Immediate versus delayed implant placement of novel fully tapered tissue-level implants - A retrospective multicenter clinical study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of novel fully tapered tissue-level implants in immediate implant placement (type 1) versus late implant placement (type 4) for the first time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this clinical study, 318 fully tapered tissue-level implants in 65 patients were inserted immediately (n = 68 implants) or late (n = 250 implants) in two different centers. Implant survival and success rates and marginal bone levels were analyzed. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 12.0 ± 5 months, implant survival rates were 97.8% for all implants. No statistically significant difference in implant survival rates between type 1 and type 4 could be detected (98.5% vs 97.6%, HR 0.70, 95%-CI 0.084-5.81). Neither for implant length (HR 0.53, 95%-CI 0.055-5.08) nor for implant width (HR 0.27, CI 0.028-2.55), a significant influence on implant survival could be detected. Type of used biomaterial for filling the gap and immediate loading showed no effect on implant survival. Mean marginal bone loss was 0.02 ± 0.05 mm for type 1 and 0.04 ± 0.1 for type 4. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this retrospective study and the short follow-up, the results demonstrated comparable high survival and success rates and stable marginal bone levels for type 1 and type 4 placement of this novel tissue-level implant (no clinical trial registration as retrospective study design).

Delivery and Impact of Foster Parent Training: Similarities and Differences for Relative and Non-Relative Foster Parents.

Literature on the delivery and impact of foster parent training, such as the Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP), is sparse, particularly for relative foster parents. This study investigates (a) how NPP referral, initiation, and completion rates vary between relative and non-relative foster parents, (b) reasons for not initiating NPP, and (c) changes in parenting attitudes and behaviors for relative and non-relative foster parents after participating in NPP. The study analyzed data from the Illinois Birth to Three (IB3) study for 722 relative and 397 non-relative foster parents of children ages three and younger. Relative and non-relative foster parents had similar NPP referral and initiation rates, but relatives had significantly lower completion rates. Content analysis of case notes for 498 cases showed that relative foster parents more frequently noted barriers (e.g., childcare, transportation) to NPP initiation. Among NPP completers, both groups reported similar levels of improvements in parenting attitudes and behaviors at the end of NPP, but a pattern of lower scores was observed for relative foster parents. The findings suggest a need for more support for foster parents, particularly relative foster parents.

Pathways of Care: A longitudinal study of children in care in Australia: Introductory article for special issue on Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study.

The Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) is the first large-scale prospective longitudinal study of children and young people in out-of-home care in Australia. It includes a cohort of all 4126 children and young people (age 0 to 17 years) who entered out-of-home care for the first time over an 18-month period from May 2010 to October 2011 in New South Wales, with a focus on 2828 of these children with final court orders. It involved interviews with participating caregivers for children on final orders and standardised assessments for the children in their care as well as interviews for 7-17 year-olds, together with linked administrative data from a range of agencies for all 4126 children. Data for the interview cohort includes information on children's development, permanency and wellbeing while in care, tracking their physical health, socio-emotional wellbeing and cognitive development, as well as their experiences in care, and after they exit care to return home, or to guardianship and adoption. POCLS currently includes data from five waves of interviews with caregivers and the children in their care. This special issue includes articles that present findings from a range of analyses across various domains from the first four waves of the study. This introductory article outlines the Australian context of the study, its conceptual framework, design and methodology. Using a range of analytical approaches, the nine articles expose an array of issues, including children's developmental, socio-emotional and academic outcomes and trajectories (including reunification), associated with factors such as placement type, stability, pre-care maltreatment, disability, and age at entry to care, and caregiver stress.

Foster youth's placement preferences: The roles of kin, siblings, and age.

BACKGROUND: Debates exist regarding whether foster youth should be asked about their placement preferences following removal, with only youth aged 12 years and older at times assumed legally competent to provide input. OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated whether placement-related factors known to predict youth's well-being also shape their placement preferences and whether preferences differ between youth below and above the age at which they are considered legally competent to provide input. METHOD: Data (N = 1033, ages 6-17 years, 54 % female) were obtained from NSCAW-I. Youth were asked open- and closed-ended questions about their placement preferences. RESULTS: Among youth removed for shorter periods, placement with kin was related to a greater preference for their current placement (RRR = 0.31, p < .001) and desire for permanency in that placement (OR = 1.95, p = .005) relative to youth placed with non-kin. However, youth removed for longer periods (e.g., a year) were similar in their desires for their current placement to be permanent regardless of whether they were living with kin or non-kin caregivers. Among younger youth, placement with siblings (RRR = 0.42, p = .015) was linked to a preference for their current placement. Racial match between youth and their non-kin caregiver was unrelated to their placement preferences. CONCLUSIONS: Findings revealed that both younger and older youth's placement preferences were shaped by factors objectively linked to youth's well-being and thus align with best practices in placement decisions. The paper discusses the importance of asking youth as young as 6 years about their placement preferences and offers suggestions for social service and legal professionals regarding questioning strategies.