Oral complications and management strategies for patients undergoing cancer therapy

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Aetiological factors for developmental defects of enamel

Developmental defects of enamel remain as a permanent record of a disturbance during amelogenesis. They may present in different forms, some of which may be perceived by an individual as being disfiguring and so requiring treatment to improve the appearance of the teeth. The aim of this review is to address the aetiological factors for DDE because the knowledge is essential for clinicians when explaining and discussing the presence of DDE with patients and their parents. The possible aetiological factors for enamel defects in permanent teeth can be broadly divided into two main categories: those with a localized distribution and those with a generalized distribution. Amongst the causative agents of localized defects of enamel are trauma, localized infection and irradiation. Amongst the causative agents of generalized defects of enamel are genetic disorders and systemic disturbances including intoxications, perinatal and postnatal problems, malnutrition, infectious diseases and a range of other medical conditions. Most of the available data on the aetiology of enamel defects have been gained from animal studies and case reports of children with systemic disorders. The lack of robust data makes the results of these studies inconclusive.published_or_final_versio

The factors that influence the oral health-related quality of life in 12-year-old children: baseline study of a longitudinal research

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Orthodontic tooth movement of total buccally blocked-out canine: a case report

Orthodontic tooth movement of total buccally blocked-out canine is usually difficult as it is related with the problems of severe crowding, midline deviation, involvement of long root movement and risk of gingival recession. A case report was presented to illustrate the treatment principles. It demonstrated with careful planning in extraction sequence and orthodontic mechanics to deliver light, controlled force, condition of totally blocked out canine could be corrected with good results.published_or_final_versio

Numerical study of pollutant dilution in a natural ventilated dental clinic: ventilation path types used for exhausting pollutant

A dental clinic was modelled in this study using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) platform. The objective was to study the effect of natural ventilation on pollutant dispersion in this setting. Three basic ventilation paths were identified, the 'single narrow path', 'narrow path' and 'dispersive path'. The results show that the first of these had the highest efficiency, with an escape time of about 1/30 and 1/100 of the narrow and dispersive paths, respectively. Despite the position of the pollutant source and facilities such as bulkheads, escape time was significantly reduced when the ventilation flow rate was increased under the single narrow and dispersive paths. However, for the narrow path, these factors played a more dominant role in the escape time than the ventilation flow rate. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Morphological and numerical characteristics of the southern Chinese dentitions. Part II: traits in the permanent dentition

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of four major dental traits in the southern Chinese permanent dentition and to compare these with studies from different populations. Materials and Methods: The material used in the study consisted of high quality study models collected from 725 randomly selected 12-year-old children in Hong Kong (358 males and 367 females). The various traits were assessed using standard diagnostic criteria. Literature and data related to dental traits in the permanent dentition were sourced using PubMed and hand searches. Results: The mouth prevalence of shovelling, lingual tubercle, Carabelli’s trait, and protostylid were 80.4%, 38.9%, 50.5% and 37.5% respectively. The prevalence figure for the cusp type of Carabelli’s trait in this study (23.7%) was higher than for other Mongoloids. The prevalence figures for semi-shovel shaped maxillary incisors (42.6% to 48.6%) and the cusp type of protostylid trait in mandibular molars (10.1%) were higher than for any other populations. Conclusion: The higher prevalences of semi-shovel shaped maxillary incisors, and protostylid cusp on the mandibular molars can be considered to be characteristics of the southern Chinese permanent dentition.published_or_final_versio

Dental anomalies in Chinese children with cleft lip and palate

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Morphological and numerical characteristics of the southern Chinese dentitions. Part IV: Traits in the primary dentition

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of twelve dental traits in the primary dentition of southern Chinese and compare to these figures with those from different ethnic groups. Materials and Methods: The material used in the study consisted of study casts collected from 936 randomly selected 5- year-old children (493 males and 443 females) in Hong Kong. The anomalies were assessed using diagnostic criteria that have been most often been cited in the published literature. Results: Of the twelve dental traits studied, the prevalence figures of seventh accessory cusp (89.0%), distal trigonid crest (33.5%) and metaconid ridge (84.0%) in the southern Chinese children were higher than reported for other ethnic groups. The prevalence figures for distinct and strong types of protostylid (13.7% and 0.9%), in this study, were also found to be higher than for other populations. However, the prevalence of deflecting wrinkle was 63.0% which was the lowest reported for Mongoloids. The prevalences of double lingual tubercle (22.5%) and “Y” type of occlusal groove pattern (80.1%) in southern Chinese children were found to be lower then for other ethnic groups. Conclusion: Higher prevalences of seventh accessory cusp, distal trigonid crest and metaconid ridge can be considered to be characteristics of the southern Chinese primary dentition.published_or_final_versio

Morphological and numerical characteristics of the southern Chinese dentitions. Part III: anomalies in the primary dentition

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of eight morphological and numerical anomalies in the primary dentition of southern Chinese and to compare the prevalences with those from different ethnic groups. Materials and Methods: The material used in the study consisted of plaster casts and standardized panalipse radiographs collected from 936 randomly selected 5-year-old children (493 males and 443 females) in Hong Kong. The anomalies, hyperdontia, hypodontia, macrodontia, microdontia, double tooth, talon cusp, dens invaginatus and taurodontism, were assessed using diagnostic criteria that have been most often been cited in the published literature. Results: Of the eight dental anomalies examined, microdontia was the most common and occurred in 6.3% of southern Chinese children. This prevalence figure was much higher than that of other ethnic groups and it was mainly due to microdontia of the maxillary canines (4.3%). The prevalence of hypodontia (4.1%) was also the highest of all races, of which mandibular lateral incisors were the most frequently missing teeth in the southern Chinese (3.2%). Of the other dental anomalies studied, the prevalence of hyperdontia (2.8%) and double tooth (4.1%) were higher than reported for Caucasians. Conclusion: Higher prevalences of microdont maxillary canines, and missing lateral mandibular incisors can be considered to be characteristics of the southern Chinese primary dentition.published_or_final_versio

Effect of the sound of dental equipment on dental anxiety and noise control techniques

The dental office environment subjects both patients and dental professionals to the noises associated with dental equipment. The sound of the dental drill, for example, usually causes some discomfort and anxiety. Fear and anxiety due to these noises are among the major reasons why patients avoid dental visits. It is important that these fears are addressed and patients are encouraged to seek the oral healthcare treatment they need. Long-term exposure to these noises also puts dental professionals themselves at high risk of hearing loss. It is unclear about the psychological influence of the sound of dental equipment on dental anxiety. This paper presents a questionnaire survey previously conducted by the authors to study the effects of the sound of dental equipment on people’s perceptions and dental anxiety levels and discusses solutions to the problem by means of passive and active noise control technologies or a combination of both of them.published_or_final_versio