Healthy Drinks, Healthy Teeth - Ciunerkaq Tanqigtuq (The Future is Bright): A study protocol for a community-based, non-randomized sociobehavioral trial to reduce added sugar intake in Alaska Native Yup'ik children in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Background: This study protocol describes a community-based intervention that will seek to reduce added sugar intake in Yup'ik Alaska Native children by targeting reductions in sugar-sweetened fruit drinks.

Methods: A two-group non-randomized design will be used to evaluate the intervention in three Yup'ik communities in Alaska focusing on children age 1 to less than age 12 years with a minimum enrollment target of 192 children. Families in the intervention arm will participate in a program consisting of five sessions plus four brief check-ins, all delivered by a Yup'ik Community Health Worker.

TAS2R38 polymorphisms and oral diseases in Thais: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Polymorphisms at positions 49, 262, and 296 in the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene result in two common genetic haplotypes, PAV and AVI, named for the resulting amino acid substitutions. TAS2R38 genotype has been previously associated with caries risk in children. This study aimed to identify TAS2R38 polymorphisms among Thais and to explore any association between genotype and oral diseases.

Promoting a Safe Environment in Our Cities: Towards a Theoretical Model of "Moral Deficit" for Appropriate Psychopathic Therapy.

The increasing reported incidents of knife crime in cities and the release on parole of "rehabilitated" violent criminals are creating an unsafe urban environment. Such occurrences suggest that measures taken to address psychopathic-oriented behaviour may have been ineffective because the individual's degree of "moral deficit" is not fully accounted for in the application of specific therapies. This study developed a theoretical model of "moral deficit" that is aligned with the appropriateness of therapy, ranging from the extreme "classical approach" of total confinement justified by a belief in the incurability of psychopaths to the modern therapy that aims to reintegrate the psychopath with society using "moralizing therapy".

Alaska Native Children Do Not Prefer Sugar-Sweetened Fruit Drinks to Sugar-Free Fruit Drinks.

Background: Alaska Native children, including children of Yup'ik descent, consume large volumes of sugar-sweetened fruit drinks, which contain added sugars that contribute to obesity, diabetes, and dental caries. To date, taste preference evaluations have not been conducted on commercially available sugar-free fruit drinks.

Objective: The study tested the hypothesis that children would have equal preference for sugar-free and sugar-sweetened fruit drinks.

Validation of a Two-Item Food Security Screening Tool in a Dental Setting.

The United States is typically viewed as a wealthy country, yet not all households have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. The purpose of this study was to validate a two-item written food security screen that health providers may use to identify food insecurity in their patient populations. Data were obtained from 150 parents or guardians who brought a child to a dental appointment at The Center for Pediatric Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

Chemosensory changes and quality of life in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose: To assess magnitude and characteristics of changes in chemosensory function and quality of life (QOL) for patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods: Patients (aged 18 years and above) scheduled to undergo HSCT at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance were tested for chemosensory function at three time points: pre-transplant (baseline), 30 ± 5 days (day 30), and 80 ± 5 days (day 80) post-HSCT. Gustatory function was assessed following procedures developed at the Monell-Jefferson Taste and Smell Clinic.

A case-control evaluation of fungiform papillae density in burning mouth syndrome.

Hypothesis: It has been hypothesized that high fungiform papillae density may be a risk factor for developing the taste and pain alterations characteristic of burning mouth syndrome.

Objective: Evaluate whether fungiform papillae density, taste sensitivity, and mechanical pain sensitivity differ between burning mouth syndrome cases and controls.

Study Design: This case-control study compared cases diagnosed with primary burning mouth syndrome with pain-free controls.

Genotype-specific regulation of oral innate immunity by T2R38 taste receptor.

The bitter taste receptor T2R38 has been shown to regulate mucosal innate immune responses in the upper airway epithelium. Furthermore, SNPs in T2R38 influence the sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and are associated with caries risk/protection. However, no study has been reported on the role of T2R38 in the innate immune responses to oral bacteria.

Socioeconomic status, food security, and dental caries in US children: mediation analyses of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2008.

Objectives: We examined associations of household socioeconomic status (SES) and food security with children's oral health outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed 2007 and 2008 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data for children aged 5 to 17 years (n = 2206) to examine the relationship between food security and untreated dental caries and to assess whether food security mediates the SES-caries relationship.

Results: About 20.

The bad taste of medicines: overview of basic research on bitter taste.

Background: Many active pharmaceutical ingredients taste bitter and thus are aversive to children as well as many adults. Encapsulation of the medicine in pill or tablet form, an effective method for adults to avoid the unpleasant taste, is problematic for children. Many children cannot or will not swallow solid dose forms.

Validation of edible taste strips for assessing PROP taste perception.

A novel delivery method is described that incorporates taste stimuli into edible strips for determining n-propylthiouracil (PROP) taster status. Edible strips that contained 400 or 600 nanomoles of PROP were prepared for psychophysical studies. Using these strips, we measured taste intensity, taste hedonics, and taste quality responses in a sample of healthy volunteers (n = 118).

Computerized dental injection fear treatment: a randomized clinical trial.

One in four adults reports a clinically significant fear of dental injections, leading many to avoid dental care. While systematic desensitization is the most common therapeutic method for treating specific phobias such as fear of dental injections, lack of access to trained therapists, as well as dentists' lack of training and time in providing such a therapy, means that most fearful individuals are not able to receive the therapy needed to be able to receive necessary dental treatment. Computer Assisted Relaxation Learning (CARL) is a self-paced computerized treatment based on systematic desensitization for dental injection fear.

Gustation assessment using the NIH Toolbox.

The NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox) is a set of brief measures for the assessment of cognitive function, emotional health, motor function, and sensory function for use in clinical trials and in epidemiologic and longitudinal studies. Gustatory perception is assessed as 1 of 6 areas of sensory function. A team of 11 scientists with expertise in taste perception selected 2 gustatory measures, 1 of which can be used in young pediatric populations.

A community-based randomized trial of postcard mailings to increase dental utilization among low-income children.

Purpose: Increasing awareness about the importance of preventive dental care among low-income families has been considered to be key to overcoming nonfinancial access to care barriers for children. The purpose of this randomized, controlled trial was to measure the impact of postcard mailings on dental utilization by low-income children through a dental society program designed to increase access to dental care.

Methods: Five thousand eight hundred and seven low-income 2- to 4-year-olds were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (1) Group 1 (n=2,014) received postcards containing information on how to enroll in the Yakima County Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program; (2) Group 2 (n=2,014) received the enrollment information as well as additional information on the availability of fluoride varnish and the need to visit the dentist by the age of 1-year-old; and (3) Group 3 (n=1,779) did not receive postcards.

Development of labeled magnitude scales for the assessment of pain of dentin hypersensitivity.

Aims: To develop and test labeled magnitude (LM) scales that are sensitive to variations in pain associated with dentin hypersensitivity (DH).

Methods: Qualitative methods were used first to obtain words that describe the pain of DH. Magnitude estimation was then used to determine the position of these descriptive terms by relative magnitude along four vertical LM scales.

Validation of edible taste strips for identifying PROP taste recognition thresholds.

Objectives/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to validate the use of edible taste strips for measuring taste recognition thresholds for the bitter-tasting compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP).

Study Design: Taste recognition thresholds for PROP were obtained by two separate methods. Thresholds were also identified in subjects whose airflow through the nose was blocked.

Additional psychometric data for the Spanish Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, and psychometric data for a Spanish version of the Revised Dental Beliefs Survey.

Background: Hispanics comprise the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. Previous work with the Spanish Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) yielded good validity, but lower test-retest reliability. We report the performance of the Spanish MDAS in a new sample, as well as the performance of the Spanish Revised Dental Beliefs Survey (R-DBS).

The contribution of dietary factors to dental caries and disparities in caries.

Frequent consumption of simple carbohydrates, primarily in the form of dietary sugars, is significantly associated with increased dental caries risk. Malnutrition (undernutrition or overnutrition) in children is often a consequence of inappropriate infant and childhood feeding practices and dietary behaviors associated with limited access to fresh, nutrient dense foods, substituting instead high-energy, low-cost, nutrient-poor sugary and fatty foods. Lack of availability of quality food stores in rural and poor neighborhoods, food insecurity, and changing dietary beliefs resulting from acculturation, including changes in traditional ethnic eating behaviors, can further deter healthful eating and increase risk for early childhood caries and obesity.

A marker of growth differs between adolescents with high vs. low sugar preference.

Sweet preference is higher in childhood than adulthood but the mechanism for this developmental shift is not known. The objective of this study was to assess perceptual, physiological and eating habit differences between children preferring solutions high in sugar (high preference) and children preferring solutions low in sugar (low preference). We tested 143 children (11- to 15-years old) using sip and spit methodology to assess their hedonic profile, detection threshold, and perceived intensity of sucrose.

Psychometric properties of Spanish-language adult dental fear measures.

Background: It would be useful to have psychometrically-sound measures of dental fear for Hispanics, who comprise the largest ethnic minority in the United States. We report on the psychometric properties of Spanish-language versions of two common adult measures of dental fear (Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, MDAS; Dental Fear Survey, DFS), as well as a measure of fear of dental injections (Needle Survey, NS).

Methods: Spanish versions of the measures were administered to 213 adults attending Hispanic cultural festivals, 31 students (who took the questionnaire twice, for test-retest reliability), and 100 patients at a dental clinic.

Using memory restructuring strategy to enhance dental behaviour.

Aims: This study sought to 'restructure' memory of dental treatment to help children develop positive memories and cooperate more fully with the dentist at future visits.

Design: The design compared 'usual care' plus an intervention designed to positively restructure memory with 'usual care' plus a control for 45 children, ages 6-9 years, who were in need of two restorative treatment visits. The intervention occurred at the second visit immediately before the dental treatment and focused on restructuring the child's memory of the first treatment visit.

Development and validation of the Spanish Interval Scale of Anxiety Response (ISAR).

As increasing attention is paid to disparities in oral health care, cross-cultural means for assessing dental fear, a significant barrier to dental care, are in high demand. There is, however, a surprising shortage of Spanish-language dental fear measures in the literature, despite evidence of dental fear and avoidance in Spanish-speaking populations. The goals of the current series of studies were to develop and validate a Spanish-language version of the Interval Scale of Anxiety Response (ISAR).

Combining alprazolam with systematic desensitization therapy for dental injection phobia.

To determine whether a benzodiazepine facilitates systematic desensitization, 144 subjects with dental injection phobia received systematic desensitization in combination with placebo or one of two doses of alprazolam (0.5mg or 0.75mg).

The effectiveness and estimated costs of the access to baby and child dentistry program in Washington State.

Objectives: The authors estimated the effectiveness of the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program as a tool to improve the oral health of children, and they measured its costs. ABCD is an effort to increase the utilization of dental care by Medicaid-enrolled children younger than 6 years.

Methods: The authors compared the oral health of third-grade children in Spokane County Wash.

Children's acceptance of milk with xylitol or sorbitol for dental caries prevention.

Background: Xylitol, a polyol sugar, has been shown to reduce dental caries when mixed with food or chewing gum. This study examines the taste acceptability of xylitol in milk as a first step toward measuring the effectiveness of xylitol in milk for the reduction of dental caries in a public health program.

Methods: Three different types of milk (Ultra High Temperature (UHT), powder and evaporated) were tested for acceptability by 75 Peruvian children (25 per milk group, ages 4 to 7 years).