open access
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ISSN : 0376-4672
Purpose: This study examined stakeholder perceptions of dental care support policies for persons with disabili ties in Korea to assess policy effectiveness and to derive directions for a sustainable oral healthcare system. Materials and Methods: A structured online survey was administered to two groups: dental professionals (provid ers) and persons with disabilities and related persons (users). After excluding incomplete responses, 210 providers and 60 users were analyzed. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were computed for both groups. Results: Both groups strongly agreed on the necessity of the special-care dental centers (97.1% vs 95.0%), the den tal home-doctor pilot program (93.4% vs 90.0%), and the insurance add-on fee system (96.2% vs 98.3%). Among providers, policy knowledge tended to increase with clinical experience and patient volume (difference up to 18.8%p). Providers prioritized workforce and facility shortages, whereas users prioritized facility shortages and difficulty in transportation and access. Conclusion: Although consensus on the necessity of these policies is well established, substantial gaps remain in actual accessibility and perceived benefit. Based on these findings, it is hoped that more efficient and sustain able policies will be established and implemented, centered on organizations that can incorporate the voices of stakeholders. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(9): 300-306)
Sclerotherapy has emerged as a valuable adjunctive therapy in the management of venous hemangioma. Scle rosant agents induce endothelial damage, leading to fibrosis and obliteration of the vascular lumen, ultimately reducing blood flow to the lesion. In this case report, we present a patient with a venous hemangioma of the buccal mucosa who underwent four sessions of sclerotherapy with limited lesion regression. However, during subsequent surgical resection, intraoperative bleeding was minimal and postoperative healing was uneventful, suggesting that sclerotherapy contributed significantly to surgical hemostasis. This report highlights the potential role of preoperative sclerotherapy in facilitating the safe resection of oral venous hemangiomas. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(9): 307-311)
Effective detection and removal of pathogenic oral biofilm in hospitalized geriatric patient are important for pre venting aspiration pneumonia. This case report describes the clinical application of biofluorescence-based tech nology for immediate assessment of oral hygiene status and biofluorescence-guided oral hygiene care in a hos pitalized geriatric patient with pneumonia. The thickness and extent of oral biofilm were difficult to determine by visual inspection; however, biofluorescence imaging revealed red biofluorescence across multiple regions of the oral cavity. Based on these findings, mechanical and chemical biofilm control was performed at the bedside by a dental professional. Following oral care, the red biofluorescence observed before intervention was no longer present, allowing objective evaluation of biofilm removal. These findings suggest that biofluorescence enables real-time visualization of pathogenic biofilm and objective monitoring of changes in oral hygiene, improving the objectivity of oral hygiene assessment and supporting quality improvement in oral care for hospitalized patients. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(9): 312-318)
Conventionally, sleep duration has been considered the primary metric for evaluating the impact of sleep on overall health and pain modulation. Extensive evidence exists demonstrating a bidirectional relationship between sleep duration and pain where both sleep deprivation and excessive sleep contribute to hyperalgesia, neuro inflammation, and central sensitization resulting in a U-shaped relationship. This relationship is particularly evident in pain conditions of the orofacial region which are governed by the trigeminal nerve complex, such as temporomandibular disorders, burning mouth syndrome, headaches, and neuralgias. However, recent studies suggest a critical paradigm shift towards sleep regularity which reflects the consistency of the sleep-wake cycle that could be a more fundamental and independent determinant of systemic homeostasis than absolute sleep quantity itself. Irregular sleep patterns and circadian misalignment disrupt endogenous pain inhibitory systems and exacerbate one’s vulnerability to physical pain, psychiatric disorders, and even mortality, regardless of total sleep hours. Various metrics, including social jetlag, standard deviation of midsleep timing, interdaily stability, sleep regularity index, and composite phase deviation have been developed to quantify these variations. This review highlights the emerging clinical significance of sleep regularity in overall well-being and its relationship with pain management. To effectively manage chronic orofacial pain in dentistry, future research should focus on standardizing regularity metrics, utilizing digital healthcare wearables for long-term objective monitoring, and developing personalized chronotype-based interventions. Establishing sleep regularity in a dental patient could serve as a core therapeutic milestone in breaking the vicious cycle of chronic orofacial pain. (J Korean Dent As soc 2026; 64(9): 319-330)
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a prevalent yet frequently underdiagnosed condition associated with substan tial cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive morbidity in adults, as well as impaired growth and behavioral development in children. Because dentists regularly encounter patients of all ages and routinely examine the oral and maxillofacial structures that contribute to upper airway patency, they are well-positioned to participate in the early identification and multidisciplinary management of SDB. This narrative review summarizes the patho physiology and risk factors of SDB and discusses screening tools applicable to the dental office, along with their diagnostic limitations. The review further outlines the multidisciplinary treatment of SDB and highlights the den tist's role in its management. Integrating dentists into the multidisciplinary care team is critical to improving both sleep and systemic health outcomes. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(9): 331-338)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a heterogeneous sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repetitive upper airway obstruction during sleep. Polysomnography and home sleep apnea testing are used to establish the diagnosis, but these tests alone do not fully identify the anatomical factors responsible for upper airway col lapse. Dentists play an important role in evaluating craniofacial skeletal abnormalities, occlusion, tongue posi tion, hyoid position, and upper airway dimensions that may contribute to OSA. This narrative review summarizes the diagnostic process and surgical treatment of adult OSA from an oral and maxillofacial surgical perspective. Clinical examination, lateral cephalometry, computed tomography or cone-beam computed tomography, and drug-induced sleep endoscopy may provide complementary anatomical information. Treatment planning should integrate OSA severity, symptoms, positive airway pressure tolerance, body mass index, craniofacial morphology, dental occlusion, and the site and pattern of upper airway collapse. Maxillomandibular advancement enlarges the skeletal framework surrounding the upper airway and may improve retropalatal and retroglossal obstruction simultaneously. It is one of the most effective surgical treatments for moderate-to-severe OSA, particularly in pa tients with maxillary or mandibular deficiency, dentofacial deformity, or intolerance to positive airway pressure therapy. However, surgical success should not be determined solely by the amount of skeletal advancement but consider facial aesthetics, occlusal stability, temporomandibular joint status, neurosensory complications, and long-term sleep outcomes. A multidisciplinary and phenotype-based approach is required to select appropri ate surgical candidates and achieve stable functional and aesthetic outcomes. (J Korean Dent Assoc 2026; 64(9): 339-345)
