Perceived dental treatment need among older Tanzanian adults – a cross-sectional study

Need perceptions for dental care play a key role as to whether people in general will seek dental care. The aim was to assess the prevalence of perceived need of problem based dental care, dental check-ups and any type of dental care. Guided by the conceptual model of Wilson and Cleary, the relationship of perceived need for dental care with socio-demographic characteristics, clinically defined dental problems and self-reported oral health outcomes was investigated. Partial prosthetic treatment need was estimated using a socio-dental approach. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Pwani region and in Dar es Salaam in 2004/2005. Information from interviews and clinical examination became available for 511 urban and 520 rural adults (mean age 62.9 yr). 51.7% (95% CI 46.2, 57.0) urban and 62.5 % (95% CI 53.1, 70.9) rural inhabitants confirmed need for dental check-up, 42.9% (95% CI 36.9, 48.9) urban and 52.7% (95% CI 44.5, 60.6) rural subjects confirmed need for problem oriented care and 38.4% (95% CI 32.4, 44.6) urban versus 49.6% (95% CI 41.8, 57.4) rural residents reported need for any type of dental care. Binary and ordinal multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that adults who reported bad oral health and broken teeth were more likely to perceive need for dental care across the three outcome measures than their counterparts. Socio-demographic factors and clinically defined problems had less impact. Based on a normative and an integrated socio-dental approach respectively 39.5% and 4.7% were in need for partial dentures. About half of the participants confirmed need for problem oriented care, dental check-ups and any type of dental care. Need perceptions were influenced by perceived oral health, clinically assessed oral problems and socio-demographic characteristics. Need estimates for partial denture was higher when based on clinical examination alone compared to an integrative socio-dental approach

A review of zoonotic infection risks associated with the wild meat trade in Malaysia.

The overhunting of wildlife for food and commercial gain presents a major threat to biodiversity in tropical forests and poses health risks to humans from contact with wild animals. Using a recent survey of wildlife offered at wild meat markets in Malaysia as a basis, we review the literature to determine the potential zoonotic infection risks from hunting, butchering and consuming the species offered. We also determine which taxa potentially host the highest number of pathogens and discuss the significant disease risks from traded wildlife, considering how cultural practices influence zoonotic transmission. We identify 51 zoonotic pathogens (16 viruses, 19 bacteria and 16 parasites) potentially hosted by wildlife and describe the human health risks. The Suidae and the Cervidae families potentially host the highest number of pathogens. We conclude that there are substantial gaps in our knowledge of zoonotic pathogens and recommend performing microbial food safety risk assessments to assess the hazards of wild meat consumption. Overall, there may be considerable zoonotic risks to people involved in the hunting, butchering or consumption of wild meat in Southeast Asia, and these should be considered in public health strategies

Gravitational equilibrium moisture profiles in swelling soils

Extension of the work of Philip (1969a, 1972) has shown that the effect of overburden pressure on volume change of swelling soils produces equilibrium moisture profiles entirely different from those predicted without considering the overburden pressure effects. Volume change of swelling soils accompanied by moisture changes also affects the overburden pressure. The total volume change under an overburden pressure occurs in three different shrinkage phases from saturation to oven dry. These volume change characteristics are usually described on the shrinkage surface, a surface drawn as void ratio e (volume of voids/volume of solids) versus moisture ratio Θ (volume of water/volume of solids) for different overburden pressures. A relationship for the moisture gradient is developed by assuming that the overburden potential, a component of the total potential of soil water, is a function of moisture ratio only across a small soil element of a long swelling soil column which consists of large numbers of finite soil elements. The moisture gradient has complex behavior based on the properties of the three shrinkage phases on the shrinkage surface. Distribution of equilibrium moisture paths is then explained by evaluating the moisture gradients at points on an idealized shrinkage surface. It is shown that the soil at great depths could either be saturated or unsaturated at equilibrium. (These depths could be over 250 m for some sodium montmorillonite clays)