Objective: A controversy exists concerning the relationship, if any, between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the anatomical position of the anterior teeth. Specifically, there has been speculation that extraction orthodontics and retraction of the anterior teeth contributes to OSA by crowding the tongue and decreasing airway space. This retrospective study utilized electronic medical and dental health records to examine the association between missing premolars and OSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcademic dentistry, as a career track, is not attracting sufficient numbers of new recruits to maintain a corps of skilled dental educators. The Faculty Development Program (FDP) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School received federal funds to institute a 7-component program to enhance faculty recruitment and retention and provide training in skills associated with success in academics including:(1) a Teaching Excellence and Academic Skills (TExAS)Fellowship, (2) training in research methodology,evidence-based practice research, and information management, (3) an annual dental hygiene faculty development workshop for dental hygiene faculty, (4) a Teaching Honors Program and Academic Dental Careers Fellowship to cultivate students' interest in educational careers, (5) an Interprofessional Primary Care Rotation,(6) advanced education support toward a master's degree in public health, and (7) a key focus of the entire FDP, an annual Career Transition Workshop to facilitate movement from the practice arena to the educational arm of the profession.The Career Transition Workshop is a cap stone for the FDP; its goal is to build a bridge from practice to academic environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn academic detailing program involving dental students as the academic detailers was conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School in 2008 and 2009. Students were trained to visit general dentists and present critically appraised topic (CAT) documents in a face-to-face intervention. Thirty-eight students visited 143 general dentists during summer vacation breaks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe overarching goal of the Evidence-Based Practice Program at San Antonio is to provide our graduates with life-long learning skills that will enable them to keep up-to-date and equip them with the best possible patient care skills during their 30-40 years of practice. Students are taught to (1) ask focused clinical questions, (2) search the biomedical research literature (PubMed) for the most recent and highest level of evidence, (3) critically evaluate the evidence, and (4) make clinical judgments about the applicability of the evidence for their patients. Students must demonstrate competency with these "just-in-time" learning skills through writing concise one-page Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) on focused clinical questions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article reports the validation of an assessment instrument designed to measure the outcomes of training in evidence-based practice (EBP) in the context of dentistry. Four EBP dimensions are measured by this instrument: 1) understanding of EBP concepts, 2) attitudes about EBP, 3) evidence-accessing methods, and 4) confidence in critical appraisal. The instrument-the Knowledge, Attitudes, Access, and Confidence Evaluation (KACE)-has four scales, with a total of thirty-five items: EBP knowledge (ten items), EBP attitudes (ten), accessing evidence (nine), and confidence (six).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is evidence from medicine that schools and practitioners are slow to adopt new and proven effective treatments while marketing efforts lead practitioners to too quickly adopt unproven modalities. To address these problems, the dental school at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, has developed a program designed to teach students, faculty, and practitioners the skills of accessing the literature as an intrinsic part of treatment. The Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) program is described and evidence is presented showing that participants can be taught to prepare high-quality summaries of the literature pertinent to clinical problems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe use a regional-scale, three-dimensional atmospheric model to evaluate U.S. air quality effects that would result from replacing HFC-134a in automobile air conditioners in the U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop
August 2009
Introduction: Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. We examined patients undergoing orthognathic surgical correction for Class II skeletal malocclusions and assessed outcomes in relation to body mass index.
Methods: The patients (n = 78) were divided into 3 groups (obese, overweight, and normal or thin) based on body mass index score.
Introduction: Our objectives were to determine whether observer and patient sex and race or ethnicity determine esthetic preferences for lip positions.
Methods: Four independent panels each consisting of 30 lay judges viewed pretreatment silhouette profiles of 10 European American, 10 Japanese, and 10 African American Angle Class I and Class II orthodontic patients. The panels included European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Japanese, and Africans.
Introduction: The possible effects of orthognathic surgery on signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) are still controversial. We prospectively investigated the association between the amount of advancement and rotation of the mandible during bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and the development of TMD signs and symptoms.
Methods: Class II patients (n = 127) received mandibular advancement with BSSO.
Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop
December 2007
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare bond-failure prevalences, numbers of appointments, and treatment times between direct and indirect bracket bonding for patients treated in private orthodontic practices.
Methods: A convenience sample was collected from 11 orthodontic offices; 5 orthodontists (772 patients) used a direct bonding technique, and 6 (596 patients) used an indirect technique. Altogether, they examined 29,963 brackets in 1,368 patients.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod
August 2007
Objectives: We investigated predictors of long- and short-term stability of surgical mandibular advancements with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO).
Study Design: Class II patients (n = 127) received mandibular advancement through BSSO with either rigid internal fixation or wire osteosynthesis. We used multiple linear regression analysis to assess the association of predictor variables with post-treatment horizontal and vertical B-point movement through 2 years.
Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop
September 2003
The purpose of this study was to follow the covariation of hard and soft tissue changes in Class II malocclusion subjects who received a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. The subjects were randomized to receive wire or rigid fixation after the surgery. Subjects in the rigid group (n = 78) received 2-mm bicortical position screws, and those in the wire group (n = 49) received inferior border wires and 6 weeks of skeletal intermaxillary fixation with 24-gauge wires.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop
August 2003
This prospective, multisite, randomized clinical trial evaluated the long-term health-related quality of life and psychosocial function of 93 patients after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy to correct Class II malocclusion. Patients were evaluated approximately 2 weeks before surgery, and 2 and 5 years after surgery. Scores from the Sickness Impact Profile psychosocial dimension and all of its components showed significant improvement from presurgery to 2 and 5 years postsurgery (P <.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop
March 2003
Aims: To examine various dimensions of reliability of the Craniomandibular Index, a commonly used instrument for quantifying the severity of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders.
Methods: Classical psychometric theory and generalizability theory were used to assess the reliability of data obtained from a calibration study of examiners participating in a multi-site clinical trial and from a random community sample.
Results: The reliability of aggregate scores formed by summing individual binary scored items was high, with intraclass correlations ranging from 0.
Purpose: There are numerous risks for developing neurosensory deficits after a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of genioplasty, length of advancement, and age and their interactions in a group of patients undergoing BSSO advancement and followed up for 2 years.
Materials And Methods: Patients were examined at multiple time intervals during the 2 years.
Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop
June 2002
The bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is the most common surgical procedure for the correction of mandibular retrognathism. Commonly, the proximal and distal segments are fixated together with either wire or rigid screws or plates. The purpose of this study was to compare long-term (5 years) skeletal and dental changes between wire and rigid fixation after BSSO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStatement Of Problem: Previous studies in complete denture wearers evaluated the relationship between diet and measures of chewing, yet only isolated nutrient intake was considered. This limited information makes the assessment of overall diet quality and the planning of interventions difficult.
Purpose: This study investigated the relationship of complete denture quality to masticatory performance, perceived ability to chew, and diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), an overall diet quality index.
Int J Adult Orthodon Orthognath Surg
July 2002
The purpose of this study was to determine if a general consensus exists among orthodontists regarding the features of an adequate presurgical setup. A questionnaire was developed to assess the importance of 12 criteria for surgical readiness. Each criterion was rated on a 5-point scale (1 = Unimportant, 5 = Critical).
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