[Assessment of tooth wear depending on Smith and Knight index]. / Evaluarea leziunilor dentare necariogene în functie de indicii Smith si Knight.

UNLABELLED: For the clinical diagnosis of tooth wear Smith and Knight have been suggested the index with the same name, the criteria for the quantification of the hard tissue loss being the size of the area affected and the depth of the defect. The aim of this study was to assess tooth wear depending on Smith and Knight index, on a group of 614 patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The criteria for the selection of the patients were the age more than 18 years old and the Smith and Knight index >0. RESULTS: The biggest proportion of tooth wear (47.3%) presented the value 2 of the Smith and Knight index. Most of the tooth wear with Smith and Knight index 3 (54.4%) are abrasions, 71.4% of the tooth wear with Smith and Knight index 1 are attritions, and 20.3% of the tooth wear with Smith and Knight index 3 are erosions. High alcohol consumption is associated with deep tooth wear, exposing dentine (value 2 and 3 of the Smith and Knight index). Currently, various indices are used, making the comparison of the results of prevalence studies difficult.

[Assessment of caries risk in a population of age 6-20, from Bacau, Romania]. / Evaluarea riscului cariogen la populatia de 6-20 ani din orasul Bacau.

UNLABELLED: The Cariogram is a new concept that illustrates graphically the individual caries risk profile. Aim of this study was to assess the young population from Bacau by means of the Cariogram. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Data were collected from 273 subjects by clinical examination, health questionnaires and saliva sampling. The caries risk of each individual, was obtained using the Cariogram model. RESULTS: High risk factors for the development of caries are the oral hygiene, carbohydrate nutrition, the viscosity of the saliva, the buffer capacity and the incidence of caries. The group with the high caries risk was the 15-20 year group, chi2 = 48.22; p < 0.01. Past caries experience, at 6 and 12 years the DMFT index was 0.9 and 2.99; at 20 years was higher--5. Moderate risk children were using fluoride products in 87,6% of cases, and the group with high caries risk only 3.7%. The buffer capacity was weak in high caries risk children an normal in the other two groups (chi2 = 209.9; p < 0.01). The Streptococcus mutans counts was found 99.2% in saliva of the high caries risk children. The low risk group had restrictions on the intake of carbohydrates with the main meals in 89,3% of cases. Streptococcus mutans counts, fluoridation programme and buffer capacity of the saliva showed significant correlation with the caries risk. CONCLUSION: Cariogram is useful educational programme in universities and also in dental clinics.

Oral health behavior, knowledge, and attitudes of children, mothers, and schoolteachers in Romania in 1993.

In Romania an increasing level of dental caries in children has been observed. The present study was undertaken to describe the oral health behavior of schoolchildren in the first grade, to assess the level of oral health knowledge and attitudes among the mothers, and to describe oral knowledge and attitudes to prevention among the schoolteachers. A total of 322 mothers of grade-1 children (response, 89%) and 97 schoolteachers (response, 86%) participated in the study. Data on mothers and children were collected through personal interviews, whereas the teachers responded to self-administered questionnaires. A significant proportion of the mothers knew about the causal factors in dental caries; however, relatively few were aware of the harmful effect of hidden sugar. Most of the mothers were aware of the importance of toothbrushing, but 33% also recommended the use of salt for prevention of periodontal disease. Of the children, 37% brushed their teeth at least twice a day; 26% had their teeth cleaned by their mothers every day. Sugar was mostly consumed in terms of milk with sugar, sugary breakfast cereals, biscuits, and sweets. The schoolteachers knew about the poor dental conditions in children and wanted to become involved in oral health education. Training of teachers should aim at improving their level of knowledge on oral health. The establishment of school-based oral health promotion programs in Romania is urgently needed.

Oral health status among schoolchildren in Romania, 1992.

In Romania, systematic information on the occurrence of oral diseases in children is scarce. The purpose of the present study was to describe the prevalence and the pattern of dental caries in schoolchildren, and to use the data to provide a baseline for planning and evaluation of oral health care. A national sample of children at grade 1 (n = 729) and grade 6 (n = 660) was chosen consistent with the WHO pathfinder principle. Clinical examinations were carried out according to the recording system for the Danish Municipal Dental Service and the following results were obtained. In children of grade 1 (7-yr-olds) the prevalence proportion of caries in primary teeth was 86% and in permanent teeth 39%. The mean caries indices were 11.4 defs and 1.3 DMFS. At grade 6 (12-yr-olds) the prevalence proportion of caries in primary teeth was 17% and in permanent teeth 90%. The mean caries experience was 0.8 defs and 6.5 DMFS, and a mean of 4.1 DMFT was observed. In both groups, the D-component of the caries index was dominant. The children were also classified by caries severity zone. At grade 1, 61% had a very severe pattern of caries in the primary teeth, i.e. caries in pits/fissures, proximal surfaces, smooth surfaces, and incisors. Forty-three percent of the children at grade 6 showed this pattern in permanent teeth. In Romanian schoolchildren the present level and pattern of dental caries are most severe and the implementation of oral health promotion and prevention at the community level is urgently needed.