Children's utilization of dental care in the NC Medicaid program.

Purpose: To characterize the patterns of dental care in the North Carolina (NC) Medicaid Program for three- and eight-year-old children who began dental treatment in the 1985-86 and 1990-91 groups. We also compared the children's patterns of care by provider (general dentists versus pediatric dentists).

Methods: Our extensive data set included claims, enrollment, and provider data.

Effect of scavenging on the psychomotor and cognitive function of subjects sedated with nitrous oxide and oxygen inhalation.

Maximizing scavenger effectiveness using a 45 L/min evacuation rate as recommended by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) may alter the sedation level of the dental patient. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if scavenging at the recommended NIOSH evacuation rate reduced psychomotor and cognitive impairment as a result of inhaling nitrous oxide. Computer-administered neurobehavioral tests of human psychomotor and cognitive function previously established in controlled trials to be sensitive to nitrous oxide inhalation were employed in this blind, randomized, crossover study of 30 healthy adult subjects.

Pediatric and general dentists' participation in the North Carolina Medicaid program: trends from 1986 to 1992.

The purpose of this study was to report trends in dentists' participation in the North Carolina Medicaid program. Medicaid claims files for dental users younger than age 21 were analyzed for seven fiscal years (FY) from 1986 to 1992. Over the study period, the number of pediatric dentists filing any Medicaid claims remained constant but the number of participating general dentists decreased slightly.

Macrophage recruitment in different models of nerve injury: lysozyme as a marker for active phagocytosis.

Macrophages play critical roles in both degenerative and regenerative processes following peripheral nerve injury. These include phagocytosis of debris, stimulation of Schwann cell dedifferentiation and proliferation, and salvage of myelin lipids for reutilization during regeneration. To better define the role of macrophages, we studied models of primary demyelination (tellurium intoxication) and secondary demyelination (nerve crush and cut).