Color coding periodontal instruments.

Scaling and root planing are probably the most important procedures in periodontal therapy, yet periodontal instrument identification requires visual refocusing from a patient to the tip of an instrument, an inefficient activity in terms of time and ergonomics. For instructors teaching periodontal instrumentation, identifying whether a student is using a correct instrument requires that the instrument be removed from a patient's mouth for inspection. This technique report shows how color coding instruments can simplify the instrument-identification process.

The odontology victim identification skill assessment system.

Mass fatality identification efforts involving forensic odontology can involve hundreds of dental volunteers. A literature review was conducted and forensic odontologists and dental educators consulted to identify lessons learned from past mass fatality identification efforts. As a result, the authors propose a skill assessment system, the Odontology Victim Identification Skill Assessment System (OVID-SAS), which details qualifications required to participate on the Antemortem, Postmortem, Ante/Postmortem Comparison, Field, and Shift Leader/Initial Response Teams.

Sensory responses from loading of implants: a pilot study.

Purpose: Osseointegrated implants lack a periodontal ligament. Nevertheless, masticatory function in subjects with implant-supported restorations appears similar to function in those with natural dentition. It is not clear how the neurophysiologic mechanisms that modulate jaw movement are associated with osseointegrated implants.

Special Olympics, special smiles: assessing the feasibility of epidemiologic data collection.

No comprehensive national study has ever been completed on the oral health status of people with disabilities, their patterns of use of oral health services and access-to-care barriers. The authors describe the Special Olympics, Special Smiles program, conducted as part of the New Jersey Summer Special Olympics Games, and assess a pilot-tested model for collecting epidemiologic data. The results of this initial data collection are also compared with the goals of the U.

Urinary mercury levels before and after amalgam restoration.

Urinary mercury levels and excretion rates were measured to determine the effect of dental amalgam restoration on the mercury body burden. No consistent increase in urinary mercury concentrations was found among subjects who had a single restoration, but a continuously increasing statistically significant (P < 0.05) trend, that was 33% above background levels, was detected between 9 and 12 days after restoration, in the subject with four restorations in a single day.