Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history.

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat.

Effects of marine biofertilisation on Celtic bean carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes: Implications for reconstructing past diet and farming practices.

Rationale: The application of fertilisers to crops can be monitored and assessed using stable isotope ratios. However, the application of marine biofertilisers (e.g.

The orthodontic condition of children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2013.

Background The 2013 Children's Dental Health Survey is the fifth in a series of national surveys.Aims This paper reports the orthodontic condition of 12- and 15-year-olds and how they and their parents feel about the appearance of their teeth.Methodology A representative sample of children (5y, 8y, 12y, 15y) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were invited to participate in dental examinations.

Organ donation after circulatory death in a university teaching hospital.

Although organ transplantation is well established for end-stage organ failure, many patients die on waiting lists due to insufficient donor numbers. Recently, there has been renewed interest in donation after circulatory death (DCD). In a retrospective observational study we reviewed the screening of patients considered for DCD between March 2007 and December 2012 in our hospital.

Summary of: Differences by age and sex in general dental practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in delivering prevention.

Purpose: To assess sex and age differences in NHS dentists' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in providing preventive care.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with dentists working in North London, UK.

Results: The sample displayed limited knowledge in certain key aspects of prevention, but expressed generally positive attitudes towards preventive care.

Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: implications of findings for clinical practice and oral health policy.

This is the final paper in a series reporting on the results of the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey. Since 1968 national adult surveys have been repeated every decade with broadly similar methods providing a unique overview of trends in oral health over a 40-year period. This paper aims to explore the implications for dentists and oral health policy of the key results from the Adult Dental Health Survey 2009.

Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: transformations in British oral health 1968-2009.

This series of four papers reports and interprets the findings of the Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS), 2009, published in early 2011. This is the fifth in a series of surveys repeated every decade since 1968. The evolution of the surveys and the way the supporting methodology has changed to meet the changing needs and circumstances over the last 40 years is described.

Shaping the next generation of 'population oral healthers'.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to discuss the training and development needs of those people who will form the next generation working in the field of population oral health.

Method: The paper represents the personal views of the author based upon an analysis of current training programmes in a number of countries and variation in the international working conditions.

Discussion: The next generation of population oral healthers will need to be versatile in their approach to the oral health problems they encounter.

The influence of a short training program on the clinical examination of dental restorations.

Purpose: To investigate how a simple restoration evaluation training program affected restoration replacement decision making by a group of 16 dentists.

Method: The clinical examination of 66 dental restorations in nine female patients was carried out by two groups of dentists: one having previously received training in restoration assessment. The results of these assessments were compared to a gold standard for restoration integrity determined by two experienced clinicians applying US Public Health Service criteria.

Fluoride-containing orthodontic adhesives and decalcification in patients with fixed appliances: a systematic review.

Introduction: Our objectives were to (1) systematically review the literature on the effectiveness of fluoride-containing adhesives in controlling decalcification in fixed orthodontic patients, (2) determine which fluoride-containing adhesives provide protection against decalcification, and (3) make recommendations on the usage of fluoride-containing adhesives in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.

Methods: In this systematic review, we searched published and unpublished material in any language using general and specialist databases; key orthodontic journals were searched by hand. Predefined inclusion criteria based on objective outcome measures for decalcification, presence of a comparison group, and the study design were applied to select the studies.

A competing risk survival analysis model to assess the efficacy of filling carious primary teeth.

In recent years a strategy of selective, symptom-based intervention of carious primary teeth has been developed amongst some British general dental practitioners. Practice-based studies appear to provide evidence that policies of restoration of symptomless carious primary teeth do not confer any significant benefits above those associated with non-restorative care. However, results from these studies contrast with those of many clinical trials and prospective studies of primary molar restorations.

Hydraulic redistribution of soil water by roots affects whole-stand evapotranspiration and net ecosystem carbon exchange.

*Hydraulic redistribution (HR) of water via roots from moist to drier portions of the soil occurs in many ecosystems, potentially influencing both water use and carbon assimilation. *By measuring soil water content, sap flow and eddy covariance, we investigated the temporal variability of HR in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation during months of normal and below-normal precipitation, and examined its effects on tree transpiration, ecosystem water use and carbon exchange. *The occurrence of HR was explained by courses of reverse flow through roots.

Modelling childhood caries using parametric competing risks survival analysis methods for clustered data.

Caries in primary teeth is an ongoing issue in children's dental health. Its quantification is affected by clustering of data within children and the concurrent risk of exfoliation of primary teeth. This analysis of caries data of 103,776 primary molar tooth surfaces from a cohort study of 2,654 British children aged 4-5 years at baseline applied multilevel competing risks survival analysis methodology to identify factors significantly associated with caries occurrence in primary tooth surfaces in the presence of the concurrent risk of exfoliation, and assessed the effect of exfoliation on caries development.

Decoupling the influence of leaf and root hydraulic conductances on stomatal conductance and its sensitivity to vapour pressure deficit as soil dries in a drained loblolly pine plantation.

The study examined the relationships between whole tree hydraulic conductance (K(tree)) and the conductance in roots (K(root)) and leaves (K(leaf)) in loblolly pine trees. In addition, the role of seasonal variations in K(root) and K(leaf) in mediating stomatal control of transpiration and its response to vapour pressure deficit (D) as soil-dried was studied. Compared to trunk and branches, roots and leaves had the highest loss of conductivity and contributed to more than 75% of the total tree hydraulic resistance.

Factors influencing the career aspirations and preferred modes of working in recent dental graduates in Wales.

Introduction: In England and Wales, National Health Service (NHS) primary dental care services are now commissioned on a local basis. In planning for the future, it is important that commissioning authorities have a clear understanding of the perspectives of recent dental graduates: vocational dental practitioners (VDPs).

Objectives: This study investigated the career aspirations and preferred modes of working of VDPs in Wales.

Analysing and presenting qualitative data.

This paper provides a pragmatic approach to analysing qualitative data, using actual data from a qualitative dental public health study for demonstration purposes. The paper also critically explores how computers can be used to facilitate this process, the debate about the verification (validation) of qualitative analyses and how to write up and present qualitative research studies.

Conducting qualitative interviews with school children in dental research.

This paper explores when and how to conduct qualitative research with children in dentistry, using research interviews as a method of data collection. Methodological guidance is also provided, based on research and a recent dental public health study in which 74 children from Years 2 (6-7-year-olds) and 6 (10-11-year-olds) were interviewed about their understanding of and attitudes to food.

Profile of the dentist in the oral healthcare team in countries with developed economies.

This paper confines itself to the description of the profile of a general dentist while outlining where the boundary between specialist and generalist may lie. The profile must reflect the need to recognize that oral health is part of general health. The epidemiological trends and disease variation of a country should inform the profile of the dentist.

Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups.

This paper explores the most common methods of data collection used in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. The paper examines each method in detail, focusing on how they work in practice, when their use is appropriate and what they can offer dentistry. Examples of empirical studies that have used interviews or focus groups are also provided.

Qualitative research in dentistry.

This paper is the first in a series of four that provides an overview of the key elements of qualitative research. In particular, it discusses issues such as what qualitative research is, when its use is appropriate, what it can offer dentistry and approaches to data collection and analysis. Where appropriate, examples of dental studies that have used qualitative methods are also provided for practical purposes.