Behavioural and socioeconomic factors associated with the simultaneous occurrence of periodontal disease and dental caries.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the association of behavioural and socioeconomic factors with the occurrence of periodontal disease and dental caries, paying special attention to the simultaneous occurrence of these diseases.Materials and methods: The study population consisted of 5255 dentate persons aged ≥30 years from a nationally representative survey. Caries and probing pocket depth were recorded by tooth and calculated in relation to the number of existing teeth. The groups were: non-affected (A), the two most affected quintiles for periodontal disease with little or no dental caries (B), the two most affected quintiles for dental caries with little or no periodontal disease (C) and the two most affected quintiles for both periodontal disease and dental caries (D). Presence of dental plaque was determined, and behavioural and socioeconomic factors were established.Results: Dental plaque, smoking, lack of regular dental check-ups, older age and a basic level of education were strongly associated with the simultaneous occurrence of periodontal disease and dental caries.Conclusions: There are many behavioural and socioeconomic factors that associate with the occurrence of both periodontal disease and dental caries. These factors also increase the risk of individuals having these diseases simultaneously.

Molar morphology and the expression of Carabelli's trait in 45,X females.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to observe the expression of Carabelli's trait in maxillary first (M1) and second (M2) permanent molars in relation to tooth crown size and cusp number and to consider the role of the shortage of sex chromosome material in these features during tooth crown development. METHODS: The data were derived from dental casts belonging to the KVANTTI Research Project on sex chromosome abnormalities headed by Professor Lassi Alvesalo in Finland. The subjects comprised 86 45,X females, 51 first-degree female relatives, and 150 population control females. Carabelli's trait was divided into three grades and cusp number was classified into two classes in Dahlberg's P12 and P9. The tooth crown diameters were measured with a sliding digital caliper. RESULTS: M1 in the 45,X females expressed a lower frequency of Carabelli's trait (19.8%) than in the female relatives (37.2%, P < 0.05). There was also a higher frequency of the three-cusp pattern (11.1%) than in the female relatives (2.4%, P = 0.055) or the control females (1.3%, P < 0.001). The expression of Carabelli's trait in M2 was of the same magnitude in the 45,X females and normal controls and was related to tooth crown size, whereas its expression in M1 of the 45,X females was associated with the cusp number rather than the tooth crown size. CONCLUSIONS: The shortage of one X chromosome in females has an influence on the morphology of the lingual cingulum region of the maxillary first permanent molar during tooth crown development.

Crown heights in the permanent teeth of 45,X and 45,X/46,XX females.

OBJECTIVE: Previous results regarding human sex chromosome aneuploidies have shown that the X and Y chromosomes affect tooth size and morphology. This study looked for the effect of sex chromosome deficiency on permanent tooth crown heights. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The material, from the Finnish KVANTTI Research Project, consisted of 97 45,X females and 15 45,X/46,XX females. The controls were 32 sisters and 28 mothers of the 45,X females, eight sisters and two mothers of the 45,X/46,XX females and 35 female population controls. Crown heights of all the available teeth except third molars on both sides of the jaws were measured from panoramic radiographs with a digital calliper according to the defined procedure. RESULTS: The tooth crown heights were significantly smaller in the 45,X females than in the female population controls, except for the incisors and one canine in the maxilla, whereas the tooth crown heights of the 45,X/46,XX females were close to those of the normal control females. The differences between the 45,X and 45,X/46,XX females were statistically significant, excluding the upper incisor area and a few teeth in the mandible. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of the sex chromosome deficiency on permanent tooth crown height is due to the magnitude of lacking sex chromosome material. The present results regarding the 45,X females are parallel to previous findings in Turner patients regarding reduced mesiodistal and labiolingual dimensions and tooth crown heights in the permanent dentition.

Dietary and oral hygiene habits of active athletes and adolescents attending ordinary junior high schools.

BACKGROUND: Active sports require sufficient energy intake. How do young athletes meet this need? The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported health and oral behaviors of young athletes and to compare them with a population-based sample of ordinary adolescents. DESIGN: A computer-based questionnaire on oral hygiene habits and dietary habits was conducted in two junior high schools with special classes for athletes in 2011. Adolescents of similar age (n=1230) attending ordinary classes had responded the same questionnaire earlier in the city of Oulu (in 2004) and in Kajaani, Finland (in 2006-2007). Answers to individual questions as well as sum scores of the answers were analyzed. The answers of the athletes and ordinary adolescents were analyzed by gender using cross-tabulation and chi-square testing. RESULTS: The mean sum score of the athletes indicated their more favorable health behavior compared with the other adolescents. They also ate more frequently the four daily than the others; in addition, they ate the school lunch as an entity which it was intended. However, the athlete boys consumed more fizzy/soft drinks and ate chocolate more often than the rest. The athletes also brushed their teeth more frequently than ordinary adolescents. Oral health behavior of the girls was better than that of the boys. CONCLUSIONS: Health behavior of the young athletes is better than that of other adolescents. Continuous oral health education should be targeted to all adolescents; growing boys should be target group of information on healthy sources of energy.

Children's oral health-related knowledge, attitudes and beliefs as predictors of success in caries control during a 3.4-year randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether the baseline oral health-related knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the participants in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) were associated with D(3)MFS increment. Additionally, the aim was to study whether the association was mediated by the two baseline behaviors, i.e. brushing teeth and eating candies. METHODS: Children in Pori, Finland (n = 493) aged 11-12 years, with active initial caries lesion(s) at baseline, were studied. The data were based on clinical examinations in 2001 and 2005 and on a questionnaire administered in 2001. Associations between success in caries control and baseline oral health-related knowledge, attitudes and the belief in keeping one's own teeth throughout life were evaluated using negative binomial regression analyses while considering the effects of the two baseline oral health behaviors. RESULTS: The degree of concern about getting decay in one's own teeth was associated with caries increment. The less concerned the child was about new caries lesions, the more likely he/she was to develop new cavities. This association was not mediated by the two behaviors. Those children who did not know whether or not their mother had cavities were more likely to fail in caries control than were children who knew about their mother's cavities. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to determine child's level of concern about getting cavities because children who are concerned about developing cavities are likely to succeed in caries control while the opposite is true for those children who do not share this concern.

Dowsing can be interfered with by radio frequency radiation.

The soil radiation, watercourses and ores have been located for centuries by sensitive persons, dowsers. An ideomotoric explanation of the dowsing reaction, with no physical interaction, has been accepted. Our present re-analyses of some such results have shown, that there could be a physical phenomenon connecting the human reactions in field experiments, where the test subjects walked or were sitting in a slow-moving car, with the windows covered, and a dowsing rod in their hands was recorded. The correlations between the reaction points by test subjects in the moving car and the points by walking along the same path were highly significant. The correlation was not seen in all test locations. The distance between the test location and the radio tower, and the incidence angle of the transmitted radio wave, possibly had an effect on results. We hypothesize that the experiments carried out in the 20th century were interfered with by man-made radio frequency radiation, mainly FM radio and TV broadcasting, as test subjects' bodies absorbed the radio waves and unconscious hand movement reactions took place following the standing waves or intensity variations due to multipath propagation.

Relationship between laser fluorescence values and visual evaluation of fissure caries in schoolchildren - a field study.

BACKGROUND: In our previous study of oral health intervention in children, laser fluorescence (LF) values of occlusal surfaces were reduced after 1 year. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between DIAGNOdent pen values and clinical status of the occlusal surfaces. DESIGN: The study conducted in 2007 and 2008 in 700 children aged 13-14 included a clinical examination and LFpen measurement of the occlusal surfaces of first and second molars. Four teams consisting of a dental hygienist and a dental nurse performed the examinations on school premises. The dental hygienist scored the surfaces using the Nyvad criteria for caries assessment; the surfaces were then scanned using a DIAGNOdent pen(®) device. RESULTS: The more severe the visual caries category was, the higher the mean LFpen values were. Correlation coefficients between LF values and NY categories were 0.542 and 0.408 in years 2007 and 2008, respectively (all examiners combined). The LFpen values of active and inactive lesions did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between the mean LFpen values and the NY categories was significant. Fissures can be reliably examined with LF and by visual inspection on school premises if certain special arrangements are made.

Dietary and oral hygiene intervention in secondary school pupils.

BACKGROUND: To enhance the well-being of secondary school pupils by improving their eating habits, especially school-based eating, a joint project, including oral health intervention, was conducted during the academic year 2007-2008. AIM: The aim was to study the effect of a dietary intervention on schoolchildren's eating habits and laser fluorescence (LF) values of teeth. METHODS: Twelve schools in three cities, Finland, were randomly assigned to be intervention and control schools. Two of the intervention schools were further assigned in the instruction of oral hygiene. In 2007 and 2008, the pupils (n=739 and 647, respectively) answered a questionnaire on dietary and oral health habits, and LF values on the occlusal surfaces of molars and premolars were determined. RESULTS: The frequency of eating a warm meal and drinking water at school to quench thirst increased in the intervention schools but decreased in the control schools (P<0.001 and P=0.005, respectively). LF values in molars decreased in schools with dietary intervention only (P=0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The 1-year dietary intervention was long enough to show improvement in eating habits and in habits for quenching thirst, and some decrease in the LF values of molars.

Post-trial costs, clinical outcomes, and dental service utilization after a randomized clinical trial for caries control among Finnish adolescents.

The aim of this study was to assess post-trial treatment costs, clinical outcomes [decayed, missing or filled surfaces (DMFS) scores], and utilization of dental services among adolescents who had participated in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) in Pori, Finland, in 2001-2005. At baseline the children were 11-12 yr of age and had had at least one active initial caries lesion. The children in the experimental group (n = 250) had been exposed to multiple measures for caries control, while those in the control group (n = 247) had received standard dental care. During the post-trial period (2005-2008), all participants received the standard dental care offered in public dental clinics in Pori. In both groups the costs of treatment procedures and outcomes for the post-trial period were calculated for each adolescent. Information from patient records was available for 487 adolescents (former experimental n = 246, control n = 241). The mean total costs per adolescent were lower and the clinical outcome was better among the former experimental-group participants. The differences in mean costs between the groups were statistically significant for preventive and restorative procedures. The utilization of dental services was significantly more regular among the former experimental-group participants.

Effects of combination treatment with ketoprofen 100 mg + acetaminophen 1000 mg on postoperative dental pain: a single-dose, 10-hour, randomized, double-blind, active- and placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: A combination of analgesic drugs with different pharmacologic properties may be more effective, with fewer adverse events, than either agent used alone. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed whether the combination of acetaminophen and ketoprofen is more effective and better tolerated than either drug used alone in treating postoperative pain. METHODS: This single-dose randomized, double-blind, active- and placebo-controlled study was conducted at the Finnish Student Health Service, Oulu, Finland. Patients aged 18 to 40 years with moderate or severe pain (>or=3 on a numerical rating scale [NRS] of 0-10) after surgical removal of impacted third molars were randomly assigned to receive one of the following drugs in single oral doses: ketoprofen 100 mg + acetaminophen 1000 mg, ketoprofen 100 mg, acetaminophen 1000 mg, or placebo tablets. Effectiveness was assessed by the onset of analgesia, pain intensity difference (PID) from baseline, sum of PID (SPID), and duration of analgesic effect. Patients rated pain intensity on the NRS at rest and on dry swallowing. Onset of pain relief was measured using time to PID in >or=1 category at rest or on dry swallowing (PID >or=1). Patients recorded the occurrence of adverse events and the supplemental consumption of rescue medication (ibuprofen). RESULTS: The study included 76 patients, accounting for 78 cases (2 patients were operated on twice and were assessed as 4 individual patients) (59% women, 41% men; mean age, 22.8 years; white race, 100%; and mean weight, 68.3 kg). At 1.5 hours, mean SPIDs at rest and on swallowing were significantly greater in the combination group than in the acetaminophen, ketoprofen, and placebo groups (all, P < 0.05). Mean time to onset of pain relief (PID >or=1) at rest and on swallowing were significantly less in the combination group than the acetaminophen, ketoprofen, and placebo groups (all, P < 0.05). Median time to use of rescue medication was significantly longer in the combination group than in the acetaminophen group (P = 0.006) and the placebo group (P < 0.001) but not the ketoprofen group. At 1.5 hours after administration, maximum sedation scores were not significantly different between the study groups. The prevalences of trismus, bleeding, and edema were not significantly different between the study groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that the combination of ketoprofen 100 mg + acetaminophen 1000 mg provided a significantly more rapid onset of analgesia than either drug given alone in the management of pain after oral surgery in this patient population. Adverse events were not significantly different between the study groups. These results support the clinical practice of combining ketoprofen with acetaminophen for the management of acute pain.

Cost-effectiveness of an experimental caries-control regimen in a 3.4-yr randomized clinical trial among 11-12-yr-old Finnish schoolchildren.

The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of an experimental caries-control regimen in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) conducted in Pori, Finland, in 2001-2005. Children (n = 497) who were 11-12 yr of age and had at least one active initial caries lesion at baseline were studied. The children in the experimental group (n = 250) were offered an individually designed patient-centered regimen for caries control. The children in the control group (n = 247) received standard dental care. Furthermore, the whole population was exposed to continuous community-level oral health promotion. Individual costs of treatment procedures and outcomes (DMFS increment score) for the follow-up period of 3.4 yr were calculated for each child in both groups. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was euro 34.07 per averted DMF surface. The experimental regimen was more effective, and also more costly. However, the total costs decreased year after year, and for the last 2 yr the experimental regimen was less expensive than the standard dental care. The experimental regimen would probably have been more cost-effective than standard dental care if the follow-up period had been longer, the regimen less comprehensive, and/or if dental nurses had conducted the preventive procedures.

Expression of claudins 1, 4, 5, and 7 and occludin, and relationship with prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

Claudins and occludin are tight junctional proteins known to play a role in normal tissues and epithelial tumors. We analyzed the distribution patterns of claudins 1, 4, 5, and 7 and occludin in the superficial and invasive front of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue of 97 patients and their relationship to cause-specific (squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue) patient survival (median follow-up period of 33.5 months; range, 1-234 months). Claudins 1 and 7 were strongly expressed, claudin 4 had moderate expression, whereas claudin 5 was least expressed. Occludin staining was mostly negative or very weak. Western blot analysis of tongue carcinoma (HSC-3) cells showed that all these proteins are also expressed in vitro. In cause-specific survival analysis, strong and low immunoreactivity of claudin 7 tended to be associated with decreased survival compared with medium immunoreactivity. We suggest that analyzing the immunohistologic staining levels of claudin 7 could be used for the prognostic purposes in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral health-related behaviors predictive of failures in caries control among 11-12-yr-old Finnish schoolchildren.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the baseline oral health-related behaviors of the participants of the intervention group of a randomized clinical trial conducted in Pori, Finland, were predictive of failures in controlling caries. Three definitions of failure were considered, namely if the children developed one or more, three or more, or five or more new caries lesions, as evidenced by the change in number of decayed, missing or filled surfaces (Delta DMFS) during the follow-up period of 3.4 yr. Children (n = 497) aged 11-12 yr, with at least one active initial caries lesion at baseline, were studied. The data were based on clinical examinations in 2001 and 2005 and on a questionnaire on oral health-related behaviors that was administered in 2001. Associations between baseline behaviors and the measures of failure in caries control were evaluated using logistic regression analyses. Self-reported tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day reduced the risk of failure. Children who, at baseline, reported eating candy at least once a day were more likely to experience failure at the levels of three or more and five or more new lesions.

Effect of dietary habits on laser fluorescence values of visually sound occlusal surfaces among Finnish schoolchildren.

AIM: This study was designed to ascertain whether schoolchildren with unfavourable dietary habits have higher values for laser fluorescence on clinically sound occlusal tooth surfaces than do those who have favourable dietary habits. DESIGN: The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, 462 children aged 13-14 years answered a questionnaire on dietary habits. The children were ranked according to a total score based on the presumed harmfulness of their dietary habits. One hundred children with the lowest and highest dietary scores were invited to the second phase of the study consisting of a visual examination, laser fluorescence scanning of premolars and molars, and an oral self-care questionnaire. RESULTS: Seventy-four and 76 children with favourable and unfavourable habits, respectively, were examined. A total of 1221 sound occlusal surfaces were scanned. Children with unfavourable dietary habits had higher median laser fluorescence values than did those with favourable habits (P < 0.0246). The effect of dietary habits was strongest in molars. CONCLUSION: High laser fluorescence values on several clinically sound occlusal surfaces of a child may indicate unfavourable dietary habits.

Generalized pain and pain sensitivity in community subjects with facial pain: a case-control study.

AIMS: To investigate the existence of pain outside the facial area as well as pain sensitivity in a population-based sample of 34-year-old subjects with facial pain. METHODS: Fifty-two facial pain cases (10 men, 42 women) and 52 pain-free controls (10 men, 42 women) included in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort of 1966 underwent a clinical musculoskeletal examination. Pain outside the facial area during the week prior to the examination was defined by means of a pain drawing. Eighteen fibromyalgia points were palpated in response to digital palpation with an algometer. Pressure pain thresholds were measured from the dorsal side of the wrist and from the highest points of the temporalis muscles. RESULTS: Compared to controls, pain cases reported significantly more pain in areas outside the face, with the exception of the shoulder and lower back. The number of painful fibromyalgia points was significantly higher in cases than in controls. Mean pressure pain thresholds were slightly lower in cases than in controls; the difference was significant in the left wrist. CONCLUSION: Subjects with facial pain reported more pain and had more mascular tenderness outside the facial area compared to controls. Pain symptoms outside the facial area should be assessed in patients seeking treatment for facial pain, and they should be taken into account when treatment is planned.

The relationship of distinct craniofacial features between Turner syndrome females and their parents.

The present study aimed to assess the relationship of craniofacial features between females with Turner syndrome (TS) and their parents. Lateral cephalograms of 63 TS females and 80 family members with normal karyotype were analysed using 13 linear and eight angular cephalometric measurements. The statistical differences of the measurements between adult TS females and their mothers (n = 41) and between adult TS females and their adult sisters (n = 27) were calculated to define the distinct craniofacial features of subjects with TS. Regression models were computed to assess the association of distinct craniofacial features between TS females and their parents (n = 41 for mothers and n = 12 for fathers). Distinct craniofacial features of the subjects with TS were an increased cranial base flexion, shortened posterior cranial base length (S-Ba), retrognathic maxilla and mandible (

Acceleration of frost hardening in Vaccinium vitis-idaea by nitrogen fertilization.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. plants were grown in open-top chambers in northern Finland under CO2 enrichment (600-700 ppm) with or without elevated (double ambient) O3. Half of the plants received ammonium nitrate fertilizer equivalent to 200 kg N ha-1 year-1. Frost hardiness during the period of frost hardening was determined three times after the end of the experiment, at the beginning of August, September and October. The results indicate that frost hardening of the Vaccinium vitis-idaea is accelerated by N fertilization. However, CO2 and O3 enrichment had no measurable effect on frost hardiness.