Metaverse and changes in oral health

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oral health behavior and oral symptoms in young adults

Ji-Hye Park , Ji-Eon Jang , Youn-Hee Choi

Abstract : Objectives: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected the lifestyle of the public, which also holds true for oral health. This study thus aimed to elucidate the effects of wearing a mask due to COVID-19 on oral health behavior and oral symptoms in young adults from South Korea. Methods: A total of 285 university students (mean age 23.4 years; 64.9% men and 35.1% women) responded to a web-based survey. A paired t-test was conducted to identify changes in oral health behaviors before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The frequency of toothbrushing (P=0.009), dental flossing (P

A step-by-step guide to random forest model using orange data mining in the field of periodontitis

Hoi-Jeong Lim

Abstract : Objectives: The purpose of this study was to show a procedure for a random forest (RF) analysis which predicts periodontal disease status by using R and Orange Data Mining software, and helps us to understand how to apply the RF technique for dental research. Methods: Oral examination data of the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. A RF model was adopted to analyze the data where the target variable was periodontal disease status and the features were gender, age, education level, marital status, alcohol consumption level, smoking status, brushing before sleep, hypertension, and diabetes-related variables. Results: The important features of the RF analysis were in the order of age, marital status, and prevalence of hypertension and diabetes. The accuracy of the RF analysis was 73% which is not high enough for use in the clinical field. Conclusions: The RF technique is an ensemble method used to predict periodontal disease status which produces higher accurate outputs than a single method. This study provides a step-by-step guide using Orange Data Mining for researchers who want to study machine learning techniques.

Reduction in malodor, gingival index and plaque index after 4-week use of new concept oral irrigator

Hee-Ju Kim , Jong-Bin Kim

Abstract : Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in clinical indexes related to periodontitis, such as malodor, gingival and plaque indexes, during the adjuvant use of a high pressure oral irrigator (COMORAL^®, SMDsolutions, Seoul, Korea) in volunteers.Methods: We recruited 17 volunteers from an advertisement posted on Dankook University’s bulletin board. The oral malodor, gingival index, and plaque index of each volunteer were during the adjuvant use of a high pressure oral irrigator within a 4-week period.Results: Routine tooth brushing was done together with the adjuvant use of a new high pressure oral irrigator in the 4-week period. The oral malodor, gingival index, and plaque index measured after 2 and 4 weeks of use significantly decreased (P

Association between oral examination and out-of-pocket expenditures on dental care

Choi Jee-Hye , Kim Nam-Hee

Abstract : Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify the association between oral examinations and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures on dental care by age groups. Methods: The Korea Health Panel 2011-2018 data were used to aggregate eight-year outpatient data for 12,684 individuals who were household members that responded to the 2011 survey. The final study subjects included 5,305 individuals who have been retained in the panel with at least one OOP expenditure on dental care over eight years. The dependent and independent variables were the individual’s average OOP dental care expenditures and oral examination, respectively. For age-stratification analysis, they were categorized into seven age groups: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45- 54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75+years. The difference in OOP expenditures on dental care by subject characteristics was analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA. Log-linear regression models were used to analyze the effect of oral examinations on OOP expenditures on dental care. Results: Individuals who underwent an oral examination had an approximately 1.4% higher OOP expenditure on dental care than their counterparts (β=0.014, P =0.0072). Age-stratified analyses showed that among people in the 55-64 group those who underwent an oral examination had an approximately 2.3% higher OOP expenditure on dental care than non-examiners (β=0.023, P =0.0218). Conclusions: There was no evidence that oral examination could lead to increased OOP expenditure on dental care, except among those aged 55-64.

Evaluation of VGG-16 deep learning algorithm for dental caries classification

Min-Ji Byon , Eun-Joo Jun , Ji-Soo Kim , Jae-Joon Hwang , Seung-Hwa Jeong

Abstract : Objectives: Diagnosis of dental caries is based on the dentist’s observation and subjective judgment; therefore, a reliable and objective approach for diagnosing caries is required. Intraoral camera images combined with deep learning technology can be a useful tool to diagnose caries. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the VGG-16 convolutional neural network (CNN) model in detecting dental caries in intraoral camera images. Methods: Images were obtained from the Internet and websites using keywords linked to teeth and dental caries. The 670 images that were obtained were categorized by an investigator as either sound (404 sound teeth) or dental caries (266 dental caries), and used in this study. The training and test datasets were divided in the ratio of 7:3 and a four-fold cross validation was performed. The Tensorflow-based Python package Keras was used to train and validate the CNN model. Accuracy, Kappa value, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve and AUC (area under curve) values were calculated for the test datasets. Results: The accuracy of the VGG-16 deep learning model for the four datasets, through random sampling, was between 0.77 and 0.81, with 0.81 being the highest. The Kappa value was 0.51- 0.60, indicating moderate agreement. The resulting positive predictive values were 0.77-0.82 and negative predictive values were 0.80-0.85. Sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values were 0.66-0.74, 0.81-0.88, and 0.88-0.91, respectively. Conclusions: The VGG-16 CNN model showed good discriminatory performance in detecting dental caries in intraoral camera images. The deep learning model can be beneficial in monitoring dental caries in the population.

Changes in the oral health and tooth brushing habits of upper grade primary school children according to the composition of the tooth brushing environment of the school

Su-Kyung Jwa

Abstract : Objectives: This study aimed to provide basic data on the establishment of tooth brushing classrooms in elementary schools in South Korea. The basic data was gathered by investigating the upper-grade children’s oral health and brushing habits according to the tooth brushing environment in their respective elementary schools. Methods: A researcher compared the changes in dental caries and oral hygiene status with the Repeated Measure ANOVA in 137 elementary school students from three elementary schools. Results: The results of oral hygiene status, the Gingivitis Index, the use of the tooth brushing facility, and the number of times students brushed their teeth each day were all compared for all three years of the study. Group A (classroom-type), with a classroom-style tooth brushing facility next to the cafeteria, showed more improvement than Groups B (new classroom-type) and C (corridortype). Conclusions: In order to make tooth brushing a habit, the tooth brushing facility should be constructed in the form of a classroom with good accessibility to the cafeteria. An active and practical form of education will need to be provided by the school teacher to help children form this habit.

Socioeconomic factors related to tooth brushing behavior among adults in Korea: analysis with 2019 Community Health Survey data

Yu-Rim Lee , Nam-Hee Kim

Abstract : Objectives: This study aimed to identify the socioeconomic factors related to tooth brushing behavior among adults in Korea.Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) in 2019. Respondents aged 19 years and older (n=299,099) comprised the study sample. The dependent variable was tooth brushing behavior, whereas the independent variables were demographic and socioeconomic factors. The data were processed using chi-squared test, independent t-test, ANOVA, and adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. Statistical analysis was performed using the STATA 17.0 program, with significance set at the 5% level.Results: About half (55%) of the respondents brushed their teeth at least twice a day. The findings also revealed significant differences according to socioeconomic status (P

The frequency of tooth extraction before and after coverage of dental implants by National Health Insurance

Jin-Sun Choi , Deok-Young Park

Abstract : Objectives: This study aims to determine whether National Health Insurance dental implant coverage increased instances of tooth extraction in older adults.Methods: Three periods were identified to analyze dental implant uptake in older adults-pre-coverage, intermediate-coverage, and post-coverage. Data for analysis were obtained from two sources. Frequency of tooth extraction and dental treatment data were obtained from the Healthcare Bigdata Hub. Data on the dental health status of older adults were obtained from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Results: In 2019, the National Health Insurance supplied 10.2 dental implants per 100 older adults in Korea. The frequency of tooth extractions increased slightly after dental implant coverage for older adults, but statistically, the number of missing teeth was significantly reduced. Dental caries indices in older adults were also exacerbated during this period. The DMF rate and DMFT index for older adults increased significantly. However, the illness rate due to dental caries was also reduced. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of periodontal diseases. Based on the National health data and the frequency of related services, the slight increase in tooth extractions may be due to increased utilization of dental services.Conclusions: The authors could not find clear evidence that dental implant coverage increased the frequency of tooth extraction in older adults.

Effect of the level of digital literacy of dental hygienists on occupational self-efficacy and organizational commitment

Ji-eun Yang , Jaeman Woo , Sung-Joon Kim

Abstract : Objectives: This study aims to assess dental hygienists’ level of digital literacy and its effect on occupational self-efficacy and organizational commitment.Methods: The online survey results, obtained from 307 respondents, were statistically analyzed using frequency analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis with the IBM SPSS 20.0 software.Results: The factors affecting the technology portion of digital literacy included age (P