PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M J Prendergast

Publications and source records attributed to M J Prendergast.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Sedation in primary dental care: an investigation in two districts of northern England.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the current provision of sedation in primary dental care and investigate the knowledge and attitudes of dental practitioners and others on the use of sedation. DESIGN: Qualitative interviews and postal questionnaire survey. SETTING: Health districts of Bradford (West Yorkshire) and South Durham, UK in 1996. SUBJECTS AND MATERIALS: 15 key individuals associated with NHS primary dental services were interviewed. Questionnaires were sent to all 260 NHS general dental practitioners and community dental service clinicians. RESULTS: 208 questionnaires (80%) were returned. 42% of respondents reported current sedation use, with oral administration the favoured technique (26%). Significant differences were found between districts for intravenous sedation use (7% Bradford, 41% South Durham, P < 0.001). Almost all participants agreed the value of sedation in dental care for adults and children, for nervous, phobic patients or in association with unpleasant forms of treatment and 45% of dentists felt that provision should be expanded. Training, availability of referral services, finance and patient demand were seen as encouraging factors. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial variations in sedation provision between the two districts were associated with teaching at the nearest dental schools. Innovative use of resources could help the expansion of provision supported in this study.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

The use of clinical dental auxiliaries as examiners in caries prevalence surveys in the United Kingdom: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the use of clinical dental auxiliaries as examiners in caries prevalence surveys of 5- and 12-year-old children in the United Kingdom. METHODS: A random sample of four therapists and four hygienists was drawn from 23 clinical dental auxiliaries employed in the Community Dental Service in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Training and calibration were carried out according to national guidelines for caries prevalence surveys. Sixteen 5-year-old and sixteen 12-year-old children were examined in the calibration exercise. Agreement was assessed using 95% confidence intervals of mean dmft/DMFT of the group, sensitivity and specificity values, and kappa statistics on dft/DFT. RESULTS: For 5-year-old children, a good level of agreement with the standard examiner was achieved with sensitivity scores ranging from 0.84-0.98, specificity scores from 0.93-0.97, and kappa scores from 0.80-0.89. For 12-year-old children, sensitivity scores ranged from 0.56-0.95; specificity scores from 0.93-0.99; and kappa scores from 0.66-0.83. Four examiners failed to achieve the minimum scores on all measurements. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that clinical dental auxiliaries could be used as examiners in caries prevalence surveys of 5-year-old children. However, in order to attempt to meet the national standard for agreement in surveys of 12-year-old children, four of the eight examiners in the present study would require further training. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed.

Calibration↗
PubMed1997

The relationship between deprivation, ethnicity and dental health in 5-year-old children in Leeds, UK.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between material deprivation, ethnicity, dental health and related behaviour in the five-year-old population of Leeds. DESIGN: Analytical survey using a stratified cluster sample of primary schools and a questionnaire to parents. Children were assigned to one of five bands according to the ranking of the Townsend deprivation index for the census enumeration district in which they lived. Standard clinical criteria were used. SETTING: Clinical examinations were carried out in school by four trained and calibrated examiners. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand six hundred and seventy seven children were examined and 1881 parental questionnaires were returned (70 per cent response). OUTCOME MEASURES: Caries experience expressed as mean dmft. RESULTS: Caries experience increased significantly with deprivation. Deprivation gradients were found in reported dental visiting, parental dental attendance and use of the Community Dental Service. Differences in caries experience between ethnic groups were independent of deprivation score with Asian children from the most deprived districts having a higher mean dmft than their white Caucasian and Afro-Caribbean counterparts (4.80, 3.21, 2.00; P < 0.001). Muslim Asians had significantly higher (P < 0.001) caries experience (dmft = 4.63) than non-Muslim Asians (dmft = 2.08) and the difference was maintained when the effect of deprivation was controlled (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Townsend index is a useful indicator of dental health and related behaviour among populations but does not explain variations between ethnic groups.

Asia↗
PubMed1996

The diagnostic reliability of clinical dental auxiliaries in caries prevalence surveys--a pilot study.

The Nuffield Report recommended the development of further education and training for dental auxiliary personnel. The extent to which clinical dental auxiliaries might carry out oral assessments is under consideration currently. While other countries have employed clinical dental auxiliaries as examiners in national surveys, there is no evidence to suggest that they are able to perform oral assessments effectively in the United Kingdom. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of using dental hygienists or therapists as examiners in epidemiological surveys. Five dentists and three clinical dental auxiliaries were trained and calibrated together using standardised BASCD training procedures. Forty 5-year-old children in Leeds were recruited to the training and calibration exercise. Data were analysed according to BASCD recommendations. There were no differences in performance between dentists and auxiliaries. All examiners fell within 95 percent confidence limits of the group mean dt, mt, ft and dmft. Mean grouped dmft scores for the benchmark examiner, dentists and auxiliaries were 1.92, 1.84 and 1.92 respectively. Sensitivity values for dentists and auxiliaries ranged from 0.54 to 1.00 and 0.80 to 0.94 respectively. Kappa scores were 0.70 to 0.90 for dentists; and 0.82 to 0.87 for the auxiliaries. It was concluded that the dental hygienists and therapist recruited to this study could be used in epidemiological surveys of caries in 5-year-old children.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1996

Caries experience, tooth loss and oral health-related behaviours among Bangladeshi women resident in West Yorkshire, UK.

Several studies have reported high levels of caries experience among young Muslim Asian children, but there has been little corresponding information on adult dental health or related health behaviours. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire together with clinical oral findings among first generation Bangladeshi women aged over 25 years. The majority chewed betel quid with tobacco, were of rural origin, used traditional oral hygiene practices and had never visited a dentist. Of the 247 examined, only one was edentulous. A very low level of caries experience was recorded, a mean DFT score of 1.87 at 25-34 years of age, with an average of 1.05 missing teeth. Coronal caries experience was found to be independent of oral hygiene methods, including the use of fluoride toothpaste, or the frequency of betel quid chewing. It was concluded that Bangladeshi adult women have considerably lower levels of caries experience and tooth loss than United Kingdom adults as represented in recent national surveys.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The dental health of single male hostel dwellers in Leeds.

Attitudes and behaviour towards oral health among 104 homeless men in Leeds were assessed at interview. Of these, 101 agreed to a subsequent dental examination. The findings confirmed a high level of normative need despite a low level of felt need. Appointments were offered at two local community dental clinics, but the majority of men failed to attend. Appropriate provision of dental care is discussed and recommendations made for future developments.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

An investigation of non-response bias by comparison of dental health in 5-year-old children according to parental response to a questionnaire.

Non-response bias is a potentially serious problem in studies involving human subjects. A parental questionnaire/negative consent form was used in a dental epidemiological survey of 5-year-old children in Leeds. The aim of this study was to determine whether and to what extent there was any variation in caries experience and oral cleanliness between responding and non-responding groups. 6,494 children were examined and completed questionnaires were returned for 4,069 (63 per cent). The response was higher for white children (65 per cent) than for Asian (39 per cent) and Afro-Caribbean children (45 per cent). Lower response rates were found from parents living in inner city areas associated with social deprivation. Children of non-responders had poorer oral cleanliness and higher caries experience (mean dmft). This study demonstrated that members of a non-response group are likely to be substantially different from responders.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1989

An assessment of dental caries prevalence among Gujurati, Pakistani and white Caucasian five-year-old children resident in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

A number of recent studies have reported higher levels of caries experience in the primary dentition of Asian when compared with white Caucasian children. However, in order to take account of the diversity of socio-cultural and religious backgrounds, an Asian 'sample' should be specified. The present study examined caries prevalence among three distinct groups of five-year-old children, Pakistani Muslim, Indian Gujurati Muslim and white Caucasian. All were resident in districts of urban deprivation in Dewsbury. Significantly more of the 200 white Caucasian children examined were found to be caries-free (50 per cent) compared with 35 per cent of the Pakistani (n = 242) and 31 per cent of the Indian group (n = 159). Extensive caries was seen far more frequently in the Asians. Only 5 per cent of the white Caucasian children had rampant caries (dmft less than/= 10), but 13 per cent of the Pakistani and 21 per cent of the Indian group were so affected. Mean caries prevalence values were also higher among the Asian children. There was little difference in the levels of disease between the two Asian groups, except for rampant caries, which was higher among Indian children. All groups had more teeth decayed than treated. However, the white Caucasian girls had the lowest mean values of caries experience and the highest proportion of f/m teeth, indicating the most favourable level of restorative care. There was extensive untreated disease in all the Asian groups. The findings show that improved prevention and treatment facilities are required for young children, especially those from these Asian communities. Health education programmes and treatment facilities must be culturally acceptable and accessible. Both developments could be co-ordinated by the community dental service, the treatment facility most frequently used by these Asian communities at present.

Child, Preschool↗