Using an oral health-related quality of life measure in three cultural settings.

Aim: To assess the application of the Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP) index for use in three different language and cultural settings;

Objectives: To develop a Spanish and Afrikaans version of the OIDP for use in the USA and South Africa and to assess its reliability and validity in three counties: UK, USA and South Africa.

Design: Co-ordinated pilot studies using the OIDP questionnaire and clinical examination using WHO criteria in the three countries using cross-sectional convenience samples of children.

Settings: Two populations in each country: relatively well-off and more socially disadvantaged in three age groups 40 years+, 15-16 and 11-12 year-olds.

Increasing prevalence of emergency department visits for pediatric dental care, 1997-2001.

Background: Hospital emergency department (ED) visits for non-urgent care have been increasing since the late 1950s. This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of pediatric ED visits for dental problems during a five-year period.

Methods: This retrospective study included newborns through 17-year-olds with dental complaints identified from the electronic register of the ED of Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, between January 1997 and December 2001.