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Biomedical subjects

E S Puente

Publications and source records attributed to E S Puente.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Salivary pH while dissolving vitamin C-containing tablets.

Vitamin C is packaged in numerous forms which allow protracted exposure of the teeth to ascorbic acid. The repeated use of chewable mega dose tablets of vitamin C as a mint can damage the teeth by dissolving the enamel. In the time it takes to dissolve a chewable vitamin C tablet, a salivary pH drop takes place; salivary calcium and phosphorus ion concentration drops, and enamel dissolution may begin. Although sodium ascorbate, a buffering agent, is present in many vitamin C products, it may be added in insufficient quantity to be effective. With no apparent therapeutic value from topical vitamin C, vitamin C-containing products should be swallowed.

Administration, Topical↗

Primary reservoirs of Streptococcus mutans and their relationship to caries experience in adults with good oral hygiene.

Primary reservoirs of Streptococcus mutans were identified in a group of 21 adults with intact dentitions and good oral hygiene by obtaining multiple plaque samples from all available tooth surfaces. Routine cultural methods and a rapid plate scoring method employing a 7-point ordinal scale were used to assess S. mutans levels. Oral hygiene status (DI-S) and caries experience (DMFT and DMFS) were determined clinically. Primary S. mutans reservoirs (high scores) were restricted essentially to the posterior interproximal areas and occasionally in the occlusal pits and fissures of partially erupted mandibular third molars. An anterior to posterior gradient of increasing S. mutans scores was observed for interproximal sites. Oral hygiene scores correlated poorly with DMFT, DMFS and the S. mutans scores obtained for different anatomic locations.

Adult↗

The relationship of Bi/Polar personality patterns with self-esteem, stress, and satisfaction in dental school.

The Bi/Polar Inventory of Core Strength was administered to two senior dental classes. This inventory identifies preferences on three fundamental underlying dimensions of personality and yields eight personality patterns, which were subsequently correlated with the students' self-assessment of various aspects of the dental school experience. Individuals with preferences for risking, practical thinking, and independence consistently demonstrated higher self-esteem, higher ability to cope with the stresses of dental school, lower psychological distress in dental school, and higher satisfaction with dentistry than individuals with polar opposite preferences--thinking, theoretical thinking, and dependence--although only some of these comparisons reached statistical significance. Pattern III (thinking-theoretical-dependent) reported the lowest self-esteem, lowest ability to cope with stress, highest psychological distress, and lowest satisfaction with dentistry. Pattern III may represent a psychological profile exhibiting early warning signs of a potential tension with the task demands of clinical dentistry. Conversely, Pattern VII (risking-practical-independent) may represent a profile prone to high self-esteem, high-stress resistance, low psychological distress, and reasonably high satisfaction with dentistry.

Adult↗

Bi/Polar personality patterns of senior dental students.

The Bi/Polar Inventory of Core Strengths was administered to two senior dental classes. Students preferred thinking (58.3 percent) over risking (41.7 percent), practical thinking (78.7 percent) over theoretical thinking (21.3 percent), and independent risking (59.1 percent) over dependent risking (40.9 percent). Compared to the general population, dental students were more thinking and practical, but nearly identical in independence-dependence. Pattern II (thinking-practical-independent) was the most common student pattern (25.2 percent) and Pattern VI (risking-theoretical-dependent) was the least common (3.9 percent). Results suggest a dominance of certain personality styles in dental students.

Adult↗