The psychology of tooth wear.

Aim: To review the main psychological and mental conditions that are manifested dentally in the form of tooth wear. These conditions include depression, eating disorders, and alcohol and drug use disorders. The paper will also review the comorbidity of these conditions and the relevance of other medical conditions and lifestyle factors, such as gastroesophageal reflux disorder, smoking and diet, in the expression of tooth wear.

Fluoride varnish was effective at reducing caries on high caries risk school children in rural Brazil.

Design: Placebo controlled randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Intervention: Recruited children were randomly assigned to either a treatment (5% NaF varnish, n = 198) or a control group (placebo, n = 181). Data on oral health habits and socio-demographic characteristics was collected from the children by trained interviewers.

Acetylcholine and the alpha 7 nicotinic receptor: a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of periodontal disease?

Objectives: The aim of this review is to examine the evidence for a functional cholinergic system operating within the periodontium and determine the evidence for its role in periodontal immunity.

Introduction: Acetylcholine can influence the immune system via the 'cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway'. This pathway is mediated by the vagus nerve which releases acetylcholine to interact with the α7 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on proximate immuno-regulatory cells.

Availability of manufacturers' information on efficacy and compatibility of detergents used for cleaning dental instruments.

Aim: To review physico-chemical data supplied for commercially available detergents marketed for manual and/or ultrasonic cleansing of reusable dental instruments.

Method: Manufacturers/suppliers of commercially available detergents for manual or ultrasonic cleaning of dental instruments within primary dental care were invited to supply product information. A structured questionnaire requested details on a range of physical and chemical properties for each detergent.

Periodontitis, Porphyromonas, and the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Epidemiological data indicate a link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontal disease (PD). In vitro and in vivo studies have sought to dissect potential mechanisms by which PD may contribute to initiation and progression of RA. However, these are both multifactorial, chronic diseases, and their complex etiologies and pathogenesis themselves remain incompletely understood.

Periodontitis in non-smoking type 1 diabetic adults: a cross-sectional study.

Aim: To compare levels of periodontitis in non-smoking type 1 diabetic patients and controls.

Material And Methods: Type 1 diabetic patients, aged 20-55 years, were recruited from outpatient clinics at five hospitals in Glasgow, UK. Control subjects were recruited from physiotherapy clinics, using the buddy system and through an advertisement in a free newspaper.

Reductions in dental decay in 3-year old children in Greater Glasgow and Clyde: repeated population inspection studies over four years.

Background: Dental decay remains one of the world's most prevalent diseases in childhood. It is unfortunate that the proportion of children suffering from oral disease is so high, given that dental decay is almost entirely preventable. The objective of this study was to examine dental inspection data from three-year old children to assess the extent to which the dental health in Greater Glasgow and Clyde had improved during the initial years of the Childsmile intervention programme.

Medics against violence--the development of a new violence prevention intervention for schools.

Unlabelled: This article outlines the rationale, evidence base and development of a new anti-violence intervention for schools delivered in the school setting by healthcare professionals. It is an example of multi-professional and mutli-disciplinary working and demonstrates how all healthcare professionals can be involved in wider healthcare issues.

Clinical Relevance: The majority of victims of violence are young men.

" Everything in moderation...? ".

Data Sources: Data are from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium of case-control studies of head and neck cancer.

Study Selection: 15 case-control studies with detailed information on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption were included.

Data Extraction And Synthesis: The authors pooled data from 15 case-control studies and modelled the excess odds ratio (EOR) to assess risk by total exposure (pack-years and drink-years) and its modification by exposure rate (cigarettes/day and drinks/day).

Identification of bacteria associated with feline chronic gingivostomatitis using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods.

Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral cavity that causes severe pain and distress. There are currently no specific treatment methods available and little is known regarding its aetiology, although bacteria are thought to play a major role. The purpose of this study was to identify the oral bacterial flora in normal and diseased cats.

The dental health of three-year-old children in Greater Glasgow, Scotland.

Objective: To report on the dental health of three-year-old children in Greater Glasgow, and to examine the amount of dental caries associated with deprivation in this young age group.

Design: Dental inspections in nursery schools.

Subjects And Methods: The national inspection programme using BASCD criteria was extended to include an additional group of nursery attending three-year-olds in Greater Glasgow in 2006/7 and 2007/8.

Survey of instrument decontamination in dental surgeries located in Scottish prisons.

We describe an observational study in which the policies and procedures of dental surgeries in 14 of the 15 Scottish prisons for sterilizing instruments were viewed directly by a trained surveyor. The survey found that several key elements in the decontamination cycle, ranging from procurement of devices, cleaning, sterilizing, testing, maintenance, quality management and training were deficient in a number of aspects. The use of a central sterile supply service may be a more cost effective approach for the provision of compliant instrument reprocessing facilities in the sites surveyed.

Mastication and swallowing: 1. Functions, performance and mechanisms.

Unlabelled: The process of mastication involves movements of the tongue, lips and cheeks as well as the more obvious actions of the teeth and jaws. In recent years there have been significant advances in our knowledge of the relationships between these movements in human beings and of how the processes of mastication are related to the associated events of swallowing. In this, the first of two papers, we review the role of mastication in food processing and nutrition and the effect of tooth loss on masticatory performance.

Management of infection control in dental practice.

This was an observational study in which the management policies and procedures associated with infection control and instrument decontamination were examined in 179 dental surgeries by a team of trained surveyors. Information relating to the management of a wide range of infection control procedures, in particular the decontamination of dental instruments, was collected by interview and by examination of practice documentation. This study found that although the majority of surgeries (70%) claimed to have a management policy on infection control, only 50% of these were documented.

Age- and sex-standardised lean and fat indices derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis for ages 7-11 years: functional associations with cardio-respiratory fitness and grip strength.

Indices for lean and fat mass adjusted for height derived from bioelectrical impedance for children aged 7 years have been published previously and their usefulness in the clinical assessment of undernutrition has been demonstrated. However, there is a need for norms that cover a wider age range and to explore their functional significance. The aim of the present study is to derive lean and fat indices for children aged 7-11 years and investigate associations with objective measures of cardio-respiratory fitness and grip strength.

A randomised, observer-blind, clinical study investigating the effect of fluoridated milk on artificially created early enamel caries using transverse microradiography.

Much of the research regarding the efficacy of fluoridated milk was obtained prior to the routine use of fluoridated dentifrices. The aim was to investigate, in situ, the effect of fluoridated and non-fluoridated milk on mineral change in artificial caries lesions, with the additional use of fluoridated dentifrice. The roles of different milk fluoride concentrations, volumes and frequencies in mineral change were studied.

Molecular identification of bacteria on the tongue dorsum of subjects with and without halitosis.

Aim: Compare the microbial profiles on the tongue dorsum in patients with halitosis and control subjects in a UK population using culture-independent techniques.

Materials And Methods: Halitosis patients were screened according to our recently developed recruitment protocol. Scrapings from the tongue dorsum were obtained for 12 control subjects and 20 halitosis patients.

Development of a novel PCR assay for detection of Prevotella oris in clinical specimens.

Prevotella oris is a nonpigmented, Gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium that has been associated with several serious oral and systemic infections. Prevotella oris has been identified in clinical specimens by bacterial culture and biochemical tests, which are generally unreliable. The aim of this study was to develop a PCR assay for the direct detection of P.

A survey of denture identification marking within the United Kingdom.

Aim: To assess the attitudes of healthcare workers within the UK towards identification marking of removable prostheses, and quantify the frequency with which this is currently undertaken.

Design: A postal questionnaire-based study.

Setting: The study was undertaken within the UK between 2002 and 2006 and surveyed prosthodontists working in a wide range of clinical settings.

Torn labial frenum in isolation not pathognomonic of physical abuse.

Data Source: Searches were made for studies using Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Caredata (the social work and social care knowledge base), Child Data (the National Children's Bureau Database), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Embase, Medline, the System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe, the TRIP database (www.tripdatabase.com), Sciences Citation Index, and ISI Proceedings (covers conference papers in all scientific and technical fields).

Photographic assessment of fluorosis in children from naturally fluoridated Kungsbacka and non-fluoridated Halmstad, Sweden.

Objectives: To assess levels of fluorosis and fluorosis of esthetic concern in children from a naturally fluoridated and a non-fluoridated area of Sweden, and to determine the relative contributions of fluoridated water, parental educational level, and infant oral health-related behaviors.

Methods: A parental questionnaire collected information concerning child F-supplement and F-dentifrice usage histories, and socio-economic status. Photographic examination of 1336 subjects (F=791; N-F=545) was undertaken.