Accuracy of dental hygienists in diagnosing dental decay

Abstract During recent decades, the duties and care rendered by Swedish dental hygienists have continuously expanded, and since 1991 they are licensed to practice dental hygiene independently. The aim of the present study was to investigate the accuracy of dental hygienists in examining and recording dental caries in comparison with dentists performing identical examinations. The study included two parts: A) Registration of carious lesions from radiographs of 100 extracted teeth, where the correct diagnosis could be verified, and B) clinical examination and registration of carious lesions in 213 patients. No statistically significant differences could be found between the dental hygienists” and their control dentists' accuracy to diagnose and record dental decay, with the exception of the number of initial lesions (white spot lesions) registered clinically, where the dental hygienists recorded more buccal and lingual lesions. Irrespective of the group of examiners (dental hygienists or dentists), however, the inter-examiner variation was wide. The variation decreased with the size of the lesion and increased with the age of the patient. This study suggests that no patient with a restorative treatment need would have been neglected if the dental hygienists had performed the examination, and, possibly, a more accurate non-restorative treatment need would have been addressed.     

Pulpal response to dental amalgams

Abstract – The pulpal reactions to amalgams with relatively high Cu content were compared with a conventional amalgam placed in unlined cavities prepared in intact monkey teeth. After a 1-week observation period the pulpal responses from one of the Cucontaining amalgams and the conventional amalgam were of the same magnitude, whereas the two other amalgams gave more pronounced reactions. After observation periods of 1 and 2 months only one o( the amalgams with high Cu content caused more pronounced reactions than the conventional amalgam.     

Dimensionality of dental anxiety measurements

A survey among 620, 30-40-yr-olds, was carried out in order to measure dental anxiety with Corah's DAS, Weiner's AALC, and some other questions on anxiety, among which was the duration of psychophysiologic responses prior to a dental appointment. The data were analyzed with a Non Metric Components analysis. The DAS turned out to be unidimensional. The AALC on the other hand appeared to contain four components. A second stage analysis comprising the DAS component, the four AALC components, and the remaining variables revealed a two-dimensional structure, of which only the first component is dentistry related. This component showed better differentiation of the respondents than with DAS or AALC alone. Part of AALC's questions and a question about anxiety in daily life proved to be superfluous for measuring dental anxiety. It is concluded that dental anxiety and anxiety in general have to be measured with questions covering different aspects.     

Dental attendance and dental status

This article examines the relationship between differences in dental attendance patterns and variations in dental status. A sample of 336 dentate men and 110 dentate women were selected at random from employees of two industrial plants in N.W. England in 1980. They were given a dental examination and asked about visits to the dentist. Regression analysis showed that while the more frequent the dental visits, the lower the rate of tooth loss and the fewer the number of teeth with active decay, the higher, however, the average number of fillings. There were significant differences, moreover, between manual and non-manual workers, the former being more likely to lose their teeth and the latter to have their teeth filled, at each given age and frequency of dental visit. Though the more frequent dental attenders had the advantage over the less frequent of having, on average, a higher number of functioning teeth, restored or otherwise sound, they also had the disadvantage of having higher levels of treated disease and thus of disease experience. The results suggest that while frequent dental visits help to postpone tooth loss and to maintain dental function, they do not apparently help to prevent the onset of further disease.     

Answers from dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants to questions asked by patients concerning preventive dental matters

142 dentists, 21 dental hygienists and 35 dental assistants were asked lo fill in a questionnaire which consisted of 40 questions about preventive dental matters regularly asked by Dutch dental patients. The 40 questions were submitted to experts in the field of preventive dentistry. The experts were in agreement on 26 questions. It was decided to use these questions for analysis. The average percentage of correctly answered questions was: for the dentists 53%, for the dental hygienists 58% and for the dental assistants 37%. The group of 142 dentists was further analyzed. It appears that the knowledge about preventive dental matters increases subsequently with each year of gradual ion. Analysis of the dentists who graduated from Dutch dental schools in their capacity as private practitioner, as faculty member or in the school dental service, revealed that there was no difference in knowledge between these groups. With some reservations the conclusion can be stated that an obvious necessity exists for post-academic courses in preventive dentistry in the groups concerned. Greater uniformity is needed between the views of the experts and the dental professionals who treat patients daily.     

Effect on dental caries of a dental public health program for Danish schoolchildren

ABSTRACT The effect of a dental public health program comprising schoolchildren under the Danish Act on Child Dental Health has been evaluated after 5 years of operation. The program comprised complete restorative care for all children from kindergarten through the 9th grade (16 years of age), but only children attending kindergarten through third grade (10 years) are included in the present study. Each grade comprised approximately 50 children. A number of preventive procedures such as topical fluoride application, oral hygiene instruction and various other educational procedures have been used. The treatment services resulted in almost complete elimination of the “D” component and the “M” component in the DMFS index. The preventive services resulted in marked reductions in the total DMFS index, and almost complete elimination of new carious lesions after enrollment in the program. The non-experimental nature of the study makes it impossible to determine the effect of each one of the preventive procedures used in the program.     

A survey of undergraduate education in dental implantology in UK dental schools

The aim of this study was to ascertain knowledge on current teaching of implant dentistry in the undergraduate curriculum of Dental Schools in the UK. Information on the teaching modalities, including year of introduction of implant dentistry into undergraduate curriculum, departments involved in teaching, format of teaching, use of adjunctive teaching aids, and types of implant systems used in undergraduate teaching was collected by means of a questionnaire, which was sent to all undergraduate dental schools in the UK. Based on a 100% response rate, the findings indicate that all dental schools in the UK reported that they included dental implantology in their undergraduate curriculum; however there were marked variations in the content and delivery of the teaching.     

泰国牙科教学模式对我国口腔医学教学改革的启示——以玛希隆大学为个案

泰国现行的口腔医学教育体系是以学生为中心学习的教学方法学,实施双语教学,核心课程英文授课,要求书写英文病历。大学开始培养学生的科研思维,本科生参与多项科研活动。临床实践培养长期化,三年级开始进行临床实验室学习,从四年级到六年级进行临床实习,临床实践从易到难逐步过度。临床教学的同时培养学生的社会责任感,通过流动牙科服务等形式,召集大学生用所学知识回报社会。     

Effect of a special dental program upon extreme dental anxiety

Abstract Dental anxiety of 60 extremely anxious dental patients enrolled in a special program, was measured multioperationally before and immediately after treatment, and 6 months later. The mean anxiety level was substantially lowered during the course of treatment, indicating a favourable effect of the program. After Amsterdam, The Netherlands 6 months dental anxiety was still at the lower level.     

Psychologic correlates of dental anxiety

In an attempt to establish the relationships between dental anxiety and personality traits, such as neuroticism and locus of control, a survey has been carried out among 30-40-yr-olds in a Dutch town. In the first instance, the questionnaires comprising the psychologic items were treated by Non-Metric Principal Components analysis to detect the underlying structure. The principal components found were then used in a second-stage analysis. The results appear to be at variance with the literature, i.e. subgroups discernible in the sample by sets of psychologic features were not associated with dental anxiety categories.     

Results of a dental fear survey in Japan: implications for dental public health in Asia

The purpose of this investigation was to initiate the study of dental fear in Japan. 415 college students, aged 18-22 yr were surveyed. A standardized questionnaire which has been used in the United States was translated into Japanese and was administered to the students. More than 80% of those surveyed reported some dental fear. Six to 14% of the students reported extreme fear of the dentist. The majority of the subjects admitted that they delayed making dental appointments due to fear. Muscle tension was the most common physiological symptom reported. The dental drill and needle were the most fear-provoking stimuli.     

Spanish dental hygienist attitudes to dental radiological protection: assessment of a 1-day pilot course

Abstract: Objectives: To determine hygienists’ knowledge of and attitudes to X‐ray equipment and film processing, and to assess both after a 1‐day course. Study population: One‐hundred and four dental hygienists from the south‐east of Spain attending a 1‐day course in oral radiology. Methodology: A questionnaire comprising different sections related with socio‐demographic items, X‐ray equipment and the processing of dental films was answered before and after a 1‐day pilot course on radiation protection. Results: The response rate was 89.42% (n = 93). Of the participants 94.6% were women, with a mean age of 29.52 (SD 6.861) and 7.20 years of professional experience (SD 5.089). The level of knowledge before the course was 48.28%, which increased to 85.62% after the course (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The prescribed standard was reached by <23.65% of those attending the course at the beginning. Although attending the course led to a considerable improvement, it did not always result in a high level of knowledge of basic radiation equipment and processing.     

Diagnosing dental caries in populations with different levels of dental fluorosis

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the Nyvad visual–tactile caries-diagnostic criteria when used among children who have been lifelong residents in areas with 'optimal' or low concentrations of fluoride in the drinking water. In each of two areas with drinking water fluoride concentrations of 0.3 and 1.1 ppm (0.3 and 1.1 mg/l) fluoride, respectively, 150 children were clinically examined twice, 2 wk apart, for dental fluorosis, using the Thylstrup-Fejerskov index (TF index), and for dental caries using the Nyvad visual–tactile caries criteria. The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 45% in the 1.1 ppm fluoride area and 21% in the 0.3 ppm fluoride area. When the results of the duplicate caries recordings were compared at the surface level, only minute differences were observed in the percentage agreement (91.7 and 90.7%, respectively) and in the kappa values (0.73 and 0.72, respectively). When individual DFS counts were compared across examinations using Bland–Altman plots and estimation of prediction intervals for the differences, we observed a greater variability of the differences between recordings among children from the low-fluoride area. Contrary to our expectations, a pronounced dental fluorosis background did not reduce the reliability of the caries recordings, which appeared to be slightly less reliable at very low levels of dental fluorosis.     

Galvanic series of some dental alloys

abstract – Galvanic series for different metals in different electrolytes have been published, but never for dental alloys in artificial saline solution. The material classes studied are amalgam, gold alloy, nickel alloy, chromium cobalt casting alloy and temporary crown form. The electrogalvanic potentials were measured and determined in reference to a hydrogen electrode (H₂/H⁺) arbitrarily defined as zero. A galvanic series of the tested materials was arranged in order of their potentials.     

The relationship between dental anxiety and dental decay experience in antenatal mothers

Esa R, Savithri V, Humphris G, Freeman R. The relationship between dental anxiety and dental decay experience in antenatal mothers. Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 59–65 . © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Eur J Oral Sci
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dental anxiety and dental decay experience among antenatal mothers attending Maternal and Child Health clinics in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a consecutive sample of 407 antenatal mothers in Seremban, Malaysia. The questionnaire consisted of participants' demographic profile and the Dental Fear Survey. The D_3cvMFS was employed as the outcome measure and was assessed by a single examiner (intraclass correlation = 0.98). A structural equation model was designed to inspect the relationship between dental anxiety and dental decay experience. The mean Dental Fear Survey score for all participants was 35.1 [95% confidence interval (34.0, 36.3)]. The mean D_3cvMFS score was 10.8 [95% confidence interval (9.5, 12.1)]. Participants from low socio-economic status groups had significantly higher D_3cvMFS counts than those from high socio-economic status groups. The path model with dental anxiety and socio-economic status as predictors of D_3cvMFS showed satisfactory fit. The correlation between dental anxiety and dental decay experience was 0.30 (standardized estimate), indicating a positive association. Socio-economic status was also statistically significantly associated with the D_3cvMFS count (β = 0.19). This study presented robust evidence for the significant relationship between dental anxiety and dental decay experience in antenatal mothers.