Should dentistry be a specialty of medicine? Two viewpoints.

Dentistry and dental education are well-established domains with deep-rooted institutions, educational programs, organizational structures, and advanced specialty fields. Almost 100 years ago, Dr. William Gies, founder of the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, stated that to best serve the oral health needs of the population, dentistry should be considered a specialty of medicine, and dental students should have the same solid foundation in the basic and clinical sciences as medical students.

Identification of the two-component guaiacol demethylase system from Rhodococcus rhodochrous and expression in Pseudomonas putida EM42 for guaiacol assimilation.

A diversity of softwood lignin depolymerization processes yield guaiacol as the main low molecular weight product. This key aromatic compound can be utilized as a carbon source by several microbial species, most of which are Gram positive bacteria. Microbial degradation of guaiacol is known to proceed initially via demethylation to catechol, and this reaction is catalyzed by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases.

Degradation of nonylphenol in spiked soils and in soils treated with organic waste products.

Widespread application of sewage sludge to agricultural soils in Denmark has led to concern about the accumulation and effects of nonylphenol (NP) in the soil ecosystem. We have thus studied the degradation of NP and possible uptake in agricultural plants in greenhouse pot experiments. Different waste products including anaerobic and aerobic sludge, compost, and pig manure were incorporated into a sandy soil.

Risk of low birthweight in social districts of Copenhagen.

The purpose of this survey was to investigate the small-area variations in low birthweight within social services districts in Copenhagen and the relation of such variations to the socioeconomic characteristics of the district. The study was based on register data and included all live-born single on births to women living in the city of Copenhagen from 1987-90. We found a statistically significant association between district and risk of newborns being small-for-gestational age (SGA).