Biomedical subjects

D L Ramsey

Publications and source records attributed to D L Ramsey.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Effect of crown margins on periodontal conditions in regularly attending patients.

Subgingival margins of cast restorations have been associated with increased gingival inflammation and probing depth, but it is not known if such effects would be seen among patients receiving regular professional care. In this study, 831 regularly attending patients in 35 North Carolina dental practices were examined. Plaque, gingival inflammation, calculus, and probing depth were assessed on facial and mesiofacial surfaces of the Ramfjord teeth. Surface-specific analyses showed significantly greater (p less than 0.05) gingival inflammation and deeper probing depths with subgingival cast restoration margins for nearly all surfaces examined. Less frequently, decreases in plaque and calculus were associated with the presence of crowns. Intact surfaces in patients with cast restorations were not significantly different from the same surfaces in patients without cast restorations. Even among patients receiving regular preventive dental care, subgingival margins are associated with unfavorable periodontal reactions.

Crowns↗

PubMed1990

Association of dental health knowledge with periodontal conditions among regular patients.

Although routine patient education concerning periodontal disease is recommended as a means of improving oral health, strong associations between oral health knowledge and plaque or gingival inflammation scores have not been demonstrated. This study examined associations between four knowledge scales (likelihood of keeping teeth, signs of disease, role of diet, role of oral hygiene measures) and six periodontal status measures (plaque, gingivitis, calculus, probing depth, attachment loss, missing teeth) among 1088 regularly attending dental patients. In bivariate correlation analyses, there was a weak, direct association between stronger expectations of keeping teeth and better levels of periodontal health, while an inverse association between knowledge of signs of periodontal disease and better periodontal health was noted. Level of knowledge of the role of oral hygiene or of diet in periodontal disease was not associated with level of disease. When effects associated with age, sex, race, and different dental practices were held constant, these patient knowledge scales did not explain substantial proportions of variance in the periodontal disease measures. Among regular utilizers, the effects of receipt of dental care may be more determinative than level of patient knowledge.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1990

Evaluating and influencing periodontal diagnostic and treatment behaviors in general practice.

Providers' periodontal diagnostic and treatment behaviors were assessed in 34 practices in two North Carolina counties. Regularly attending patients had a low prevalence of gingival pocketing on index teeth, moderate attachment loss, and fairly prevalent bleeding and calculus. Treatment frequency and patient knowledge were generally adequate, but the notation of periodontal status in the patient record was insufficient. A continuing education intervention resulted in substantial and significant improvement in notation rates. Changes in rates with which services were provided, and changes in patient periodontal status were smaller and mixed. The study shows that continuing education can be effective in helping some but not all providers adopt needed, appropriate behaviors.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1989

Dental patients' knowledge and beliefs about periodontal disease.

The knowledge and beliefs about periodontal disease of 1093 regularly attending patients in 36 North Carolina general dental practices were examined. Patients had a strong positive orientation toward keeping their teeth. Correct information concerning the signs, causes, prevention, and treatment of periodontal disease was widely held. Older patients were more knowledgeable about treatment and signs of periodontal disease, while younger patients expressed more positive beliefs about keeping their teeth for a lifetime. Although patients' knowledge was not perfect, it included few misperceptions that could threaten oral health. Additional education was most needed with respect to the significance of bleeding gums.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Periodontal status and treatment needs among regular dental patients.

A survey of periodontal status and treatment needs among dental patients was performed using the CPITN criteria, with the worst score per sextant being recorded, based on examination of all surfaces of all teeth. Regularly attending patients (n = 1092) from 36 general dental practices in two North Carolina counties were examined. The most frequently found worst conditions-per-patient across all ages were the presence of calculus (35 per cent) and the presence of 4-5 mm pockets (35 per cent). The most common worst condition-per-sextant was bleeding (32 per cent) followed by calculus (28 per cent). Less than a fifth of all sextants exhibited pocketing, although half of the patients had at least a 4-5 mm pocket. The mean amount of treatment time required for these conditions was 33 minutes, reflecting the general absence of the need for complex periodontal treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Socioeconomic status, John Henryism, and hypertension in blacks and whites.

The joint influence of socioeconomic status and John Henryism on risk for elevated blood pressure was examined in a biracial, community sample of 820 adults, aged 21-50 years, who resided in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, and were interviewed in 1983. John Henryism refers to a strong personality predisposition to cope actively with psychosocial environmental stressors. In keeping with an earlier finding for black men, it was hypothesized that the inverse association between socioeconomic status and blood pressure would be stronger for persons who scored high on John Henryism than for persons who scored low. Using race-specific definitions of socioeconomic status, the study found support for the hypothesis among blacks. At low levels of John Henryism, socioeconomic status differences in hypertension prevalence were small (1.6%), whereas at high levels of John Henryism, low socioeconomic status blacks were nearly three times as likely to be hypertensive as higher status blacks (31.4% vs. 11.5%, p = 0.02 for the socioeconomic status X John Henryism interaction term). The findings for systolic and diastolic blood pressures were in a similar direction but did not reach statistical significance. The study hypothesis was not supported among whites. Analyses of the correlates of John Henryism as well as the blood pressure findings are discussed in terms of the different socioeconomic circumstances that characterize the lives of blacks and whites in this rural, southern community.

Adult↗

PubMed1978