Service-learning's impact on dental students' attitude towards community service.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated service-learning programme's impact on senior dental students' attitude towards community service at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry. Experience gained through service-learning in dental school may positively impact dental students' attitude towards community service that will eventually lead into providing care to the underserved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two surveys (pre- and post-test) were administered to 105 senior dental students. For the first survey (post-test), seventy-six students of 105 responded and reported their attitude towards community service immediately after the service-learning programme completion. Three weeks later, 56 students of the 76 responded to the second survey (retrospective pre-test) and reported their recalled attitude prior to the programme retrospectively. RESULTS: A repeated-measure mixed-model analysis indicated that overall there was improvement between pre-test and post-test. Scales of connectedness, normative helping behaviour, benefits, career benefits and intention showed a significant pre-test and post-test difference. An association between attitude towards community service and student characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and volunteer activity was also examined. Only ethnicity showed an overall significant difference. White dental students appear to have a differing perception of the costs of community service. CONCLUSIONS: The service-learning programme at VCU School of Dentistry has positively impacted senior dental students' attitude towards community service.

Predicting Dental Caries in Young Children in Primary Health Care Settings.

Young children need increased access to dental prevention and care. Targeting high caries risk children first helps meet this need. The objective of this study was to develop a parent-completed, easy-to-score, short, accurate caries risk tool for screening in primary health care settings to identify children at increased risk for cavities. A longitudinal, prospective, multisite, cohort study enrolled (primarily through primary health care settings) and followed 985 (out of 1,326) 1-y-old children and their primary caregivers (PCGs) until age 4. The PCG completed a 52-item self-administered questionnaire, and children were examined using the International Caries Detection and Assessment Criteria (ICDAS) at 12 ± 3 mo (baseline), 30 ± 3 mo (80% retention), and 48 ± 3 mo of age (74% retention). Cavitated caries lesion (dmfs = decayed, missing, and filled surfaces; d = ICDAS ≥3) experience at 4 y of age was assessed and tested for associations with questionnaire items using generalized estimating equation models applied to logistic regression. Multivariable analysis used backward model selection, with a limit of 10 items. At age 4, 24% of children had cavitated-level caries experience; 49% were female; 14% were Hispanic, 41% were White, 33% were Black, 2% were other, and 10% were multiracial; 58% enrolled in Medicaid; and 95% lived in urban communities. The age 4 multivariable prediction model, using age 1 responses (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.73), included the following significant (P < 0.001) variables (odds ratios): child participating in public assistance programs such as Medicaid (1.74), being non-White (1.80-1.96), born premature (1.48), not born by caesarean section (1.28), snacking on sugary snacks (3 or more/d, 2.22; 1-2/d or weekly, 1.55), PCG cleaning the pacifier with juice/soda/honey or sweet drink (2.17), PCG daily sharing/tasting food with child using same spoon/fork/glass (1.32), PCG brushing their teeth less than daily (2.72), PCG's gums bleeding daily when brushing or PCG having no teeth (1.83-2.00), and PCG having cavities/fillings/extractions in past 2 y (1.55). A 10-item caries risk tool at age 1 shows good agreement with cavitated-level caries experience by age 4.

Decline in Dental Fluorosis Severity during Adolescence: A Cohort Study.

Dental fluorosis occurs from overingestion of fluoride during tooth formation. However, there is little evidence in the literature on whether or how fluorosis prevalence and severity change over time after tooth eruption. Permanent dentition dental examinations were conducted at ages 9, 13, 17, and 23 as part of the Iowa Fluoride Study, which has followed a cohort from birth. Fluorosis was assessed using the Fluorosis Risk Index (FRI) and Russell's criteria for differential diagnosis. Measures of fluorosis severity at the person and tooth level were calculated: second highest FRI score at the person level (the maximum FRI score for each tooth was determined and the tooth with the second highest maximum FRI score was used) and highest FRI score at the tooth level. At both the person and tooth levels, a decline in mild to moderate fluorosis severity was observed across adolescence and young adulthood. Across each pair of adjacent examinations at the person level, for participants with a baseline second highest FRI of 0, most participants stayed at 0 (82% to 91%). Many participants with a baseline second highest FRI of 1 had a follow-up score of 0 (47% to 54%), while about a third had a follow-up score of 1 (34% to 38%), and a lower percentage had an increase to a score of 2 (9% to 15%). For participants with baseline second highest FRI score of 2, between 25% and 44% of participants had follow-up FRI scores each of 0, 1, and 2. Similar patterns were observed at the tooth level. These results were consistent with most of the existing, limited literature. Overall, fluorosis severity, which was initially mild to moderate, tended to decline during adolescence and young adulthood. Additional study of how this trend affects esthetic perceptions of fluorosis is warranted.

The timing of subsequent treatment for teeth restored with large amalgams and crowns: factors related to the need for subsequent treatment.

Crowns and large amalgams protect structurally compromised teeth to various degrees in different situations. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the survival of teeth with these two types of restorations and the factors associated with better outcomes. Retrospective administrative and chart data were used. Survival was defined and modeled as: (1) receipt of no treatment and (2) receipt of no catastrophic treatment over five- and 10-year periods. Analyses included: Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Log-Rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. Crowns survived longer with no treatment and with no catastrophic treatment; however, mandibular large amalgams were least likely to have survived with no treatment, and maxillary large amalgams were least likely to have survived with no catastrophic treatment. Having no adjacent teeth also decreased survival. Crowns survived longer than large amalgams, but factors such as arch type and the presence of adjacent teeth contributed to the survival of large amalgams.

Restoration of root surface caries in vulnerable elderly patients: a review of the literature.

The authors conducted a review to evaluate the current literature addressing root surface caries treatment in the vulnerable elderly, to identify any gaps in the literature that will need to be addressed in the future. The authors conducted a literature search of the electronic databases using MEDLINE, PubMed, to identify original clinical research articles regarding treatment of root caries lesions, with emphasis on research focused on the vulnerable elderly. Five articles were clinical studies of root caries restorations. Only one was conducted on a vulnerable elderly population. The results of the literature review show that there is a need for further studies addressing the restorative needs of the vulnerable elderly. With the aging of the American population, more research is needed to provide adequate care to this population. At this time, glass ionomers are a good treatment option.