Oral cleanliness of 12-13-year-old and 15-year-old school children of Sunsari District, Nepal.

J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2006 Sep;24(3):146-51

Authors: Yee R, David J, Khadka R

The aim of the study was to evaluate the oral cleanliness of school children in the District of Sunsari, Nepal. A multi-stage random sampling oral epidemiological survey was conducted in private and government, urban, rural town and rural village schools in 15 illakas of Sunsari District, Eastern Nepal. A total of 600, 12-13-year-old and 600 15-year-old school children were examined by trained examiners using the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). The average age-group, debris and calculus index scores were combined to obtain the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). The mean OHI-S scores were compared and evaluated using the parametric t-test for two independent samples. The mean OHI-S for urban 12-13-year-old school children was 0.98 compared to 1.34 for school children of rural towns and 1.44 for school children of rural villages and these differences in mean OHI-S were statistically significant (P < 0.005). In the 15-year-old age group, urban school children had a mean OHI-S score of 1.00 compared to 1.37 for rural towns and 1.43 for rural villages. The variance in the mean OHI-S scores were statistically significant (P < 0.005). The overall level of cleanliness in the school children surveyed was good. Children of urban schools had the lowest scores followed by school children from rural towns and then rural villages. When the mean OHI-S scores were compared with the DMFT scores, there was an inverse relationship between oral cleanliness and dental caries. Frequency of sugar consumption and the availability and affordability of fluoridated toothpaste may be important factors in the development of dental caries than oral cleanliness.

PMID: 17065783 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Clinical evaluation of an ionic tooth brush on oral hygiene status, gingival status, and microbial parameter.

Indian J Dent Res. 2006 Apr-Jun;17(2):74-7

Authors: Deshmukh J, Vandana KL, Chandrashekar KT, Savitha B

It has long been recognised that the presence of dental plaque leads to gingivitis and periodontal disease, as well as dental caries. Today tooth brushing is the most widely accepted method of removing plaque. Hence this present clinical study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of an ionic toothbrush on oral hygiene status. For this study, 20 dental students in the age group of 18-20 years were included. All the subjects after undergoing dental prophylaxis were then provided with ionic toothbrushes, either active (equipped with lithium battery) or inactive (without lithium battery). Plaque index and gingival bleeding index were examined at 7th, 14th, and 21st day. Microbial assessment was done for detection of colony forming units (CFU) from the plaque samples which were collected on 0 day and 21st day, both before brushing and after brushing. Results shown a significant reduction in all the parameters and the reduction was more significant in active and inactive ionic toothbrush users. It was concluded that both active and inactive ionic toothbrushes reduced the plaque index and gingival bleeding index scores significantly and active ionic tooth brushes were more effective as compared to inactive ionic toothbrushes. There was no soft tissue trauma following the use of both type of toothbrushes, which showed that ionic toothbrushes were equally safe for regular long-term use.

PMID: 17051872 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n propylthiouracil: a new risk determinant for dental caries in children.

J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2006 Jun;24(2):63-8

Authors: Rupesh S, Nayak UA

The aims of the present study were to contrast the prevalence of dental caries in children with different genetic sensitivity levels to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and to determine the taste quality and taste intensity preferences of food products among the taster and nontaster groups. Overall caries experience (dmfs/DMFS) was significantly higher for nontasters than tasters. Caries experience on the available surfaces (dfs/DFS) was found to be significantly higher in nontasters than in medium tasters and in medium tasters than in supertasters (r=-0.41, P < 0.001). Majority of the nontasters were sweet likers and preferred strong tasting food products, while majority of the supertasters were sweet dislikers and preferred weak tastes. There was a significant increase in the overall caries experience in the population, as the genetic ability to detect PROP taste decreased ( P < 0.001). After all associated factors (age, gender, race, number of teeth and OHI-S) were controlled; multiple linear regression analyses revealed that taste was the only variable significantly related to overall caries experience.

PMID: 16823229 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Prevalence and correlates of self-reported state of teeth among schoolchildren in Kerala, India.

BMC Oral Health. 2006;6:10

Authors: David J, Astr&#xF8;m AN, Wang NJ

BACKGROUND: Oral health status in India is traditionally evaluated using clinical indices. There is growing interest to know how subjective measures relate to outcomes of oral health. The aims of the study were to assess the prevalence and correlates of self-reported state of teeth in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Kerala, India. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data were used. The sample consisted of 838 12-year-old schoolchildren. Data was collected using clinical examination and questionnaire. The clinical oral health status was recorded using Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S). The questionnaire included questions on sociodemographics, self reports of behaviour, knowledge and oral problems and a single-item measuring self-reported state and satisfaction with appearance of teeth. The Kappa values for test-retest of the questionnaire ranged from 0.55 to 0.97. RESULTS: Twenty-three per cent of the schoolchildren reported the state of teeth as bad. Multivariate logistic regression showed significant associations between schoolchildren who reported to have bad teeth and poor school performance (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.5), having bad breath (OR = 2.4), food impaction (OR = 1.7) dental visits (OR = 1.6), being dissatisfied with appearance of teeth (OR = 4.2) and caries experience (OR = 1.7). The explained variance was highest when the variables dental visits, bleeding gums, bad breath, food impaction and satisfaction with appearance were introduced into the model (19%). CONCLUSION: A quarter of 12-year-olds reported having bad teeth. The self-reported bad state of teeth was associated with poor school performance, having bad breath and food impaction, having visited a dentist, being dissatisfied with teeth appearance and having caries experience. Information from self-reports of children might help in planning effective strategies to promote oral health.

PMID: 16817952 [PubMed]

A socio-dental approach to assessing children's orthodontic needs.

Eur J Orthod. 2006 Aug;28(4):393-9

Authors: Gherunpong S, Tsakos G, Sheiham A

Traditional methods of assessing orthodontic treatment need using mainly clinical measures are inadequate and would be improved by integrating normative, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and behavioural propensity measures. This study aimed to develop and test a socio-dental system of orthodontic needs assessment, and to compare normative and socio-dental estimates of orthodontic need. The socio-dental system integrates three types of need: normative need (NN), impact-related need (IRN) and propensity-related need (PRN). A cross-sectional survey of all 1,126 children aged 11-12 years in Suphanburi, Thailand, was carried out to test the new system. The dental health component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need was used to assess NN, and the simplified oral hygiene index for oral hygiene status. Oral impacts were assessed using the child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (child-OIDP) index. A self-administered questionnaire recorded information on demographic and oral health-related behaviour. Treatment needs were assessed according to the developed socio-dental system. The socio-dental approach to assess orthodontic needs was easy to use and readily accepted by the children. The estimates of orthodontic need assessed normatively and socio-dentally differed markedly. The prevalence of NN and IRN was 35.0 and 10.5 percent, respectively, thus representing a reduction of approximately 70 percent in the volume of treatment need according to the new method. Children with IRN had different levels of propensity for orthodontic treatment, and therefore required appropriate treatment plans according to their PRN. Of the 10.5 percent with IRN, 6.9 percent had high or medium-high PRN, while 3.6 percent were at medium-low and low levels of propensity.

PMID: 16723372 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Introducing a clinical-behavioural scoring system for children's oral hygiene.

Rev Salud Publica (Bogota). 2006 Jan-Apr;8(1):14-24

Authors: Medina-Sol&#xED;s CE, Maupomé G, Segovia-Villanueva A, Casanova-Rosado AJ, Vallejos-Sánchez AA, Casanova-Rosado JF

OBJECTIVES: Developing and testing a clinical-behavioural scoring system for assessing children's oral hygiene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One clinical variable (the presence of dental plaque, measured using Silness and Loe's index) and one behavioural variable (self-reported tooth brushing frequency) were combined into secondary data analysis of research databases for 3-6-year-olds and 6-13-year-olds in a Mexican community. The combined scoring is an ordinal scale that depicts suitable, moderate and inadequate hygiene. Blinded dental examiners also collected dmft/DMFT data in standardised conditions. Data was analysed with Spearman's rho, Kruskall-Wallis, non-parametric tests for trends and Pearson's chi2 tests. RESULTS: 1303 children aged 3-6 years old and 1644 children aged 6-13 years old participated in the study. Clear relationships existed between the combined scoring system and dmft (p < 0.01) and between the scoring system and DMFT (p < 0.01), suggesting that the combined clinical-behavioural scoring system is a reasonably accurate measurement of the relationship between caries experience and oral hygiene in children in the given setting. CONCLUSIONS: The combined clinical-behavioural scoring system is a simple, easy-to-use tool that incorporates clinical and behavioural data commonly found in dental systems. Whether the clinical-behavioural scoring system can be generalised remains to be established.

PMID: 16703959 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[The effect of teeth brushing education on oral health of school children]

Shanghai Kou Qiang Yi Xue. 2005 Dec;14(6):661-3

Authors: Ji PH, Xu QL, Lu Z

PURPOSE: To investigate the state of oral health of children after education of teeth-brushing. METHODS: The experimental group included 145 pupils in school after education of teeth-brushing for two years. The control group included the 147 pupils in school without education of teeth-brushing. The prevalence rate of dental caries, caries average, the gingival index and the oral hygiene index-simplified were examined and statistically analyzed by chi(2) test and student's t test. RESULTS: The indexes of the prevalence rate of dental caries, caries average, GI, OHI-s in the experimental group after teeth brushing education were better than in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The education of teeth-brushing improves the oral health of children significantly.

PMID: 16400502 [PubMed - in process]

The status of oral hygiene in cleft lip, palate patients after surgical correction.

J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2005 Oct-Dec;23(4):183-4

Authors: Pandey SC, Pandey RK

The cleft lip and palate patients usually present a number of problems viz. altered oral anatomy leading to changes in oral physiology diminishing the self-cleansing ability of individual. The handicapped children are unable to maintain their oral hygiene properly. The present study was formulated with the aim that does normalization of oral anatomy have its effect on improvement of oral hygiene? An assessment of oral hygiene index-simplified was performed between preoperative and postoperative values in the same patient at KGMU and KGDU. A total of 50 cases were recorded in two groups of 25 each: (i) 6 years. The observations are statistically analyzed by paired 't' test to get the significance of results. RESULTS: The data analyzed showed the significant decrease in oral hygiene indices observed in both groups. A relative significance in oral hygiene status following surgery was observed. Both groups expressed greater significance when compared pre and postoperatively which is indicative of considerable improvement of oral hygiene after surgical correction. The study concludes that oral hygiene improves more in older cleft lip-palate cases following reconstruction of palatal vault, premaxilla and anterior lip seal by secondary bone grafting method when compared with oral hygiene indices results in primary periosteoplasty cases. The surgical correction of cleft lip palate enhances self-cleaning ability and better compliance to maintain oral hygiene in children as the age advances.

PMID: 16327139 [PubMed - in process]

A subjective comparison of two lingual bracket systems.

Eur J Orthod. 2005 Aug;27(4):420-6

Authors: Stamm T, Hohoff A, Ehmer U

The purpose of this prospective, longitudinal study was to compare the influence of two lingual bracket systems on subjective oral comfort, speech, mastication and oral hygiene. Forty-two native speakers of standard German (32 females, 10 males; mean age 27.1 years, standard deviation 12.2) were enrolled and completed a standardized questionnaire directly before insertion of lingual brackets (T0), within 24 hours of bond-up (T1) and 3 months (+/- 1 week) later (T2). Eighteen of the patients were treated with prefabricated brackets (Ormco, seventh generation) (PB group) and 24 with customized brackets (Incognito) (CB group).While no significant intergroup differences were recorded at any of the times with respect to tongue position, conversation pattern, swallowing or oral hygiene, the CB group experienced significantly fewer tongue space restrictions, speech disturbances and impairments in chewing and biting than the PB group at T1 and T2. At T2, pressure sores, reddening or lesions to the tongue were recorded significantly less often in the CB group than in the PB group.This enhanced patient comfort in the CB group was attributed to the smaller dimensions of the customized brackets. This aspect could play a role in attracting more patients to lingual orthodontics in the future. Information given to the patient on the duration and extent of the restrictions associated with lingual orthodontics must be differentiated according to the bracket system used.

PMID: 16043479 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Oral hygiene of preschool children in Kaunas city and their parents' attitude towards children's oral health]

Medicina (Kaunas). 2005;41(5):427-34

Authors: Vaitkeviciene V, Milciuviene S, Zaborskis A

The aim of the study was to evaluate oral hygiene of the preschool children, their oral hygiene behavior and their parents' attitude towards children's oral health. In the present study 1656 preschool children were examined and 958 parents completed a questionnaire on oral hygiene, parental attitudes to children's oral health. The findings of the study showed that oral hygiene status was not satisfactory even in 43.2% of children (values of Simplified Oral Hygiene Index varied from 1.1 to 6.0). No statistically significant difference was found between boys and girls. According to the parents' answers to the questions about oral hygiene habits it was found that 41.0% of parents brush their teeth irregularly. Fourteen percent of parents brushed their children teeth, only 5.0% of parents started to brush children's teeth when the first tooth erupted, 21.2% took their child to a dentist systematically and 31.7% of children visited the dentist for the first time due dental pain. Nearly a half of parents (44.9%) referred that their children's teeth started to decay at the first year of their lives. However, even 12.0% of parents refused to include their children in preventive program on dental caries.

PMID: 15947527 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[The influence of smoking on oral health]

Medicina (Kaunas). 2005;41(5):418-26

Authors: Kelbauskas E, Kelbauskiene S, Nedzelskiene I

Smoking is a serious risk factor for many diseases. The determining of smoking as a harmful habit among young people is very important. We examined 618 (mean age 21+/-2.9 years) young Lithuanian men. The findings of our research showed that 70% of young men smoked. The analysis of the research findings showed that smoking had a negative effect on oral hygiene. Young men who smoke daily had significantly higher oral hygiene index than those who do not smoke (Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S)=2.9(1.0) and OHI-S=2.2(1.2), respectively; p<0.001). Smoking is especially harmful to the periodontal tissues. The periodontal lesions were more prevalent and severe among young men who smoke. It is confirmed by the fact that smokers had significantly higher Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) than nonsmokers (CPITN=1.5(0.7) and CPITN=1.2(0.8), respectively; p<0.001). Our findings show that smoking increased the possibility of having decayed untreated teeth and this shows young men's careless attitude to their oral health. There was no difference in the prevalence of smoking among men who live in the countryside and those who live in the city. However, the men with poorer education smoked more frequently.

PMID: 15947526 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Correlation study on oral health and electrocardiogram abnormalities.

J Oral Sci. 2004 Dec;46(4):241-6

Authors: Tamaki Y, Nomura Y, Inoue K, Inosita E, Tsurumoto A, Hanada N

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between periodontal conditions and electrocardiogram test results that were obtained to screen for coronary heart disease risk factors. The present study included a total of 578 subjects who underwent annual medical check-ups at the Total Health Care Center in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. To calculate the odds ratios for the electromyography abnormalities, we performed a logistic regression analysis for the oral examination, electrocardiogram, and blood analysis data. The crude odds ratio was obtained by a logistic regression analysis of age, sex, number of missing teeth, number of filled teeth, simplified oral hygiene index, community periodontal index, and blood analysis factors and results indicated there was a statistically significant correlation with the prevalence of electrocardiogram abnormalities. However, electrocardiogram abnormalities have a strong correlation with demographic factors such as sex and age. Therefore the experimental factors representing oral status were reexamined after the odds ratios were adjusted for age and sex. As a result of this adjustment, the new odds ratios that were determined indicated that there were no correlations between the oral factors and the prevalence of electrocardiogram abnormalities.

PMID: 15901069 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Oral lesions in a group of kidney transplant patients.

Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2005 May-Jul;10(3):196-204

Authors: de la Rosa-Garc&#xED;a E, Mondragón-Padilla A, Irigoyen-Camacho ME, Bustamante-Ramírez MA

AIM: To assess the prevalence of oral mucosa lesions (OL) in a group of kidney transplant (KT) patients, and analyze possible OL associations with one another and with drugs use and relevant clinical and laboratory variables. METHODOLOGY: Transversal study, in which consecutive KT patients from the nephrology outpatient service at a General Zonal Hospital were examined. The prevalence of several types of OL was assessed, and their possible statistical associations with one another and total leukocyte count, renal function, the simplified oral hygiene index (S-OHI), cyclosporin-A (CsA) dose and blood levels, and nifedipine use was analyzed. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between gingival hyperplasia (GH) and CsA dose and nifedipine use. RESULTS: Fifty (55.6%) men and forty (44.4%) women were studied. Sixty percent of the patients had at least one OL. Oral candidiasis (OC) was found in 18.7%; 13% had lesions clinically compatible with hairy leukoplakia (CHL). An association was found between OC and CHL (P<0.05). Saburral tongue (ST) was found in 22% of the patients and gingival hyperplasia (GH) in 49%, which was distributed as follows: Grade 1 in 11 (12.2%); Grade 2 in 26 (28.9%), and Grade 3 in 7 (7.8%). Logistic regression results showed an association between GH and poor oral hygiene (P< 0.001), but not to either CsA dose or blood levels, or nifedipine use (P=0.075). CONCLUSION: Sixty percent of the KT patients had at least one OL. The association between GH and poor oral hygiene corroborate the need for oral hygiene practices supervision in the transplant patient.

PMID: 15876960 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Dental caries, oral hygiene, and oral clearance in children with craniofacial disorders.

J Dent Res. 2004 Feb;83(2):175-9

Authors: Ahluwalia M, Brailsford SR, Tarelli E, Gilbert SC, Clark DT, Barnard K, Beighton D

The reason that children with cleft palates tend to have a greater prevalence of tooth decay than normal children is unclear. We hypothesized that children with cleft palates would have increased oral clearance times for foods and, consequently, higher levels of caries and caries-associated micro-organisms than control children. Children aged 6-16 yrs, with (n = 81) or without (n = 61) cleft palates, were studied. Children with cleft palates had DMFT and dmft scores greater (p < 0.01) than those of the control group. The number of caries-associated organisms was greater in the saliva of the cleft palate children (all p < 0.001). The oral hygiene, plaque and gingival index scores were greater (p < 0.0001), oral clearance was longer (p < 0.01), and levels of sucrose and starch-derived saccharides higher (p < 0.01) in the cleft palate group. However, salivary concentrations of organic acids were lower in the children with craniofacial disorders, probably reflecting the altered physiology of the more mature dental biofilm. The longer oral clearance times of foods and the consequent generation of fermentable sugars from starches may contribute to the higher caries prevalence observed in children with cleft palates.

PMID: 14742659 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Increased prevalence of dental caries and poor oral hygiene in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2003 Dec;42(12):1445-51

Authors: Welbury RR, Thomason JM, Fitzgerald JL, Steen IN, Marshall NJ, Foster HE

OBJECTIVES: Recent decades have seen a trend to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with increasing immunosuppression to improve the long-term outcome. Poor oral hygiene and dental decay cause significant morbidity, and patients with chronic disease (who may be further immunocompromised by treatment) are at greater risk. This study investigated patients with JIA using standard measures of oral health. METHODS: One hundred and forty-nine patients with JIA were included. The children were attending a regional paediatric rheumatology service and the adults were attending an adult rheumatology clinic. Random age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited from a dental teaching hospital. The structured dental examination included standard epidemiological indices of oral hygiene (gingival index, plaque index, oral cleanliness index) and dental decay [DMFT (decayed, missing or filled teeth) index]. RESULTS: JIA patients, at all ages, had increased levels of dental decay and poor oral hygiene. This increased level of decay was statistically significant in the patients aged 0-11 yr. Significant levels of untreated caries and increased levels of missing teeth were found in JIA, suggesting that patients with JIA had less restorative dental treatment, with tooth extraction often the chosen option for the treatment of dental decay. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest study of oral health in JIA and is cross-sectional with non-diseased controls. It shows significantly increased levels of poor oral hygiene and dental decay in patients with JIA. The high levels of untreated dental decay suggest barriers to dental care. These results emphasize the role of regular dental care in the multidisciplinary management of JIA.

PMID: 12810923 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Oral health risk assessment timing and establishment of the dental home.

Pediatrics. 2003 May;111(5 Pt 1):1113-6

Authors: Hale KJ,

Early childhood dental caries has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be perhaps the most prevalent infectious disease of our nation's children. Early childhood dental caries occurs in all racial and socioeconomic groups; however, it tends to be more prevalent in low-income children, in whom it occurs in epidemic proportions. Dental caries results from an overgrowth of specific organisms that are a part of normally occurring human flora. Human dental flora is site specific, and an infant is not colonized until the eruption of the primary dentition at approximately 6 to 30 months of age. The most likely source of inoculation of an infant's dental flora is the mother or another intimate care provider, through shared utensils, etc. Decreasing the level of cariogenic organisms in the mother's dental flora at the time of colonization can significantly impact the child's predisposition to caries. To prevent caries in children, high-risk individuals must be identified at an early age (preferably high-risk mothers during prenatal care), and aggressive strategies should be adopted, including anticipatory guidance, behavior modifications (oral hygiene and feeding practices), and establishment of a dental home by 1 year of age for children deemed at risk.

PMID: 12728101 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[The investigation of the condition of oral cavity among the schoolchildren of 5th-6th grade]

Medicina (Kaunas). 2003;39(2):194-9

Authors: Simk&#x16B;niene B, Oliskeviciene B

The data of dental caries prevalence and intensity among schoolchildren of the fifth-sixth grade of six schools in Vilnius were analyzed. It was found that 83% of 908 investigated schoolchildren had carious teeth, 75.9% of them had dental caries in the permanent teeth and 7.1% in the milkteeth (permanent teeth were healthy). The dental caries of permanent teeth was 6.2% more frequent among the girls in comparison with the boys and was 5.8% more frequent among the Lithuanian pupils in comparison with investigated pupils of other nationalities. The prevalence of caries increased with the schoolchildren age and was 20.6% more frequent among 13-year old pupils in comparison with the 11-year old. The intensity of caries increased with the age and was higher among the pupils with bad oral hygiene, which was found in 19.5% of investigated schoolchildren.

PMID: 12626874 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in the oral cavity and gastroduodenal system of a Venezuelan population.

J Med Microbiol. 2002 Sep;51(9):764-70

Authors: Berroteran A, Perrone M, Correnti M, Cavazza ME, Tombazzi C, Goncalvez R, Lecuna V

Dental plaque has been suggested as a reservoir for Helicobacter pylori but the hypothesis that the oral microflora may be a permanent reservoir of H. pylori is still controversial. The aims of this study were to determine the presence of H. pylori DNA in the gastric antrum and dental plaque of a Venezuelan population by PCR and to investigate the relationship between this infection and the oral hygiene index. Thirty-two patients from the Hospital Universitario de Caracas, attending for routine gastroscopy, and 20 asymptomatic subjects (control group) were evaluated. The patients' gingiva and plaque were assessed by the gingival and plaque indices of Sillness and Löe. Supragingival plaque was analysed by a PCR for a specific internal urease gene. Gastric antrum biopsies were taken for histological examination and PCR. H. pylori was detected in antral samples from 24 (75%) of 32 patients, all of whom had chronic gastritis. H. pylori was also detected in dental plaque samples of 12 (37.5%) of the 32 patients. In 7 (58%) of these 12 patients, H. pylori was identified in the gastric biopsy. Seven patients with chronic gastritis carried H. pylori in dental plaque and antral samples. Of these patients, four also had dysplasia and one had metaplasia. Three subjects in the control group were positive by PCR. In the present study there was no correlation between H. pylori infection and dental hygiene, dental caries, periodontal disease or use of dentures. The oral cavity may be a reservoir for H. pylori infection and oral secretions may be an important means of transmission of this micro-organism. H. pylori in dental plaque may represent a risk factor for gastrointestinal re-infection and ulcer relapse after antibiotic therapy.

PMID: 12358067 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Cleansability of and patients' satisfaction with implant-retained overdentures: a retrospective comparison of two attachment methods.

J Am Dent Assoc. 2002 Sep;133(9):1237-42; quiz 1261

Authors: Ambard AJ, Fanchiang JC, Mueninghoff L, Dasanayake AP

BACKGROUND: Two important factors in the use of implant-retained overdentures are cleansability and patients' satisfaction. Limited research has been published concerning the cleansability of these overdentures On the other hand, studies have compared patients' satisfaction with conventional dentures and various designs of implant overdentures. However, no studies have compared overdentures retained by Hader bars (Sterngold, Attleboro, Mass.) and direct ERA attachments (Sterngold) in terms of both cleansability and patients' satisfaction. PURPOSE: The authors' aim was to determine the cleansability of and patients' acceptance of overdentures retained by direct ERA attachments and overdentures supported by a Hader bar with distal ERA attachments and a Hader clip. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of 10 subjects each were evaluated: Group A, consisting of patients with overdentures retained by direct ERA attachments, and Group B, consisting of patients with overdentures retained by Hader bars. The authors evaluated the subjects between 18 and 24 months after the delivery of the overdentures by means of a questionnaire and a clinical examination to score each patient on gingival, plaque and calculus indexes. RESULTS: Group A exhibited better results than Group B on calculus, plaque and gingival indexes, but the difference was not statistically significant. The authors found no significant difference between the two experimental groups in satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: When evaluated in terms of subjects' satisfaction and calculus, plaque and gingival index scores, implant-retained overdentures supported by direct ERA attachments were similar to those supported by a Hader bar. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The two types of overdentures studied are equally satisfactory and easy to clean. Other factors such as biomechanics, patients' preference and previous experience may be more critical when selecting the retention design for an overdenture supported by four implants.

PMID: 12356255 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Oral home care and the reasons for seeking dental care by individuals on renal dialysis.

J Contemp Dent Pract. 2002 May 15;3(2):31-41

Authors: Atassi F

A cross-sectional study of 90 patients on renal dialysis was conducted to assess oral home care practices and the reasons for seeking dental care among these patients. Participants were divided into three groups based on the time they have been on renal dialysis. The groups were: (1) dialysis for less than one year, (2) dialysis for 1 to 3 years, and (3) dialysis for more than 3 years. Information regarding oral home care such as frequency of brushing, oral hygiene aids, and reasons for seeking dental care was obtained through a personal interview with the patients. Their oral health status was assessed using a plaque index and a gingival index. The means of plaque index were 1.716 (S.D 0.64), 2.161 (S.D 0.36), and 2.255 (S.D 0.42) respectively for the groups. The means of gingival index were 1.4278 (S.D 0.67), 1.9667 (S.D 0.38), and 2.0556 (S.D 0.35) for the three groups respectively. Tukey's post hoc test showed significant difference in both the indices between first and second groups and between the first and third groups, no significant difference was found between the second and third groups. The results indicate that oral home care practices were inadequate due to the presence of an unacceptable level of oral hygiene among the patients. Miswak (a wooden, Salvadora persica, chewing stick that is popular in the middle east to mechanically clean the teeth) has been found to be popular among the subjects. The primary purpose of dental clinic visits was for treatment of a dental problem rather than for the prevention of dental disease. There is a need for oral health promotion and especially prevention programs among the patients on renal dialysis.

PMID: 12167906 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Analysis of ordinal dental data: evaluation of conflicting recommendations.

J Dent Res. 2001 Jan;80(1):309-13

Authors: Cohen ME

Although recommendations for the appropriate analysis of non-normal and ordinal-scaled data have appeared in the dental research literature for many years, there is no consensus. When one is conducting statistical tests for differences between groups, the central concern is whether it is safe to use parametric tests (e.g., analysis of variance), or if only non-parametric ranking tests should be considered. Relevant statistical and scientific issues associated with non-normality and measurement scale are reviewed, and three conclusions are reached regarding the analysis of dental data: (1) Parametric tests are sufficiently robust relative to typical violations of normality; (2) presumed statistical prohibitions against the application of parametric methods to ordinal data do not actually exist; and (3) 'ordinal' dental indices have sufficient quantitative meaning to be considered quasi-interval. For these reasons, parametric tests should not be avoided; they will be valid and usually more powerful and more easily applied to complex designs than non-parametric alternatives.

PMID: 11269721 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

An empirical test of the validity of the Oral Health Status Index (OHSI) on a minority population.

J Dent Res. 2000 Dec;79(12):1983-8

Authors: Spolsky VW, Marcus M, Coulter ID, Der-Martirosian C, Atchison KA

Disease varies in different populations based on sociodemographic variables, and there is limited understanding of this interaction. The purpose of this methodological study was to determine the validity of the Oral Health Status Index, a disease-based index, on a Hispanic population by comparing it with the NIDCR epidemiological measures of disease, with the addition of demographic and behavioral variables. The epidemiologic data were collected according to the criteria defined by the NIDCR, including: a modified Decayed Missing Filled Surfaces Index, gingival inflammation, calculus, and destructive periodontal disease measures. The demographic and behavioral variables were gathered from 240 interviews with Hispanic adults in two community clinics. Bivariate analysis was used to determine relationships between the descriptive epidemiologic, demographic, and behavioral variables and the Oral Health Status Index (OHSI). There were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in mean OHSI scores among the demographic variables age, education, income, and place of birth; and the behavioral variables alcohol consumption, flossing, and acculturation. Multiple regression analysis with the OHSI as the dependent variable showed that the statistically significant (p < 0.001) epidemiologic predictors were: percentage of Decayed Teeth/Decayed, Filled Teeth; Number of Replaced Teeth/Missing Teeth; and millimeters of mesial attachment loss. These collectively explained 47.49% of the variance in the regression. The addition of demographic variables to the epidemiologic regression identified age (p < 0.05), gender (p < 0.01), and place of birth (p < 0.01) as significant predictors that explained an additional 4.12% of the variance, collectively bringing the total explained variance to 51.61%. The behavioral variables did not contribute significantly to predicting the OHSI regression score. The Oral Health Status Index in this study is validated by its correlation with both the epidemiologic measures and the demographic variables. This combination of variables separated the Hispanics into Mexicans and Central/South Americans.

PMID: 11201049 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Anticalculus efficacy of an antiseptic mouthrinse containing zinc chloride.

J Am Dent Assoc. 2001 Jan;132(1):94-8

Authors: Charles CH, Cronin MJ, Conforti NJ, Dembling WZ, Petrone DM, McGuire JA

BACKGROUND: The authors undertook a controlled clinical study to determine the efficacy of a tartar-control antiseptic mouthrinse in inhibiting the development of supragingival dental calculus. METHODS: After undergoing a dental prophylaxis, 334 subjects with a moderate rate of calculus formation were stratified and randomly assigned to one of three groups: positive control (using a tartar-control toothpaste and an antiseptic rinse), negative control (using a regular toothpaste and an antiseptic mouthrinse) or experimental (using a regular dentifrice and a tartar-control mouthrinse). Subjects brushed and rinsed twice daily, unsupervised, for four months. The researchers assessed subjects' calculus levels using the Volpe-Manhold Index, or VMI, after 16 weeks. RESULTS: Using analysis of covariance, the authors found that both the experimental group (which used a tartar-control rinse containing zinc chloride) and the positive control group (which used a tartar-control dentifrice containing pyrophosphate) demonstrated statistically significantly lower VMI scores (P = .001) than the negative control group (which used a regular dentifrice and an antiseptic rinse). Both anticalculus agents provided a clinically relevant 21 percent reduction in calculus formation. CONCLUSION: An antiseptic mouthrinse containing 0.09 percent zinc chloride as the anticalculus agent provides a clinically relevant reduction in calculus formation in people with a moderate rate of such formation. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: A tartar-control mouthrinse with zinc chloride as the tartar-control ingredient is clinically effective in reducing the formation of calculus.

PMID: 11194406 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Effect of three months' frequent use of sugar-free chewing gum with and without urea on calculus formation.

J Dent Res. 1998 Aug;77(8):1630-7

Authors: Fure S, Lingstr&#xF6;m P, Birkhed D

Studies on the relationship between gum-chewing and calculus formation have produced contradictory results, and it is not clear whether frequent use of chewing gum promotes or inhibits calculus formation. Also, little is known about whether the addition of a small amount of urea to the chewing gum influences calculus formation. The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of sugar-free chewing gum--with and without urea--on calculus formation and some associated clinical variables. Three three-month periods were studied in a double-blind, crossover design, during which the subjects: (1) chewed 5 pieces/day of a sugar-free, urea-containing chewing gum (20 mg urea/piece); (2) chewed 5 pieces/day of a sugar-free, non-urea-containing gum; or (3) performed no gum-chewing. Twenty-nine persons, all calculus-formers, participated. They were scored for calculus at mesio-lingual, lingual, and disto-lingual sites on the 6 anterior mandibular teeth according to the Volpe-Manhold index. Plaque and gingival bleeding index, stimulated salivary secretion rate and buffer capacity, resting plaque pH, mutans streptococci in saliva and plaque, and lactobacilli in saliva were also determined. No differences in calculus formation were found among the 3 periods. The resting plaque pH was higher after the period with urea-containing gum than after the period with non-urea-containing gum and the no-gum period (p < 0.05). A slight increase in stimulated salivary secretion rate was found after the 2 gum periods (p < 0.05). The plaque and gingival bleeding indices decreased, while resting plaque pH and salivary buffer capacity increased throughout the entire study (p < 0.05). No significant differences in prevalence of the acidogenic micro-organisms were found among the test periods. The main conclusion from this study is that three months' frequent use of sugar-free chewing gum--with or without urea--neither promotes nor inhibits calculus formation.

PMID: 9719037 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Prevalence of dental caries in children in a basic health zone. 5 years later]

Aten Primaria. 1998 May 15;21(8):540-4

Authors: Padilla Benítez FM

OBJECTIVE: To find the state of dental health among the school population five years after the first study, performed in 1991. DESIGN: An epidemiological observation cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary Care. PARTICIPANTS: 820 school-children coming from seven local schools and belonging to first (5-7 years old), fifth (9-12) and eighth (13-16) grade Primary Education in the academic year 1995-1996. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A dentist checked the children, following WHO norms. The prevalence of caries was studied (95.86 at 6 years old). The CAOD Index rose from 1.22 in boys and 1.84 in girls in first grade to 13.94 in boys and 13.81 in girls in eighth grade. The CAOS rose from 1.55 in boys and 2.55 in girls in first grade to 19.98 in boys and 20.15 in girls in the eighth grade. The CEOD fell from 5.19 in boys and 5.69 in girls in first grade to 1.32 in boys and 0.97 in girls in eighth grade. The index of restoration of permanent teeth was 5.50% in boys and 9.85% in girls in the eighth grade. 40.97% of 13 or 14-year olds suffered tooth-ache. 40.32% of eighth-graders brushed their teeth occasionally. CONCLUSIONS: The indices of caries, which were higher than in other areas of Spain, remained the same or even increased slightly five years later, which makes it urgent to take preventive measures in the schools.

PMID: 9670582 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The relationship between irregularity of the incisor teeth, plaque, and gingivitis: a study in a group of schoolchildren aged 11-14 years.

Eur J Orthod. 1998 Feb;20(1):65-72

Authors: Ashley FP, Usiskin LA, Wilson RF, Wagaiyu E

The relationship between irregularity of teeth and periodontal disease was investigated in 201 children aged 11-14 years. The upper and lower incisor teeth were assessed for spacing, labio-lingual displacement, and mesiodistal overlap at each of the six contact areas. Plaque and gingivitis were assessed at six sites on each of the four upper and four lower incisor teeth. There was evidence for a direct relationship between the number of contact areas with tooth displacement combined with overlap and the number of sites with gingival redness (R = 0.25, P < 0.001), bleeding (R = 0.18, P < 0.01), and profuse bleeding (R = 0.25, P < 0.001). There was no evidence for a relationship between labio-lingual displacement alone and gingivitis. One-hundred-and-twenty-eight subjects without tooth displacement combined with incisor overlap had, respectively, 34, 15, and 35 per cent fewer sites with redness (P < 0.01), bleeding (P < 0.05), or profuse bleeding (P < 0.01) than the 73 subjects with overlap. The statistical significance of these differences was unaffected by covariate adjustment to take account of the effect on gingivitis of variation in the number of sites with plaque. There was no evidence of a relationship between incisor overlap and amount of plaque in these subjects. The results indicate that overlapping of incisor teeth is directly related to gingivitis and this relationship cannot be explained simply by an effect on oral hygiene.

PMID: 9558766 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

A comparison of two prophylaxis angles: disposable and autoclavable.

J Am Dent Assoc. 1997 Apr;128(4):444-7

Authors: Dean MC, Barnes DM, Blank LW

In a clinical trial, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of stain, plaque and debris removal, as well as patient and hygienist acceptance, of the disposable prophylaxis angle vs. the autoclavable prophylaxis angle. Thirty patients received a dental prophylaxis by hygienists for up to 45 minutes. A clinician performed blinded pre- and post-prophylaxis evaluations for stain, plaque and debris. A matched pairs t-test determined significant differences (P < .05) between groups. Significantly less stain, plaque and debris remained following use of the disposable vs. the autoclavable angle.

PMID: 9103794 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Relation between smoking and periodontal disease by oral hygiene status in Japanese factory workers.

Appl Human Sci. 1997 Mar;16(2):77-81

Authors: Imaki M, Yoshida Y, Tanada S

The relation between smoking and periodontal disease as classified by the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) code was investigated in 1,611 Japanese male factory workers in Osaka, 20-59 years of age. The Simplified Debris Index (DI-S) according to the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index was employed as an index for the quantity of dental plaque. For the items related to smoking, a self-reporting form on smoking, the number of years of smoking, and the number of cigarettes smoked was distributed prior to the oral examination. Our results indicated the following: in the group with a poor state of oral hygiene, the negative effects of smoking were evident, resulting in unhealthy periodontal tissue. We believe that this result further confirms the contention that the removal of dental plaque is most important as a prophylaxis for periodontal diseases, and public education about this negative consequence of smoking will further strengthen prophylactic measures.

PMID: 9164011 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Assessment of periodontal status with PSR and traditional clinical periodontal examination.

J Am Dent Assoc. 1995 Dec;126(12):1658-65

Authors: Khocht A, Zohn H, Deasy M, Chang KM

The system of peridontal screening and recording was developed by the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Periodontology to simplify early detection of periodontal pathology. The authors evaluated the results of PSR against those of a conventional periodontal examination in 24 subjects, each of whom had a minimum of 18 natural teeth. The results of this study suggest that the PSR examination, while a useful screening tool, could be improved to further enhance its identification of patients with peridontal diseases.

PMID: 7499668 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Are gingival and periodontal conditions related to salivary gland flow rates in healthy individuals?

J Am Dent Assoc. 1995 Nov;126(11):1514-20

Authors: Crow HC, Ship JA

Some have suggested that gingival and periodontal health is related to salivary gland function; however, there are few data to support this hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to determine if correlations existed between major salivary gland flow rates and gingival and periodontal conditions in people of different ages. The results suggest that there is no consistent relationship between major salivary gland flow rates and gingival and periodontal conditions in healthy people.

PMID: 7499648 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Caries prevalence in 6- to 15-year-old French children based on the 1987 and 1991 national surveys.

J Dent Res. 1993 Dec;72(12):1581-7

Authors: Cahen PM, Obry-Musset AM, Grange D, Frank RM

The caries prevalence in a multi-stage probability sample of 18,786 children representative of all French children 6-15 years of age was studied in 1991 and compared with the results of a similar survey made in 1987. A significant decline in dental caries in France became evident. This decline, observed in primary as well as in permanent teeth, was of variable magnitude among the different age groups. At the age of 6, 48.6% of the children were totally caries-free in 1991. At the age of 12, the DMFT and DMFS indices were 2.59 and 4.72, respectively, representing a corresponding decrease of 38% and 37%. In 1991, more caries-affected teeth or surfaces were filled, whereas fewer caries-affected teeth or surfaces were untreated. Females and children living in rural areas had a higher caries prevalence in both surveys. Pit-and-fissure lesions were the predominant caries types. Dental fluorosis was very uncommon; 96.1% of the 18,786 children examined in 1991 were totally free of any such lesions. Average plaque and calculus indices were similar in 1987 and in 1991, but a decrease of 25% was observed in the average gingival indices. Although the relative contributions of various preventive factors leading to this caries reduction are not clear, it should be noted that use of fluoridated salt (250 mg/kg KF) started in January, 1987. The sale of fluoridated dentifrices and the use of fluoride tablets and sugar substitutes increased during the period from 1987 to 1991.

PMID: 8254126 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Dental disease and risk of coronary heart disease and mortality.

BMJ. 1993 Mar 13;306(6879):688-91

Authors: DeStefano F, Anda RF, Kahn HS, Williamson DF, Russell CM

OBJECTIVE--To investigate a reported association between dental disease and risk of coronary heart disease. SETTING--National sample of American adults who participated in a health examination survey in the early 1970s. DESIGN--Prospective cohort study in which participants underwent a standard dental examination at baseline and were followed up to 1987. Proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate relative risks adjusted for several covariates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Incidence of mortality or admission to hospital because of coronary heart disease; total mortality. RESULTS--Among all 9760 subjects included in the analysis those with periodontitis had a 25% increased risk of coronary heart disease relative to those with minimal periodontal disease. Poor oral hygiene, determined by the extent of dental debris and calculus, was also associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease. In men younger than 50 years at baseline periodontal disease was a stronger risk factor for coronary heart disease; men with periodontitis had a relative risk of 1.72. Both periodontal disease and poor oral hygiene showed stronger associations with total mortality than with coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION--Dental disease is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, particularly in young men. Whether this is a causal association is unclear. Dental health may be a more general indicator of personal hygiene and possibly health care practices.

PMID: 8471920 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Prevalence of dental caries in 4- to 5-year-old children partly explained by presence of salivary mutans streptococci.

J Clin Microbiol. 1993 Jan;31(1):66-70

Authors: Granath L, Cleaton-Jones P, Fatti LP, Grossman ES

The correlation between dental caries and the number of oral mutans group streptococci (ms) present has been shown to be weak. The aim of this investigation was to study associations between caries experience (decayed, missing, and filled surfaces [dmfs]) and the number of ms in stimulated saliva, with emphasis on the level of disease and the confounding effect of regular intake of sweets, the presence of salivary lactobacilli, and oral hygiene. In some 2,700 4- to 5-year-old South African children of different ethnic origins, caries was diagnosed on the basis of World Health Organization criteria and saliva samples were analyzed for ms after cultivation on mitis salivarius-bacitracin agar and for lactobacilli by using the Dentocult kit. Oral hygiene was scored on the basis of the Greene and Vermillion simplified debris index, while data on intake of sweets were derived from extensive interviews. Pearson's coefficient of correlation was computed, and multiple regression analysis was performed to correct for confounding factors. The distribution of the children in the eight caries classes was strongly associated with the ms class (P < 0.001), with those in the lower ms classes generally having low dmfs scores and those in the higher ms classes having dmfs scores distributed over the whole range. The r value for the two variables was 0.25 for the total material; this was reduced to 0.18 by correction for confounding factors. The corresponding values for children with caries were 0.21 and 0.17, for those in the 1 to 6 dmfs interval they were 0.07 and 0.03, and for those in the 7 to 81 dmfs interval they were 0.16 and 0.14. The data imply that the explanatory values for ms, those for the lower caries interval not counted, ranged from 6 to 2%. The unexpected results for children with caries might be due to their distribution pattern. It is concluded that there is a need for reevaluation of ms as a risk factor in dental caries.

PMID: 8417035 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The prevalence of root caries in a diabetic population.

J Dent Res. 1991 Jun;70(6):979-83

Authors: Tavares M, Depaola P, Soparkar P, Joshipura K

The objective of this study was to assess the level of root caries in a population of diabetic adults. Diabetics are of special interest because they are alleged to be periodontally compromised and have atypical patterns of refined carbohydrate ingestion. Diabetic subjects were patients of the Joslin Diabetic Center in Boston and had significantly elevated blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels over at least a ten-year period. Eligible subjects had to be between the ages of 45 and 65 and have a minimum of ten teeth and three sites with recession. Data were collected on coronal caries, oral hygiene, gingivitis, pocket depth, recession, and root caries and were compared with data from control subjects from a larger non-diabetic study group. There were 88 diabetics and 185 controls with mean ages of 55.7 and 56.3 years, respectively. The groups were found to be similar with respect to the numbers of buccal surface sites with gingival recession and the numbers of carious root lesions. There was a distinct difference, however, with respect to restored root surfaces: 1.76 mean filled surfaces were observed in the controls, as compared with 0.49 in the diabetics. A Katz Root Caries Index (for which lesions are calculated as a percentage of the numbers of exposed root surfaces) was determined to be 15.2 for the controls and 7.1 for the diabetics. A reasonable inference is that these differences are the result of a restricted ingestion of refined carbohydrates by the diabetic group. This was confirmed by a dietary survey of subsamples from the diabetic and non-diabetic groups.

PMID: 2045579 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Association between dental health and acute myocardial infarction.

BMJ. 1989 Mar 25;298(6676):779-81

Authors: Mattila KJ, Nieminen MS, Valtonen VV, Rasi VP, Kes&#xE4;niemi YA, Syrjälä SL, Jungell PS, Isoluoma M, Hietaniemi K, Jokinen MJ

Known risk factors for coronary heart disease do not explain all of the clinical and epidemiological features of the disease. To examine the role of chronic bacterial infections as risk factors for the disease the association between poor dental health and acute myocardial infarction was investigated in two separate case-control studies of a total of 100 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 102 controls selected from the community at random. Dental health was graded by using two indexes, one of which was assessed blind. Based on these indexes dental health was significantly worse in patients with acute myocardial infarction than in controls. The association remained valid after adjustment for age, social class, smoking, serum lipid concentrations, and the presence of diabetes. Further prospective studies are required in different populations to confirm the association and to elucidate its nature.

PMID: 2496855 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Prevalence of total tooth loss, dental caries, and periodontal disease in Mexican-American adults: results from the southwestern HHANES.

J Dent Res. 1987 Jun;66(6):1183-8

Authors: Ismail AI, Burt BA, Brunelle JA

The Southwestern portion of the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in 1982 and 1983. The survey population was Mexican-Americans residing in five Southwestern states. This report presents data on the prevalence of total tooth loss, dental caries, and periodontal diseases in 3860 Mexican-American adults aged from 18 to 74. Results show that 4.3% of this group was edentulous. Among the dentate, Mexican-Americans had lower overall DMF scores but higher numbers of untreated decayed teeth than did residents of the same region seen in the NHANES I survey in 1971-1974. Caries of the smooth surfaces in both posterior and anterior teeth was more pronounced in the older than in the younger age groups. Mexican-Americans had more gingivitis but fewer periodontal pockets than did the general population in the Western states during NHANES I. The caries pattern in the Mexican-Americans suggests that caries among adults may remain a problem in the future, with the possibility of increased involvement with the aging, although modest, of smooth tooth surfaces.

PMID: 3476591 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

An epidemiological investigation into the relative importance of age and oral hygiene status as determinants of periodontitis.

J Dent Res. 1987 Jan;66(1):13-8

Authors: Abdellatif HM, Burt BA

The objective of this study was to assess the relative effects of age and oral hygiene on the progression of periodontitis by estimating incidence from age-specific prevalence. This study analyzed data from a representative national sample of 14,690 dentate Americans, aged from 15 to 74, seen in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) in 1971-1974. Results showed that the rate of increase in the estimated incidence of periodontitis with age, throughout all age groups, is much higher among subjects with poor oral hygiene than among those with good oral hygiene. Oral hygiene was confirmed as the most important predictor for periodontitis; in all age groups, more than 95% of those examined with good oral hygiene did not have periodontitis. It was concluded that the effect of age on the progression of periodontitis could therefore be considered negligible when good oral hygiene is maintained.

PMID: 3497960 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Oral mucosal lesions among elderly in Israel.

J Dent Res. 1985 May;64(5):831-6

Authors: Fleishman R, Peles DB, Pisanti S

The prevalence of ulcerative or proliferative oral mucosal lesions (OML) is an important parameter in evaluating the oral health of an elderly population. This paper relates the prevalence of OML in an elderly population to possible risk factors and defined high-risk groups. The second objective was to examine whether effective prediction of OML was possible from interview data alone. The elderly population of a Jerusalem neighborhood was surveyed in 1981: 456 elderly were interviewed by trained interviewers, and their oral cavities were examined by an oral epidemiologist. Specific diagnoses were confirmed by an independent senior clinician. Almost 40% of the elderly presented ulcerative or proliferative oral mucosal lesions. The prevalence of these OML was strongly related to the condition and age of dentures. The association between these OML and oral hygiene disappeared after controlling for the condition of the denture. Two variables ascertained by interview--age of denture and self-reported suitability of denture--turned out to be strong predictors of denture condition.

PMID: 3858305 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The good toothbrushing game: a school-based dental hygiene program for increasing the toothbrushing effectiveness of children.

J Appl Behav Anal. 1982;15(1):171-6

Authors: Swain JJ, Allard GB, Holborn SW

There has been a serious lack of experimentally verified, effective dental hygiene programs in the schools. In and of themselves, the instruction-alone programs which comprise children's dental education do not produce proper toothbrushing skills. In the present study, a school-based contingency dental hygiene program designed to increase the effectiveness of children's toothbrushing skills at home was implemented with grade one and two classes. Each class was divided into teams and participated in the "Good Toothbrushing Game." Each day four children fron each team had the cleanliness of their teeth assessed according to the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (Greene & Vermillion, 1964). The team with the lowest mean oral hygiene score was declared the daily winner. Winning teams received stickers and had their names posted. A multiple baseline across classrooms single-subject group design. (Hersen & Barlow, 1976, pp. 228-229) established that the good toothbrushing game greatly increased the effectiveness of children's oral hygiene skills. the treatment terminal levels for the grade one scores was 2.0 as compared to a baseline terminal level of 5.0 and for the grade two's was 2.3 compared to 5.7 at the end of baseline. A 9-mo follow-up indicated that these results were maintained. The data strongly suggest that proper implementation of behavioral principles is essential to the success of oral hygiene programs.

PMID: 7096227 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The relationship between calculus index and protease activity in saliva.

J Dent Res. 1980 Feb;59(2):138

Authors: Watanabe T, Shinmoto M, Toda K, Morishita M, Iwamoto Y

PMID: 6927996 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Design of studies to evaluate plaque control agents.

J Dent Res. 1979 Dec;58(12):2389-95

Authors: Fischman SL

The importance of plaque in the etiology of periodontal diseases is reviewed. A survey is also presented of the various indices for scoring plaque in clinical trials. Variations in the clinical design, type of population studied, and difficulty in scoring gingival plaque are reviewed. A survey is presented of some recent published studies of plaque-inhibiting agents.

PMID: 292687 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The effect of stannous fluoride on plaque scores.

J Dent Res. 1979 Sep;58(9):1850-2

Authors: White ST, Taylor PP

A homogeneous group of 37 patients was chosen. The first six days involved brushing and rinsing with stannous fluoride compounds for the experimental group and placebo compounds for the control group. The next five days involved rinsing only. There was a significant difference in plaque scores during the period of rinsing only.

PMID: 290649 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

An epidemiologic study of the relationship between various states of occlusion and the pathological conditions of dental caries and periodontal disease.

J Dent Res. 1978 Mar;57(3):433-9

Authors: Katz RV

This study explored relationships between dental caries and periodontal disease and either (1) any of 8 existing orthodontic indices or (2) any of 41 individual cephalometric measures. The 486 subjects examined revealed no clinically significant associations between any of the disease measures and either the indices or the cephalometric measurements.

PMID: 277545 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Measuring treatment and scale bias effects by linear regression in the analysis of OHI-S scores.

J Dent Res. 1977 May;56(5):460-4

Authors: Moore BJ

A linear regression model is presented for estimating unbiased treatment effects from OHI-S scores. An example is given to illustrate an analysis and to compare results of an unbiased regression estimator with those based on a biased simple difference estimator.

PMID: 267098 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Oral health of patients with cystic fibrosis and their siblings.

J Dent Res. 1976 Nov-Dec;55(6):991-6

Authors: Jagels AE, Sweeney EA

Caries prevalence, oral hygiene index, submandibular gland hypertrophy, occlusion, dental hypoplasia, and staining of permanent teeth were evaluated in 63 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who were maintained on a regimen of broad-spectrum antibiotics and oral pancreatin, and the findings were compared with those of their near-aged siblings. Gland hypertrophy and dental staining were increased in patients with CF whereas caries was significantly decreased. No other significant differences were found.

PMID: 1069782 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

A comparative evaluation of the Scrub and Bass Methods of toothbrushing with flossing as an adjunct (in fifth and sixth graders).

Am J Public Health. 1976 Nov;66(11):1078-81

Authors: Robinson E

The Scrub and Bass Methods of toothbrushing with flossing as an adjunct were evaluated to determine which is most effective in eliminating or reducing plaque and gingivitis in 5th and 6th grade school children. Three hundred and eleven children were randomly selected and placed in five groups (Scrub, Scrub-Floss, Bass, Bass-Floss, Comparison). Four Method groups went through four weeks of daily supervised toothbrushing with four dental hygienists, while the Comparison group received no supervised instructions. There was a marked effect on oral hygiene and gingival conditions at the end of the experimental period in all four groups with no one method superior to another. Peer group intercommunication probably accounts for the improvement in the comparison group.

PMID: 984277 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Enamel solubility rate measurements in vivo on naval recruits.

J Dent Res. 1976 Sep-Oct;55(5):797-804

Authors: Lamberts BL, Keene HJ, Levin S

Enamel solubility rates were determined in vivo to depths of 1 to 2 mum in the teeth from two samples of naval recruits that had been grouped, respectively, according to DMFT scores and visual indexes of oral hygiene status. No positive correlation between enamel solubility rates and DMFT scores were observed; rather there was a tendency for caries-resistant participants to have a highest apparent enamel solubility rates, even though mean differences among the DMFT groups were not generally significant. Intra-subject measurements on 12 teeth per participant for eight of the recruits showed, on the average, only about one half the variability founl incisors for more than 70 of the recruits. The least variability was found for measurements on paired maxillary central incisors. It was concluded that factors such as tooth morphology and, in particular, tooth-surface films could considerably affect enamel solubility rates measured in vivo.

PMID: 1067294 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Use of community residents as interviewers in a dental health care research project.

Public Health Rep. 1976 Jan-Feb;91(1):77-85

Authors: Frazier PJ, Jenny J

PMID: 815939 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Dentist's ratings and adolescents' perceptions of oral health.

J Dent Res. 1975 Jul-Aug;54(4):836-43

Authors: Brunswick AF, Nikias M

The extent to which adolescents' self-appraisals of dental status agree with the dentist's evaluation is analyzed. The dentist's evaluation was expressed in standard dental status indicators (DMF, OHI-S, Russell Index) and in a rating of overall status as "excellent," "good," "fair," "poor." The relationship between the adolescents' self-reported dental care practices and the dentist's evaluation is also examined.

PMID: 1057567 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Dental health of Louisiana residents based on the ten-state nutrition survey.

Public Health Rep. 1975 Mar-Apr;90(2):173-8

Authors: Morgan PM, Murphy RF, Willis RA, Hubbard DW, Norton JM

The dental health status of 4,006 residents of Louisiana was analyzed, based on data in the 1968-70 Ten-State Nutrition Survey funded by the U.S. Government. These data were based on examinations of census districts in which the average per capita income was in the lowest quartile for the nation. A considerable variation in the prevalence of dental diseases was found among the Louisiana residents according to age. The females examined had a slightly higher DMF (decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth) score, a lower OHI (oral hygiene index) score, and a slightly lower PI (periodontal index) score than did the males. The dental caries attack rate did not vary much by race, but the whites examined had received a much greater amount of dental care than had their black counterparts. The OHI scores of the blacks were higher than those for the whites in both the debris and calculus components. The PI scores were higher for the blacks than for the whites. More white persons than blacks were edentulous; this result, however, tends to confirm the observation of increased dental care in white persons. The percentages of persons with periodontal disease and periodontal pockets were considerably higher among persons with incomes below the poverty level, and a greater percentage of blacks had incomes below that level. The data thus apparently indicate that the major determinants of dental health status in Lousiana are age and level of income; race appears to be the major determinant of the amount of dental care received.

PMID: 236582 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]