OBJECTIVE-Dental providers are increasingly challenged in communicating with limited English proficiency (LEP) patients. Accordingly, the study's purpose was to examine methods of communicating with LEP patients in North Carolina (NC) safety-net dental clinics as perceived by dental staff.

Urgent dental care education is a critical aspect of the D.D.S. curriculum as dental students must be adequately prepared to face real‐world dental emergency challenges in practice. Dental emergency education is likely the most variable component of the dental curriculum. To assess potential differences in emergency education, a sixteen‐question survey was sent to directors of urgent care of all fifty‐six U.S. dental schools addressing clinic operation, demographics, treatment, integration into the D.D.S. curriculum, and provision of care for indigent populations. The response rate was 88 percent. Results indicate a need for earlier integration of urgent dental care education into the D.D.S. curriculum, more pediatric emergency experiences for D.D.S. students, and a more rigorous academic approach in assessing student competency while on rotation in the urgent care service. In addition, access to emergency dental care has become increasingly difficult for indigent populations due to lack of state‐supported funds; further exploration of sources of external funding for such care is warranted.

Objective: The study described the incidence of interproximal caries arrest following SDF and fluoride varnish application in the primary dentition. Study design: A retrospective analysis of dental records including radiographs was conducted for interproximal dental caries in pediatric patients treated with SDF applied with woven floss. Bitewing radiographs and ICCMS™ radiographic scoring criteria were used to assess caries depth in primary teeth at baseline and then at 12-month follow-up examination. Results: This study included 185 interproximal carious lesions in 131 patients treated with SDF. Mean baseline ICCMS™ score for all lesions was 1.50, with an average dmft of 2.9. The majority of carious lesions (n=155, 84.0%) showed radiographic evidence of non-progression at 12-month follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference in caries arrest among primary canines, primary first molars, and primary second molars (P=0.61). Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in caries arrest in patients with commercial insurance, Medicaid, or no insurance (P=0.27). Conclusions: SDF application with woven floss was associated with interproximal caries arrest in the primary dentition at 12-month follow-up in this sample of low caries risk children. Tooth type and insurance type were not associated with caries arrest.

No abstract

No abstract