Secretor status and dental caries in Iceland

The proportion of non-secretors of ABH blood-group substances among Icelanders is one of the highest recorded for European countries. Dental caries prevalence is also very high. In this study of dental caries in young adults mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth for secretors were 17.4 and for non-secretors 19.9 (P less than 0.05). A majority of patients seeking free dental treatment in the Dental School were non-secretors (62.7%) significantly more than the proportion of non-secretors in the general population (36%; P less than 0.01). It is postulated that blood group substances may interfere with the adherence of Streptococcus mutans to teeth.     

Relation between medicines sweetened with sucrose and dental disease.

The teeth of 44 children aged under 6 years who had been taking syrup medicines regularly for at least six months were compared with those of a control group of 47 children of similar ages. Dental disease was assessed by measuring dental caries, dental plaque, and gingivitis. The children who were receiving sucrose-based medicines had significantly more carious teeth and gingivitis. It is concluded that sucrose-based medicines continuously administered to children cause dental caries and gingivitis. Liquid medicines for children should be either unsweetened or sweetened with non-cariogenic substances.     

Reasons for extraction of permanent teeth in urban and rural populations of Croatia

The survey aimed to determine the reasons for extraction of permanent teeth by general dental practitioners in urban and rural population of the Senj region, Adriatic coast, Croatia. During a two-year period (1998-9), a total of 2006 teeth were extracted in both regions, in patients aged 15+. The causes were defined as follows: (1) decay or root without a crown (radix relicta), (2) periodontal disease, (3) endodontic or periapical diseases and (4) other reasons--orthodontics/prosthodontics and dental trauma. The statistical Chi-square-test was used to determine the significant difference between the populations and the sexes. Dental caries was the most frequent cause for extraction (over 50%), followed by endodontic and periapical diseases (23%) as the result of untreated caries and at the end periodontal disease (21%). Urban population more often lose teeth due to periodontal disease (22.75%) than rural (18.93%, p < 0.05). Similarly, this is more frequent in the urban male population (25.61%) than the female urban population (20%, p < 0.05). In rural areas, people more often lost teeth as a result of endodontic and periapical disease (25.85%) than in the urban locations (19.07%, p < 0.01) and this is more frequent in women from rural areas (28.37%) than the rural men (22.44%, p < 0.05). Periodontal disease was not the main cause of tooth loss in either the rural or the urban population. Dental caries and its sequel remain the most important challenge for the dental service. It also reveals the inadequacy of dental services. Education of both the population and the general dental practitioners must be conducted in order to improve oral hygiene and to insist on conservative rather than extraction therapy.     

郑州孙庄遗址仰韶文化人群的龋病

孙庄遗址位于河南省郑州市中原区孙庄村,是分布在黄河中游的一处仰韶文化晚期遗址,该遗址出土的54例仰韶时期的人骨保存状况良好,为我们了解仰韶文化人群的龋患情况提供了珍贵的资料。本文以肉眼观察为主并结合超景深显微镜对遗址出土的846枚牙齿进行鉴定、统计与分析,得出以下结论:孙庄遗址古代人群的龋病患病率70.37%,龋齿率22.93%,龋均3.59;壮年组患龋率最高,为88.89%,不同年龄组之间的龋齿率差异性显著;龋齿率女性为30.55%,男性为16.16%,女性龋齿率显著高于男性,P(0.000)<0.05,两性之间的龋齿率有显著差异;浅龋率为6.70%,中龋率为21.65%,深龋率为27.32%,深龋已穿髓率为19.07%,残冠残根率为25.26%,随着年龄的增长,龋病的病变程度呈加重趋势;龋损范围小于1/2牙冠累龋最常见,占总患龋齿数的42.27%;上颌龋齿率为26.91%,下颌龋齿率为19.70%,上下颌龋齿率差异显著(P<0.05)。龋病在不同牙位上的发生率依次为M3>M2>P2>M1>P1>C>I1>I2;邻面和■面是主要的...     

Paleodontologic study of skeletal findings at Takht-i Suleiman, West Iran

Within this paleodontological study 26 Achemenid and 8 Islamic skeletons from the excavations at Tahkt-i Suleiman (Western Iran) were investigated. The diagnosis of age and sex was done repeatedly according to various methods. The adult Achemenids reached an average age of 54.4 years (n = 16; SD = +/- 9.9 y), while the Islamic adult individuals reached a lifespan of 36.9 (n = 8; SD = +/- 11.0 y). The skeletons of the Achemenid children had an average of 6.8 years (n = 9; SD = +/- 3.3 y). In the specific dental investigations the teeth of all skeletons were checked for missing teeth or dental diseases or alterations of the jaws. For the whole series intravital loss of 19.3% of the teeth was found. 21.6% of the teeth were lost postmortally. The intravital loss of single teeth was 21.9% in the Achemenid teeth, disregarding the wisdom tooth and Dentes decidui; the respective value was 12% in the Islamic skeletons. The investigation for caries yielded a morbidity of 50% in the Achemenid skeletons, and 57% in the Islamic teeth. The frequency of caries was 6.2% in Achemenids and 9% in Islamic individuals. In the Dentes decidui the frequency of caries was found to be 3.6%. Dental tartar was present in 44.8% of the teeth, 42% of Achemenid teeth and 58% of Islamic teeth being affected. 33% of all teeth showed garlands of dental tartar. Signs of parodontolysis were investigated considering the health of the individual and the preservation of the skeleton. All adult teeth showed age-dependent parodontolysis, the means of which were quantified.     

Study of dental caries and periapical lesions in a mediaeval population of the southwest France: Differences in visual and radiographic inspections

Dental caries and periapical lesions have often been studied in archaeological samples. The majority of these studies concern lesions detected clinically and, in some cases, radiography is used to improve the scoring results. The purpose of the present study was to compare and combine the two methods for recording caries and cysts. The studied dental material derived from a mediaeval sample from the south of France. The study included sixty mandibles (788 teeth). Each tooth was observed clinically and radiographically. Absence of teeth was noted and unerupted teeth, which could be viewed on radiographs were also noted. The location and degree of development of each lesion were recorded. Occlusal lesions of degree 1 were mostly detected clinically (5.1% vs.1.4% detected radiographically). Radiographic detection increased the score of approximal lesions of degree 2 (1.4% vs. 0.7%) and the detection of intraosseous lesions. This research has shown that the combination of radiographic and clinical examinations improves the caries detection and thus, increases the caries score in a studied dental sample.     

Relative contribution of caries and periodontal disease in adult tooth loss among patients reporting to the Institute of Dental Sciences,Belgaum, India

Objectives: To examine the reasons for tooth loss in an adult population. Methods: Patients who reported to the department of prosthodontics in Institute of Dental Sciences, Belgaum, located in the north‐western part of the state of Karnataka, in the southern region of India over a period of 2 months, with at least one missing tooth (excluding third molars) constituted the sample size. There were a total of 365 patients (185 females and 180 males) within the age group of 16–84 years (mean age 51.06 ± 16.47 years) who fulfilled this criterion. Socio‐demographic profile was recorded along with a clinical examination for assessing the number and pattern of tooth loss. The reasons for tooth loss were recorded according to the history reported by the patient. Results: In the present study of 365 patients, 58.9% of the patients were completely edentulous, 41% were partially dentate, of which 20.8% had lost their teeth from caries, 11% from periodontal disease and 9.3% from a combination of reasons. More females had lost their teeth because of dental caries whereas more males had lost their teeth because of periodontal disease, this being statistically significant. (χ² = 16.53, p = 0.001). Highly significant results were obtained for age and reasons for tooth loss. (χ² = 150.39, p < 0.001). Irrespective of the socio‐economic status, dental caries was the most common cause for tooth loss in partially dentate patients though it was not statistically significant (χ² = 13.62, p = 0.325). Mandibular first molars were the teeth most frequently lost due to dental caries. The maxillary left central incisor was most frequently lost due to periodontal disease, followed by the maxillary right central incisor. Conclusions: Since both dental caries and periodontal disease contributed to tooth loss at different ages, risk indicators need to be identified.     

The role of lead and cadmium in deciduous teeth and saliva on dental caries in children residing in Tehran,Iran

BackgroundLead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) are important environmental contaminants. There is no biological monitoring of exposure to these heavy metals and their potential effect on dental caries in children in Tehran, Iran, a polluted megacity. Therefore, the present study investigated the potential association between Pb and Cd levels in primary teeth and saliva and dental caries.MethodsIn a cross-sectional design, 211 children aged 6–11 years referred to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, School of Dentistry and residing in Tehran were examined. Pb and Cd levels of exfoliated primary teeth and stimulated saliva were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Dental caries prevalence was evaluated according to WHO criteria. Socioeconomic status, oral hygiene behavior, snacking frequency and salivary pH data were acquired as confounding factors. Frequency and percentages were reported for categorical variables, mean and standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables, and geometric mean for skewed continuous variables. A simple linear regression and Pearson correlation tests were used for statistical analyses. P-values < 0.05 were considered as significant.ResultThe mean (95 % confidence interval) Pb and Cd levels in teeth were 213.26 ppb (164.29–274.84) and 23.75 ppb (20.86–27.05), respectively. The mean Pb and Cd levels in saliva were 11.83 ppb (10.71–13.06) and 3.18 ppb (2.69–3.75), respectively. Furthermore, Pb and Cd in primary teeth and saliva were not associated (p > 0.05) with socioeconomic status, oral hygiene behavior and snacking frequencyConclusionThis study showed no association between Pb and Cd concentrations in primary teeth and in saliva with dental caries prevalence.     

Conformational and constitutional analysis of dental caries following radiotherapy for head and neck cancer

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the morphology and chemical composition of dental caries related to ionizing radiation (DCIR), an aggressive and progressive disease that affects dental hard tissues.Materials and methodsEight human teeth with DCIR were paired with sixteen control teeth (8 teeth with conventional caries and 8 without caries) and included in this study. An analysis of the morphology of the lesions was performed using the following techniques: periapical radiography, cone beam computed tomography, computed microtomography, and scanning electron microscopy. The chemical composition was assessed using X-ray dispersive spectroscopy.ResultsThere was more demineralization in DCIR lesions when compared to conventional dental caries, even though there was no cavitation in the cervical region of the teeth. The superficial roughness and topography of DCIR lesions were similar to those of healthy teeth. On the other hand, lesions of conventional dental caries showed greater surface and topographic irregularity when compared to DCIR and healthy teeth (p = 0.001). Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels were lower in DCIR lesions when compared to controls. However, higher levels of carbon (C) have been observed in DCIR lesions. There was a greater loss of the mineral matrix in DCIR followed by conventional caries. The reduction in the mineral matrix (Ca and P) was compatible with the imaging patterns observed in teeth with DCIR and conventional caries.ConclusionDespite their rapid evolution, DCIR presents an irregular, apparently intact surface with significant changes in the amount of Ca, P, and C.     

Implications of Dental Caries in Anatolia: From Hunting–Gathering to the Present

Teeth are considered one of the most informative and durable parts of the skeleton. In Dental Anthropology, they are used to obtain information on culture, health, diet, variability and evolutionary trends in dental morphology as well as development, eruption and dental pathologies in the past and modern populations. In this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the results of dental caries, which is the most common dental disease, in order to document changing patterns of health and diet ranging from the transitional period of hunting–gathering through agriculture to the present day in human history in Anatolia. From the total sample of 400 modern individuals, a total of 5,208 maxillary teeth and 5,153 mandibular teeth were studied. The percentage of the occurrence of dental caries based on the individuals was 77.8%, whereas the frequency of dental caries on tooth type and class was 17.1% (18.0% maxillary decay; 16.2% mandibular decay). A comparative study of the frequency of caries in certain periods indicates the following: in the hunting–gathering period it was 1%–2%, in the Early Neolithic it was 3%–5% (Catal Hoyuk), in the Neolithic (beginning of agriculture) it was 5.6% (Cayonu), in the Chalcolithic it was 11.7% (Norsuntepe), in the Roman period it was 11.1% (Panaztepe), and 16% (Datca), in the Late Byzantine it was 10.9% (Iznik) and in the Medieval it is 14.2% (Arslantepe). These findings contribute to understanding how dietary change and life conditions are interrelated with the changing patterns of dental diseases in Anatolian populations.     

Non-secretion of ABO blood group antigens: a host factor predisposing to recurrent urinary tract infections and renal scarring

Abstract In a study of 718 women referred for specialist investigation for recurrent urinary tract infections, 250 (34.8%, P <0.01) were non-secretors. The proportion of non-secretors among the women with renal scars (42.6%) was higher than that found for women with no evidence of renal scars (36.6%). Among 29 patients in whom symptoms began in childhood or adolescence, 51.7% were non-secretors. The proportion of non-secretors among individuals with renal scars in this study (42.6%) and that reported in the accompanying paper for Swedish children (40%) suggests that non-secretion might influence the pathogenic sequelae of these infections. Possible host-parasite interactions underlaying the increased proportion of non-secretors among women with recurrent urinary tract infections and those leading to development of renal scars are discussed.     

Prevalence and Correlates of Dental Caries in an Elderly Population in Northeast China

Objectives

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of dental caries in elderly population in northeast China.

Methods

A community-based, cross-sectional study among 2376 elderly subjects (age: 65–74 years) from nine urban areas and nine rural areas in three provinces of northeast China was conducted using multistage stratified random sampling per the World Health Organization oral health survey methodology. Decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed-filled teeth (DFT) indices were used to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries. Face-to-face questionnaire survey on oral health was performed in a randomly selected subset (n = 1197). T test and chi square test were employed to compare groups for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

67.5% of elderly subjects reported dental caries (average DFT = 2.68±3.40), and the prevalence was higher in urban areas (P<0.01). Missing teeth accounted for 80.72% of DMFT, and filled teeth due to caries accounted for 2.08% with a rate higher in urban areas (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis indicated significant association among elderly population in urban areas (OR 1.713; 95% CI 1.337–2.195), smoking (OR 1.779; 95% CI 1.384–2.288), and individuals without dental insurance (OR 2.050; 95% CI 1.120–3.754) with dental caries.

Conclusions

The prevalence of dental caries in the elderly population in northeast China is high. The elderly from urban areas who smoke and who do not have a dental insurance are at a higher risk to develop dental caries.     

甘肃临潭磨沟墓地人骨的牙齿健康状况

本文通过甘肃临潭磨沟齐家文化墓地出土的262例人骨标本的牙病情况尤其是龋病、牙周病、根尖周病以及牙结石情况的统计与分析,得知磨沟墓地古代居民牙齿疾病的基本情况:1)牙病的罹患率性别差异显著,女性龋病和根尖周病的罹患率高于男性,而在牙周病和牙结石的出现率上则是男性高于女性;2)牙病的罹患率随着年龄增长而增高;3)龋病、牙周病及根尖周病多发于臼齿,牙结石多发于门齿;4)重度磨耗牙齿多发牙周病及根尖周病;5)牙病罹患率不仅受到性别、年龄、牙位以及齿冠磨耗程度的影响,而且与磨沟组古代居民农业种植食物和采集食物并重的食物结构有关。     

Korean Version of Child Perceptions Questionnaire and Dental Caries among Korean Children

Although dental caries has been a major oral health problem for children, the association between dental caries and oral health related quality of life has been still controversial. This study aims to evaluate the association between the Korean version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (K-CPQ) and dental caries among Korean children. Eight hundred one school children aged 8 to 14 years participated in this study. After the K-CPQ was validated we performed an association study. The K-CPQ was self-reported. Dental caries were evaluated by dentists using the World Health Organization Index. Correlation analyses (intraclass correlation coefficient, Cronbach’s alpha and Pearson’s correlation coefficient [r]) and linear regression models (partial r) including age, gender and type of school were applied. Untreated deciduous dental caries was associated with the K-CPQ_8-10 overall score (partial r = 0.15, P <0.05). The link was highlighted in the domains of functional limitation and emotional well-being. Filled teeth due to caries (FT) was associated with the K-CPQ_11-14 overall domain (partial r = 0.14, P = 0.002) as well as with the oral symptoms domain (partial r = 0.16, P = 0.001). This association was highlighted among public school children. Our data indicate that K-CPQ was independently associated with dental caries. The K-CPQ could be a practical tool to evaluate the subjective oral health among Korean children aged 8 to 14.     

Systematic review of water fluoridation

ObjectiveTo review the safety and efficacy of fluoridation of drinking water.DesignSearch of 25 electronic databases and world wide web. Relevant journals hand searched; further information requested from authors. Inclusion criteria were a predefined hierarchy of evidence and objectives. Study validity was assessed with checklists. Two reviewers independently screened sources, extracted data, and assessed validity.Results214 studies were included. The quality of studies was low to moderate. Water fluoridation was associated with an increased proportion of children without caries and a reduction in the number of teeth affected by caries. The range (median) of mean differences in the proportion of children without caries was −5.0% to 64% (14.6%). The range (median) of mean change in decayed, missing, and filled primary/permanent teeth was 0.5 to 4.4 (2.25) teeth. A dose-dependent increase in dental fluorosis was found. At a fluoride level of 1 ppm an estimated 12.5% (95% confidence interval 7.0% to 21.5%) of exposed people would have fluorosis that they would find aesthetically concerning.ConclusionsThe evidence of a beneficial reduction in caries should be considered together with the increased prevalence of dental fluorosis. There was no clear evidence of other potential adverse effects.     

A Novel Technique to Detect Caries Lesion Using Isophote Concepts

Background and ObjectivesDental caries is one of the most common painful and infectious oral diseases. Early detection of caries lesion prevents the spreading of infection. Generally, dentists use x-ray images to locate the lesion's position. Dental x-ray images have poor intensity which results difficulties in finding exact affected area at a glance. Due to scarcity of dentists at government hospital, it becomes very difficult for the dentists to treat large number of patients in a short span of time. The objective of this work is to design a system to assist dentists to detect caries lesion quickly and more accurately. Deep learning based method is not suitable for this application because there is not enough training set is available to prepare the pre-trained model properly for deep learning. Traditional handcrafted method is desirable for such situation.MethodsDental x-ray not only contains the image of teeth and bonny structure of the jaws but also the tissues within the gum regions. So normal texture based segmentation is not enough to detect the caries lesion. In x-ray, caries lesion looks like a catchment basin, in which the depth at the center is maximum. Isophote along with geodesic active contour method is suitable to model such property of caries lesion. But prior to that multistage background elimination is essential to locate the suspected caries region. Ramdomness calculation and rescaling of that value on the basis of a small training data set is the first part of this multi stage background elimination process. Initial background elimination is performed on the basis of modified k-means clustering upon the entropy value and gray scale values of the x-ray image. In this clustering technique the number of cluster is determined automatically based on analyzing the distribution of data points. The clustering technique is immune against over clustering. Most of the caries lesion lies within the teeth region. Hence this region is surrounded by teeth region. This property is also checked to detect the suspected caries lesion and eliminate the background.ResultTill now very limited dental x-ray databases with caries lesion is available online. ‘Digital dental periapical x-ray database for caries screening’ dataset is used to test the method. The proposed method achieved overall 94% of accuracy and average computational time is below 4.5 sec.DiscussionThis is an alternate solution to detect ROI when deep learning technique fails due to lack of exhaustive training set. This approach fails to generate correct result if resolution of the x-ray image is very low. Low resolution images make confusion between randomness and noise. In addition to that catchment basin properties are not identified properly. Due to this carries lesion are not properly identified.     

Evaluation of the strain identity between isolates from caries lesions and root canals in early childhood caries cases

Early childhood caries (ECC) has become a serious medical problem worldwide in the last decade. Bacterial microflora of the dental plaque and oral cavity is considered an important factor in the formation and progression of dental caries. The aim of this study was strain typing and comparison of bacterial isolates retrieved from caries lesions and root canal contents of the same teeth. In total, 18 pairs of presumptive streptococci and lactobacilli retrieved from dental caries and root canals isolated from ECC-affected children, were selected on the basis of biotyping results and rep-PCR fingerprinting with (GTG)₅ primer. Strain typing was further done using the RiboPrinter microbial characterization system (DuPont Qualicon). The automated ribotyping determined 14 pairs of the strains (77.8 %) to be identical. The results obtained confirmed that identical bacterial strains colonized both the decayed dental surface and the necrotic content of the dental pulp cavity during the cariogenesis. Our finding supports the assumption that bacteria could penetrate through the damaged dental surface to the inner parts of the teeth.     

Dental caries in wild primates: Interproximal cavities on anterior teeth

Dental caries has been reported in a variety of primates, although it is still considered rare in wild populations. In this study, 11 catarrhine primate taxa (n = 339 individuals; 7946 teeth) were studied for the presence of caries. A differential diagnosis of lesions in interproximal regions of anterior teeth was undertaken, since they had been previously described as both carious and non-carious in origin. Each permanent tooth was examined macroscopically, with severity and position of lesions recorded. Two specimens were examined further, using micro-CT scans to assess demineralization. Differential diagnosis confirmed the cariogenic nature of interproximal cavities on anterior teeth (ICATs). Overall results show 3.3% of all teeth (i.e., anterior and posterior teeth combined) were carious (n = 262), with prevalence varying among species from 0% to >7% of teeth affected. Those with the highest prevalence of ICATs include Pan troglodytes verus (9.8% of anterior teeth), Gorilla gorilla gorilla (2.6%), Cercopithecus denti (22.4%), Presbytis femoralis (19.5%), and Cercopithecus mitis (18.3%). ICATs make up 87.9% of carious lesions on anterior teeth. These results likely reflect dietary and food processing differences among species, but also between the sexes (e.g., 9.3% of all female P. troglodytes verus teeth were carious vs. 1.8% in males). Processing cariogenic fruits and seeds with the anterior dentition (e.g., wadging) likely contributes to ICAT formation. Further research is needed in living primate populations to ascertain behavioral/dietary influences on caries occurrence. Given the presence of ICATs in frugivorous primates, their diagnosis in archaeological and paleontological specimens may shed light on diet and food processing behaviors in fossil primates.     

Edentulism and dental caries in Victorian nursing homes

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00510.x Edentulism and dental caries in Victorian nursing homes Objectives: The aim of this project was to investigate edentulism and dental caries in nursing home residents in Victoria, Australia. Background: The Australian population is ageing with a growing number of people living in nursing homes. These residents are at increased risk for dental caries, have more teeth present now than at any time in the past 50 years and often have difficulty maintaining adequate oral hygiene. Materials and methods: Clinical dental examinations were conducted at 31 nursing homes in Melbourne and regional Victoria between May 2005 and June 2006. A total of 510 residents were examined out of 1345 eligible participants. Socio‐demographic and medical history was collected via questionnaire. Results: Just over half of the residents were dentate (53.9%), and dentate residents had a mean of 14.4 teeth present and 2.66 untreated decayed teeth. Residents who required total assistance with oral hygiene had more decayed teeth and fewer filled teeth than residents who did not require assistance. Conclusions: Nursing home residents in Victoria are retaining an increasing number of natural teeth and have more tooth surfaces at risk for dental caries. Untreated dental caries was a significant problem for residents, particularly for those who are dependent on others for their daily oral hygiene care.     

Dental status and dental caries in 85-year-old Danes

Objectives: This study reports findings on the dental status and the prevalence of dental caries among a group of 85‐year‐old Danes from the Glostrup 1914 Cohort, Denmark. The purpose of the study was to analyse whether caries experience was related to number of teeth and to indicators of functional ability and cognitive function. Methods: A total of 191 individuals (78 men and 113 women) participated in a cross‐sectional population study conducted in 2000. Using mobile dental equipment, a clinical oral examination and an interview were administered to all participants in their homes. Functional ability was measured by the Mob‐H scale and cognitive function was assessed by the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Results: Fifty‐nine per cent of the participants had their own natural teeth and for the dentate participants, the mean number of teeth was 13 (range 1–27). A high prevalence of active caries on coronal and root surfaces was observed. Older adults with few natural teeth had a higher prevalence of active coronal and root caries and a higher unmet treatment need than older adults with many teeth. Further, the study showed that 85‐year‐old persons with reduced functional ability and cognitive impairment tended to have more active caries than 85‐year‐olds with no impairment. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of 85‐year‐old individuals had retained a natural dentition; however, active dental caries is a problem of concern among the most elderly.