The risk of root caries is known to increase with aging due to age-related alveolar bone regression, periodontal disease, improper brushing, and reduced saliva secretion. In addition, along with an increase in the number of residual natural teeth in elderly people, the incidence of periodontal disease is also expected to increase in the future. Root caries can be divided into active and inactive types based on visual and tactile evaluation, and active caries can enter an inactive state by non-invasive treatments such as fluoride application. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a cavity prevention and progression inhibitor containing a high concentration (55,000 ppm) of fluoride. SDF applied to the tooth surface once or twice a year is a cost-effective treatment option for caries. The combination of potassium iodide (KI) and SDF has been evaluated as a method for reducing the resultant blackening of carious teeth, which is a disadvantage of SDF. In addition, fluoride burnish is a coating material that causes 5% (22,600 ppm) NaF to remain for 4 to 6 hours at the application site, preventing caries. Since there is sufficient evidence supporting cavity prevention and inhibition of progression, this treatment is actively used in Western countries for a wide range of subjects, from children to the elderly. Products applied in Japan have been approved as dentin hypersensitivity anesthetics, although they are expected to be widely used in the future to prevent and inhibit the progression of caries. SDF and fluoride burnish are easy to use and suitable for elderly people who need nursing care and for home visits. In addition to self-care, it is necessary to respond to the expected increase in root caries by enriching professional dental care.

 The association between pneumonia/bronchitis and regular dental care was examined in a cross-sectional study of 1,134 Japanese adults who participated in both medical and dental examinations between April 2018 and March 2019. The presence or absence of pneumonia/bronchitis was noted for participants who had pneumonia/bronchitis within the past year, according to the medical history based on medical records. The frequency of dental care was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. Pneumonia/bronchitis was identified in 29 (3%) participants. Participants with pneumonia/bronchitis were less likely to have received regular dental care (p=0.018) compared with those who did not. Furthermore, the results of logistic analysis after adjusting for potential confounding variables showed that a diagnosis of pneumonia/bronchitis was associated with regular dental care (at least once every 6 months, odds ratio [OR]=0.399, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.186 to 0.855). These results suggest that the presence of pneumonia/bronchitis is associated with regular dental care.

 This study aimed to clarify oral health behaviors, lifestyle, morning sickness, and factors associated with subjective oral symptoms among women aged 18 years or older in early pregnancy using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. The survey included the “healthy behaviors” (nine items) section of the Oral Health Questionnaire (Japan Dental Association, 2014) to evaluate oral health behaviors, the Emesis Index (Kitakawa, 1995) (five items) to evaluate morning sickness, and 16 independently created items to evaluate lifestyle. The following items of the Oral Health Questionnaire were used to address subjective oral symptoms: “I bleed when I brush my teeth,” “my gums are swollen and puffy,” and “cold or hot things make my teeth ache.” Any respondents who had at least one symptom was classified as “has subjective oral symptoms.” For statistical analysis, binomial logistic regression was performed with the presence of subjective oral symptoms as the dependent variable. Of the 981 survey forms distributed, 509 valid responses were collected (valid response rate: 74.5%). The “has subjective oral symptoms” group included 370 respondents (72.7%). Factors associated with “has subjective oral symptoms” were parity, using an interdental brush, and flossing sometimes or never．The results suggest that it is important to promote proper oral cleaning behavior in the early stages of pregnancy.

Abstract in Japaneses

 Although the demand for home-visit dentistry is increasing each year, it is difficult for dental care workers to visit the same facilities every day, and elderly residents of facilities often rely on them or caregivers of the facilities for daily oral care. However, there is a chronic shortage of human resources in nursing homes, and it is important to appropriately allocate caregivers’ time to the residents who are in most need of oral care. It is expected that the roles of dental professionals will increase in the future to include the allocation of caregivers’ time. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between the independence of oral cleaning by elderly persons living in a facility and oral care intervention by caregivers.

 The study participants were 54 residents of special nursing homes for elderly persons. Items associated with the general condition, oral care, and oral condition were investigated. Statistical analysis was performed after crosstabulation between the degree of independence in oral cleaning (independence/partial or full caregiving required), underlying disease, and each item.

 The degree of independence in oral cleaning was found to be associated with age (Mann-Whitney’s U test, p<0.01) and degree of nursing care (Fisher’s direct probability method, p<0.01). In addition, in the group requiring oral cleaning assistance, the number of oral care interventions by the care staff was high, and the duration of oral care intervention tended to increase per time (Fisher’s direct probability method, p<0.01).

 In the future, it will be necessary to expand the survey facilities, increase the number of subjects, and continue the survey considering the degree of disability caused by each disease.