Periodontal disease in cats: back to basics--with an eye on the future.

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Periodontal disease is commonly encountered in feline practice. Gingivitis, followed by inflammation of the rest of the periodontal tissues, can lead to chronic oral infection, bacteraemia, pain and ultimately tooth loss. Given adequate plaque control and thorough, consistent dental home care, gingivitis is a reversible and controllable condition. Periodontitis, however, is an essentially irreversible and progressive condition. Treatment aims to control tissue inflammation, returning the gingiva to clinical health and preventing destruction of the periodontium in other parts of the mouth. CLINICAL CHALLENGES: Diagnosis must be established using a combination of oral examination under anaesthesia and dental radiography. Periodontitis leads to tooth attachment loss, and given the short length of most cat teeth, probing depths of 1 mm or more should alert the clinician to the presence of periodontitis. The decision of whether to extract or preserve affected teeth needs careful consideration. In practice, as periodontitis is often associated with type 1 tooth resorption, extraction is often required, but the slender and delicate nature of feline tooth roots, compounded by the destructive nature of tooth resorption, can frustrate extraction attempts. As highlighted in this article, iatrogenic damage to teeth is also a real risk if periodontal therapy procedures (including scaling and polishing) are not performed carefully. The challenges of providing home care in the cat are additionally discussed. EVIDENCE BASE: The authors have drawn upon, wherever possible, an evidence base relating strictly to the feline patient. Where there is a lack of published research, evidence from canine and human studies is assessed.

Conocimiento sobre enfermedad periodontal y práctica de hábitos de higiene oral de pacientes del Programa Nacional de Diabetes del Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social - Año 2010 / Periodontal disease knowledge and practice of oral hygiene of patients in the Diabetes National Ministry of Health and Welfare - Year 2010

La diabetes es una enfermedad que afecta a millones de personas en el mundo, en Paraguay afecta al 6,5% de la población adulta dándose en estos la mayor susceptibilidad a infecciones. Su relación con la enfermedad periodontal ha sido ampliamente estudiada, se considera a la prevención como el mejor tratamiento y a la educación, como pilar de la misma. Con el objetivo de determinar el conocimiento sobre Enfermedad Periodontal de pacientes diabéticos que concurrieron al Programa Nacional de Diabetes del Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social en el período comprendido entre los meses de setiembre a diciembre del 2010, se planteó la realización de un estudio observacional descriptivo de corte transversal, con componente analítico en 83 pacientes a los que se les aplicó un cuestionario autoadministrado, que además de los datos demográficos contenía preguntas sobre signos, síntomas de la enfermedad periodontal, y su relación con la diabetes, además de hábitos de higiene oral. Los datos fueron procesados y analizados utilizando estadística descriptiva mediante el programa informático Excel 2007. Para relacionar el conocimiento y práctica con sexo, edad y nivel educativo se utilizaron la prueba del Chi cuadrado y test exacto de Fischer. Se observó que la mayor parte de la población afectada era del sexo femenino; el 63 % de de los encuestados considera que existe relación entre la diabetes y la enfermedad periodontal, solo el 37% utiliza hilo dental como medio auxiliar de higiene y el 45% de los pacientes no acuden al odontólogo por alto costo del servicio. Se concluyó que el conocimiento y práctica de la población es insuficiente. Estos datos servirán de base para otros estudios y para la promoción de un programa de salud oral en estos pacientes .

Diagnostic and preventive service trends in private general practice: 1983-1984 to 1998-1999.

BACKGROUND: Aggregate trends have indicated increases in the provision of diagnostic and preventive services but there have been few reports based on their component sub-categories. The aims of this study were to investigate time trends in the provision of sub-categories of diagnostic an preventive services across a 15-year period. METHODS: A random sample of Australian dentists was surveyed by mailed questionnaire in 1983-1984, 1988-1989, 1993-1994 and 1998-1999 (response rates 71-75 per cent). Data were weighted to provide representative estimates for the age by sex distribution of private general practitioners in 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1998. RESULTS: Rates per visit were higher, Poisson regression, P<0.05, in 1998-1999 compared to baseline for examinations, radiographs, prophylaxis and topical fluoride. Diagnostic and preventive service rates varied by age of patient: compared to patients aged 65+ years, examinations were higher among children aged <5 years to adults aged 25-44 years, radiographs were lower among children <5 years and 5-11 years but higher among adults aged from 18-24 years to 45-64 years, prophylaxis services were lower among children <5 years but higher among adolescents 12-17 years to adults aged 45-64 years, while topical fluoride was higher among children 5-11 years and adolescents 12-17 years. CONCLUSIONS: Examination, radiograph, prophylaxis, and topical fluoride rates increased over the study period. While examination rates increased for both children and adults, and prophylaxis rates increased for adolescents and adults, rates for radiographs and topical fluoride only increased for adults. Age-specific changes in service rates over time indicate the effect of changing oral health status and population demographics on service provision.

Dental hygienists in Korea.

The purpose of this paper is to give basic information about the status of dental hygienists in Korea. This paper examines the changing process of the dental hygiene education system in Korea, from its start in 1965 until the present, 2003, the composition of dental personnel in Korea, the specialised areas and roles of dental hygienists after they receive their licenses, employment of dental hygienists, dental hygiene-related organisations, and the status and direction of dental hygienists in Korea. This paper shows the organisational, educational, governmental and individual efforts to increase the level of professionalism, education and quality of care delivered to Korean citizens nationwide.

Prioritization of the National Dental Hygiene Research Agenda.

The profession of dental hygiene has made considerable progress over the past 30 years toward developing a unique body of knowledge for guiding education, practice, and research. The 1993-1994 American Dental Hygienists' Association Council on Research published the first national dental hygiene research agenda in 1994. The 1994 research agenda focused dental hygienists' research efforts; however, publication of two national reports--the Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health, and Healthy People 2010--have made it necessary to revisit the research agenda. After considering input from participants in the Fourth National Dental Hygiene Research Conference and evaluating the Surgeon General's Report, the 2000-2001 Council on Research has established recommendations for the prioritization of the 1993-1994 research agenda. This report outlines for readers the rationale for the proposed recommendations.

Dental hygiene: challenges and opportunities for the millennium.

This paper was originally presented as the Keynote Speech at the ODHA Annual Spring Meeting, Toronto, May 1, 1997. The author has drawn on her lengthy involvement with the dental hygiene profession, including as a clinician, educator, researcher, and president of the Canadian and Ontario Dental Hygienists' Associations and the International Federation of Dental Hygienists.

[Future outlook for dental prophylaxis from the perspective of statutory sickness insurance]. / Zukunftsperspektiven der zahnmedizinischen Prophylaxe aus Sicht der Krankenkassen.

Recent legislation in dental health care in Germany calls for a substantial expansion of prevention. The statutory sickness funds start from the assumption that group prophylaxis in core settings of children like kindergartens and schools should be the focus of combined efforts. The departments of dental health care in local public health offices could integrate the relevant services for children and adolescents. However, in the pluralistic system between providers, purchasers and underlying legislation these must come to an agreement regarding new financial solutions for this important preventive task.

[Preventive dental care from a sociological viewpoint]. / Zahnmedizinische Prävention aus soziologischer Sicht.

In this essay the question is examined: Are there tendencies to "medicalisation" in the actual programmes of oral prevention? Medicalisation is interpreted as a subordination of the daily behaviour of clients under control of the medical system. Two possibilities of implementation of oral prophylaxis are discussed: Alternation of a concept of strict supervision and a concept of "oral self-care" emphasising more elements of behavioural self-control and empowerment.