Concepts of health and disease and caries prediction: a literature review

Abstract— Biomedical determinants of dental caries have been more extensively investigated than psychosocial factors and their impact on caries prevalence and incidence seems to be greater. However, a majority of these investigations relate to children and adolescents. An implementation of social and psychologic variables may be more relevant regarding dental caries in adults. In addition, a multidisciplinary approach might improve our understanding of dental caries as a multifactorial disease and bridge the gap between a biomedical concept and a more holistic approach to dental health.     

善存片联合健脾理气中药预防肿瘤患者化疗所致口腔溃疡的临床观察

目的观察在全身化疗前应用善存片联合健脾理气中药对肿瘤患者口腔溃疡的预防作用。方法将66例肿瘤患者随机分配为治疗组和对照组，每组33例。在全身静脉化疗前3天开始，治疗组每天口服善存片1片及健脾理气中药1剂，对照组服用维生素B：治疗，两组服药化疗后10天为1个疗程。每周期化疗结束后统计口腔溃疡的发生率，共4周期。结果治疗组口腔溃疡的发生率显著降低（P〈0．01）。结论善存片联合健脾理气中药可有效预防及治疗肿瘤患者化疗所致的口腔溃疡。     

A self-reported survey of Alzheimer's centers in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Directors of nursing at 23 nursing homes with Alzheimer's units in Southwestern Pennsylvania completed a self‐reported survey of 12 questions. Responses from the self‐administered questionnaires (100% response rate) revealed a wide variation in the staff categories assessing the oral health status of newly admitted residents with AD. The respondents described oral examinations that were incomplete when compared to the oral indicators listed in the Minimum Data Set. All nursing homes reported that oral hygiene was provided each day. The number of residents in a facility had a significant effect on the frequency of oral hygiene provided. Only 52% of the facilities reported yearly oral examinations for this population. According to the respondents, dental treatment was typically performed on‐site. The oral health care costs were paid by Medicare, Medicaid, the residents/family members, or by other undescribed resources. Insufficient time, staff, and training, as well as uncooperative behavior, were identified as barriers to optimum oral health care for residents with AD. Additional staff, specialized training, and increased government reimbursement were suggested to improve the oral health care for this group of older adults. For future studies, review of medical records and on‐site evaluation of the oral health care at these facilities should be required to verify the reported practices.     

On the natural course of oral lichen lesions in a Swedish population-based sample

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to assess the natural course of oral lichen lesions (OLL) among unselected, non-consulting individuals. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 327 subjects with OLL, confirmed in 1973-1974 during a population-based survey in two Swedish municipalities, was followed through January 2002 via record linkages with nationwide and essentially complete registers. A sample of 80 drawn from the 194 surviving subjects who still resided in the area in 1993-1995 was invited for interview and oral re-examination. RESULTS: At the end of follow-up, one case of oral cancer was detected, while 0.4 were expected. The overall mortality among subjects with OLL was not significantly different from that in the 15,817 OLL-free subjects who participated in the initial population based survey in 1973-1974. The lesion had disappeared in 14 (39%) of 36 re-examined subjects with white OLLs in 1973-1974, and four (11%) had transformed into red types. In the corresponding group of 19 with red forms initially, five (26%) had become lesion free and four (21%) had switched to white types. Although the cohort size does not permit firm conclusions regarding oral cancer risk, the natural course over up to 30 years appears to be benign in the great majority.     

医用钛合金在三种不同生理电解液中的耐腐蚀行为研究

利用电化学方法研究医用钛合金在0.9%NaCl生理盐水，模拟人工唾液，模拟人工体液中的腐蚀情况，分析腐蚀电位和腐蚀电流密度，扫面电镜观察腐蚀表面形貌，CA-A型接触角测试仪测试钛合金表面被腐蚀后接触角的变化。实验表明：钛合金在三种生理电解液中的腐蚀情况依次是：模拟人工唾液〉模拟人工体液〉0.9%NaCl生理盐水。扫面电镜观察表明，医用钛合金在0.9% NaCl生理盐水腐蚀后，表面出现了许多腐蚀孔，经模拟人体体液腐蚀后，表面变得粗糙不平整，腐蚀孔数目变化不大，钛合金经人工唾液腐蚀后，腐蚀孔数目增多，部分腐蚀孔孔径明显增大。经三种生理电解液腐蚀后，钛合金表面接触角都减小。结论：医用钛合金在人工唾液中的腐蚀最严重，在临床应用中应给予相应的防范措施。     

我军第二次部队人员牙周疾病捷径调查和分析

目的:了解牙周疾病在我军部队人员中的流行情况。方法:采用世界卫生组织1997年版口腔健康调查基本方法和标准器材。结果:共调查1 269人,结果表明,我军现役人员男性牙龈炎患病率为21.12%,牙结石检出率为44.05%,早期牙周病患病率为2.75%,晚期牙周病患病率为0.39%。结论:根据本次调查结果和我军第一次口腔健康的牙周疾病监测,以及外军相关资料比照进行牙周疾病流行病学研究分析表明,我军牙周疾病患病率比较平稳,牙周疾病大部分处于早期阶段。     

The high prognostic value of the histologic grade at the deep invasive front of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Although many histopathologic factors in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue predict the prognosis, the major predictive factors have not been identified clearly. This study analyzed the prognostic value of the histologic grade at the deep invasive front of tongue squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: The clinicopathologic features of 124 consecutive patients seen between January 1985 and December 1999 with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were reviewed. Their mean age was 58.5 years (range: 23-90) and the male-female ratio was 1.8: 1 (79 men and 45 women). There were 41, 40, 30, and 13 cases at stage I to stage IV, respectively. The clinicopathologic factors, especially the histologic grade at the deep invasive front (invasive front grade, IFG), were analyzed to determine factors predicting prognosis. RESULTS: The 5-year disease-free survival rate of the patients treated with curative aim only was 66.7%. Clinicopathologic factors significantly associated with the prognosis were T classification, tumor size, stage classification, tumor depth, macroscopic appearance, cervical lymph node metastasis (nodal metastasis), microvascular invasion, and IFG. In a multivariate analysis, patients with tumor depth >/=4 mm, IFG >/=8 points, and nodal metastasis had a reduced disease-free survival and IFG >/=11 points had a predictive value for nodal metastasis (odds ratio: 7.34; P = 0.0019). CONCLUSION: This study found that a high IFG malignancy score had a high prognostic value for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.     

In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of Whole and Half Tablets of Sustained-Release Adinazolam Mesylate

The mechanism of release from sustained-release adinazolam mesylate tablets was assessed by the Higuchi equation and by analysis of drug release profiles through 60% released using the Peppas equation. Computed values of the diffusional exponent, n, ranged from 0.59 to 0.66. Values of n in this range are consistent with a mixed mechanism of release, with diffusion of drug through the hydrated polymer matrix and relaxation of this matrix being the principal processes controlling release. The rate of in vitro drug release was increased for half tablets relative to whole tablets and is attributed to an increase in the surface to volume ratio of half tablets of about 16%. This increase in surface-to-volume ratio of half tablets was reflected by an increase in the constant, k, from the Peppas equation of 20–23% and by an increase in the slope of Higuchi plots of 12–18% for four lots of tablets. In vivo/in vitro relationships from two bioavailability studies were thoroughly evaluated. Using either a linear or a quadratic relationship, an in vivo/in vitro correlation exists for sustained-release adinazolam mesylate tablets.