Many psychological factors may have a significant bearing on an individual\'s oral health and success of dental treatments. Overall, these factors may result in the avoidance of dental visits, emergency-based dental appointments, noncompliant dental behavior, the utilization of multiple oral health care providers, and poor oral health. These factors may affect the quality of life of individuals and may lead to patient dissatisfaction, poor prognosis, and failure of dental treatment. Multiple psychological factors may affect the dentist and the patient. Those factors may alter the prognosis for successful dental treatment. Physician empathy is fundamental in developing long-term physician-patient trust.

This study provided an overview of the knowledge on the main sleep-related disorders and conditions affecting the prognosis of dental treatment: sleep bruxism (SB), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Current scientific evidence seems to suggest that these phenomena (ie, SB, OSA, GERD) belong to a circle of mutually relating sleep disorders and conditions where dental practitioners can play a key role in diagnosis and treatment.

Information on the effects of dental treatment must be identified and factors that hinder the continuation of dental treatment must be identified to provide appropriate domiciliary dental care (DDC). This study aimed to clarify the treatment outcomes of DDC for older adults and the factors that impede the continuation of such care. This prospective study was conducted at a Japanese clinic specializing in dental care for older adults. The functional status, nutritional status, oral assessment, details of the dental treatment, and outcomes after 6 months of older adults receiving DDC were surveyed. The Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) was used for oral assessment. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to analyze the factors at the first visit that were associated with treatment continuation. A total of 72 participants (mean age, 85.8 ± 6.9) were included. Twenty-three participants (31.9%) could not continue treatment after 6 months. The most frequently performed procedures were oral care and dysphagia rehabilitation, followed by prosthetic treatment, then tooth extraction. The percentage of participants with teeth that required extraction after 6 months and the total OHAT score decreased significantly. The Barthel Index, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form, and rinsing ability were significantly associated with treatment continuation. Furthermore, instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) and the OHAT \"tongue\" sub-item were correlated with treatment continuation. In conclusion, DDC improved the oral health status of older adults after 6 months. Factors that impeded treatment continuation were decreased ADL, decreased nutritional status, difficulty in rinsing, and changes in the tongue such as tongue coating.

This study identified the dental treatment modalities administered to patients undergoing dental procedures under deep sedation and examined potential relations among treatment types, age, gender and tooth types. This study protocol included data from 502 patients, including a total of 5141 teeth, who underwent dental procedures under deep sedation between October 2022 and October 2023. The dental treatments were categorized based on primary types and subtypes. Subsequently, this study examined the associations between treatment types and age, gender and tooth type. Data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test, with the significance level set at 5%. Most patients (76.9%) were aged 0-6 years, and 93.4% of the treated teeth were primary teeth. The predominant treatment was restorative therapy (61.6%), followed by extraction (27.2%), endodontic treatment (6.1%), and preventive treatment (5.1%). Among restorative materials, compomer was the most frequently applied (49.8%). Significant differences between the treatment types were observed in terms of age group and tooth type (p < 0.001 for both) but not gender (p = 0.920). Based on our findings, restorative treatments and tooth extraction are the most frequently performed procedures, whereas endodontic treatments are performed less frequently under deep sedation.

OBJECTIVE: Peripherally induced movement disorders (PIMD) are hyperkinetic movement disorders that can occur after injury to a part of the body. This study aimed to identify PIMD in the stomatognathic system following dental or oral surgical procedures.
METHODS: A total of 229 patients with PIMD (144 women and 85 men; mean age: 53.4 years) triggered by oral surgical or dental interventions were evaluated retrospectively.
RESULTS: The average latency between the procedures and onset of PIMD was 14.3 days. Oral surgery (40.2%), including tooth extraction, trauma treatment, and other surgical procedures, was the most frequent trigger of PIMD. This was followed by general dental treatment, including periodontal, endodontic, and restorative procedures (36.7%), prosthetic treatment (19.7%), and orthodontic treatment (3.5%). PIMD consisted of oromandibular dystonia (73.8%), functional (psychogenic) movement disorders (11.4%), orolingual dyskinesia (7.9%), and hemimasticatory spasms (5.7%).
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that even minor alterations in normal anatomy or physiology after dental procedures may result in PIMD in predisposing patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Dental professionals should be aware that although infrequently, PIMD can develop after various dental treatments. If such symptoms precipitate, the attending physician should properly explain them to the patient and provide appropriate treatment or consultation with a movement disorder specialist.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective clinical study was undertaken to comparatively evaluate the number of restorative treatments, endodontic treatments, and tooth extractions performed for patients under general anesthesia due to dental anxiety or special needs between 2015 and 2022 and to examine the pain, bleeding, nausea, and vomiting data of those patients.
METHODS: In total, 1165 patients underwent dental treatment under general anesthesia in the faculty hospital. Those under the age of 15 and with no endodontic procedure planned (n = 918) were excluded, followed by those with incomplete data (n = 25) and those without endodontic treatment (n = 25). Patients who underwent at least one endodontic treatment were finally included in the study (n = 184). Patients were divided into two groups: healthy and with special needs. Dental treatments were recorded as endodontic, restorative, and teeth extractions. Endodontic treatments were classified according to the tooth type (premolar, molar, and incisors). The composite restorations were classified as anterior, occlusal (O), occluso-distal (OD) or occluso-mesial (OM), and mesio-occluso-distal (MOD) restorations and patients\' post-treatment pain, nausea, vomiting, and bleeding were recorded. The data were analyzed statistically.
RESULTS: Among the 184 patients included in the study, 70 (38%) were healthy, and 114 (62%) had special needs. Postoperative bleeding was observed more in patients with special needs (χ2 = 4.189, p < 0.05), whereas pain was observed more in healthy patients (U = 2922.00, p < 0.05). While the number of anterior, O, and MOD restorations was higher in patients with special needs, the number of OD or OM restorations was higher in healthy patients (χ2 = 74.877, p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with special needs undergo a greater number of restorative treatments compared to control patients, which may be associated with the inadequate oral hygiene care of such patients. However, restorative treatment is mostly indicated for such patients in our faculty hospital, which may indicate that a conservative approach is taken. Additionally, the finding that postoperative bleeding was more severe in this group of patients compared to the control group in this study may emphasize the need to consider more possible complications after general anesthesia in these patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate parental perceptions of comprehensive dental care under general anesthesia for their children.
METHODS: The study included parents of children who underwent comprehensive dental care under general anesthesia. Only parents who could communicate in English were included. They were invited to participate in a telephone interview within four weeks of their children\'s dental treatment under general anesthesia. The interviews were designed to gather information on three main domains: problems experienced before the operation, children\'s well-being after the operation, and satisfaction.
RESULTS: A total of 45 parents participated in the study; 91.1% identified as women and 8.8% as men. Most parents resided in areas categorised as either more deprived (51%) or most deprived (24.4%), based on deprivation indices. Prior to surgery, 66.7% of children suffered from dental pain, 44.4% were affected by dental abscesses or facial swelling, 42.2% experienced difficulties with eating and drinking, while 37.8% experienced sleeping difficulties. Painkillers were used for a short duration to manage post-operative pain (48.9%). Four weeks after the operation, many parents reported improvements in their children\'s mouth comfort. They observed positive changes in their children\'s ability to eat (40%), sleep habits (33.3%), and overall health and well-being (82.2%). Overall, most parents expressed high levels of satisfaction with the care their children received (95.5%).
CONCLUSIONS: Parents observed improvements in their children\'s oral health and reported high level of satisfaction with the procedures.

BACKGROUND: Internet has become an indispensable source of health-related information. However, several studies have shown there to be a lack of quality control for webpages related to disability. Specifically, available content concerning Down syndrome (DS) and dentistry is limited and of dubious quality.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of online content in Spanish and Portuguese on dental care for individuals with DS.
METHODS: A simultaneous search in Google and Bing using the terms \"Down syndrome\" and \"odontology/dentist/dental treatment\" in Spanish and Portuguese was conducted in seven Ibero-American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, and Portugal). The first 100 consecutive pages of results from the three combinations of terms in each of the search engines were accessed and selected by applying conventional exclusion criteria. The selected pages were classified according to their authorship, specificity and dissemination potential. The quality of the online content was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire and the Questionnaire to Evaluate Health Web Sites According to European Criteria (QEEC). The presence of the Health On Net (HON) and Accredited Medical Website (AMW) seals was also assessed.
RESULTS: The mean DISCERN score was 2.51 ± 0.85 and 2.57 ± 0.86 for the Spanish and Portuguese webpages, respectively. The mean readability score was 3.43 ± 1.26 and 3.25 ± 1.08 for the Spanish and Portuguese webpages, respectively. None of the selected webpages presented the HONcode or AMW trust seals.
CONCLUSIONS: The content available online in Spanish and Portuguese regarding Down syndrome and dentistry is scarce and of highly questionable quality.

OBJECTIVE: We perform special-need dental treatment at outpatient department (OPD), under general anesthesia (GA) when necessary, and provide domiciliary dental care. We aim to evaluate the profile and the characteristics of special needs patients (SNPs).
METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 3117 SNPs from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022. Eighty patients with rare or genetic diseases were excluded. Demographic data were retrospectively collected.
RESULTS: There were totally 3037 SNPs (mean age: 48.2 years; range, 1-100; male-to-female ratio, 1.5); 89.1% (n = 2705) SNPs received dental care at the OPD (OPD-SNPs), 7.9% (n = 239) received dental treatment under GA, and 3.0% (n = 93) received domiciliary dental care. Among those SNPs who received dental treatment under GA (n = 239), 91.2% (n = 218) were mental/intellectual disabled, and most underwent cavity filling (69.5%) and dental extractions (56.5%). OPD-SNPs with mental/intellectual disabilities (n = 1340) received significantly more items of dental treatment than those without (n = 1365). SNPs with more severe disabilities received more fluoride application and ultrasonic scaling (both p < 0.001, trend tests). Interestingly, among OPD-SNPs with mental/intellectual disabilities (n = 1340), more severe patients received more fluoride application (p < 0.001) and ultrasonic scaling (p < 0.001) but fewer root canal treatment (p = 0.007, trend test).
CONCLUSIONS: GA benefited SNPs with more dental procedures, including invasive items. SNPs with mental/intellectual disabilities can tolerate more measures and SNPs with more severe mental/intellectual disabilities received more preventive measures but less invasive measures. Similarly, more severe SNPs with other disabilities received more preventive measures but not invasive measures.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may provide useful information for special needs dentists and for doctor-patient communication.

BACKGROUND: Motivational interviewing (MI) is an approach to increase parental compliance to follow up and recall of their children. It has proven to be successful in motivating parents to adopt and maintain preventive child oral health behaviors.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of motivational interviewing on prevention strategies for parents of children who have received full-mouth dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (GA).
METHODS: This is a parallel-arm randomized controlled trial. Parents in the treatment arm were randomized and received a combination of motivational interviewing, individualized goal setting, visual aids, and verbal education post-GA. Those in the control arm received the same information by verbal and written education. Both groups were evaluated at 2-week follow-up and 3-month recall. Differences in attendance, oral health knowledge, readiness to change, and parental self-efficacy (PSE) were compared between groups and at return visits.
RESULTS: Of 74 parents of children randomly allocated in this study, 22 (61%) and 13 (38%) from the intervention group, and 21 (55%) and 16 (46%) from the control group attended the 2-week, and 3-month follow-up, respectively. The average PSE for participants in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group at the follow-up visit (p = .0050).
CONCLUSIONS: Readiness to change dietary habits and average PSE for parents in the intervention group were significantly higher than that of the control group after receiving the modified preventive strategy.