The relation of preventive dental behaviors to periodontal health status

. Current recommendations for periodontal health maintenance emphasize toothbrushing, flossing and periodic dental checkups. The purposes of this study were to examine (1) the effects of these practices on periodontal health and (2) the relationships of demographic and socioeconomic variables with these behaviors and with periodontal health. Adults ( n = 319) in the Detroit, Michigan tri-county area were asked how frequently they performed the 3 preventive behaviors. Levels of plaque, gingivitis, calculus, and periodontal attachment were then assessed during in-home dental examinations. There were no statistically significant differences in these health measures between those with acceptable and unacceptable brushing behavior. About 20% of the subjects reported acceptable flossing behavior, and these individuals had significantly less plaque and calculus than other participants. Over 3/4 of subjects reported having a dental checkup at least 1 × a year, and these persons were found to have significantly less plaque, gingivitis, and calculus compared to less frequent attenders. Acceptable brushing behavior was not associated with any particular demographic or socio-economic characteristic, while differences in acceptable flossing behavior were found among age groups. Frequencies of yearly dental checkups varied significantly within every demographic and socioeconomic characteristic.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75510/1/j.1600-051X.1994.tb00303.x.pd

A randomised controlled trial to explore attitudes to routine scale and polish and compare manual versus ultrasonic scaling in the general dental service in Scotland [ISRCTN99609795]

BACKGROUND: To investigate, within general dental practice, patients' and vocational dental practitioners' (VDP) attitudes towards the benefits and costs of a simple scale and polish and to compare the experience of using manual versus ultrasonic instruments to scale teeth. METHODS: 28 VDPs and 420 patients participated. Patients were randomly allocated to either group. Patients' and VDPs' attitudes towards, and experience of, the scale and polish were elicited by means of self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: The majority of patients (99%) believed a scale and polish was beneficial. VDPs considered ultrasonic treatment to be appropriate on significantly more occasions than they did for manual scale and polish (P < 0.001). Patient discomfort: with ultrasonic scaling 69.2% felt 'a little uncomfortable' or worse compared with 60% of those undergoing manual treatment (P = 0.072). VDPs considered treatment charges were appropriate for 77% of patients. CONCLUSION: Routine scaling and polishing is considered beneficial by both patients and vocational trainees. The majority of patients, regardless of treatment method, experience some degree of discomfort when undergoing a scale and polish. VDPs showed a preference for the ultrasonic treatment method

Mechanical performance and capillary water absorption of sewage sludge ash concrete (SSAC)

Disposal of sewage sludge from waste water treatment plants is a serious environmental problem of increasing magnitude. Waste water treatment generates as much as 70 g of dry solids per capita per day. Although one of the disposal solutions for this waste is through incineration, still almost 30% of sludge solids remain as ash. This paper presents results related to reuse of sewage sludge ash in concrete. The sludge was characterised for chemical composition (X-ray flourescence analysis), crystalline phases (X-ray diffraction analysis) and pozzolanic activity. The effects of incineration on crystal phases of the dry sludge were investigated. Two water/cement (W/C) ratios (0.55 and 0.45) and three sludge ash percentages (5%,10% and 20%) per cement mass were used as filler. The mechanical performance of sewage sludge ash concrete (SSAC) at different curing ages (3, 7, 28 and 90 days) was assessed by means of mechanical tests and capillary water absorption. Results show that sewage sludge ash leads to a reduction in density and mechanical strength and to an increase in capillary water absorption. Results also show that SSAC with 20% of sewage sludge ash and W/C=0.45 has a 28 day compressive strength of almost 30 MPa. SSAC with a sludge ash contents of 5% and 10% has the same capillary water absorption coefficient as the control concrete; as for the concrete mixtures with 20% sludge ash content, the capillary water absorption is higher but in line with C20/25 strength class concretes performance

Technique of anterior colporrhaphy: a Dutch evaluation

Contains fulltext : 96395.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate the variation in techniques of anterior colporrhaphy among members of the Dutch Urogynecologic Society. METHODS: A questionnaire evaluating the technique of anterior colporrhaphy, preoperative and postoperative care, and use of the POP-Q score was sent out by e-mail. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-three completed questionnaires were received. The response rate was 65%. There are large variations in incisions, use of hydrodissection, method of plication, and excision of redundant vaginal epithelium. The urinary catheter was generally removed on day 2 after surgery and the vaginal pack on day 1. Less than half of the respondents used the POP-Q score routinely. CONCLUSIONS: Dutch gynecologists use a variety of surgical techniques to operate on a cystocele. This suggests that there is no widely accepted opinion on the best surgical approach. The lack of differentiation between central and lateral defects is striking and in contrast with the, mostly, American literature

A nationwide survey to measure practice variation of catheterisation management in patients undergoing vaginal prolapse surgery

Urinary catheterisation following vaginal prolapse surgery causes inconvenience for patients, risk of urinary tract infections and potentially longer hospitalisation. Possibly, practice variation exists concerning diagnosis and management of abnormal postvoid residual (PVR) volume implying suboptimal treatment for certain subgroups. Nationwide questionnaire-based survey. Post-operatively, 77% performed transurethral indwelling catheterisation, 12% suprapubic catheterisation and 11% intermittent catheterisation. Catheterisation was applied 3 days (1-7 days) following anterior repair and 1 day (1-3 days) following all other procedures. The median cut-off point for abnormal PVR was 150 mL (range 50-250 mL). Treatment of abnormal PVR consisted mostly of prolonging transurethral indwelling catheterisation for 2 days (range 1-5 days; 57%), 29% by intermittent and 12% by suprapubic catheterisation. Antibiotics were administered by 21% either routinely or based on symptoms only. Due to insufficient evidence and suboptimal implementation of available evidence, practice variation in catheterisation regimens is hig

A systematic review of outcome and outcome-measure reporting in randomised trials evaluating surgical interventions for anterior-compartment vaginal prolapse: a call to action to develop a core outcome set

INTRODUCTION: We assessed outcome and outcome-measure reporting in randomised controlled trials evaluating surgical interventions for anterior-compartment vaginal prolapse and explored the relationships between outcome reporting quality with journal impact factor, year of publication, and methodological quality. METHODS: We searched the bibliographical databases from inception to October 2017. Two researchers independently selected studies and assessed study characteristics, methodological quality (Jadad criteria; range 1-5), and outcome reporting quality Management of Otitis Media with Effusion in Cleft Palate (MOMENT) criteria; range 1-6], and extracted relevant data. We used a multivariate linear regression to assess associations between outcome reporting quality and other variables. RESULTS: Eighty publications reporting data from 10,924 participants were included. Seventeen different surgical interventions were evaluated. One hundred different outcomes and 112 outcome measures were reported. Outcomes were inconsistently reported across trials; for example, 43 trials reported anatomical treatment success rates (12 outcome measures), 25 trials reported quality of life (15 outcome measures) and eight trials reported postoperative pain (seven outcome measures). Multivariate linear regression demonstrated a relationship between outcome reporting quality with methodological quality (β = 0.412; P = 0.018). No relationship was demonstrated between outcome reporting quality with impact factor (β = 0.078; P = 0.306), year of publication (β = 0.149; P = 0.295), study size (β = 0.008; P = 0.961) and commercial funding (β = -0.013; P = 0.918). CONCLUSIONS: Anterior-compartment vaginal prolapse trials report many different outcomes and outcome measures and often neglect to report important safety outcomes. Developing, disseminating and implementing a core outcome set will help address these issues