Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. A polymorphic locus associated with a protective effect against painful temporomandibular disorder in males regulates the expression of the muscle RAS oncogene homolog ( MRAS ) gene.

Better-quality diet was associated with lower prevalence of severe periodontitis although the causal pathways need to be clarified in future work.

Objectives Fermentable carbohydrate is universally recognized as the major dietary risk factor for dental caries. We assessed the broader relationship between diet quality and dental caries in a diverse Latinx adult population. Methods In a cross‐sectional probability sample, 14,517 dentate men and women in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) received a dental examination and completed two 24‐hours dietary recalls and a food propensity questionnaire. The 2010 Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) assessed diet quality and the National Cancer Institute method predicted usual intake of the 11 dietary components that comprise the AHEI. Dental caries experience was quantified using the decayed, missing and filled surfaces (DMFS) index. Covariates included sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics. Survey multivariable‐adjusted linear regression models quantified the relationship of 2010 AHEI score, and its 11 components, with DMFS. Results In multivariable‐adjusted models, each 10‐unit increase in diet quality score was associated with 2.5 fewer (95% confidence interval: −3.4, −1.6) DMFS. The relationship was pronounced among foreign‐born individuals, who comprised three‐quarters of the sample, irrespective of their length of US residence, but was not apparent among U.S.‐born individuals. Greater intake of sugar‐sweetened beverage and fruit juice was positively associated with dental caries, whereas vegetables (excluding potatoes); whole grains; and omega‐3 fats were inversely associated with dental caries, independent of covariates and the other dietary components (all P < 0.05). Conclusions An association between diet quality and dental caries was restricted to foreign‐born Latinix and was not limited to the adverse impact of sugar‐sweetened drinks.

Background:The siloed delivery of oral and medical health care in the United States has contributed to a lack of awareness of the consequences of poor oral health and has hampered effective interprofessional education and collaboration. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice behaviors of primary care medical providers in an urban safety-net hospital regarding collaboration with dentists and integration of oral health into overall health-care delivery. Methods: A 36-item survey was designed in a web-based platform (Survey Monkey ® ) and electronically distributed in September 2020 to 181 primary care medical providers (physicians, nurses, physician assistants) within a municipal hospital in the Bronx, New York. The questionnaire included sections on demographics, current practices, oral health knowledge, and opinions regarding interprofessional collaboration. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses using the chi-square and Fisher's exact test were performed with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The response rate was 66% (119 respondents). The vast majority (80%) reported little or no training in oral health and 85% reported no team experience with oral health professionals. Medical providers' confidence in examining the oral cavity was positively associated with previous additional training (p = 0.001) and with team experience (p = 0.005). The two most commonly reported barriers to willingness to collaborate were lack of formal relationships with dental providers (74%) and competing priorities (69%). Conclusion: Overall, there is very limited awareness and integration of oral health into the clinical practice of medical providers at this safety-net hospital. However, those providers with previous training and team experience had greater oral health confidence. Given the critical importance of oral health to overall health, increased efforts should be directed to further educate and train medical providers and address barriers to interprofessional care.

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