Against Schmought

Matti Eklund has argued that a new problem in metanormative theory arises when we consider the possibility of "normative counterparts"—normative concepts with the same normative roles as OUGHT and RIGHT, but with different extensions. I distinguish two versions of the problem, and propose a solution: when we attend to the attitudinal commitments involved in the possession and application of some normative concepts, we find that tolerance for the possibility of normative counterparts is rationally ruled out

In search of doxastic involuntarism

Doxastic involuntarists, as I categorize them, say that it’s impossible to form a belief as an intentional action. But what exactly is it to form a belief, as opposed to simply getting yourself to have one? This question has been insufficiently addressed, and the lacuna threatens the involuntarists’ position: if the question isn’t answered, their view will lack any clear content; but, after considering some straightforward ways of answering it, I argue that they would make involuntarism either false or insignificant. I also examine several involuntarist arguments, and find them faltering at just this point: inadequate attention to belief-formation results in unsound arguments or insignificant conclusions. The viability of involuntarism as a meaningful position, I conclude, turns on whether the notion of belief-formation can be further developed

Oral health and oral health behaviour of adolescents with mild or borderline intellectual disabilities compared with a national representative sample of 17-year-olds in the Netherlands

Background People with intellectual disabilities have worse health outcomes compared to their peers without. However, regarding oral health parameters, recent systematic reviews reported conflicting evidence. The aim was to assess whether adolescents with MBID differ from their peers in oral health and oral health behaviour. Methods Ninety seven adolescents with MBID participated in this comparative study. Outcomes were compared to data of 17-year-old Dutch adolescents (n = 581) from a national epidemiological study on oral health and oral health behaviour. Results Adolescents with MBID showed worse oral health outcomes and poorer oral hygiene than their peers from the general population. Furthermore, they visit the dentist less regularly, brush less frequently, eat main-dishes less frequently and have higher levels of dental anxiety. Conclusion Adolescents with MBID have poorer oral health and show worse oral health-promoting behaviours than their peers in the general population. Targeted interventions to reach this vulnerable group are necessary

Application of the Nexø method in a general dental practice in the Netherlands: 6-year results of a RCT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to establish the effect of a non-operative caries treatment programme (the Nexø method) in a general dental practice on dental caries, oral hygiene and self-reported motivational factors for a 6-year period. METHODS: A randomized clinical controlled trial study on caries-preventive measures in 6- to 12-year-old children was performed among 3 groups of children: (i) care as usual (dental check-ups twice a year, accompanied by a professional fluoride application and the placement of occlusal sealants on a routine basis) (CONTROL); (ii) care as usual plus 2 extra professional fluoride applications (IPFA); or (iii) a non-operative caries treatment programme based on the Nexø method in which recall interval and caries-preventive measures were individualized based on caries activity, eruption stage and motivation of the parent (NOCTP). RESULTS: A total of 106 12-year-old children of the initial 230 6-year-olds completed the full-length study. Children in the NOCTP group developed 0.67 decayed, missing or filled surfaces (DMFS). This value was 0.86 in the IPFA group and 1.02 in control group. The level of oral hygiene was most favourable in the NOCTP group (OHI-s score 0.61 vs 0.87 [IPFA] and 0.70 [control]). Differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Children who followed the NOCTP programme in this general dental practice did not develop significantly fewer new caries lesions compared with children in the IPFA group or the control group after 6 years. However, the differences identified after the first 3 years of the trial remained apparen

A scoping review of the uses of the care index in children

Objective: To conduct a scoping review of literature to describe how the care index (CI) and restorative index (RI) are used in child populations and to determine whether they are fit for purpose. Basic research design: Scoping review conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework. Method: Electronic and manual literature searches (1980–2015) were conducted. Titles and abstracts were screened, full-texts of potential studies were reviewed two reviewers extracted data independently, followed by data charting and summarising. Results: Out of 104 articles meeting all criteria, most were cross-sectional (92%), and 56% were conducted in UK and Brazil. Most commonly (63%) studies used CI and RI to obtain epidemiological data on dental care levels. Of the studies that defined CI and RI, most used and specified the standard definition. The CI and RI scores varied either due to patient related factors such as age, gender or dental care related factors including, cost of treatment and method of provider remuneration. Conclusion: Overall, it is recommended that future studies should clearly state the definitions and thresholds used to obtain CI and RI, which would enable comparison between communities and allow temporal trends to be studied. Additionally, deriving separate CI and RI scores for groups based on caries extent would help to highlight inequalities in the provision of care. Further research is needed to explore the applicability of CI and RI to changing approache