PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G C Cowley

Publications and source records attributed to G C Cowley.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Observations of dental disease and anomalies in 9- to 11-year-old Norwegian children.

Sets of intraoral radiographs consisting of ten periapicals and, in most cases, two posterior bitewings, from 99 girls and 101 boys aged 9-11 years were examined by four dentists. The study was undertaken to quantitate the disease and anomalies present in the sample and investigate the inter-examiner variability of the diagnosis. Each of the examiners independently recorded the disease and anomalies from the radiographs. Knowledge of previous dental treatment and abnormalities noted by the community dental officers were obtained from the children's dental records. The prevalence of disease and anomalies in the sample was low. Considerable examiner variability revealed a need for more objective criteria for the radiographic diagnosis of some of the dental anomalies. Girls had a significantly higher DMFT than boys. Hypodontia was found in 13 children, and dens invaginatus class III/IV (9) was observed on radiographs from 5 children.

Child↗

Quality of intraoral radiographs from 9-11-year-old Norwegian children.

The quality of intraoral radiographic series consisting of 10 periapical and two posterior bitewing radiographs from 200 children were examined by six dentists. The radiographs were evaluated both without and, subsequently, with specified criteria. In the absence of specified criteria, no general agreement between the examiners was found when they were asked to state the quality of a radiograph. Using specified criteria much better agreement was obtained. The radiographic images of the maxillary and mandibular incisors were generally found acceptable using the criteria set up for the present study while the images of the canines, premolars and especially molars frequently were found unacceptable. Only a small proportion of the approximal surfaces on the posterior bitewings were found to be unreadable for caries of dentin while approximately 20% of the approximal surfaces were unreadable for caries of enamel. Approximately half the bitewing films had been placed wrongly in the mouth. Considering the available knowledge about prevalence of disease and anomalies in children of this age, quality of the radiographs, examiner variability and a possible harmful effect of radiography, screening with full-mouth intraoral radiographs in the actual age group does not seem to be justified in the population studied.

Child↗