Estimates of the gain in power utilizing transformations of DMFS scores.

More than 100,000 clinical caries trials were simulated utilizing the negative binomial distribution on a UNIVAC 1100 computer. In each trial, the raw data and logarithmic transformed data were analyzed using a standard t test analysis. The results were summarized as estimates of the power functions for each case. In almost all cases, the transformed data gave greater power than did the untransformed data. In several common situations, the differences were dramatic.

The relationship between first presentation and subsequent observations in heavy calculus formers.

There are few studies that provide information on the natural history of calculus formation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between pre-scaling baseline calculus scores, the time since the last prophylaxis before baseline, and scores 8 weeks after scaling in a group of presumed heavy calculus formers. Scaling and polishing were completed on 203 subjects with Volpe-Manhold Index (VMI) calculus scores of 7 or higher, and the date of the last prophylaxis was noted. All were re-examined after 3 weeks. The group included 45.8% males and 54.2% females; the mean age was 41.74 (range = 24 to 72). Racial mix was 57.6% African-American, 39.9% white, and 2.5% other. The mean baseline VMI score was 24.07 (SD = 15.38, range = 7-97). The VMI scores were directly related (P = < .001) to the date of the last scaling and were highest in subjects whose last scaling was more than 2 years earlier (33.67) and least in subjects whose last scaling was less than 6 months previous (15.12). At 8 weeks the mean VMI score was 9.96 (SD = 7.30; range = 0-41). The VMI scores at this time were inversely related (P = < .05) to the date of the last scaling before baseline and were lowest in subjects whose last scaling was more than 2 years earlier (9.07) and highest in subjects with the last scaling less than 6 months previous to baseline (13.07).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Caries inhibition of a dentifrice containing 0.78% sodium monofluorophosphate in a silica base.

The purpose of this double blind clinical trial was to determine the anticaries activity of a dentifrice containing 0.78% sodium monofluorophosphate in a silica gel abrasive base compared with a placebo under conditions of supervised brushing. 1154 schoolchildren, ages 9-12, were recruited in a non-fluoridated semi-rural area of northeastern Connecticut. Subjects were stratified according to school, grade and sex, and then randomly divided into two groups. Each school day, children brushed their teeth for 1 min under supervision by project personnel. Weekend and vacation usage was ad libitum. Caries examinations and radiographic readings were performed by the same examiner (J.R.). After 12 months, the 996 subjects examined showed that the group using the test dentifrice had significantly (less than 0.05) lower DMFT (25.0%) and DMFS (19.1%) increments than the group using the placebo. After 24 months the 876 subjects examined showed that the test group continued to have significantly lower DMFT (24.5%) and DMFS (24.7%) increments than the placebo group. Surface protection after 24 months ranged from 22.1% for occlusal to 37.1% for interproximal surfaces.

Dentists' uncertainties about materials and devices: an introduction to the problem.

Questions concerning evaluation of dental materials and devices by the FDA and ADA are raised. Examples of several products are discussed.

Relationship between proximal cavity design and recurrent caries.

A total of 375 Class II restorations were divided into short, intermediate, and long groups according to occlusal-gingival length and its relationship to the contact area of adjacent teeth as determined radiographically. Recurrent caries at the gingival margin was studied during a 2-year period. Restorations with gingival margins ending occlusal to the contact area had a significantly higher rate of caries at all time intervals. Results suggested, in part, that the additional length of the restoration is not as critical as clearing the contact area.

John E. Echternacht: practitioner and community leader.

For Minnesota dentists with long memories, Dr Jack Echternacht is a legendary figure. He graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1943. Except for a 3-year enlistment in the Navy during World War II, he has made his home and his professional life in Brainerd, on the edge of Minnesota's lake country. A few years after he started his general practice, reports began to appear about the striking reduction of dental caries in children's teeth when fluoride was placed in the drinking water. Excited by these prospects for better oral health, Dr Echternacht led a Chamber of Commerce initiative in 1954 to introduce fluoride into Brainerd's water supply. What seemed at first an easy victory turned into a 30-year struggle. Dr Echternacht's determination, persistence, and leadership during this fight for fluoridation led to his selection as a moral model in dentistry.

Hugo A. Owens: dentist, civil rights leader, politician.

For 44 years Dr Hugo A. Owens was a distinguished practitioner and community leader in Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Virginia, and also served for a time as president of the National Dental Association. Besides his proclivity for dentistry, he was driven by two other passions: politics and civil rights. In 1970 he was one of the first African Americans ever elected to the Chesapeake City Council. He was reelected for the next term and appointed vice mayor, a position he held for 8 years. His political successes were preceded by his activities as a civil rights leader, which began in 1950 and lasted through the 1960s. In a remarkable series of negotiations and litigations, Dr Owens was the prime mover in the desegregation of the city of Portsmouth. In all three "careers," Dr Owens used dentistry as a home base for the expression of his activist philosophy of providing help for others when they were unable to help themselves.

The good practitioner: the story of Brent L. Benkelman.

Dr Brent Benkelman has practiced oral surgery in Manhattan, Kansas, since 1971. Having grown up in a tiny farming town in western Kansas, he opted for the lifestyle of a smaller community after graduating from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry in 1966 and completing his training in oral and maxillofacial surgery in 1969. His experiences since then have revolved around family, practice, and community. With his family as his first priority, he has participated in various community activities, including a church-operated food pantry, an emergency shelter for the homeless, and Habitat for Humanity. He was nominated as a moral exemplar in dentistry for his dedicated commitment to his patients and because he understands and cares about the complexities of his patients as human beings, placing his own financial gain secondary to the interests of his patients.

Moral leadership in academic dentistry: the story of Jeanne Craig Sinkford.

Jeanne Craig Sinkford graduated from Howard University College of Dentistry in 1958 and there began a career in academic dentistry as a clinical instructor. Six years later, armed with specialty training in prosthodontics and a master's degree and PhD in physiology from Northwestern University, Dr Sinkford returned to Howard expecting to develop a research program and continue her clinical teaching. Instead, she was immediately made head of the Department of Prosthodontics and in 11 more years became Howard's dean of dentistry. After 16 years as dean, Dr Sinkford retired and took a position at the American Dental Education Association charged with developing and implementing policy on issues involving gender and minorities in dentistry. In addition to her reputation for her principled approach to getting things done, Dr Sinkford is widely recognized for her dedicated sincerity, her warmth, her concern for others, and her "reasoned reasonableness."

Commitment to community service: the story of Dr. Jack Echternacht.

Using the criteria developed by Colby and Damon, the authors identified Dr. Jack Echternacht as a moral hero. This paper describes his thirty-year fight to fluoridate the drinking water of Brainerd, Minnesota. Family influences on his character are also presented.