Symptoms with betel nut and betel nut with tobacco among Micronesian youth.

Betel nut has been stated to be addictive, but evidence is lacking. This study describes dependence symptoms among adolescents using betel alone or with tobacco. In the first study, participants were 151 9th graders in Saipan.

Areca use among adolescents in Yap and Pohnpei, the Federated States of Micronesia.

Objective: Areca (Betel Nut) is the fourth most commonly used psychoactive drug throughout the world and is legal in U.S. It is carcinogenic.

Topical iodine and fluoride varnish effectiveness in the primary dentition: a quasi-experimental study.

Purpose: Combining fluorides with antimicrobials may be of value because fluorides alone do not provide complete protection. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the effectiveness of combined topical treatment with 10% polyvinyl-pyrollidone iodine (PVP-I) and 5% sodium fluoride varnish (FV) with FV alone.

Methods: One hundred seventy-two 12- to 30-month-old children received either combined or single therapy in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, between June 2008 and March 2009.

Topical iodine and fluoride varnish combined is more effective than fluoride varnish alone for protecting erupting first permanent molars: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This communication examines the combined effect of topical polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP)-iodine plus fluoride varnish in the prevention of tooth decay in erupting first permanent molars in an ongoing public health program.

Methods: The evaluation employed a retrospective cohort design with two groups of children 60-83 months. Cohort 1 (2004-05) received three times per school year topical fluoride varnish, and Cohort 2 (2008-09) received topical application of 10 percent PVP-iodine followed at each visit with topical fluoride varnish.

Xylitol pediatric topical oral syrup to prevent dental caries: a double-blind randomized clinical trial of efficacy.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a xylitol pediatric topical oral syrup to reduce the incidence of dental caries among very young children and to evaluate the effect of xylitol in reducing acute otitis media in a subsequent study.

Design: Double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Communities in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Evaluation of Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project: Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Objectives: This communication reports an outcomes evaluation of the Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project.

Methods: The evaluation includes children in three conditions: a) topical fluoride varnish three times per school year; b) varnish plus twice-per-day toothbrushing; and c) intervention 2 plus three-times-per-day xylitol containing gummy bear snacks at school and home visits to encourage parental involvement. For this evaluation, groups 2 and 3 have been combined.

Republic of the Marshall Islands: planning and implementation of a dental caries prevention program for an island nation.

The Republic of Marshall Islands (R.M.I.

Dental manpower development in the Pacific: case study in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

This case study reports the ongoing progress and results of a manpower development program to expand indigenous dental personnel at four levels in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The program was designed to: 1) increase the number of Marshallese students who successfully complete dentistry training; 2) recruit and train a group of Marshallese high school graduates in dental assisting for service in new preventive outreach programs within the community; 3) enhance the dental training of health assistants providing primary medical care to outer islands away from the main population centers of Majuro and Ebeye; and 4) provide in-service training on tooth decay prevention for Head Start teachers. The program resulted in the training of one Marshallese dentist and two Marshallese dental therapist, 16 primary care health aides who received oral health training for work in the outer island dispensaries, and 200 Head Start and kindergarten teachers who completed in-service training in oral health.