Vinodh Bhoopathi

Inter-rater reliability of manual muscle strength testing in ICU survivors and simulated patients

ObjectiveThe goal of the paper is to determine inter-rater reliability of trained examiners performing standardized strength assessments using manual muscle testing (MMT).Design, subjects, and settingThe authors report on 19 trainees undergoing quality assurance within a multi-site prospective cohort study.InterventionInter-rater reliability for specially trained evaluators (“trainees”) and a reference rater, performing MMT using both simulated and actual patients recovering from critical illness was evaluated.Measurements and resultsAcross 26 muscle groups tested by 19 trainee-reference rater pairs, the median (interquartile range) percent agreement and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC; 95% CI) were: 96% (91, 98%) and 0.98 (0.95, 1.00), respectively. Across all 19 pairs, the ICC (95% CI) for the overall composite MMT score was 0.99 (0.98–1.00). When limited to actual patients, the ICC was 1.00 (95% CI 0.99–1.00). The agreement (kappa; 95% CI) in detecting clinically significant weakness was 0.88 (0.44–1.00).ConclusionsMMT has excellent inter-rater reliability in trained examiners and is a reliable method of comprehensively assessing muscle strength.

Low positive predictive value of the oral brush biopsy in detecting dysplastic oral lesions

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of the oral brush biopsy technique as a diagnostic tool in detecting dysplastic oral lesions.

Limited-Quality Evidence Suggests That Early Caries Experience at Age 6 years May Predict Low Oral Health−Related Quality of Life at Age 10 years

ARTICLE TITLE AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION Early Caries Predicts Low Oral Health-Related Quality of Life at a Later Age. Kragt L, van der Tas JT, Moll HA, Elfrink ME, Jaddoe VW, Wolvius EB, Ongkosuwito EM. Caries Res. 2016; 50(5):471-9. SOURCE OF FUNDING This study was funded by (1) the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, (2) the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development, (3) an unrestricted grant from GABA, Therwil, Switzerland, (4) the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (VIDI 016.136.361), and a (5) consolidator grant from the European Research Council (ERC-2014- CoG-64916). TYPE OF STUDY/DESIGN Prospective Cohort Study.

Establishing a speaker's bureau to teach dental public health curriculum in predoctoral dental and dental hygiene programs: Establishing a speaker's bureau

The opening of new dental schools and dental hygiene programs in the past decade has further exacerbated the shortage of faculty, including those with dental public health (DPH) expertise to teach. Therefore, one of the aims for the American Association of Public Health Dentistrys (AAPHD) Predoctoral Dental Public Health Competencies and Curriculum Project (Project), to develop DPH competencies and curriculum, was to establish a speakers bureau of interested dental professionals to teach the curriculum in dental schools and dental hygiene programs at the predoctoral level. This paper describes the process for establishing a speakers bureau including identifying and training individuals to teach the developed DPH curriculum. The speakers bureau and its availability were promoted through the AAPHD website and through letters to deans of dental schools and directors of dental hygiene programs.

Developing a flexible core Dental Public Health curriculum for predoctoral dental and dental hygiene schools: Developing a flexible core Dental Public Health curriculum

OBJECTIVE The curriculum for graduating dental and dental hygiene students must prepare them to contribute to the improvement or maintenance of health for individual patients and the publics health. The objective is to describe the background for and the process used to develop a core Dental Public Health Curriculum for such students. METHODS The process used was to solicit and review existing dental public health curriculum in dental and dental hygiene schools; review curriculum for other health professionals; identify the themes needed to frame the curriculum; select usable materials and identify gaps in existing curricular materials; and develop appropriate curriculum materials that would embody the competencies developed for undergraduate dental and dental hygiene education. RESULTS Twenty-three topics were identified as embodying the eight competencies. Based on these topics, six courses, Principles of Dental Public Health, Evidence-Based Dentistry, Ethics and Dental Public Health, Dental Public Health Policy and Advocacy, Oral Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and Oral Health Literacy and Dental Public Health, were prepared. Each course includes syllabus, PowerPoint presentations, student assignments and activities, instructor guide, and classroom discussion points. Depending on the hours available in the existing curriculum at the dental or hygiene school, lecture presentations and take home assignments/discussions may be used independently or in combination with presentations from other courses. In addition, individual discussions and activities may be used to integrate dental public health materials into other courses. CONCLUSION A flexible curriculum is available at the AAPHD website to enable the incorporation of DPH topics into the curriculum.