Attitudes of South African oral hygienists towards compulsory community service.

UNLABELLED: Compulsory Community Service (CCS) was introduced into the health service by the government to address the shortage and maldistribution of health professionals within the public sector. The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of oral hygiene (OH) students, registered in 2004 at the five dental universities regarding the introduction of a 1-year-long CCS. OBJECTIVES: To determine: (a) the students' socio-demographic profile and (b) their attitudes towards CCS. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to all OH students who were registered during 2004 at the respective dental universities. RESULTS: The study yielded a response rate of 70% (109) with the average age of participants being 21.4 years. Most students were female (94%) and more than half were White (52%). More than half (53%) did not want to perform CCS even though 75% acknowledged its' importance. The most common concern for not supporting CCS was security (89%). Ninety per cent (90%) indicated that their preferred tasks would be to engage in clinical work and oral health promotion. CONCLUSION: Although the majority of participants supported the principles of CCS, a significant number were against the introduction citing security as their main concern. Most of the students preferred to perform clinical work and preventive programmes during their CCS.

Hyperprolactinemia and bone mineral density: the potential impact of antipsychotic agents.

The prevalence of schizophrenia is about 1% worldwide. Individuals with schizophrenia are at increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures for several reasons, including poor diet, lack of exercise, cigarette smoking, and polydipsia. Some antipsychotic medications may further increase the risk of fractures by causing dizziness, orthostatic hypotension, and falls. Studies in women with hyperprolactinemia resulting from pituitary tumors have demonstrated high rates of osteoporosis believed to result from hypoestrogenism. Similarly, hyperprolactinemia in men results in hypogonadism and bone loss. Preliminary surveys have indicated that schizophrenia patients also may have elevated rates of osteoporosis and pathological fractures, possibly resulting in part from the long-term administration of antipsychotic agents that produce hyperprolactinemia and secondarily lower estrogen and testosterone levels. This potential complication of treatment with certain antipsychotic agents requires careful study and could represent a serious public health problem.