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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Oral health information for Appalachia-West Virginia children: a cross-sectional analysis
R Constance Wiener1, Alcinda Trickett Shockey2, Regina Wiener-Pla3
1Dental Practice and Rural Health, School of Dentistry; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Introduction:
Time demands often impact the presentation of heath related educational material/information in rural dental practices. The purpose of this study was to determine if parents/guardians were receiving information with respect to a child's dental needs, and if there were a relationship between the delivery of the information and the utilization of dental servicesin Appalachia-West Virginia.
Methods:
A survey was presented to parents/guardians of Appalachia-West Virginia children [n=62] regarding dental information provided by their dentist/dental hygienist. The data were analyzed with Chi-square, and logistic regression.
Results:
Summative score of the questions on the survey (Adjusted odds ratio=6.2 [95% CI=1.1, 35.4]; p=0.057), and parental education (p=0.057) remained associated in a logistic regression with a child having had a dental visit within the previous year.
Conclusions:
Exposure of parents to dentally related educational material/information provided by a dentist/dental hygienist was independently associated with dental visits. The implication is that there remains a need for dental professionals to actively educate their patients.
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