Child Health Research Articles

ANALYSIS OF DENTAL CARE INDICATORS FOR CHILDREN BASED ON DATA FROM THE PEDIATRIC DENTAL CLINIC OF POLTAVA CITY

In the period from 2020 to 2023, the dental care system in Ukraine underwent significant changes considering the effects of healthcare reforms, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing conflict. The objective of this article is to assess the changes in the provision of general dental care at the Pediatric Dental Polyclinic in Poltava City over the past five years based on a retrospective analysis of statistical reports from 2019 to 2023. In 2019, emergency dental care accounted 9.69% of all visits. Complicated caries of permanent teeth was found in 2.28% of filled teeth, with light-cured resin fillings representing 29.52% of them. Periodontal diseases were detected in 0.62% of visits. Preventive examinations comprises a significant portion of visits, 86.43% of visits; 94.66% of children who needed dental sanitation received full treatment. Preventive measures including fissure sealing, remineralizing therapy, and supervised tooth brushing played a significant role in these outcomes. In 2020, the number of visits dramatically decreased, but the share of emergency dental care increased to 11.65%, compared to 2019 (p < 0.0001). The number of filled teeth decreased, while the percentage of complicated caries of permanent teeth increased to 4.09% (p < 0.0001). The proportion of fillings made of light-cured resins rose to 40.19%, representing a 1.36-fold increase (p < 0.0001). Preventive examinations accounted for 26.47% of visits, and 88.47% of examined children in need of dental sanitation were fully treated. However, the share of preventive measures and the number of visits for children with periodontal disease dropped. In 2021, the number of preventive examinations increased to 49.49% of visits. The percentage of complicated caries of permanent teeth in the filling structure rose to 4.93% compared to 2020 (p < 0.0001). The share of fillings made of light-cured resins reached 51.19%, and the rate of children receiving treatment under anesthesia increased (p < 0.0001). Indicators of preventive measures, which received less attention during quarantine, continued to decline. In 2022, complicated caries of permanent teeth constituted 4.96% of fillings that was higher than in 2021 (p < 0.0001). The proportion of preventive examinations significantly decreased to 33.45% (p < 0.0001), and the percentage of treated children among those who needed treatment dropped to 77.5%. Pedodontists started paying more attention to periodontal disease, preventive care, and treatment under anesthesia, which increased significantly. In 2023, the share of complicated caries of permanent teeth increased to 5.53% (p < 0.0001). The number of children treated under local or general anesthesia increased by 2.5 times. The number of visits for children with periodontal disease and indicators of preventive measures also increased (p < 0.001). In 2023, the share of preventive examinations was 36.28%, and the percentage of treated children among those who needed help decreased compared to 2022 (p < 0.0001), reaching 79.29%. The closure of school dental offices due to Covid-19 significantly reduced the number of patients in the pediatric dental polyclinic in 2020, leading to a significant decline in planned sanitation for children and preventive measures. In 2021, despite further decreases in visits, planned sanitation for children improved. In 2022, due to the treatment of internally displaced persons, the quantitative performance indicators of the polyclinic improved. From 2019 to 2023, there was an increase in the number of light-cured fillings, reflecting a trend in modern dentistry. Indicators for the treatment of periodontal disease, preventive measures, and treatment with anesthesia increased since 2022. During 2020-2023, there was a growth in the number of filled permanent teeth due to complicated caries, possibly due to budget funding for such dental aid in the polyclinic or because young patients may delay seeking medical attention. In 2023, the trend of decreasing the number of patients who were completely treated during planned sanitation was overcome. Further analysis of dental aid indicators for children is necessary for planning and funding to reduce the impact of socio-economic factors on children's health.

Pregnancy outcomes following non-screening of tuberculosis at primary healthcare facilities

Background: In South Africa, tuberculosis (TB) screening should be offered to all pregnant women at each antenatal care (ANC) visit. Therefore, access to TB screening for women and their families is crucial through maternity and child health services.Aim: The study aimed to explore the repercussions of the non-screening of TB among pregnant women in the Capricorn District of Limpopo province.Setting: The study was conducted in the selected primary healthcare facilities in the Capricorn District, Limpopo province, at selected primary healthcare facilities. Midwives employed within the primary healthcare facilities of Limpopo, offering ANC to pregnant women comprised the population.Methods: The study was carried out using a qualitative exploratory research methodology. Ten participants were selected using purposive sampling method. As a result of limitations on coronavirus disease, data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured virtual interviews with individual participants. Data analysis was employed manually using Tesch’s method.Results: Two themes emerged from the data analysis: obstetric outcomes because of non-screening of TB and suggestions to enhance TB screening during ANC.Conclusion: The study’s findings revealed that non-screening of TB among pregnant women may lead to severe pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and the unborn child should the woman be suffering from TB.Contribution: The Department of Health may employ the results of this study to develop strategies that might be implemented to enhance TB screening among pregnant women and improve pregnancy outcomes for women diagnosed with TB.

Inequity in unmet health care needs of women and children in India: A barrier to sustainable development goals in health

AbstractDespite progress in maternal and child health, significant gap and high inequity persist in unmet health needs, creating a barrier to universal health coverage. Previous studies have analysed inequity of health outcomes and healthcare availability, but limited research is available on delayed or not‐seeking treatment. Research conducted on unmet treatment lacks emphasis on vulnerable groups; women and children. The objective is to fill this research gap by estimating the contribution of socio‐economic factors to inequality in the unmet health needs of women and children. This study uses the concentration index, concentration curve and horizontal inequity index to estimate inequality. A decomposition analysis is conducted to estimate the contribution of each socio‐economic factor to inequality. The need‐adjusted index shows the inequity due to non‐need factors. The unmet health needs are significantly higher among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. In addition to wealth, factors such as caste (4.43% and 7.23%), education (7.27% and 13.05%), media exposure (3.88% and 6.39%) and distance problem (5.35% and 14.61%) contribute to the inequity for both women and children. A negative horizontal inequity index confirms that non‐need factors are major contributors to inequity. Findings add new theoretical insights on healthcare accessibility and inform policymakers on factors creating disadvantages in treatment‐seeking. Action plans for universal health coverage need to incorporate social and institutional factors in policy and budgetary allocations. Further, health‐card system, health‐record‐keeping practices and community‐health officer/clinic can improve treatment seeking.

A qualitative meta-synthesis of carers' perceptions of factors influencing preschool children's oral hygiene practices-A social practices perspective.

This study comprises a synthesis of published qualitative studies from developed countries on the perspectives of carers regarding the oral hygiene toothbrushing practices of preschool children, through the lens of social practice theory. A search of the following electronic databases was conducted for all available years: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Global Health using the Ovid platform; Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source (DOSS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Scopus. Included qualitative studies reported primary caregivers' perceptions of oral hygiene practices (focusing on toothbrushing) in preschool children (0-5 years old) in developed countries. A thematic synthesis of the qualitative findings was undertaken for the results of each study. Eleven articles were included in this meta-synthesis. The focus of this paper was toothbrushing practices. A conceptual map of toothbrushing as a social practice was developed. Key findings included practice elements (meanings, competences, and materials), spatial and temporal aspects, and barriers and facilitators to performance. The application of a social practice lens to published qualitative research on the oral hygiene of preschool children provided insights into the meanings and competences related to toothbrushing, as perceived by primary caregivers. However, it also revealed limited information on material, spatial and temporal aspects of toothbrushing practices, indicating the importance of considering social practice theory as a framework in future research to address this gap. Furthermore, exploring toothbrushing in connection with related social practices has the potential to increase understanding of factors influencing oral health in preschool children.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Sleep Disorders in Children Aged 7-17: Insights from Parental Observations at the Dental Office.

Sleep disorders (SD) in children is a topic of great relevance due to their impact on a child's general health. This has led us to study their prevalence and the factors that disturb them in the developing population. Using a validated Likert-type questionnaire, different behaviors observed by the parents during the different phases of their children's sleep were evaluated during the last 6 months. A total of 206 children between the ages of 7 and 17 who attended a dental office participated in the study. The prevalence of SD was 47.6%. There were no significant differences regarding the SD in relation to sex (p = 0.796). The mean total score for children aged 7 to 11 years old was 42.3 (±14.25) compared to 45.44 (±15.51) for the group consisting of children aged 12 to 17 years old, reporting a statistically significant difference among both age groups (p = 0.01). The most frequent disorder was related to initiating and maintaining sleep (64.9%) while the least prevalent were the respiratory sleep disorders (27.2%). Given the high prevalence of these disorders, it is necessary to intercept them during childhood and establish educational guidelines in this regard throughout primary care.

Development and evaluation of a personalised sleep care plan on child and adolescent in-patient mental health wards.

The study evaluated a package of measures to improve sleep on psychiatric wards admitting patients from children and young people's services (CYPS). Sleep disturbance has significant impact on adolescent mental health, and in-patient wards can directly cause sleep disturbance, independent of the problem that led to admission. We developed a CYPS-specific package (TeenSleepWell) that promoted a better sleep environment, enhanced staff education about sleep, screened for sleep disorders, and raised awareness of benefits and side-effects of hypnotics. This included personalised sleep care plans that allowed a protected 8 h sleep period when safe. Evaluation over 2 years showed enhanced in-patient care: 57% of patients were able to have a protected sleep period. There was no increase in adverse events and there was a decrease in hypnotics issued. Improving sleep during in-patient CYPS admissions is possible and personalised sleep care plan should be a care standard.

Squeeze-and-excitation-attention-based mobile vision transformer for grading recognition of bladder prolapse in pelvic MRI images.

Bladder prolapse is a common clinical disorder of pelvic floor dysfunction in women, and early diagnosis and treatment can help them recover. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most important methods used by physicians to diagnose bladder prolapse; however, it is highly subjective and largely dependent on the clinical experience of physicians. The application of computer-aided diagnostic techniques to achieve a graded diagnosis of bladder prolapse can help improve its accuracy and shorten the learning curve. The purpose of this study is to combine convolutional neural network (CNN) and vision transformer (ViT) for grading bladder prolapse in place of traditional neural networks, and to incorporate attention mechanisms into mobile vision transformer (MobileViT) for assisting in the grading of bladder prolapse. This study focuses on the grading of bladder prolapse in pelvic organs using a combination of a CNN and a ViT. First, this study used MobileNetV2 to extract the local features of the images. Next, a ViT was used to extract the global features by modeling the non-local dependencies at a distance. Finally, a channel attention module (i.e., squeeze-and-excitation network) was used to improve the feature extraction network and enhance its feature representation capability. The final grading of the degree of bladder prolapse was thus achieved. Using pelvic MRI images provided by a Huzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, this study used the proposed method to grade patients with bladder prolapse. The accuracy, Kappa value, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and area under the curve of our method were 86.34%, 78.27%, 83.75%, 95.43%, 85.70%, and 95.05%, respectively. In comparison with other CNN models, the proposed method performed better. Thus, the model based on attention mechanisms exhibits better classification performance than existing methods for grading bladder prolapse in pelvic organs, and it can effectively assist physicians in achieving a more accurate bladder prolapse diagnosis.

Protocol for a nationwide case-control study of firearm violence prevention tactics and policies in K-12 schools.

Most U.S. K-12 schools have adopted safety tactics and policies like arming teachers and installing metal detectors, to address intentional school gun violence. However, there is minimal research on their effectiveness. Furthermore, sociodemographic factors may influence their implementation. Controlled studies are necessary to investigate their impact on gun violence and related disciplinary outcomes. The paper outlines the protocol for a case-control study examining gun violence prevention policies in U.S. K-12 schools. The study aims to investigate if there is an association between the total number and type of specific safety tactics and policies and the occurrence of intentional shootings in K-12 public schools, student disciplinary outcomes, and if urbanicity, economic, and racial factors modify these associations. We will create a nationally representative dataset for this study and ascertain a full census of case schools (schools that experienced intentional gunfire on the campus during school hours since 2015) through national school shooting databases. Matched control schools will be randomly selected from U.S. Department of Education's national database of all public schools. We will analyze 27 school safety strategies organized into seven key exposure groupings. Supported by the National Institutes for Child Health and Development (R01HD108027-01) and having received Institutional Review Board approval, our study is currently in the data collection phase. Our analytical plan will determine the association between the number and type of school safety tactics and policies with the occurrence of intentional shootings and suspensions and expulsions in a national sample of approximately 650 K-12 public schools. Additional analyses will investigate the effect modification of specific covariates. As the first national, controlled study, its results will provide novel and needed data on the effectiveness of school safety tactics and policies in preventing intentional shootings at K-12 public schools.

Erosion of the Capital City Advantage in Child Survival and Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Intervention Coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The place of residence is a major determinant of RMNCH outcomes, with rural areas often lagging in sub-Saharan Africa. This long-held pattern may be changing given differential progress across areas and increasing urbanization. We assessed inequalities in child mortality and RMNCH coverage across capital cities and other urban and rural areas. We analyzed mortality data from 163 DHS and MICS in 39 countries with the most recent survey conducted between 1990 and 2020 and RMNCH coverage data from 39 countries. We assessed inequality trends in neonatal and under-five mortality and in RMNCH coverage using multilevel linear regression models. Under-five mortality rates and RMNCH service coverage inequalities by place of residence have reduced substantially in sub-Saharan Africa, with rural areas experiencing faster progress than other areas. The absolute gap in child mortality between rural areas and capital cities and that between rural and other urban areas reduced respectively from 41 and 26 deaths per 1000 live births in 2000 to 23 and 15 by 2015. Capital cities are losing their primacy in child survival and RMNCH coverage over other urban areas and rural areas, especially in Eastern Africa where under-five mortality gap between capital cities and rural areas closed almost completely by 2015. While child mortality and RMNCH coverage inequalities are closing rapidly by place of residence, slower trends in capital cities and urban areas suggest gradual erosion of capital city and urban health advantage. Monitoring child mortality and RMNCH coverage trends in urban areas, especially among the urban poor, and addressing factors of within urban inequalities are urgently needed.

Decision tree-Markov model of perinatal depression screening: a cost–utility analysis

BackgroundPerinatal depression affects the physical and mental health of pregnant women. It also has a negative effect on children, families, and society, and the incidence is high. We constructed a cost–utility analysis model for perinatal depression screening in China and evaluated the model from the perspective of health economics.MethodsWe constructed a Markov model that was consistent with the screening strategy for perinatal depression in China, and two screening strategies (screening and non-screening) were constructed. Each strategy was set as a cycle of 3 months, corresponding to the first trimester, second trimester, third trimester, and postpartum. The state outcome parameters required for the model were obtained based on data from the National Prospective Cohort Study on the Mental Health of Chinese Pregnant Women from August 2015 to October 2016. The cost parameters were obtained from a field investigation on costs and screening effects conducted in maternal and child health care institutions in 2020. The cost–utility ratio and incremental cost–utility ratio of different screening strategies were obtained by multiplicative analysis to evaluate the health economic value of the two screening strategies. Finally, deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted on the uncertain parameters in the model to explore the sensitivity factors that affected the selection of screening strategies.ResultsThe cost–utility analysis showed that the per capita cost of the screening strategy was 129.54 yuan, 0.85 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) could be obtained, and the average cost per QALY gained was 152.17 yuan. In the non-screening (routine health care) group, the average cost was 171.80 CNY per person, 0.84 QALYs could be obtained, and the average cost per QALY gained was 205.05 CNY. Using one gross domestic product per capita in 2021 as the willingness to pay threshold, the incremental cost–utility ratio of screening versus no screening (routine health care) was about −3,126.77 yuan, which was lower than one gross domestic product per capita. Therefore, the screening strategy was more cost-effective than no screening (routine health care). Sensitivity analysis was performed by adjusting the parameters in the model, and the results were stable and consistent, which did not affect the choice of the optimal strategy.ConclusionCompared with no screening (routine health care), the recommended perinatal depression screening strategy in China is cost-effective. In the future, it is necessary to continue to standardize screening and explore different screening modalities and tools suitable for specific regions.

Sleep quality during pregnancy and fetal growth: A prospective cohort study.

The aim of this study is to investigate the association between sleep quality during pregnancy and fetal growth. Pregnant women and their fetuses at 16-20 gestational weeks in Nantong Maternal and Child Health Hospital were recruited. Women were classified as having "good sleep quality" (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score ≤ 5) and "poor sleep quality" (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score > 5) according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. The fetal growth was evaluated by three ultrasonographic examinations, birth weight and birth length. We used general linear model and multiple linear regression models to estimate the associations. A total of 386 pairs of mother and infant were included in the data analysis. After adjusting for gestational weight gain, anxiety and depression, fetuses in the good sleep quality group had greater abdominal circumference (p = 0.039 for 28-31+6 weeks gestation, p = 0.012 for 37-40+6 weeks gestation) and femur length (p = 0.014 for 28-31+6 weeks gestation, p = 0.041for 37-40+6 weeks gestation) at 28-31+6 weeks gestation and 37-40+6 weeks gestation, and increased femur length (p = 0.007) at 28-31+6 weeks gestation. Birth weights (p = 0.018) were positively associated with sleep quality. Poor sleep quality was associated with poor intrauterine physical development, decreased abdominal circumference and femur length, and lower birth weight after adjusting for confounding factors. Attention to the fetal growth of pregnant women with poor sleep quality has the potential to decrease the risk of adverse fetal outcomes.

Spatio-temporal distributions and determinants of diarrhea among under-five children in Ethiopia

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the spatio-temporal pattern of Ethiopia’s childhood diarrheal disease and identify its contributing factors.MethodsWe conducted analyses on secondary data from four Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2000 and 2016. Moran’s I was used to determine spatial dependence and spatial models were used to evaluate variables associated with diarrhea in under-five children at the zonal level.ResultsChildhood diarrhea showed spatial clustering in Ethiopia (Moran’s I; p < 0.05). The spatial regression model revealed significant factors at the zonal level: children born at home (eθ = 1.355, 95% CI: 1.052–1.544, p < 0.001), low birth weight (eθ = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.017–1.691, p < 0.05), and unimproved source of water (eθ = 0.8568, 95% CI: 0.671–1.086, p < 0.01).ConclusionThe prevalence of diarrhea among under-five children varied over time by zone, with the Assosa, Hundene, and Dire Diwa zones having the highest rates. Home births and low birth weight contributed to the prevalence of childhood diarrhea. In high-risk zones of Ethiopia, reducing childhood diarrhea requires integrated child health interventions and raising awareness about the potential hazards associated with unimproved water sources.

The health costs associated with “looking forward to success”: Educational expectations and children's health

AbstractThis study examines the impact of the deviation between parents' educational expectations and children's educational expectations on children's health. This study based on the data from Chinese Family Panel Studies conducted in 2018 and 2020, The participants were 2340 children aged 10–15 years (1310 boys, 1030 girls) in China. We found that when parents' educational expectations are higher than their children's educational expectations, they have a negative impact on children's health status. According to the influence mechanism, the higher the parents' expectations of education are, the greater children's remedial behaviour will be, the less leisure time will be, which will adversely affect children's health. Furthermore, we found that a good parent–child relationship moderated the negative impact of the deviation in parent–child educational expectations on children's health. Therefore, in order to ensure the healthy development of children, it is necessary to resolve the adverse effects of the deviation in parent–child educational expectations by arranging tutoring and leisure time rationally and establishing a good parent–child relationship.

Empirical analysis of child labour, household poverty, and child health in Ghana

AbstractThe paper studies the effect of household poverty on child labour (CL) and explores how CL affects working children's health using an instrumental variable strategy. After correcting for endogeneity, we find that household poverty significantly contributes to the incidence of CL whilst increasing the working hour of children increases the likelihood that working children would sustain wounds/cuts, get skin diseases, or get burned by fire, signifying the adverse effect of CL on child health in Ghana. These findings are robust to different approaches to addressing endogeneity. The study recommends that while it is imperative to implement policies to reduce children's engagement in all hazardous forms of child work and to protect the health of working children, government policies that address poverty might also be necessary.

Therapeutic effect of manual massage on early postpartum rectus abdominis separation and postpartum depression.

Rectus abdominis separation (DRA) affects pelvic stability and body image. No studies have explored the effects of manual massage on early postpartum DRA and postpartum depression. To analyze the curative effect of massage on early postpartum DRA and its impact on postpartum depression and thus its ability promote the overall psychosomatic rehabilitation of postpartum women. Data were retrospectively collected on 70 primiparous women with postpartum DRA who underwent rehabilitation at the Postpartum Rehabilitation Center of Huzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital from October 2022 to September 2023. The patients were divided into the Group S (35 cases, biomimetic electrical stimulation treatment) and Group L (35 cases, biomimetic electrical stimulation combined with manual massage treatment). Baseline data, the edinburgh postpartum depression scale (EPDS) score, and the visual analog scale (VAS) scores for rectus abdominis distance, waist circumference, and lower back pain before and after treatment were compared. No significant differences were found in the baseline data, rectus abdominis distance, waist circumference, and VAS and EPDS scores between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, the distance between rectus abdominis and waist circumference in Group L were significantly smaller than those in Group S (P < 0.05). Furthermore, lower back pain (VAS score) and the EPDS score in Group L were significantly lower than those in Group S (P < 0.05). Manual massage can significantly reduce early postpartum DRA, waist circumference, and back pain and improve the patient's mental state and postpartum depression.

Outcome of Women’s Reservation in Panchayati Raj Institutions in Bihar

Many studies have highlighted the advantages of female leadership in bolstering investment in public infrastructure aimed at enhancing the well-being of women and children, along with fostering the empowerment of women. Building upon this premise, this study aims to examine how political decentralization and female leadership impact social and demographic indicators related to women's empowerment, thereby contributing to the growing body of research on this topic. The focus of this study is on State of Bihar, which is India's third most populous state with approximately 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. By analysing data from various rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the study finds that empowering local governance and promoting female leadership have led to enhancements in women and child health outcomes, as well as bolstering women's empowerment at the grassroots level in Bihar.

How the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) Cohort can spur discoveries in environmental epidemiology.

NIH's Environmental influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) program is an innovative, large, collaborative research initiative whose mission is to enhance the health of children for generations to come. The goal of the ECHO Cohort is to examine effects of a broad array of early environmental exposures on child health and development. It includes longitudinal data and biospecimens from over 100,000 children and family members from diverse settings across the U.S. ECHO investigators have published collaborative analyses showing associations of environmental exposures--primarily in the developmentally sensitive pre-, peri-, and post-natal periods--with preterm birth and childhood asthma, obesity, neurodevelopment, and positive health. Investigators have addressed health disparities, joint effects of environmental and social determinants, and effects of mixtures of chemicals. The ECHO Cohort is now entering its second 7-year cycle (2023-2030), which will add the preconception period to its current focus on prenatal through adolescence. Through a controlled access public use database, ECHO makes its deidentified data available to the general scientific community. ECHO Cohort data provide opportunities to fill major knowledge gaps in in environmental epidemiology, and to inform policies, practices, and programs to enhance child health.

Bibliometric analysis of hotspots and trends of global myopia research.

To gain insights into the global research hotspots and trends of myopia. Articles were downloaded from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2022 from the Science Core Database website and were mainly statistically analyzed by bibliometrics software. A total of 444 institutions in 87 countries published 4124 articles. Between 2013 and 2022, China had the highest number of publications (n=1865) and the highest H-index (61). Sun Yat-sen University had the highest number of publications (n=229) and the highest H-index (33). Ophthalmology is the main category in related journals. Citations from 2020 to 2022 highlight keywords of options and reference, child health (pediatrics), myopic traction mechanism, public health, and machine learning, which represent research frontiers. Myopia has become a hot research field. China and Chinese institutions have the strongest academic influence in the field from 2013 to 2022. The main driver of myopic research is still medical or ophthalmologists. This study highlights the importance of public health in addressing the global rise in myopia, especially its impact on children's health. At present, a unified theoretical system is still needed. Accurate surgical and therapeutic solutions must be proposed for people with different characteristics to manage and intervene refractive errors. In addition, the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) models are also reflected in disease monitoring and prediction.

Supporting post-pandemic recovery: a qualitative study of the capabilities, opportunities and motivations to deliver oral health behaviour change messages to parents of young children in community settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated vulnerabilities and inequalities in children's oral health, and treatment activity virtually ceased during periods of lockdown. Primary care dentistry is still in the post-pandemic recovery phase, and it may be some years before normal service is resumed in NHS dentistry. However, opportunities to support the dental workforce through offering some preventative care in outreach settings may exist. This has the additional benefit of potentially reaching children who do not routinely see a dentist. The aim of this research was therefore to explore views around upskilling practitioners working in early years educational and care settings to support families of pre-school aged children to adopt and maintain preventative oral health behaviours. Using the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation model of behaviour (COM-B) to structure our data collection and analysis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 practitioners (dental and non-dental) and analysed the data using deductive framework analysis. The data were a good fit with the COM-B model, and further themes were developed within each construct, representing insights from the data. Early years practitioners can reach vulnerable children who are not usually brought to see a dentist, and have the capability, opportunity and motivation to support the oral health behaviours of families of children in their care. Further research is needed to identify training needs (oral health and behaviour change knowledge and skills), acceptability to parents, and supporting dental practice teams to work in partnership with early years settings.

Mediterranean Diet and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

Childhood and adolescence are periods of critical importance in the development of mental health disorders. The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been linked to multiple positive health outcomes, including reduced incidence of mental health disorders and fewer psychiatric symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the association between adherence to an MD and mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. A systematic literature review was conducted of original research that explored the relationship between psychiatric symptoms or disorders and adherence to an MD. The literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, MEDES, Dialnet, and Latindex from inception to November 2022, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of studies. A total of 13 studies (6 cross-sectional, 4 case-control, 2 randomized clinical trials, and 1 longitudinal cohort) out of 450 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 3058 children or adolescents with a mean age range from 8.6 to 16.2 years were included. Among the reviewed studies, 5 (71.42%) of those looking at attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 4 (80%) examining depression, and 2 (50%) assessing anxiety found a significant protective association. Seven articles (53.84%) were found to be of high quality and 6 (46.15%) of moderate quality. Adherence to an MD could be a protective factor for mental health in child and adolescent populations. This suggests that promoting an MD could help prevent the onset of clinical psychiatric symptoms, reduce symptom severity, and improve prognosis in young patients. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42021276316.