PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

I Rossow

Publications and source records attributed to I Rossow.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Incidence of early periodontitis in a group of young individuals during 8 years: associations with selected potential predictors.

The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence of early radiographic bone loss in a birth cohort over 8 years and to assess possible associations between incidence of bone loss and reported dental behavior, ethnic background, and previous orthodontic treatment. In a case control study comprising a proportion of the study population, the detection of black pigmented Bacteroides and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and their association with early radiographic bone loss was assessed. At the beginning of the study in 1984, there were 2,767 subjects. In 1992 sets of bite-wing radiographs were obtained from 215 subjects, who also filled out a questionnaire concerning their present and past dental behavior, ethnic background, and orthodontic treatment. Radiographic alveolar bone loss was recorded if the distance from the cemento-enamel junction to the alveolar crest exceeded 2 mm. Thirteen subjects (6%) showed new sites with bone loss over the 8-year period. Subgingival plaque was sampled from these 13 subjects and from 13 control subjects. None of the independent variables could be associated with the observed incidence of radiographic bone loss in this cohort, with the possible exception of the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans which was detected in about 50% of the new sites with bone loss.

Adolescent↗

Parasuicide and use of intoxicants among Norwegian adolescents.

Self-reported history of parasuicide was analyzed with respect to use of intoxicants in a national sample of 12,000 Norwegian adolescents. The proportion of parasuicides was 8.3%, being higher among girls and among those living without both parents, and it increased with age, with use of intoxicants, depression, and loneliness. Calculations of relative risks and adjusted odds ratios demonstrated positive associations between parasuicide and use of intoxicants, and no significant gender differences were found. The findings are discussed with reference to impacts of intoxication and risk-taking behavior.

Adolescent↗

Suicide, alcohol, and divorce; aspects of gender and family integration.

Both over time and between countries within our cultural domain there seems to be a persistent male predominance in the suicide rate. Based on Durkheim's theory of social integration as a key issue in egoistic suicide, the present study aimed at analyzing two empirically operational aspects of social disintegrative factors on the male and female suicide rates in Norway; namely alcohol consumption and divorce. Times series analyses on differenced data from 1911 to 1990 showed that both alcohol consumption and divorce were independently and statistically significantly associated with the male suicide rate, but not with the female suicide rate. The results are discussed on basis of gender roles and social integration.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Use of fluoride tablets in childhood: a 10-year prospective study.

Regular and persistent use of fluoride tablets throughout childhood is part of the national population-based preventive strategy and of the individual risk strategy of the Public Dental Health Service in Norway. The purpose of this study was to describe intraindividual stability in use of fluoride tablets in childhood and to analyze change in stability with respect to previous caries risk. Data stemmed from a 10-year prospective study of 231 Norwegian children. Intraindividual stability was described as individual profiles, showing that individual use of fluoride tablets varied substantially over the 10-year period. The significance of previous caries risk for change in use of fluoride tablets was analyzed by logistic regression analysis. The probability of increase in use of fluoride tablets increased significantly with previous caries activity. The results are discussed in light of population strategy and individual risk strategy in the Public Dental Health Service in Norway. Intraindividual variation in use of fluoride tablets over time may reflect the limited individual impact of preventive measures in pursuance of the population strategy. On the other hand, increase in use subsequent to a period of high caries risk indicates that intraindividual change in use of fluoride tablets may be initiated by individual risk strategy.

Child↗

Intrafamily influences on health behavior. A study of interdental cleaning behavior.

The purpose of this study was to assess quantified measures of intrafamily patterns of influence on interdental cleaning behavior based on a conceptual model of family influences on health behavior. Data stemmed from the Norwegian National Health Survey 1985, comprising 295 two-parent families with 2 children above 6 years of age. Analyses were performed with the family as the sampling unit. Logistic regression analyses were applied. The results showed that there were statistically significant associations of interdental cleaning behavior among all pairs of family members, the strongest association being between sibling (OR = 36.6). The multivariate analyses of interdental cleaning behavior of the children showed that the strongest explanatory factor was the interdental cleaning behavior of the mother (OR = 2.4). Thus, the mother seems to play an important rôle in the formation and maintenance of the elder child's interdental cleaning behavior. The highly correlated interdental cleaning behavior of the 2 siblings could be explained by correlated measurement errors as well as equity in rules and parental control and reinforcement of the behavior, in addition to substantive influential effect of the elder sibling's interdental cleaning behavior on that of the younger sibling.

Adolescent↗

Legislation and reality in public dental services in Norway: dental health services for children and adolescents in 1975 and 1985.

The act relating to dental health service implied a reorganization of the public dental health services in Norway in 1984. The act intended to extend the target group of public dental health services and to achieve social and geographic equality in the distribution of dental health services among children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess the degree to which these intentions had been fulfilled. The material comprised two nationwide, stratified, and randomly selected samples of 3,356 and 2,970 children and adolescents in the age group zero to 18 years. Data were collected in 1975 and 1985. Both the theoretical and the empirical models applied structural and individual resources to explain individual variation in use of dental health services. The results showed that the proportion of zero- to 18-year-olds who had seen a dentist within the past 12 months was higher in 1985 than in 1975 (81.7% and 75.8%, respectively). Bivariate and trivariate table analyses showed that statistically significant associations between structural resources and use of dental health services disappeared when controlling for a third variable. Use of dental health services among children and adolescents in Norway was not systemically influenced by the same factors, as was the use of dental health services in the adult population. Thus, the Public Dental Health Service in Norway seems to have had the capability of compensating for most of the discriminating effects that individual and structural factors may have on the use of dental health services both before and after the reorganization of the public dental health service.

Adolescent↗

Patterns of sugar consumption in early childhood.

Patterns of sugar consumption were studied prospectively in a birth cohort of 231 Norwegian children. Information on dietary habits and sugar consumption was collected at the children's ages of 10 months, 18 months, and 2 yr. The results of the factor analyses showed that the children's sugar consumption constituted a separate dimension of dietary habits. Patterns of sugar consumption seemed to be established already during infancy. The children's sugar consumption increased from infancy to the age of 2 yr, and the patterns of sugar consumption also seemed to be maintained throughout the first years of early childhood. Sugar consumption was also analyzed multivariately using indicators of social background and family size as explanatory variables, but the explanatory power of these variables was rather poor and decreasing with age.

Analysis of Variance↗

[Costs of dental care and medical care paid by the patients].

The National Health Insurance covers a minor part of the expenditures for adults' dental care in Norway. This paper describes the present principles for charging patients for health care services. The paper has 3 aims, 1) to describe patient charges assessed as personal expenditures for dental treatment, 2) to relate patient charges for dental treatment to patient charges for other health services, and thirdly 3) to compare the level of spending for dental care to other household-consumption. Patient charges are higher for dental care than for other non-institutionalized health services. There is an upper limit to patient charges for health services (dental services are not included). The upper limit was approximately 90 in 1987. Above that limit health services are free. Altogether 137,000 persons reached that level of personal expenditures for health services in 1987. The price per unit of dental services is considered rather low in Norway. However, approximately 600,000 adults had expenditures for dental services which exceeded 90. The inconsistency in the present level of patient charges is discussed.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

[100,000 more adults visit the dentist: a few results of November 1989].

The aim of the present study was to describe the Norwegian adult population according to: 1. number of teeth present, 2. demand and utilization of dental services, 3. travel time from home to the dentist, 4. dental health behaviour, 5. fear for dental treatment. The analyses were performed on a set of national data collected in 1989, which was representative of the non-institutionalized Norwegian population 20 years and above. The sample size was 1260 individuals. About 75% of the people had 20 teeth or more present. Nine percent were edentulous. Seventy-seven percent who had demanded dental services during the last year. The average expenditure for dental treatment for those who had demanded the services during the last year was NOK 826. Fifty-three percent travelled 15 minutes or less from home to the dentist. Eighteen percent travelled 30 minutes or more. Almost everybody with their own teeth present brushed their teeth regularly once a day. Thirty-three percent of all dentate people used woodsticks regularly once a day, while 20% used toothfloss regularly. Seventy-five percent had no to mild fear of the dentist, while 7% had a strong fear. Fear of the dentist was higher among women than among men. Fear of the dentist decreased by increasing age. Few people, less than 4%, had cancelled a dental appointment because of dental anxiety. There has been an improvement in dental health and dental health behaviour in Norway during the 1970's and 1980's. These improvements are discussed with special attention paid to the findings from the present study.

Adult↗

Longitudinal study of dental health behaviors and other caries predictors in early childhood.

This longitudinal study of 231 preschoolchildren from a medium sized Norwegian town had three aims: firstly, to examine the children's early dental behavior, secondly to study the variation of dental health behavior according to mother's education, mother's dental health, and her dental attendance pattern, and thirdly to identify any behavioral or social predictors of dental caries in 36-month-old children. Data were collected at health centers, using precoded questionnaires and examinations, when the children were 6, 18, and 36 months old. Data about the mothers were collected at the maternity ward. At 36 months of age, 80% of the children were caries free. Favorable dental behaviors were related to toothbrushing and use of fluorides. These behaviors were so well established and consistent at all ages that they can be regarded as norms for this community. The most unfavorable and inconsistent behavior was related to sugar consumption. Dental health education could be most usefully applied to this area, where the greatest potential for improvement in behavior exists. A relationship was found between the children's caries experience and the number of missing teeth of the mother, her dental attendance pattern and her level of education. None of the social or behavioral variables tested had a strong enough association with caries experience to justify their use as caries predictors in this age group.

Child Behavior↗