Use of rubber dams during root canal treatment in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Isolation of teeth with rubber dams is an important procedure for infection control in dentistry, especially in endodontic treatment. This study surveyed the prevalence of rubber dam usage in nonsurgical root canal treatment (RCT) by dentists under the National Health Insurance system in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 1,332 completed RCT cases were randomly selected from a large database from the Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan in 2004. The radiographs and dental charts of the selected cases were evaluated for the prevalence of rubber dam usage in RCT. The frequencies of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists were compared between hospitals and private dental clinics and among six different regions in Taiwan. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists under the National Health Insurance system in Taiwan was 16.5%. The frequency of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists in hospitals (32.8%) was significantly higher than that (10.3%) in private dental clinics (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists among six different geographic regions in Taiwan. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists in Taiwan is relatively low. Because rubber dam isolation of an endodontically-treated tooth can provide better infection control, increase patient protection, and improve treatment efficiency, there is an urgent need to advise dentists in Taiwan to use rubber dams for every RCT case.

Preventive and interceptive orthodontic needs among Syrian children.

BACKGROUND: Preventing or intercepting a developing malocclusion in a public health program requires identifying or measuring the degree of malocclusion. The present study aimed to quantify the proportion of Syrian children in Damascus who would benefit from preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 1096 children (431 boys and 665 girls) of grade 1 up to grade 3 from 16 government elementary schools in Damascus city were evaluated using the index for preventive and interceptive orthodontic need (IPION). On the basis of IPION, the overall scores of children were distributed into three groups - no treatment need, moderate treatment need, and definite treatment need. According to dental development, children were divided into two groups - IPION-6 and IPION-9. RESULTS: Of the enrolled children, 15.4% showed no treatment need, 26.7% showed moderate treatment need, and 57.9% showed definite treatment need. Comparison between male and female children indicated no significant effect on the overall treatment need distribution (P=0.439). The IPION groups had a significant effect on treatment distribution (6 vs. 9, P=0.038); the IPION-9 scores were significantly higher than the IPION-6 scores. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The prevalence of preventive and interceptive orthodontic needs is unsatisfactorily high in Syrian children, which emphasizes the importance of including preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment in the local dental healthcare program.

Occlusal and oral health status of a group of 3-8-year-old South African black children.

This study determined the oral health status of a group of 3-8-year-old South African black children, comprising a total of 214 children from the townships of Garankuwa, Shosanguwe, Mabopane, Hebron and Erasmus who attended a school in Akasia, Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Substructure. The decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft), oral hygiene status, dental IQ and malocclusion status were determined. The study found that the children's oral health status and occlusal status were unacceptable. The level of their dental IQ scores was low, their oral hygiene poor, and they were in urgent need of primary and secondary dental care. In addition they were in need of both preventive and interceptive orthodontic care. A national strategy to address primary dental health care is recommended.

Need for preventive/interceptive orthodontic treatment among 7-10-year-old children in Ibadan, Nigeria: an epidemiological survey.

The aim of this epidemiological survey was to assess the level of needs for preventive/interceptive orthodontics among 7-10-year-old children in Ibadan, Nigeria, which is the second vigilance period in the study of developing occlusions. The sample consisted of 493 school children--237 (48.1%) boys and 256 (51.9%) girls randomly selected from various schools and different socio-economic groups. They were all examined in their school environments under natural illumination and the findings entered into a pre-structured form. The study revealed that about 27% of the children had need for one form of preventive/interceptive orthodontic treatment or the other with some having multiple needs. Some of the needs detected were as follows: prolonged retention of primary teeth (6.9%), cross bite (10.3%), early loss of primary teeth (4.3%), oral habits (7.3%), over jet of more than 6mm (4.9%), carious lesions (14.8%) crowding (18.9%) and clinically missing upper lateral incisors (3.7%). The relationship between observed occlusal discrepancies and oral habits was found very statistically significant (p=0.001). No gender differences were noted among the children with preventive/interceptive needs (p>0.05). Children from the working class accounted for 55.2% of the study sample, while 44.8% were from the middle class families. It was concluded that over one third of these children would benefit from preventive interceptive orthodontics and that such care should be encouraged in our environment due to their known numerous benefits especially in a country like Nigeria where many can not afford the cost of comprehensive orthodontic services.

[Dentinal hypersensivity after vertical stripping of enamel]. / Ocena wrazliwosci zebiny po szlifowaniu pionowym szkliwa.

INTRODUCTION: Vertical stripping of enamel in patients with minor or moderate crowding of teeth and Angle's class I is an effective method which supplements orthodontic treatment. Stripping is an alternative to tooth extraction or to extension of alveolar arches which carries the risk of recurrence of crowding and further periodontal difficulties. Stripping also shortens considerably the duration of treatment. Apart from unquestionable advantages, enamel reduction may lead to complications such as caries or hypersensitivity of interproximal surfaces of stripped teeth. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypersensitivity and to measure the intensity of pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a verbal and visual assessment of pain in a group of 32 patients who underwent stripping during the recent few years as part of orthodontic treatment. RESULTS: According to verbal assessment, the highest percentage (46.9%) of patients rated their pain as 1 (gentle pain) which corresponded to 1-3 cm on the 10 cm Visual Analog Scale. 37.5% of patients reported no pain. CONCLUSION: None of the patients described their pain as very strong and discouraging from further treatment. All symptoms subsided without recurrence. The patients found this method to be more effective than alternative ones.