Efficacy evaluation of an anti-caries varnish: protocol for a phase II randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Dental caries (tooth decay) is a common disease in which the products of sugar metabolism by certain bacteria that populate the tooth surface induce the development and progression of lesions (cavities). This is a phase II single-centre randomised, double-blind, active-controlled, parallel-group trial to assess the efficacy of a combination povidone iodine and sodium fluoride dental varnish to determine if it is superior to a varnish containing only sodium fluoride in the prevention of new caries lesions. The objective of this report is to describe the rationale and protocol for the trial.

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.

Effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of a single annual professional intervention for the prevention of childhood dental caries in a remote rural Indigenous community.

Background: The aim of the study is to reduce the high prevalence of tooth decay in children in a remote, rural Indigenous community in Australia, by application of a single annual dental preventive intervention. The study seeks to (1) assess the effectiveness of an annual oral health preventive intervention in slowing the incidence of dental caries in children in this community, (2) identify the mediating role of known risk factors for dental caries and (3) assess the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of the intervention.

Methods/design: The intervention is novel in that most dental preventive interventions require regular re-application, which is not possible in resource constrained communities.

Cluster-randomized xylitol toothpaste trial for early childhood caries prevention.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of supervised tooth-brushing with xylitol toothpaste to prevent early childhood caries (ECC) and reduce mutans streptococci.

Methods: In this cluster-randomized efficacy trial, 196 four- to five-year-old children in four Head Start classrooms in the Marshall Islands were randomly assigned to supervised toothbrushing with 1,400 ppm/31 percent fluoride xylitol or 1,450 ppm fluoride sorbitol toothpaste. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in efficacy between the two types of toothpaste.

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.

Empowering Head Start to improve access to good oral health for children from low income families.

Surveys over 20 years have documented worsening in the dental health of preschoolers. Healthy People 2010 Midcourse Review reports the country moving away from oral health goals for young children; the slip is 57%. Exacerbating this is the inability of Medicaid to provide for those in need.

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.