Recently, concerns over malnutrition in hemodialysis patients have been highlighted, along with the aging of patients. The most important cause of malnutrition in hemodialysis patients is considered to be an inadequate dietary intake. However, the involvement of oral health conditions in the malnutrition of hemodialysis patients has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships between oral health conditions [number of remaining natural teeth and occlusion status] and nutritional status in hemodialysis patients. We evaluated and analyzed oral health conditions [number of remaining natural teeth and occlusion status] and the nutritional status of patients at their first visit to the Department of Oral Surgery in a hemodialysis hospital.

 We found significant correlations between the number of remaining teeth or occlusion status and normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR). Significant differences between groups divided according to the Eichner index (Group A vs. Group B/C) were also found (0.97±0.20 vs. 0.90±0.17, respectively, Student’s t-test, p=0.023). Moreover, logistic regression analysis suggested that nPCR could be attributed to the number of remaining natural teeth and Eichner index (OR=0.945, 95% CI: 0.907-0.985; p=0.007 and OR=2.464, 95% CI: 1.079-5.626; p=0.032, respectively). Since nPCR is an indicator used for monitoring protein intake, tooth loss and an inadequate occlusion status might lead to decreased protein intake in hemodialysis patients. These results suggest that it is necessary to consider the number of remaining natural teeth and occlusion status as risks of malnutrition in hemodialysis patients.

 Eating quickly is known to be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MetS). Recent studies have reported that MetS is also related to the oral status, including the number of missing and decayed teeth. However, few studies have addressed the relationships among MetS, eating quickly, and the oral status. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the relationships among the onset of MetS, eating quickly, and oral status in the workplace. Of the employees of a particular company who underwent general examination in both 2012 and 2015, 114 males (36-63 years old) who had not been diagnosed with MetS in 2012 were included. The data analyzed included the height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose level, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, oral status, and lifestyle (eating quickly, dietary habits, regular physical activity, drinking habit, and smoking habit). Based on the results in 2015, the participants were divided into MetS and non-MetS groups. The chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. In the MetS group (n= 16), all participants reported eating quickly. Furthermore, an excessive waist circumference had a cumulative effect with eating quickly on the onset of MetS. In conclusion, workers who reported eating quickly and an excessive waist circumference had a high risk of developing MetS. On the other hand, there was no relationship between MetS and the oral status.

 The number of dental caries in school children is decreasing every year, but it is still high in Japan. Recently, it was reported that the social context, such as socioeconomic status, influences the development of dental caries. However, few studies have estimated caries-related regional inequality in school children or assessed the association between dental caries in school children and the community-level socioeconomic status. The purpose of this ecological study was to examine caries-related regional inequality and impact of the socioeconomic status on the risk of dental caries of 12-year-olds in municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture. Data on 12-year-olds’ decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT), which indicates experience of dental caries affecting their permanent teeth, were obtained from the reports of school dental health examinations in 60 municipalities of Fukuoka Prefecture. Data on the community-level socioeconomic status in each municipality, which included the ratio of persons employed in the tertiary industry, unemployment rate, number of grocery stores per 100,000 residents, number of dental clinics per 100,000 residents, and population aging rate, were obtained from national statistical data. We applied stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine the association between 12-year-olds’ DMFT and the community-level socioeconomic status. The results of the analysis showed that the ratio of persons employed in the tertiary industry (p=0.007) and number of dental clinics per 100,000 residents (p=0.044) were associated with lower DMFT, whereas the number of grocery stores per 100,000 residents was associated with higher DMFT (p=0.010). This study suggests that there is regional inequality in 12-year-olds’ DMFT among municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture, and there are significant effects of the community-level socioeconomic status on 12-year-olds’ DMFT in municipalities. Efforts of public health organizations in consideration of the community-level socioeconomic status are thought to be important to reduce regional inequality in oral health.

 This longitudinal study was performed to assess the association between oral health behavior and the onset of periodontal disease using data from Japanese adults who underwent routine dental checkups in occupational settings. The study subjects comprised 1,985 adult industrial workers (1,617 men, 368 females, average age: 40.0 ±9.2 years old) who had undergone annual dental health examinations in 2002 and 2006. A community periodontal index greater than or equal to code 3 was used to define the presence of periodontal pockets. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted to survey the lifestyle (frequency of tooth brushing, dental flossing or interdental brushing, and smoking habits).

 The rate of sextants in which periodontal pockets were detected in 2006 in those without periodontal pockets in 2002 was 7.3 to 9.5% in the posterior and 1.9 to 2.3% in the anterior regions. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio for having one or more sextants where periodontal pockets changed from negative to positive after four years was 0.68 (p<0.05) in subjects in which the frequency of tooth brushing was three or more times relative to less than once per day, 0.41 (p<0.05) in subjects who flossed every day relative to never flossing, and 1.52 (p<0.01) in subjects with periodontal pockets relative to those without periodontal pockets at the baseline.

 These results suggest that tooth brushing three or more times and flossing every day decreases the development of periodontal pockets in healthy periodontal tissue, whereas having periodontal pockets increases the risk of periodontal disease.

 The purpose of this study was to investigate oral healthcare research trends in the nursing field and assess the association between these trends and oral healthcare policies. We performed a literature search of the Ichushi-Web database from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2016, using the search words of “oral healthcare” and “nurse.” Studies for which we could not identify the types of subjects or site where the study had been performed in Abstract and review literature without study data were excluded from this analysis. The annual numbers of studies from 2000 to 2016 were counted to estimate the trends in research activities related to oral healthcare. The chi-squared test identified an association between an increase in the number of studies and the start of perioperative oral function management coverage by medical insurance. A total of 308 studies were collected for analysis. The majority of studies were conducted in hospitals, but a few studies were conducted in nursing facilities, communities, and homes. The number of studies in hospitals increased over the previous year, when the medical service fee for the flat-fee payment system, called Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC), and nutrition management were introduced in 2006. Similarly, the number of studies regarding collaborative oral healthcare or oral healthcare support teams for patients in hospitals increased significantly when the medical service fee for nutrition management and management by the nutrition support team were introduced in 2006 and 2010. There was a significant correlation between the introduction of medical insurance coverage of perioperative oral function management in 2012 and the increase in the number of studies on perioperative oral healthcare (p<0.01). However, the increase in the number of studies was not associated with the revised nursing insurance programs or other oral healthcare policies.

 Therefore, this study suggested that the medical insurance policies regarding oral healthcare were associated with the trends in oral healthcare research in the nursing fields.