Fluorosis risk from early exposure to fluoride toothpaste

Swallowed fluoride toothpaste in the early years of life has been postulated to be a risk factor for fluorosis, but the epidemiological evidence is weakened by the fact that most of the relevant studies were done in developed countries where an individual is exposed to multiple sources of fluoride. Objectives: To quantify the risk of fluorosis from fluoride toothpaste in a population whose only potential source of fluoride was fluoride toothpaste. Methods: Case-control analyses were conducted to test the hypothesis that fluoride toothpaste use before the age of 6 years increased an individual's risk of fluorosis. Data came from a cross-sectional clinical dental examination of schoolchildren and a self-administered questionnaire to their parents. The study was conducted in Goa, India. The study group consisted of 1189 seventh grade children with a mean age of 12.2 years. Results: The prevalence of fluorosis was 12.9% using the TF index. Results of the crude, stratified, and logistic regression analyses showed that use of fluoride toothpaste before the age of 6 years was a risk indicator for fluorosis (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.05–3.15). Among children with fluorosis, beginning brushing before the age of 2 years increased the severity of fluorosis significantly ( P < 0.001). Other factors associated with the use of fluoride toothpaste, such as eating or swallowing fluoride toothpaste and higher frequency of use, did not show a statistically significant increased risk for prevalence or severity of fluorosis. Conclusions: Fluoride toothpaste use before the age of 6 years is a risk indicator for fluorosis in this study population.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75437/1/j.1600-0528.1998.tb01957.x.pd

NOMA: A Preventable “Scourge” of African Children

Noma is a serious orofacial gangrene originating intraorally in the gingival-oral mucosa complex before spreading extraorally to produce a visibly destructive ulcer. Although cases of noma are now rarely reported in the developed countries, it is still prevalent among children in third world countries, notably in sub-Sahara Africa, where poverty, ignorance, malnutrition, and preventable childhood infections are still common. This review summarizes historical, epidemiological, management, and research updates on noma with suggestions for its prevention and ultimate global eradication. The global annual incidence remains high at about 140,000 cases, with a mortality rate exceeding 90% for untreated diseases. Where the patients survive, noma defects result in unsightly facial disfigurement, intense scarring, trismus, oral incompetence, and social alienation. Although the etiology has long been held to be infectious, a definitive causal role between microorganisms cited, and noma has been difficult to establish. The management of noma with active disease requires antibiotics followed by reconstructive surgery. Current research efforts are focused towards a comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology, and further elucidation of the microbiology and pathogenesis of noma

Anti-Mullerian Hormone Levels in Regularly Menstruating Nigerian Women

Background:&nbsp;Studies have shown that serum levels of Anti-Mullerian Hormones (AMH) decrease with age as it is also an early and sensitive marker of ovarian reserve in women in the North American, European and Asian regions. Various research works have also generated data about AMH in the Caucasian, Americans and Asians There was a need to compare these known data with African data. Objectives:&nbsp;To assess the serum levels of AMH in healthy women of reproductive age and determine the relationship between AMH, age, Body Mass Index, parity and menstrual cycle in healthy regularly menstruating women. Methods:&nbsp;A cross-sectional study of 200 apparently healthy women aged 21-45 years was carried out between January and May 2014. Serum AMH and FSH levels were measured in the participants using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Results:&nbsp;The median AMH value was 4.07ng/mL, while the median FSH value was 9.65mIU/mL. The reference 90% CI of AMH was 0.60 -9.71 ng/ml. There was a significant negative correlation between serum level of AMH and age (r = - 0.718, p&lt;0.001). Conclusion:&nbsp;The serum AMH levels gradually declined throughout the reproductive lifespan of a woman