Background: It has been 30 years since granule-containing toothpaste was first marketed for the purpose of improving the cleaning effects. However, there are few reports of randomized crossover studies on the effects of blending disintegrating granules, and the effects have not been clarified.

 Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of granule-containing toothpaste on plaque removal and the gingival condition.

 Method: The subjects were 36 patients who were recalled to five dental clinics in the Tokyo metropolitan area for periodontal disease maintenance and who signed the consent form. One of them lost the third medical checkup form at the dental clinic, one dropped out after the third medical checkup, and the another’s records were lost at the dental clinic. In total, 33 men and women (8 men and 25 women aged 36 to 71 years old) completed all the surveys. The study design was a randomized double-blind cross-over study. Toothpaste containing granules (test dentifrice) and that without granules (control dentifrice) were used for 3 months each with a washout period of 1 month. At the start and end of the use of each toothpaste, a dental examination was performed by the same dentist. The items examined were the current dental status (DMFT), cleaning status (PCR, QHI), gingival status (GI, BOP) pocket depth, presence of residual granules in the gingival sulcus or periodontal pocket, and intraoral photo.

 Results: The PCR value was 51.7% before use of the test toothpaste and 46.4% after use, and 48.2% before use of the control toothpaste and 50.2% after use. Significant improvement was observed when the test toothpaste was used (p = 0.036) based on comparison using the Wilcoxon-rank test. There was no significant difference in the other values, but after using the test toothpaste, improvements were observed in all examination items. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the first and second stages (p = 0.929) in the carrying effect in the crossover test based on the Mann-Whitney U test of the PCR value. Only one patient had residual granules in the gingival crevices and periodontal pockets, but no inflammation or deterioration was observed.

 Conclusion: This study demonstrated that adding granules to toothpaste improves the plaque-removing effects. However, there was no difference in the effects on periodontal tissue on comparison with the control toothpaste.

 The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate factors associated with early childhood caries (ECC) in 18- to 23-month-old children in the Kushiro area of Hokkaido, Japan. Study subjects were 1,328 children aged 18 to 23 months who underwent dental examinations in one city, six towns, and one village in the Kushiro region from April 2018 to March 2019. Written informed consent was obtained from parents or guardians of 1,006 children (75.8%). A self-administered questionnaire was completed by parents or guardians of the children. The survey contents included the sex, age in months, birth weight, presence of smokers in the home, maternal smoking during pregnancy, nocturnal breastfeeding, duration of breastfeeding, bottle feeding, snacking habits, parents’ sharing of utensils with child, daily brushing of child’s teeth by parents, use of fluoride toothpaste, time of starting baby food, application of 2% sodium fluoride solution, and socio-economic status. We recorded the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth per person (dmft) via dental examination. Risk factors for the prevalence of ECC were evaluated using simple logistic regression and multivariate stepwise logistic regression. The average number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft index) was 0.09. The prevalence of dental caries was 3.2% (32/1,006). Nocturnal breastfeeding habits were documented in 250 subjects (24.9%). Breastfeeding for more than or equal to 18 months was reported for 291 children (28.9%). Bottle feeding with sweetened drinks was reported for 18 children (1.8%). The results of multivariate analysis showed that males, nocturnal breastfeeding, and bottle feeding with sweetened drinks were significantly correlated with the risk of ECC. This study suggests that nocturnal breastfeeding and bottle feeding with sweetened drinks are correlated with ECC.

 The occurrence of child dental caries is closely related to family lifestyle. We conducted a questionnaire survey to investigate how the childcare environment is related to caries occurrence in three-year-old children. According to logistic regression analysis, when the degree of cooperation for nursing between spouses when their child is 18 months of age is high, and the child is less likely to develop dental caries at three years of age (odds ratio [OR]=0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.15–0.88). Moreover, children who consumed snacks less frequently and/or received topical fluoride application at 18 months were less likely to develop dental caries (OR=0.34, 95% Cl=0.15–0.76; OR=0.41, 95%Cl=0.19–0.86, respectively) when they reached three years of age.

 We suggest that supporting and emphasizing the necessity of co-operation between couples with respect to childhood dental health may lead to the prevention of dental caries in infants.

 The present study was conducted to develop a scale to assess collaboration between nurses and psychiatrists in oral health care. A factor analysis (principal factor method, varimax rotation, cumulative contribution rate: 56.3%) of data obtained from 143 nurses was conducted, and the “scale for the assessment of collaboration between nurses and psychiatrists in oral health care”, consisting of 15 items and two factors, was developed.

 Cronbach’s α coefficient of the scale was 0.899, which supports its internal consistency. Cronbach’s α coefficient of each factor was α=0.918 for 13 items of the first factor [exchange of information and opinions on oral health care] and α=0.964 for two items of the second factor [requests for collaboration], which suggests that their internal consistency has been established.

 The external criterion was the “scale for the assessment of collaboration between hospital nurses and dentists in oral health care” for the self-assessment of collaboration between nurses and dentists in oral health care. There was a correlation (r=0.581, p<0.01) between the “scale for the assessment of collaboration between nurses and psychiatrists in oral health care” and this scale as its external criterion, which suggests that the criterion-related validity has been established.

 The results suggest that the reliability and validity of the scale have been established.

 This study assessed annual rates of medical and dental treatment use and cost according to the sex, age, and business type using administrative claims data and specific health checkups of the Japan Health Insurance Association Osaka Branch. The aim was to clarify workers’ annual use of medical and dental treatment and health expenditure based on business type. Among insured persons aged between 35 and 74, we targeted 1,120,866 personnel (98.4%) who had received either specific health checkups or medical or dental treatment in FY2015. Participants were categorized into 18 different business types, as well as those who voluntarily continued health insurance coverage after retirement. We calculated annual averages and quartiles for rates of medical and dental treatment use, along with the total annual cost, and assessed whether these variables were correlated with the sex, age group, or business type. The results showed that more than 80% of the participants had received medical treatment, and just under 50% of participants had received dental treatment at least once a year. Annual medical care costs were higher in males. In dentistry, although the rate of dental care use was higher in women, dental care costs were higher and the duration of treatment was longer among males in almost every age group and business type. This suggests that males tend to receive treatment only after their conditions become severe, thus necessitating longer treatments and higher dental care costs. In addition, business types with high medical care costs tended to show high dental care costs. The results indicate that we need to improve work environments and increase awareness so that people will seek dental treatment when their dental disease severity is still mild. This is especially the case among those who work in types of businesses associated with high medical costs.