Partial spectrum of microorganisms found in dentures and possible disease implications.
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While it would appear that denture surfaces alone become colonized by microorganisms, this study showed that the porosity of denture material allows for contamination throughout the entire denture. Further, the numerous opportunistic and pathogenic microorganisms found in this study were unexpected and are known to produce not only substantial oral infections, but also systemic diseases. (+info)
Interdisciplinary approaches to adult orthodontic care.
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The orthodontic treatment of adult patients is most frequently just one component of a more complex treatment involving several dental disciplines. This report discusses the potential problems related to the establishment of a treatment plan and the necessity for the patient's full acceptance, and understanding of the pros and cons related to different treatment approaches. In addition, the case report underlines the importance of a well-defined treatment goal. We have illustrated the team approach and the treatment principles in this combined perio-, ortho-, and prosthodontic patient. (+info)
Elderly Canadians residing in long-term care hospitals: Part I. Medical and dental status.
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BACKGROUND: Oral diseases and conditions have been identified as a significant problem for elderly residents of long-term care (LTC) hospitals in developed countries, yet little recent information is available for the Canadian population. OBJECTIVE: To describe the medical, dietary, oral microbial, oral hygiene and dental status of elderly Canadians living in LTC hospitals in Vancouver and surrounding communities. METHODS: A sample of 369 elderly dentate hospital residents (mean age 83.9 years, 281 women [76.2%]) were examined, and their medical status and medications, oral status and type of hospital were documented. Oral hygiene practices and diet (specifically intake of refined carbohydrates) were evaluated. Subjects with xerostomia and subjects taking medications with hyposalivary side effects were identified, and salivary Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus were cultured. RESULTS: The mean plaque index was 1.3; men had a higher plaque index than women and residents of extended care hospitals had a higher plaque index than those in intermediate care hospitals. The mean bacterial score per millilitre of saliva was 9.7 105 colony-forming units (CFU) for Streptococcus mutans and 1.6 105 CFU for Lactobacillus. On average, each subject had 6.3 sound teeth, and 9.3 teeth had been restored. CONCLUSIONS: Although almost half of the subjects had visited a dental office in their community within the past 5 years, the elderly hospital residents in this study had few remaining teeth and suffered from poor oral hygiene. Prevention strategies (such as diet, oral hygiene and antimicrobial agents) rather than dental interventions (such as restorations and extractions) alone may be needed to control oral diseases in this susceptible population. (+info)
Nutrition as a mediator in the relation between oral and systemic disease: associations between specific measures of adult oral health and nutrition outcomes.
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Recent associations between oral health and systemic disease have led to renewed interest in the mouth and its contribution to health outcomes. Many pathways for this relationship have been postulated, among them the potential mediating role of nutrition. The link between various nutrients and systemic disease has been established, but relatively little work has been done in relating oral conditions with nutrition. We searched MEDLINE, from 1966 to July, 2001, to identify articles relating specific oral measures to nutrition outcomes. We included original articles written in English with a sample size greater than 30 that used objective oral health measures. We reviewed a total of 56 articles. Only a small proportion of these studies were methodologically sound. Although many studies were small and cross-sectional, the literature suggests that tooth loss affects dietary quality and nutrient intake in a manner that may increase the risk for several systemic diseases. The impact of tooth loss on diet may be only partially compensated for by prostheses. To date, there is little information relating periodontal disease and oral pain and nutrition. A few studies suggest poorer nutrition among individuals with xerostomia and altered taste. Further, impaired dentition may contribute to weight change, depending on age and other population characteristics. There is a paucity of well-designed studies addressing oral health and nutrition. Before we can acquire a better understanding of how nutrition and oral health interrelate, however, more studies will be required to confirm these associations-preferably longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and better control of important confounders. (+info)
Changes and equalization in hearing level induced by dental treatment and instruction in bilaterally equalized chewing: a clinical report.
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Hearing problems such as hearing loss and susurrus aurium are said to improve with occlusal treatment, but few objective clinical reports have been published in the dental field. We looked at the effect of occlusal treatment and chewing instruction on hearing ability in five patients who had an occlusal disorder and the unilateral chewing habit. The following results were obtained: 1. Unilateral chewing due to occlusal disorder may cause differences in hearing ability between the right and left sides (Cases 1, 2 and 3). 2. A reduction in the vertical dimension of occlusion is considered to be one of the factors that cause a decrease in hearing ability (Cases 4 and 5). 3. In all cases, occlusal treatment and chewing instruction lead to a improvement in hearing and to equalizing of hearing ability between low and high frequencies. These clinical findings indicate that there is a relationship between changes in hearing ability and oral function. (+info)
Endoscopic removal of a dental prosthesis in the hepatic flexure of the colon.
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The diagnosis of impacted foreign body in the colon is usually delayed until the complications such as perforation or abscess formation occur. Here we describe a patient who presented with diffuse abdominal pain due to the impaction of a dental prosthesis in the hepatic flexure of the colon. The dental prosthesis, which was inadvertently swallowed, was successfully removed under colonoscopy. Unexplained abdominal pain should alert the clinician to the possibility of foreign body ingestion and further therapeutic colonoscopy may replace or lessen the need for surgical procedures to extract foreign bodies from the colon. (+info)
Dental devices; dental noble metal alloys and dental base metal alloys; designation of special controls. Final rule.
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The Food and Drug Administration is amending the identification and classification regulations of gold-based alloys and precious metal alloys for clinical use and base alloys devices in order to designate a special control for these devices. FDA is also exempting these devices from premarket notification requirements. The agency is taking this action on its own initiative. This action is being taken under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act), as amended by the Safe Medical Devices Act of 1990 (SMDA), and the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA). Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of the draft guidance documents that would serve as special controls for these devices. (+info)
Esthetic restoration of infra-occluded retained primary mandibular incisors with all-ceramic crowns in adult dentition.
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The prevalence of hypodontia is reported to be between 1.5% to 10% in the permanent dentition. In the anterior teeth, maxillary lateral incisors and mandibular central incisors are the most frequently involved teeth. This causes esthetic problems for the patient. Several reports have focused on restoration of retained maxillary primary anterior teeth, but none have described restoration of retained mandibular primary incisors. This clinical report describes the restoration of infra-occluded retained primary mandibular central incisors of a 17 year-old girl diagnosed with hypodontia. All-ceramic crowns made with computer-aided design/ computer-aided manufacturing technology were used to restore the teeth incisally and interproximally. Due to a relatively short root length and inadequate crown-root ratio, the primary mandibular central incisors were splinted and adjusted to distribute the protrusive force evenly across the maxillary and mandibular incisors. Functional and esthetic results were achieved. (+info)