This large-scale government-centered survey demonstrates that the prevalence of OSF in Taiwan significantly increased from 1996 to 2013. The prevalence was higher among men than among women.

Previous studies have suggested that peptic ulcer disease (PUD) including stomach and duodenal ulcers might be associated with periodontitis (PD); however, no clear conclusions have been reached thus far. In this retrospective case-control study, we aimed to investigate the association between PUD and PD by using a large population-based dataset in Taiwan. A population-based retrospective case control study was conducted using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2010 (LHID2010) derived from the National Health Insurance Research database (NHIRD) in Taiwan from 2000 to 2013. The case and control group were matched with gender, age, urbanization level, socioeconomic status, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) by using the propensity score method at a 1:1 ratio. A total of 177,240 cases and 177,240 control patients were included in this study, with an average age of 46.96 ± 11.76 years. The risk of PUD for patients diagnosed with PD was 1.15-fold when compared with those without PD (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.12–1.18). This population-based case control study demonstrated a significantly positive association between PUD and PD in Taiwan.

Background/purpose Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is defined as various clinical signs and symptoms involving the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint and associated structures. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of diagnosed TMD in Taiwan using a National Health Insurance Research Database from 2004 to 2013. Materials and methods A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the registered database compiled by the National Health Insurance from 2004 to 2013. The diagnosis of TMDs was identified in accordance with the International Classification of Disease, Ninth revision (ICD-9-CM 524.6). The relative risk of TMD from 2004 to 2013 after adjusting for year, age, and gender was evaluated by logistic regression analysis. Results The prevalence of TMD increased significantly from 14 (per 10 4 ) to 26 (per 10 4 ) over the past 10 year period [odds ratio (OR), 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.09]. The mean age with TMD from 2004 to 2013 was 52.31 ± 17.15 years and 45.12 ± 17.32 years, respectively. The female group had a higher risk of TMD than the male group (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.49–1.94). Conclusion Taken together, the estimated prevalence of TMD significantly increased from 2004 to 2013 in Taiwan. In addition, the risk for TMD was higher among women than among men.

Clinical presentation is heterogeneous for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL). Variants of KCNQ4 gene is a common genetic factor of ADNSHL. Few studies have investigated the association between hearing impairment and the variant c.546C>G of KCNQ4. Here, we investigated the phenotype and clinical manifestations of the KCNQ4 variant. Study subjects were selected from the participants of the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative. In total, we enrolled 12 individuals with KCNQ4 c.546C>G carriers and 107 non-carriers, and performed pure tone audiometry (PTA) test and phenome-wide association (PheWAS) analysis for the patients. We found that c.546C>G variant was related to an increased risk of hearing loss. All patients with c.546C>G variant were aged >65 years and had sensorineural and high frequency hearing loss. Of these patients, a third (66.7%) showed moderate and progressive hearing loss, 41.7% complained of tinnitus and 16.7% complained of vertigo. Additionally, we found a significant association between KCNQ4 c.546C>G variant, aortic aneurysm, fracture of lower limb and polyneuropathy in diabetes. KCNQ4 c.546C>G is likely a potentially pathogenic variant of ADNSHL in the elderly population. Genetic counseling, annual audiogram and early assistive listening device intervention are highly recommended to prevent profound hearing impairment in this patient group.

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