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Biomedical subjects

M Vehkalahti

Publications and source records attributed to M Vehkalahti.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Assessment of quality of public oral health care on the basis of patient records.

The quality of public oral health care, especially the quality of preventive treatment in relation to patients' oral health, was investigated. The population studied consisted of 367 subjects representing the 15-yr-olds living in Helsinki in 1986. Data were taken from the patients' oral health charts, obtained from municipal dental clinics. Clinical examination of the teeth and periodontium had been adequately documented in 98% of cases. In 84% of cases, status recordings matched those recorded previously. Preventive treatment, on the whole, seemed insufficient and stereotyped. Of all patients 55%, and of those in high risk groups only 57 congruent to 60% had had a topical application of fluoride at least once during treatment. Periodontal treatment was insufficient and did not correlate with recorded clinical findings. The results indicate that the concept of prevention and its selective use had not been fully adopted as routine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Finnish dentists as tobacco counselors.

The first nationwide survey of Finnish dentists' use of tobacco, their inquiring about and advising patients on tobacco use, and their attitudes toward anti-tobacco health education (ATHE) was carried out at the end of 1987. A questionnaire mailed to 540 dentists produced 435 answers (81%). One fourth of the male dentists and 6% of the female dentists currently were smokers, and 11% of men and 2% of women smoked daily. Information on smoking practices of patients was obtained always by 8%, often by 18%, and occasionally by 62% of the dentists. Four percent of the dentists advised always and 15% often their patients about smoking, and 62% did so occasionally. The majority of the dentists agreed that dentists should take part in ATHE and that dentists can encourage patients to stop using tobacco. The respondents supporting the involvement of dentists in ATHE reported having an active role in tobacco counseling (TC) significantly more frequently than those not sharing the idea of involvement. It was concluded that Finnish dentists could be a valuable resource in TC because of their positive attitudes.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Decline in dental caries and public oral health care of adolescents.

The adequacy and appropriateness of the oral health service were evaluated from patient records of 15-year-olds in Helsinki in 1976 and 1986. The subjects selected for the study represented the whole age group participating in public oral health service in the 2 years in question. During the 10 years, substantial decreases were seen in the mean numbers of dental visits (from 4.0 to 2.4) and fillings (from 2.9 to 1.2). The greatest decrease was seen in the number of fillings made in incisors. Slightly fewer preventive measures were carried out in 1986 than 10 years earlier, but no focusing on risk patients was seen. In the 2 years studied, 15-year-olds in the high-risk group received applications of topical fluorides and instructions on oral hygiene as often as those in the low-risk group. A major problem seemed to be the increasing number of unfinished courses of treatment among high-risk patients. We conclude that patients with a higher risk of caries should receive more attention with regard to both the preventive treatment given and ways of motivating them to complete their treatment courses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Caries decline from 1976 to 1986 among 15-year-olds in Helsinki.

This study investigated the occurrence of caries among 15-year-olds using the municipal oral health service in Helsinki in 1976 and in 1986. Data were collected from each subject's personal dental health file as recorded during routine check-ups by dentists in the health centre of the city of Helsinki in the year in question. All indicators showed a significant improvement (p less than 0.001) in dental health during the 10-year period. The percentage of intact teeth and surfaces increased markedly. The mean number of DMF teeth per person fell from 12.1 to 5.1 and that of proximal DF surfaces from 5.6 to 1.5. In the 1976 group, 63% of all occlusal surfaces had been filled or were decayed. Ten years later the figure was 26%. Proximal DFS percentages were 10 and 3%, respectively. The ratios of the total number of proximal to occlusal DFS were 0.6 in 1976 and 0.4 in 1986.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Occurrence of gingival recession in adults.

The occurrence of gingival recession was investigated in adults by age and gender and in relation to their dental status and frequency of toothbrushing. A total of 258 dentate subjects were clinically examined. Their mean age was 46 years and they had an average of 19.4 natural teeth. Gingival recession was recorded as present if any root surface was clearly visible without retraction of the gingival tissue. Recession was found on at least one tooth surface in 68% of subjects. Mean number of surfaces with recession was 7.2 for women and 10.4 for men. Subjects with gingival recession had fewer natural teeth than did those without recession. The two groups did not differ from each other in the number of filled teeth and decayed teeth. Mandibular teeth had more surfaces with recession than did maxillary ones. Sites of recession occurred quite symmetrically. Frequent toothbrushers had, both in the maxilla and mandible, more surfaces with recession than had those brushing their teeth infrequently. Frequent toothbrushing had a greater association with recession among women and in the youngest age group.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Remaining teeth in Finnish adults related to the frequency of tooth-brushing.

The number of teeth remaining in adults was evaluated with specific reference to the frequency of tooth-brushing. The sample consisted of 5028 dentate subjects, representing the Finnish population aged 30 years and older. Their mean age was 47.5 years. The presence or absence of each individual tooth was recorded. A total of 91,332 teeth was registered. Forty-eight per cent of the women had retained no fewer than 21 teeth, 20% had 20-11 teeth, and 32% had 10-1 teeth. For men the percentages were 52%, 23%, and 25%, respectively. The number of a subject's remaining teeth was strongly related to the frequency to tooth-brushing (p less than 0.001). The more frequent it had been, the more teeth the subjects, both women and men, had retained. This trend was also seen for the teeth in each jaw, and even for type of tooth. The trend was also present when the number of teeth was analyzed in accordance with a subject's income.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Late effects of radiation treatment of tongue and floor-of-mouth cancer on the dentition, saliva secretion, mucous membranes and the lower jaw.

The purpose of this study was to determine retrospectively any changes in the dentition, saliva secretion, mucous membranes and the lower jaw resulting from the radiation treatment given to patients with cancer of the tongue or floor of the mouth. The study covers 29 patients treated at the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology of Helsinki University Central Hospital between 1972 and 1981. 23 of the patients were treated for cancer of the tongue and the remaining 6 for cancer of the floor of the mouth. The radiation doses ranged from 5300 to 6700 rad. Clinical examination revealed that the number of carious teeth doubled as a result of radiotherapy, while the incidence of cervical lesions increased by a factor of 10, both compared with the controls. About 70% of the patients studied were found to have either moderate or extensive fungal growth. Stimulated saliva secretion had fallen to about 20% and resting saliva secretion to about 30% of the values for the control group. Radiography revealed pathological changes in the mandible in 34% of the patients. Clinically, 2 patients were found to have extra-oral fistulae. In 1 of these, the spontaneously fractured end of the mandible was visible for several cms. 3 of the patients had undergone hemimandibulectomy because of osteoradionecrosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Dental caries in the adult population in Finland: I. Prevalence of dental caries.

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of untreated dental caries in the adult population aged 30 years and over in Finland according to sex, age, region of living, and socioeconomic status. The level of untreated caries per subject also was studied and population estimates were made for prevalence and level of untreated caries. The representative sample used in this study included 5028 dentate subjects. Data were collected using interviews and clinical examination. The prevalence of untreated caries was 55% in women, and the figure for men was 67%. In eastern Finland the figures for women and men differed significantly. The mean number of decayed teeth was 2.5 per person. Men had more decayed teeth per person than women did. The number decreased significantly with increasing socioeconomic status. The data presented in the study provide a reliable picture of the occurrence of untreated dental caries in Finnish adults and form the basis for further analyses.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Prevalence of root caries in the adult Finnish population.

A sample of 8000 persons was drawn to represent the Finnish population aged 30 years and over. The participation rate was 89.9%. Root caries was recorded when the lesion was obviously soft and more than half of it was located on cementum. Lesions adjacent to fillings were not included. The reproducibility and the standard of the clinical recordings were tested by reexamining 20% of the studied population 2-6 months after the first clinical examination. The overall prevalence of root caries was 21.6% for men and 14.5% for women. The prevalence increased for both sexes almost consistently with age. Root caries was found 1.6 times more often among men than women. Among men 2.23% and among women 1.19% of teeth were affected by root caries.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Development of edentulousness in Finland during the 1970's.

From a representative sample of 8000 persons aged 30 yr and over, 7190 were examined clinically. Thirty-one percent were edentulous, 23% of the men and 38% of the women. Results of our study were compared with seven other nationwide studies of edentulousness in Finnish adults made during the last decade. For subjects 35-64 yr old the rate of edentulousness was lowest in our clinical study. For those over 64 yr old the rates of edentulousness varied from 54% to 67%. In general, results obtained using interviews or questionnaires gave higher percentages for edentulousness than did the clinical study. Statistical evaluation of the differences in rates found in these studies did not show edentulousness to be either increasing or decreasing in Finland during the 1970's.

Adult↗