PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Sundberg

Publications and source records attributed to H Sundberg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Dental caries and salivary and microbial conditions in 50-60-year-old persons.

In a group of 124 persons, 50-60 yr old, the prevalence at baseline of mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacilli and the salivary secretion rate and buffer capacity were examined. The mean secretion rate was 1.58 mL/min with a flow rate below 1 mL/min found in 20% of the persons. A buffer capacity below end pH 5.5 was observed in 64% of the subjects. MS was not detected in 5% of the persons whereas 17% had 10(6) or more MS per ml saliva. Lactobacilli were not found in 10% of the persons while 21% had counts in excess of 10(5) CFU mL. A new examination 5 yr later in 1986 revealed no significant changes in secretion rate and buffer capacity or in the population of lactobacilli, whereas markedly elevated levels of salivary MS were found. S. sobrinus was detected in 35-37% of the persons at the two examinations. Persons with both S. mutans and S. sobrinus had more MS than persons with only S. mutans.

Buffers↗

Problems associated with restorative materials--dentists' views in Finland and Sweden.

During the past 10-15 years the possible side-effects of dental restorative materials, especially due to amalgam fillings, have caused a lively debate in Sweden. There is an extensive literature on the chemical and biological properties of dental materials but no investigations have dealt with the providers' attitudes. The purpose of this study was to find out the dentists' experiences of and attitudes to patients who state they have problems related to dental restorative materials and compare the dentists' subjective assessments of those side-effects in two neighboring countries, Finland and Sweden. Information was collected by postal questionnaires addressed to dentists chosen at random in Finland (n = 625) and in Sweden (n = 960). The response rate was 73 per cent and 72 per cent respectively. The results showed that 99 per cent of the respondents had patients questioning the safety of dental materials. The number of such patients was estimated to be three times higher in Sweden (124 patients per dentist in 1989) than in Finland (39 patients per dentist). More than 90 per cent of the questions from the patients regarded amalgam fillings. Statistically significant differences were found between the respondents' opinions of amalgam, 81 per cent of the Finnish contrary to 59 per cent of the Swedish respondents considered the risk of side-effects to be low when using this material. About 90 per cent of the respondents considered glass-ionomer, gold and ceramic restorations safe, but only half of them were convinced of the safety of composite. A great majority of the Swedish respondents (79 per cent) claimed that the patients should get their fillings changed without odontologic indications if they insisted on it and paid for the treatment in comparison to 22 per cent of the Finnish respondents (p less than 0.001). In case dental insurance was to pay for this kind of treatment it was accepted by 6 per cent of the Finns and 25 per cent of the Swedes. The attitude to amalgam was in general less favorable among the dentists in Sweden than in Finland.

Adult↗

The use of sedatives in dental care: legal aspects in Sweden.

The patient's rights and the dentist's obligations within Swedish dental care are governed by the Dental Care Act. The general dentist Instruction enjoins on every dentist, in accordance with science and tested experience, to advise and, as far as possible, to inform the patient about the treatment the patient's condition requires. Dentists have the right to prescribe sedative drugs. Intravenous injection of sedative agents may not at present be used by dentists. Dentists have the right to use nitrous oxide analgesia after undergoing training approved by the National Board of Health and Welfare. With regard to the nitrous oxide apparatus, it is stipulated that the concentration of oxygen must never fall below 40% volume. There are special directions for ventilation in the treatment room, portable exsuction, and other measures when nitrous oxide analgesia is used. It is specially directed how dentists shall keep case records in general. Stipulations also exist for the keeping of case records on nitrous oxide analgesia. Dentists are bound to report secondary effects of drugs to the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Dental Care↗

Effect of preventive measures in 50-60-year-olds with a high risk of dental caries.

Salivary and microbial conditions were examined in 124 50-60-yr-old patients attending a dental clinic of the Public Dental Health Service. They were then randomly divided into a control and a test group. Patients with low salivary secretion rate and buffer capacity and high numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in the test group received special caries preventive measures during 1 yr. In the control group all patients were given prevention according to routine procedures. The incidence of dental caries between the groups was compared. The risk patients in the control group developed 1.67 new carious lesions as compared to 0.19 in the test group. The difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.05). Also the numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli were significantly lower in the risk patients in the test group after 1 yr compared with baseline values. After the experimental year all patients were treated according to routine procedures. Five years after the start of the study a new examination showed increased caries activity in the risk patients in the test group and the gain which had been made during the experimental year was almost lost.

Chlorhexidine↗