public health dentistry - Medical Dictionary

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public health dentistry		A dental specialty concerned with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of oral health through promoting organized dental health programs at a community, state, or federal level. [ Articles \| Books \| Images \| Discussion groups ]

Additional comments : Free Full Text The effective use of fluorides in public health Bull World Health Organ. 2005 Sep;83(9):670-6. Dental caries remain a public health problem for many developing countries and for underprivileged populations in developed countries. This paper outlines the historical development of public health approaches to the use of fluoride and comments on their effectiveness. Early research and development was concerned with waterborne fluorides, both naturally occurring and added, and their effects on the prevalence and incidence of dental caries and dental fluorosis. In the latter half of the 20th century, the focus of research was on fluoride toothpastes and mouth rinses. More recently, systematic reviews summarizing these extensive databases have indicated that water fluoridation and fluoride toothpastes both substantially reduce the prevalence and incidence of dental caries. We present four case studies that illustrate the use of fluoride in modern public health practice, focusing on: recent water fluoridation schemes in California, USA; salt fluoridation in Jamaica; milk fluoridation in Chile; and the development of "affordable" fluoride toothpastes in Indonesia. Common themes are the concern to reduce demands for compliance with fluoride regimes that rely upon action by individuals and their families, and the issue of cost. We recommend that a community should use no more than one systemic fluoride (i.e. water or salt or milk fluoridation) combined with the use of fluoride toothpastes, and that the prevalence of dental fluorosis should be monitored in order to detect increases in or higher-than-acceptable levels. Correlations between two plaque indices in assessment of toothbrush effectiveness J Contemp Dent Pract. 2006 Nov 1;7(5):1-9. Mapping oral health related quality of life to generic health state values BMC Health Serv Res. 2006 Aug 7;6:96. Periodontal disease and atherosclerosis from the viewpoint of the relationship between community periodontal index of treatment needs and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity BMC Public Health. 2006 May 14;6:131. Growth in Brazilian scientific output in public health dentistry Cad Saude Publica. 2006 May;22(5):887, 886. Validity of the "Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs" (CPITN) for population periodontitis screening Cad Saude Publica. 2006 Feb;22(2):277-83. Blood lead concentrations in children and method of water fluoridation in the United States, 1988-1994 Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Jan;114(1):130-4. Blood lead concentrations in children and method of water fluoridation in the United States, 1988-1994 Adv Dent Res. 2005 Dec 1;18(3):37-8. The prevalence of dental caries among international students at U.S. universities J Contemp Dent Pract. 2005 Nov 15;6(4):124-35. Assessment of DMFT and enamel hypoplasia among junior high school children in Iran J Contemp Dent Pract. 2005 Nov 15;6(4):85-92. Obesity and periodontal disease in diabetic pregnant women Pesqui Odontol Bras. 2005 Apr-Jun;19(2):83-7. For debate: problems with the DMF index pertinent to dental caries data analysis Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2005 Dec;33(6):400-9. National estimates of out-of-pocket dental costs for HIV-infected users of medical care J Am Dent Assoc. 2005 Oct;136(10):1406-14. Magnesium deficiency is associated with periodontal disease J Dent Res. 2005 Oct;84(10):937-41. Special oral hygiene and preventive care for special needs J Am Dent Assoc. 2005 Aug;136(8):1141-3. Plaque removal efficacy of a prototype manual toothbrush versus an ADA reference manual toothbrush with and without dental floss J Contemp Dent Pract. 2005 Aug 15;6(3):1-13. New coronal caries in older adults: implications for prevention Dent Res. 2005 Aug;84(8):715-20. Influence of cigarette smoking on the overall perception of dental health among adults aged 20-79 years, United States, 1988-1994 Public Health Rep. 2005 Mar-Apr;120(2):124-32.

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