Eun-Jeong Kim

Parental attention and care is essential for children and adolescents who are unable to take care of their own oral health. There have been studies on the characteristics of mothers and the oral conditions of children in Korea, but there are very few previous studies that report on the oral health status of children according to the employment status of mothers. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal employment and educational status and children’s oral health. Using data from the 10th Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), we analyzed the association between maternal employment and education status and the occurrence of dental caries among 1175 nine-year-old Korean children. The relationship was examined through cross-tabulation and logistic regression analysis. After adjusting for the mother’s age, parental style, parental relationship, family talk time, family meal time, leisure time, area of residence, and household income, the study found that children with working and studying mothers were 1.159 times more likely to have dental caries than children with non-working and non-studying mothers. The relationship between maternal employment and educational status and children’s oral health was confirmed. Based on the results of this study, it is expected that systematic follow-up studies will be needed to better understand the association and causal relationship between dental caries and oral disease in children according to whether mothers are employed or educated.

Habits formed during adolescence tend to persist into adulthood, and correcting poor habits or behaviors during this time is more effective than at other times. Particularly, parents and caregivers should encourage good hygiene habits in their adolescent children by setting a positive example themselves. Using logistic regression, we analyzed the association between brushing teeth after lunch and washing hands before lunch by family type among 54,848 adolescents from the 17th Youth Health Behavior Survey raw data in 2021. Four logistic regression models were used to adjust for confounders hierarchically. In all models, adolescents who practiced tooth brushing after lunch were 2.09 times more likely to practice hand washing before lunch than those who did not. With and without adjustment, we found that the association between adolescents’ tooth brushing and hand washing practices in two-parent households was stronger than the association between adolescents’ tooth brushing and hand washing practices in single-parent households. Associations were found between tooth brushing and hand washing practices, and these associations were higher among adolescents in two-parent households than among adolescents in single-parent households. The finding of a significant link between family type and personal hygiene habits indicates the need for interventions to enhance the oral health of children and adolescents. Such interventions should be customized to reflect the specific characteristics of the child’s household.

Objective: To describe the oral health of older people by region and family status using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey.Background: As the ageing of Korean society intensifies, health inequalities based on region and family status are also deepening.Methods: Data from the 8th National Health and Nutrition Survey (2020–2021) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used, and a total of 3437 older people aged 65 or older were selected as study participants. Chewing discomfort and oral health behaviours were assessed by region and family status using multivariable logistic regression analysis with the complex sample survey design.Results: We found an association between living alone and greater chewing discomfort. Residing in rural areas was also associated with a higher prevalence of this. In urban areas, chewing discomfort was 1.27 times higher among older people living alone than in those not living alone, while in rural areas, the discomfort was 1.52 times higher among the older people who lived alone.Conclusions: Region and family status were associated with greater chewing discomfort in older people. In Korean society, where the number of single‐person older people households is increasing, along with the ageing population, attention to resolving the disparities in oral health in older people is needed.

Objective: To assess the association between the usage of interdental cleaning and periodontal status among older people in Korea.Background: In order to maintain oral health in older people, it is very important to use interdental cleaning devices. However, there is a lack of research on periodontal status and interdental cleaning device use in older people.Methods: This study used data collected from the 7th National Health Nutrition Survey (KNHANES VII: 2016–2018). A total of 3426 older people adults aged 65 years or older were selected from 16 489 participants. Data on sociodemographic status (sex, age, level of education, income, residential area), personal health practice (subjective health status, smoking, physical activity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus), oral health practice (subjective oral health status, tooth brushing frequency, dental visits, and chewing problem), the number of teeth and periodontitis were collected. Periodontitis was defined as having a World Health Organisation community periodontal index (CPI) code greater than or equal to three, and severe periodontitis was defined as a CPI code 4. Participants having a CPI code of 3 or 4 were considered to have periodontal disease in this study. Logistic regression analysis investigated the association between interdental cleaning devices usage and periodontitis controlling the confounding factors.Results: Those who do not use dental floss had a higher rate of periodontal disease (AOR = 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05 to 2.1). However, there were no significant differences by interdental brush use. In those with 20 or more teeth, non‐users of dental floss had a higher risk of periodontitis in all models. Conversely, in those with fewer than 20 teeth, no significant differences were observed.Conclusions: Older people with mostly intact dentitions have better periodontal health if they clean between their teeth.

MauG catalyzes the six-electron oxidation of pre-tryptophan tryptophylquinone (preTTQ) cofactor in methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH) to form mature tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ) via long-range electron transfer. To identify alternative substrates for MauG, docking models for 10 tryptophan-like compounds were constructed using Autodock Vina. These demonstrated spontaneous binding to the preTTQ binding site of MauG, with hydroxyindoles most frequently sharing the natural substrate binding site of MauG. To confirm the result of in silico analysis, 7-hydroxyindole was reacted with bis-Fe^IV of MauG. The spectroscopic change, representing the reactivity of MauG, revealed the highly increased reaction rate (k₃) toward 7-hydroxyindole, suggesting that bis-Fe^IV MauG extracted an electron from the 7-hydroxyindole and then oxidized to di-ferric MauG.

This study aimed to verify the relationship between handgrip strength and oral health using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, representing Korean adults. Data from the seventh survey (2016–2018) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were utilized, and 10,607 final study participants were recruited according to the selection and exclusion criteria. A complex sample logistic regression analysis was performed to confirm the relationship between handgrip strength and dental caries according to the sex of the study participants. On analyzing the correlation in men, “C1 (DMFT: 11–32),” when compared to “C4 (DMFT: 0–3),” in Model 1 without adjustment for potential confounders, was 2.92 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.15–3.97) times more likely to be associated with lower handgrip strength, and a statistically significant result was detected (p < 0.001). Additionally, significant odds ratios (ORs) were confirmed for all adjusted models. In women, the ORs in Model 1 without adjustment for potential confounders were 1.41 times (95% CI: 1.14–1.75) and demonstrated a significant result; however, the results were not significant in all adjusted models 2–4. Resultantly, a significant association was detected between dental caries and handgrip strength in Korean adults.

Hand hygiene is one of the most important measures available to prevent infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and it is recommended that individuals wash their hands periodically before and after meals, after using toilets, before preparing food at home, at schools, and in public places. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral hygiene and hand hygiene in Korean adolescents. Data from 57,303 adolescents who participated in the 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior web-based survey were analyzed to determine the relationship between oral hygiene and hand hygiene. A complex sample logistic regression analysis was performed to determine association between toothbrushing behavior and handwashing practices. According to the results of this study, adolescents who brushed their teeth after lunch were 1.48 times more likely to practice handwashing before lunch than were those who did not brush their teeth after lunch (p < 0.001). In addition, the odds ratios adjusted for gender, grade, school type, and residence were found to be 1.87 (p < 0.001). Moreover, these adjusted odds ratios were higher in students who received personal hygiene education (OR: 1.98, p < 0.001). Oral hygiene practices were found to be related to personal hygiene, as assessed by handwashing, in Korean adolescents. Additional studies are needed to develop ways of improving the hygiene and health of adolescents.

Introduction This study introduces the curriculum of a discussion‐based learning class for dental hygiene ethics education and evaluates the educational effect of discussion‐based learning as applied to a dental hygiene ethics class. Materials and methods This study was conducted with 48 sophomores from the Department of Dental Hygiene who took dental hygiene ethics in the second semester of 2019. For the DBL class, the following steps were conducted: (1) a pre‐class group activity (discussion); (2) a group presentation and team discussion; and (3) a discussion among all groups. To improve the ability to aggregate, organize, and prepare the learner’s resources, data, information search skills, and opinions by team and to improve communication skills by actively listening to other people’s opinions, the presentation team’s opinions were modified after the discussion, and the performance of rational opinions on topics was added. The professor provided feedback and summarized and ended the discussion. The survey was conducted before and after the DBL class. Results Concerning critical thinking ability, critical objectivity increased significantly from 8.88 before to 9.38 after the DBL class, and critical confidence also increased significantly. The change in professional attitude significantly increased from 3.21 out of 5 points before the DBL class to 3.53 after the DBL class in the logical and critical thinking skills category and significantly increased from 3.27 to 3.66 in decision‐making skills. Conclusion Teaching methods applied in DBL classes, not traditional lecture‐style classes, consistent with changing educational paradigms, are very effective and should change gradually. These results will be particularly helpful to faculty members who are inexperienced in DBL courses and performance but interested in them.

Removal of the biofilm from the proximal space is essential for preventing periodontal disease. This study aimed to prove the association between the use of proximal cleaning devices, such as dental floss and interdental brushes, and periodontal health among nationally representative Korean adults. Data collected from the 7th National Health Nutrition Survey (KNHANES VII: 2016–2018) were used for this purpose. A total of 11,359 participants aged 19 years or older who participated in KNHANES were reviewed. The response variable was the prevalence of high CPI (CPI of 3–4), and the explanatory variables were dental floss and interdental brush. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for potential confounding factors and to analyze the association between periodontal disease and proximal cleaning devices. It was found that 63.1% of the participants did not use proximal cleaning devices at all, 17.5% used dental floss alone, 11.9% used an interdental brush, and 7.5% used both. Subjects who used both dental floss and interdental brush had a high CPI rate nearly half that of all the models for those who did not. In particular, for those using dental floss, the aOR of high CPI was 0.681 in Model 1, 0.714 in Model 2, and 0.737 in Model 3. Dental hygiene products for cleaning the proximal space, such as dental floss, are essential for removing the dental biofilm as a basic tool along with toothbrushes. Teaching and explaining the need to use these devices well are important for oral health care and maintenance.