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Biomedical subjects

A G Christen

Publications and source records attributed to A G Christen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Sumter Smith Arnim, DDS, PhD (1904-1990): a pioneer in preventive dentistry.

This article reviews the life story and contributions of Sumter Smith Arnim (1904-1990), a noted author, lecturer, teacher, and researcher in preventive dentistry. Following in the footsteps of Levi Spear Parmly, MD, DDS (1790-1859), and Charles C. Bass, MD (1875-1975), Arnim developed and popularized a wide range of preventive concepts and practices, especially dental plaque control via mechanical means. Today, these innovative ideas and techniques continue to have an impact on oral health research, the practice of dentistry, and the teaching of oral hygiene to dental patients. This article traces both the development of these oral health concepts and Arnim's study of dental plaque ("microcosm"), which he characterized by means of phase-contrast microscopy and cinemicrography.

Education, Dental↗
PubMed1992

The impact of tobacco use and cessation on oral and dental diseases and conditions.

Smoked and smokeless tobacco use produces profound effects on soft and hard tissues in and around the oral cavity. Because many of these changes are clinically observable, dentists, oral hygienists, and related health professionals are in ideal positions to give patients specific information concerning the oral ill effects of tobacco use. This article links tobacco use with a wide range of malignant, precancerous, and nonmalignant changes in the oral and perioral environment and addresses the documented benefits of quitting. Oral conditions less definitively linked to tobacco are also discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

The smokeless tobacco 'time bomb'.

All healthcare professionals need to become aware of the extent and seriousness of smokeless tobacco use. In this article, the authors briefly review the current status of smokeless tobacco and describe its usage patterns and practices, pharmacologic (addictive) aspects, and associated health problems. They also suggest ways that primary care physicians can discover or prevent smokeless tobacco use in their patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

How-to-do-it quit-smoking strategies for the dental office team: an eight-step program.

Dental personnel have an ethical responsibility to inform their patients about the hazards of tobacco use. Because oral health team members generally see their patients on a frequent and recurring basis, these treatment providers have unparalleled opportunities to educate and help those who smoke to adopt a smokefree lifestyle. Dental practitioners can readily incorporate smoking cessation efforts into their routine dental practices by using an eight-phase smoking intervention program. The overall focus of this program is to: "Ask" patients about smoking or smokeless tobacco usage; "Advise" tobacco-using patients to quit; "Assist" interested patients in quitting; and "Arrange" for supportive follow-up. By providing these services, dental professionals can do their part to help create a smokefree America by the year 2000.

Dentist-Patient Relations↗
PubMed1989

Helping smokers quit: a randomized controlled trial with private practice dentists.

Fifty private practitioners and their office staff members were randomly assigned to one of four groups: participants received a protocol for smoking management and a lecture on the consequences and management of smoking, or in addition, had nicotine gum freely available to patients, had stickers attached to their charts, or had gum and reminders. The percentage of patients in each group who had quit smoking a year later was 7.7, 16.3, 8.6, and 16.9, respectively, indicating a significant main effect for the gum conditions. The availability of nicotine gum also significantly increased the amount of time that patients reported they received smoking cessation counseling from the dentists and office staff.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Smokeless tobacco addiction: a threat to the oral and systemic health of the child and adolescent.

The use of smokeless tobacco (ST) within the United States has increased greatly in recent years, especially among adolescent boys and young men. Recent national data completed from several large scale studies indicate that 10-12 million Americans use some form of ST. Representing a significant systemic and oral health risk, ST usage can produce a wide range of negative effects on both soft and hard oral tissues. These oral conditions include bad breath, discolored teeth and restorative materials, excessive tooth surface wear (abrasion), decreased ability to taste and smell, gingival (gum) recession, advanced periodontal soft and hard tissue destruction, tooth loss, soft tissue erythema and leukoplakia. Long-term ST usage is directly correlated to an increased risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, throat and esophagus. Much of the destruction of oral tissues is related to the localization of the tobacco quid; i.e., it is habitually held in only one spot in the mouth. Nicotine from ST can activate the sympathetic nervous system thereby significantly increasing heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac stroke volume and output and coronary blood flow. A common misconception is that ST is a 'safe' alternative to smoking cigarettes. Several recent Surgeon General's Reports list ST as being addictive. It is highly possible that ST users will 'graduate' to cigarettes if they eventually conclude that these products are socially unacceptable, inconvenient or out of vogue. Health professionals, educators, parents and schoolchildren need to be informed about the significant health risks associated with ST use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Overreporting of smokeless tobacco use by adolescent males.

This study evaluates the impact of a pipeline assessment (salivary cotinine determination) on the accuracy of self-reported use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco by 160 rural seventh- and eighth-grade males ranging in age from 12 to 16. Half of them were randomly assigned to complete a questionnaire on tobacco use prior to revealing the biochemical validation materials and collecting samples. The others had the samples collected prior to receiving and completing the questionnaires. The questionnaire-first group reported significantly greater smokeless tobacco use than did the pipeline-first group. Only for the latter were their self-reports significantly corroborated by the cotinine results. These results suggest that the utilization of a biochemical pipeline not only can improve self-reported tobacco use but also may help identify perceptions about the social desirability of using harmful substances.

Adolescent↗