PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H L Bailit

Publications and source records attributed to H L Bailit.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

A new intermediate dental outcome measure: amalgam replacement rate.

The length of time amalgam restorations last before replacement was investigated for use as an intermediate outcome measure in utilization review and quality assurance studies. Based on record data from 37 general dental practices, a determination was made of the average percentage of two- or three-surface amalgams receiving another service at 6, 12, and 24 months from the date of insertion. After 2 years, approximately 13 per cent of the amalgams were replaced, and the estimated median life time for amalgams was between 10 and 14 years. The variation in replacement rates among practices was substantial but was not explained by the technical quality of restorations or several practice characteristics.

Dental Amalgam↗
PubMed1979

The quality of radiographs used in the pretreatment review of dental claims.

The purpose of the study was to assess the quality of radiographs accompanying claims submitted for pretreatment review, and to determine the relative importance of radiograph quality in dental consultants' decisions regarding the necessity and appropriateness of crown services. Findings indicate that: 1) the technical quality of radiographs in the sample is adequate for most criteria; and 2) radiograph quality, number, and type of film submitted do not explain much of the variation in disagreements between the direct and indirect assessments of crown services. The most important radiograph variables influencing pretreatment review decisions appear to be the number of periapical films submitted for review, and the density/contrast of the radiographs.

Consultants↗
PubMed1979

Controlling the cost of dental care.

Methods for controlling dental care expenditures are taking on greater importance with the rapid increase in prepaid dental plans. The use of regulatory systems to monitor provider performance are necessary to prevent gross over-utilization but are unlikely to result in net savings of more than five per cent of total gross premiums. Theoretically, prepaid group dental practice (PGDP) may reduce expenditures by changing the mix of services patients receive. The modest estimated savings and the small number of PGDPs presently in operation limit the importance of this alternative for the next five to ten years. If substantial reductions in dental expenditures are to be obtained, it will be necessary to limit dental insurance plans to cover only those services which have demonstrated cost-effectiveness in improving health for the majority of people. The concept that richer benefit plans may have small marginal effects on improving oral health may not be easy for the public to accept but, until they do, expenditures for dental care will be difficult to control.

Cost Control↗
PubMed1977

Variation in dental occlusion and arches among Melanesians of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea. I. Methods, age changes, sex differences and population comparisons.

Population studies of malocclusion lack comparability because of the subjective criteria employed in the definition of malocclusion. Alternatively, individual characteristics of occlusion can be quantified and compared within and between populations. Measurements were taken from the dental cases of 319 male an 359 female Melanesians from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. The cross-sectional age changes from 12 to 68 years of age included an increase in intermolar arch width, a decrease in arch length and intercanine arch width, and increased crowding and malalignment. Neither age nor sex accounted for a large proportion of the differences among individuals. When compared to industrialized groups, the Bougainville population had a slight reduction in variance for most characteristics. Only the sagittal molar relationship was markedly less variable on Bougainville. The results emphasize that a quantitative evaluation of individual occlusal variables may reveal differences within and between populations not detected when simple malocclusion frequencies are reported.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Dental variation among populations. An anthropologic view.

There is considerable variation between and within populations with regard to tooth size, age of eruption, congenitally missing teeth, and crown morphology. These differences are a reflection of the ongoing process of evolution. The genetic basis for this variation is best explained by a polygenic model of inheritance. Even though tooth morpholoyg and agenesis have discontinuous distributions - usually evidence of single gene transmission - they are also polygenic traits and are examples of "quasi-continuous" characteristics. These are traits which exhibit phenotypic discontinuity at the end of a continuous distribution. Postnatal conditions such as nutrition, disease, or climate seem to have little influence on normal dental variation. Most of the environmental factors which affect the dentition occur during the prenatal period. In particular the quality of the intrauterine environment appears to be most important. This suggests that good prenatal nutrition and medical care are needed for a normal and healthy dentition.

Africa↗