting to the dental office and the assessment of oral health in children aged 0-6 years. Material and methods. The study comprised 45 patients in the preschool age (2-6 years old), who for the first time reported in 2015 to the dental office, which offers treatment under the framework of an agreement with the National Health Fund or for a fee. Gender, age, the place of residence and the reason for the reporting to the dentist were analyzed. The place of residence was a village, a town of less than 200 thousand inhabitants or the city of more than 200 thousand inhabitants. The reason for reporting to the dental office was a check-up visit, toothache or loss of filling. Dental condition was assessed by calculating the dmf index. The results were statistically analyzed. Results. Among the surveyed, there were no children younger than 2-year-olds. It was found that the dmf index was ranging in an individual patient from 0 to 20, in half of them the dmf index value was ≤ 7, while in all of the patients the average dmf index was 6.42. The percentage of respondents with dmf=0 was significantly higher among children living in the city than children living in rural areas. Conclusion. It is necessary to intensify educational activities concerning oral health of children, addressed to pregnant women, parents and people from the living environmental of a little child. This applies in particular to promoting early reporting to the first ever, the adaptive visit of a child to the dentist, frequent and regular check-up visits, during which, regardless of the examination, prophylaxis or treatment activities can be carried out if necessary.

Dental treatment needs in patients of a Lublin dental clinic aged 35-54

Abstract Introduction. Evaluation of the oral health among adult Poles carried out in the framework of the “National Monitoring of Oral Health and Its Determinants” study and the research results of clinical centers in Poland indicate that dental caries, periodontal diseases and missing teeth are a major health problem. Aim. The aim of the study was determining the reasons for reporting to the dentist of 35-54-year-old people, the assessment of dental health and prosthetic needs. Material and methods. The study comprised 154 patients aged 35-54 reporting in 2015 to the dental clinic in Lublin, which offers treatment financed by the National Health Fund or for a fee. Gender, age, the place of residence and the reason for the reporting to the dentist were analyzed. The place of residence was a village, a town of less than 200 thousand inhabitants or the city of more than 200 thousand residents. The reason for reporting to the dental clinic was a check-up visit, toothache or loss of filling. Dental condition was assessed by calculating the DMF index. The prosthetic state and needs were evaluated. The results were statistically analyzed. Results. Most patients reporting to the dental examination were women (59.09%) and residents of a big city (70.78%). More than a half of the patients (55.84%) had a check-up appointment, 25.32% appeared due to the loss of filling, and 18.83% - because of a toothache. The frequency of decay in the study group was 100% and the DMF index values ranged from 2.0 to 32.0, assuming an average of 21.18±5.02, and with the age the DMF index values increased. The highest number of decayed and extracted teeth were found in the rural population. Both residents of big cities and patients who reported for regular check-ups had the biggest number of fillings. Conclusion. Dental caries is still a major health problem in Polish population aged 35-44. Poor oral health among the adult population in Poland is due to the low health awareness of society. This requires launching large-scale dental educational campaigns and prevention measures among adult Polish citizens, especially in rural areas.

Pregnant women’s knowledge on early orthodontic prevention – a questionnaire survey

Abstract Introduction. Ensuring proper conditions for the development of the masticatory organ of the child can prevent or reduce the incidence of malocclusion. Aim. The study aimed to assess the knowledge of mothers on selected elements of early orthodontic prevention. Material and methods. A questionnaire survey was carried out among 234 pregnant women and women in childbirth from Lower Silesia, Lublin and Lubuskie voivodships. The survey included questions about demographics of mothers, such as age, place of residence, education level, and 10 questions on selected elements of early orthodontic prevention. Results. The knowledge of mothers on the early orthodontic prevention is associated with the level of education and the place of residence - women with higher education and living in large cities have the greatest expertise in this field, although it is still inadequate in general population of women.

Sociomedical and epidemiological analysis of patients aged 18-34 years visiting the dental office

Abstract Introduction. Carelessness in caring for oral cavity in adults may contribute to severity of dental caries, periodontal diseases and diseases of mucous membranes that pose a risk to health of both dental and systemic character. Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between selected demographic factors and the cause of visiting the dental practitioner and the dental health status in adults. Material and methods. The study comprised 194 patients, aged 18-34 who visited in 2015 one of the dental offices in Lublin, which offers treatment under the framework of an agreement with the National Health Fund or for a fee. Gender, age, the place of residence and the reason for visiting the dental office were analyzed. The place of residence was a village, a town of less than 200 thousand inhabitants or the city of more than 200 thousand inhabitants. The reason for visiting the dental office was a checkup visit, loss of filling or a toothache. Dental condition was assessed by calculating the DMF index. The results were statistically analyzed. Results. In the group of respondents, women accounted for 53.62%, and men – 45.88%. The prevalence of dental caries was 100% and the incidence expressed by the mean DMF index was 14.64±5.78, and increased with age. The main reason for visiting the dentist for 65.46% of respondents was a check-up visit, for 17.53% – loss of filling and for 17.01% – a toothache. The lowest incidence of tooth decay was found in people visiting the dentist for a check-up, higher in patients appearing with the loss of filling and toothache. Conclusions. A high percentage of people visiting the dentist because of toothache, confirms the low level of health-related knowledge in adult patients. High incidence of tooth decay proves the need to intensify preventive measures against the carious disease in adults. It is necessary to intensify educational activities and programs addressed to the adult part of Polish society to prevent the development of dental caries.

Tooth loss in the population of south-eastern Poland

Objectives. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between selected socio-demographic factors and tooth loss in patients using removable dentures. Materials and method. The study comprised 321 individuals, all of whom were residents of the Lublin province in southeastern Poland. The study investigated the influence of socio-demographic factors, such as gender, age and education on the severity of tooth loss. To analyze the structure of tooth loss, the classifications by Galasińska-Lansberger and by Eichner were used. The results were analyzed statistically. Results. Edentulous gaps and lateral edentulism in the maxilla were significantly more frequent in women, while mixed tooth loss was more frequent in men, while the percentages of men and women with maxillary edentulism were similar. There were no statistically significant gender-specific differences concerning mandibular edentulism. The number of individuals who reported total tooth loss in both the maxilla and the mandible increased with age, the differences being statistically significant. Individuals with primary education only were significantly more likely to report maxillary edentulism, while a high percentage of those with secondary or higher education reported edentulous gaps in the maxilla. There was no statistically significant relationship between education and the type of tooth loss in the mandible. Conclusions. There is a strong relationship between age and education level on the one hand, and the severity of tooth loss on the other. However, gender exerts no significant influence on tooth loss, which was confirmed using 2 classifications

Blood lipids and the risk of myocardial infarction

The most important risk factors for myocardial infarction include among other things cholesterol (in cluding LDL and HDL) and neutral fats – triglycerides (TG). Correct concentrations of blood lipids are as follows: total cholesterol less than 200 mg%, LDL cholesterol below 135 mg%, HDL cholesterol above 35 mg%, triglycerides less than 200 mg%. In patients with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease the target values should be smaller. Studies have shown that the risk of coronary arterial disease increases with increasing concentration of serum cholesterol; in patients with high cholesterol, it is 3-fold higher than in the population with normal lipid profile [10]. The aim of this study was to ana lyze the lev els of bio chemi cal pa rame ters in two groups of pa tients – with a his tory of myo car dial in farc tion and with out myo car dial in farc tion and as sess ment of the im pact of the con cen tra tion of these pa rame ters on the risk of myo car dial in farc tion. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was con ducted in pa tients suf fer ing from ischemic heart dis ease, treated in five ran domly se lected pri mary health care fa cili ties in Lublin. Pa tients re port ing to the fam ily doc tor for a check re ceived a re fer ral to an ana lyti cal labo ra tory to have ba sic tests per formed. The ef fect of se lected vari ables – age, to tal cho les terol, LDL cho les terol, HDL cho les terol, tri glyc erides (TG) on the risk of myo car dial in farc tion was ana lyzed. The results were sta tis ti cally ana lyzed [9]. The val ues of the ana lyzed pa rame ters, meas ured in nomi nal scale were char ac ter ized by num bers and per cent age, but to evalu ate the ex is tence of the re la tion ship be tween the ana lyzed traits χ2 test of in de pend ence and Spear man rank cor re la tion co ef fi cient and lo gis tic re gres sion analy sis, were used. There was a 5% er ror of in fer ence and the as so ci ated sig nifi cance level p<0.05, in di cat ing the ex is tence of sig nifi cant dif fer ences. The ana lyzed data base and sta tis ti cal ana lyzes were per formed based on Sta tis tica soft ware 10.0 (Stat Soft, Po land).