Aim: Early childhood caries (ECC) has significant public health implications but has received inadequate global attention. There is limited information regarding the success of oral health policies implemented to address the challenges of ECC. This review aimed to summarize such policies to tackle ECC from different countries/regions.Method: Independent collaborators from 14 countries/regions (Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Thailand, UK, USA, and Venezuela) collected the data. The ECC status, dental workforce, oral health policies on ECC prevention in different countries/regions were summarized by each country.Results: The findings indicated that ECC prevalence varied in different countries/regions. The lowest prevalence of ECC among 5-year-old children was found in Nigeria (7%), and the highest was found in Indonesia (90%). The existing dental workforce and resources are limited in most countries. The smallest dentist to population ratio was reported by Nigeria at 1:48,400, whereas the highest ratio was in Brazil (1:600). Out of 14, three (21%) countries namely India, Venezuela and Cambodia had no national oral health policies addressing ECC and four (29%) countries (Cambodia, China, India, Venezuela) had no publicly funded dental care program for 0–5-year-old children. Water fluoridation is available in four countries/regions (Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, USA).Conclusion: ECC remains a global health challenge and dental workforce is limited. National/regional programs to tackle ECC are not yet prioritized in many countries/regions. Evidence to support demonstration projects is limited. Further research on the cost-effectiveness of interventions strategies is required for policymakers.

Objective The aim was to assess the reported family relationships during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the association between these relationships and individual, interpersonal, and country‐level income in eight Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Background COVID‐19 causes fear of infection, loss of loved ones, and economic problems that may affect family relationships. Methods Data were collected from eight MENA countries using an online survey (July–August 2020). The dependent variable was change in family relationship during COVID‐19, and the independent variables were individual, interpersonal, and country‐level factors represented by sociodemographic factors, COVID‐19 status, financial impact (whether participants lost or had reduced wages) and country income. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results There were 1854 responses, mean ( SD ) age of 30.6 (9.9) years, 65.8% were female, 3.4% tested COVID‐19 positive, and 20.8% reported lost/reduced wages. Family relationships were more likely to improve or remain unchanged (84.3%) for participants who had a history of COVID‐19 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.25, 10.01]). However, family relationships were more likely to not improve for those who knew someone who died of COVID‐19 (AOR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.58, 0.99]) and those with lost/reduced wages (AOR = 0.69, 95% CI [0.52, 0.94]). Conclusion Family relationship improved or remained unchanged for those who tested positive for COVID‐19 and did not improve for those who lost wages or lost someone due to COVID‐19. Implications Policy makers should develop strategies to provide social and financial support to employees to reduce the losses and adverse social impact caused by the pandemic.

The incidence of periodontal diseases is associated with multiple comorbidities that influence a patient’s treatment planning. This study evaluates the relation between periodontal disease and multiple comorbidities reported in the Saudi population from the Eastern province. This study was conducted on 190 patients, who visited the periodontology clinics at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. Demographic data, smoking habits, past medical and dental histories, blood pressure, random blood glucose, and recent haemoglobin A1c were recorded. A comprehensive periodontal examination included the number of missing teeth, pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), and mobility of all teeth except third molars. Radiographic bone loss was measured on standardized full-mouth periapical radiographs. Multivariable regression models were calculated aiming to see the association between different comorbidities and alveolar bone loss with confounders controlled. Out of 190 periodontitis patients, 56 (29.5%) were males and 134 (70.5%) were females. More than half of the patients (60%) were between 26 and 50 years, 30% of them had diabetes, and 18% were smokers. The risk of alveolar bone loss was higher in persons who had diabetes and those who had both diabetes and coronary heart disease than those who did not, although the association was not statistically significant ( B = 1.26 , 95 % CI = − 0.30 , 2.82, and B = 2.86 , 95 % CI = − 1.25 , 6.96, respectively). The risk of alveolar bone loss was significantly higher among persons with diabetes and hypertension ( B = 2.82 and 95 % CI = 0.89 , 4.75). Collectively, the risk of alveolar bone loss in periodontitis patients increases with diabetes in the presence of other comorbidities regardless of smoking or gender.

Background: Egypt is one of the most populated countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with historically large numbers of trained professionals providing services in and outside the country. Data about dentist availability are needed to plan for workforce production and training. Aims: We assessed dentist availability in Egypt including (1) changes over 20 years; (2) spatial distribution; and (3) association with supply, potential demand for care and economic conditions. Methods: In an ecological study (1995-2014), we used data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. The outcome variable was dentist availability (dentists per 1000 population). The explanatory variables were: (1) population size; (2) number of dental graduates; (3) previous dentist availability; (4) increase in wages; and (5) percentage of population migrating internally seeking jobs. We assessed variation in availability using statistical process control and spatial autocorrelation. The impact of explanatory variables was assessed using general linear models with partial η2 to measure effect size. Results: Dentists per 1000 population were randomly distributed over the country and the ratio reached 0.18 in 2014, indicating a shortage despite the increasing number of dental graduates since 1995 (667.1%). Previous dentist availability (η2 = 0.60) and increase in wages (η2 = 0.48) had the greatest impact on dentist availability. 1 / 11 WHO EMRO | Dentist availability in Egypt: a 20-year study of supply, potential demand and economic fac Conclusions: Egypt faces a problem of dentist shortage that has not been offset by the increase in dental graduates. Improving the economic conditions and incorporating health care into the national development plan may improve the situation.