Gender and race distribution of dental graduates (1985-2004) and first year dental students (2000-2005) in South Africa.

This paper, written at the close of a decade of democracy in South Africa, sets out to analyse the demographic profile of dental graduates from 1985-2004 at the five Faculties/Schools of Dentistry in South Africa. A comparison of the profiles for the pre-democracy (1985-1994) and post-apartheid (1995-2004) periods has been made. The demographic profile of first year dental students from 2000-2005 is also presented.

The new Pretoria curriculum.

Macro-environmental changes in tertiary education have prompted a review of dental curricula in order to address shortcomings in the traditional curriculum. This paper defines the philosophical principles that highlight concepts in the new innovative curriculum. The stance adopted in the development of the macro- as well as the micro-curriculum is described.

[Suprasegmental speech in prelingual hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants, hearing-impaired children without implants and normal hearing children].

A review of the relevant literature indicates a lack of knowledge regarding suprasegmental speech characteristics in prelingual hearing impaired children with cochlear implants. This study is aimed at examining certain suprasegmental features in the speech of prelingual hearing impaired children with cochlear implants by perceptual ratings and acoustic analyses, comparing these results to that of prelingual hearing impaired children without implants, and normal hearing children of the same age. Twelve Afrikaansspeaking children between the ages of six and ten years were included in three groups.

The prevalence of oral pathoses in a private dental practice: a 30 month survey.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral lesions in a private dental practice, which treats a broad spectrum of patients from both urban and rural areas. All oral lesions were documented over a 30 month period in a research programme, which formed part of the normal patient treatment plan. The lesions were analysed according to the prevalence of the lesions, race, age and gender distribution, and the ratio of lesions diagnosed by the practitioner compared with those presented for treatment by the patients.

Working patterns of male and female dentists in South Africa.

Studies in England, USA and Australia, have shown that the working hours of female dentists do not differ significantly from the working hours of their male counterparts, until they have children. The purpose of this study was to establish whether the same phenomenon exists in South Africa and to compare working patterns of South African male and female dentists regarding nature of practice/employment, location of practice, work satisfaction and breadwinner status. Questionnaires were sent to 285 female dentists, selected by their first name in the SAMDC register.

Allergies to dental materials.

Allergies related to dentistry generally constitute delayed hypersensitive reactions to specific dental materials. Although true allergic hypersensitivity to dental materials is rare, certain products have definite allergenic properties. Extensive reports in the literature substantiate that certain materials cause allergies in patients, who exhibit mucosal and skin symptoms.

In vivo effects of urease-producing bacteria involved with the pathogenesis of infection-induced urolithiasis on renal urokinase and sialidase activity.

Many hypotheses have been proposed for renal stone formation. It has been argued that with infection-induced renal stones the hydrolysis of urea by bacterial urease increases urinary pH, with consequent stone formation. Unfortunately, this theory is not applicable to the micro-organisms that do not produce urease (e.

Comparative review of bitemark cases from Pretoria, South Africa.

Bitemark evidence has become more scientifically based and is currently widely accepted in the legal process. Bitemarks can be inflicted by humans or animals on humans, animals and a variety of inanimate objects and can be found on any part of the body, with their quality and appearance being influenced by a variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to record the experiences with bitemark cases presented to forensic odontologists at the University of Pretoria from 1983-1993 and to compare them with trends and findings elsewhere.

The Helderberg air disaster--forensic odontological investigations.

A Boeing 747-224B Combi of the South African Airways, the "Helderberg", crashed into the sea near Mauritius on 28 November 1987. All 159 people on board died and dental tissues were present in only eight of the 15 lots of human remains recovered. Ante-mortem dental records were collected by a team in Johannesburg while the post-mortem examinations were conducted in Mauritius.

Pyelonephritis: renal urokinase and sialidase (neuraminidase) activity in rats fed a standard laboratory diet.

Renal stone formation can be caused by many different and varied disturbances, some of which are poorly understood. The relationship between urinary infection and renal stone formation has not been completely clarified. It is argued that renal stones form primarily as a consequence of the hydrolysis of urea by the bacterial enzyme urease.

The fluoride content of enamel as a diagnostic aid in fluorosis.

This study was undertaken to compare the fluoride content ([F]) of sound and hypoplastic enamel of dogs' teeth for use as a diagnostic aid for fluorosis. Enamel biopsies (0.5N HClO4; 15 seconds; 3.

The histological nature of epulides in dogs.

The histological characteristics of a series of 154 oral tumours with the clinical appearance of epulides in 129 dogs were reviewed. Diagnoses were based on current criteria in human oral pathology and compared with the original diagnoses. The histological findings suggested that the majority of epulides in the dog can be classified as focal fibrous hyperplasia (43.

Diffuse peripheral odontogenic fibroma: report of 3 cases.

Since peripheral odontogenic fibroma (POF) is characteristically described as a solitary lesion and no diffuse POF had been reported in the literature, our cases should be considered as extremely unusual. Three diffuse cases of POF are described of which one case was seen in association with ocular and skin lesions. The question arises whether POF should be considered as a true odontogenic tumor rather than a diffuse hamartomatous lesion caused by uncontrolled induction of the gingiva.

Primary intra-osseous carcinoma of the maxilla in a horse.

An 8-year-old Hannoverian horse developed a swelling of the maxilla caused by a tumour of the hard palate. On histological examination the tumour was diagnosed as a primary intra-osseous carcinoma of the maxilla, a rare odontogenic tumour not previously described in the horse.

Tuberous sclerosis: report of a case with fibromatosis of the facial soft tissues.

Tuberous Sclerosis (TS) is a dominantly inherited disorder which is characterised by a triad of mental deficiency, epilepsy and angiofibromas of the face. Sub- and periungual fibromas, shagreen patches usually found in the lumbosacral region and hypopigmented skin lesions are less often seen. Paraventricular calcifications, skeletal disorders and rarely, ophthalmic tumours are also described.

Diagnosis of oral precancer and cancer.

The early diagnosis of oral cancer and precancer is important because oral cancer is usually well advanced at the time of diagnosis, having spread to regional lymph nodes in a substantial percentage of cases. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the prognosis. Several diagnostic methods that are used, such as stomatoscopy, toluidine blue staining, oral exfoliative cytology, histopathological examination and other more advanced diagnostic procedures, are discussed.

Silica granuloma of a lymph node.

A case of silica granuloma in the submasseteric lymph node is presented. Sarcoidosis was excluded, as crystalline particles, with a double-refractile property, were seen in polarized light. The most probable cause was a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to silica from a lipstick cream introduced through a recurring angular cheilitis.

Histological changes in the penis of the Chacma baboon--a model to study aging penile vascular impotence.

Light and scanning electron microscopy was performed on the penes of Chacma baboons to establish their suitability as animal model for studying vascular impotence. Analogous aging penile vascular changes were found in man, and a fibrous trabeculopathy with intertrabecular senechiae was demonstrated. Considering the corresponding changes, the Chacma baboon could thus be regarded suitable for studying the pathophysiology of aging penile vascular changes.