Browsing by Author "Carvalho, Joana C."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Are dental patients able to perceive erosive tooth wear on anterior teeth? An internet-based survey assessing awareness and related action
    (Elsevier, 2020) Goldfarb, Micah B.; Hara, Anderson T.; Hirsh, Adam T.; Carvalho, Joana C.; Maupomé, Gerardo
    Background. Erosive tooth wear (ETW) is irreversible loss of dental hard tissue. The authors examined patients’ ability to recognize ETW relative to sound teeth and teeth with dental caries. Methods. Using Amazon’s crowdsourcing service, the authors recruited participants (N=623) to view standardized images of buccal surfaces of teeth (sound, ETW, or caries). Participants reported whether a dental condition existed (yes/no), likelihood to seek care, and esthetic attractiveness for teeth with no, initial, moderate, or severe signs of ETW/caries. Results. Dental patients demonstrated poor recognition of cases of ETW, especially compared to sound and caries-affected teeth at each level of severity. Patients were less likely to schedule a dental appointment for care/treatment of teeth with ETW than caries at each level of severity. Patients also found ETW more esthetically attractive than caries at each level of severity and found initial ETW more attractive than sound teeth. Conclusions. Dental patients struggle recognizing ETW, in general and compared to caries, at each level of severity and particularly for early stages of ETW. These recognition difficulties likely arise, in part, from tooth esthetic attractiveness standards (smooth and shiny teeth look more esthetic), possibly leading to lack of appropriate care-seeking behavior. Practical Implications. This internet-based tool may be used to assess dental patients’ awareness and ability to recognize cases of ETW. Improved patient awareness might lead to seeking professional care to prevent and/or delay ETW progression.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Dentists Clinical Decision-Making for Erosive Tooth Wear: An Online Study
    (Elsevier, 2020) Goldfarb, Micah B.; Maupomé, Gerardo; Hirsh, Adam T.; Carvalho, Joana C.; Eckert, George J.; Hara, Anderson T.
    Objective: Erosive tooth wear (ETW) is an irreversible loss of dental hard tissue. This pilot study examined dentists’ ability to diagnose and manage ETW relative to sound and caries-affected teeth. Methods: Dentists recruited through the Indiana Dental Association (N=36) participated in an internet-based survey, containing twenty-two standardized images of buccal and occlusal surfaces of teeth (sound, ETW, or caries). For each image, they provided diagnosis (presence and differentiation) of dental condition, confidence in their judgment, management need, and likelihood to recommend specific management strategies. Dentists made these judgments for teeth with no, initial, moderate, or severe ETW/caries. Results: Dentists demonstrated poor detection of ETW compared to sound teeth and caries at each level of severity. The dentists were less confident, less able to correctly diagnose and manage ETW, and less likely to recommend most management strategies for ETW than caries at each level of severity. Conclusions: Dentists had difficulty correctly diagnosing (both detection and differentiation) and managing ETW, across all severity levels and particularly in early stages. These difficulties were particularly apparent when compared to caries. The current results are clinically relevant given the importance of early diagnosis for ETW management.