Relationship between age and occlusal force in adults with natural dentition.

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between age and occlusal force in adults with natural dentition. A total of 385 adults (180 males and 205 females) with natural dentition participated in this study. Subjects were asked to perform maximum clenching for approximately 3 s, and the occlusal forces on both sides and habitual chewing side were calculated using a dental prescale. Regression analysis was performed by sex with occlusal forces on both sides and habitual chewing side as the dependent variable and age as the independent variable. In addition, all subjects were divided into three groups: young group (20-39 years), middle group (40-59 years), and old group (60 years and over), and the occlusal forces on both sides and habitual chewing side were compared among the three groups. The occlusal forces did not differ from 20 to 60 years old for both males and females, and the occlusal forces gradually decreased after 60 years old. The curve of the polynomial equation was the most suitable. The occlusal forces on both sides and the habitual chewing side were similar in the young and middle groups, and the values of the old group were significantly smaller than those of the other two groups. From these results, it was suggested that the occlusal force of adults with natural dentition does not differ from 20 to 60 years old and can be represented by a curve of a cubic polynomial, and it significantly decreases after 60 years old.

Reliability and validity of the patient disability-oriented diagnostic nomenclature system for prosthetic dentistry.

PURPOSE: The Japan Prosthodontic Society (JPS) has proposed a new diagnostic nomenclature system (DNS), based on pathogenesis and etiology, to facilitate and improve prosthodontic treatment. This system specifies patient disability and the causative factor (i.e. "B (disability) caused by A (causative factor)"). The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of this DNS. STUDY SELECTION: The JPS Clinical Guideline Committee assessed mock patient charts and formulated disease names using the new DNS. Fifty validators, comprising prosthodontic specialists and dental residents, made diagnoses using the same patient charts. Reliability was evaluated as the consistency of the disease names among the validators, and validity was evaluated using the concordance rate of the disease names with the reference disease names. RESULTS: Krippendorff's α was 0.378 among all validators, 0.370 among prosthodontic specialists, and 0.401 among dental hospital residents. Krippendorff's α for 10 validators (3 specialists and 7 residents) with higher concordance rates was 0.524. Two validators (1 specialist and 1 resident) with the highest concordance rates had a Krippendorff's α of 0.648. Common disease names had higher concordance rates, while uncommon disease names showed lower concordance rates. These rates did not show correlation with clinical experience of the validator or time taken to devise the disease name. CONCLUSIONS: High reliability was not found among all validators; however, validators with higher concordance rates showed better reliability. Furthermore, common disease names had higher concordance rates. These findings indicate that the new DNS for prosthodontic dentistry exhibits clinically acceptable reliability and validity.

[A presumption calculating formula of the X-ray spectrum generated from a molybdenum target X-ray tube].

A presumption calculating formula of the X-ray spectrum generated from a molybdenum target X-ray tube is presented. The calculation procedure is to add an amount of characteristic X-ray photons that corresponds to the ratio of characteristic photons and bremsstrahlung photons to the bremsstrahlung spectrum obtained using semiempirical calculation. The bremsstrahlung spectrum was calculated by using a corrected Tucker's formula. The corrected content was a formula for calculating the self-absorption length in the target that originated in the difference of the incident angle to the target of the electron and the mass stopping power data. The measured spectrum was separated into the bremsstrahlung component and the characteristic photon component, and the ratio of the characteristic photons and bremsstrahlung photons was obtained. The regression was derived from the function of the tube voltage. Based on this calculation procedure, computer software was constructed that can calculate an X-ray spectrum in arbitrary exposure conditions. The X-ray spectrum obtained from this presumption calculating formula and the measured X-ray spectrum corresponded well. This formula is very useful for analyzing various problems related to mammography by means of Monte Carlo simulations.

[Development of computer code, SDEC, for evaluation of patient surface dose from diagnostic X-ray].

It is important to precisely evaluate patient dose from a diagnostic X-ray in order to investigate medical exposure reduction. As a method of evaluating patient surface dose, computation with existing data based on exposure in air is generally used. With this method, backscatter factors and absorbed dose conversion factors are given by the parameter of the effective energy or the half value layer, making this procedure complicated. We developed program software (Surface Dose Evaluation Code, SDEC) that computes the surface dose automatically, using the backscatter factor and absorbed dose conversion factor calculated by using X-ray spectral data. Because the measurement of effective energy or a half value layer is unnecessary, SDEC is a useful evaluation method.

[Method of calculating percentage depth dose for diagnostic X-rays].

Data on the percentage depth-dose of diagnostic X-rays are important in evaluating patient dose from medical exposure. We developed a new method of calculating central-axis depth-dose in a homogeneous tissue phantom irradiated by diagnostic X-rays. First, primary and scattered components of percentage depth-dose for mono-energetic X-rays were calculated by means of Monte Carlo simulation, and the data were stored in data tables. Then, percentage depth-doses for individual X-rays were calculated by making use of the data tables, the photon spectrum of X-rays, and exposure conditions such as field size. This method, which can calculate depth-dose under any condition of irradiation by combining with the approximating equation of the X-ray spectrum, is useful in evaluating the percentage depth-dose of diagnostic X-rays.