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Biomedical subjects

R Shirahama

Publications and source records attributed to R Shirahama.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Oral health conditions and denture treatment needs in institutionalized elderly people in Japan.

Oral health conditions, including dental conditions, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) conditions, denture status, and oral hygiene status, were assessed on 1908 institutionalized elderly people 65 yr of age and older at 29 of the 30 existing institutions in the city of Kitakyushu, Japan. The percentage of edentulous people was 27% in the 65-74-yr-old group, and increased with age to 56% in the 85 yr and older group. In dentate persons, the mean number of remaining teeth and DF teeth were 13.4 and 8.6, 9.5 and 6.8, and 8.4 and 6.5 in the groups aged 65-74 yr old, 75-84 yr old, and 85 yr and older, respectively. 81% of all the persons examined had no unusual symptoms in their TMJ. A clicking sound was the most frequent symptom (17%). Hygiene of both their teeth and dentures was very poor. Of all the subjects, 36% needed new full and/or partial denture(s), and 41% needed only repair. When the institutionalized elderly people were compared according to their general health condition, no clear differences were observed in percentage of edentulousness, mean number of remaining teeth and DF teeth, and TMJ conditions. However, a higher level of both untreated teeth and denture treatment needs, and poorer oral hygiene, was found in elderly people having poor general health than was observed in those with better health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

Periodontal condition of pregnant women assessed by CPITN.

The periodontal conditions of 2424 pregnant and 1565 non-pregnant women were assessed according to the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). The aim of this survey was to obtain information which is necessary for the planning of preventive programs of periodontal disease for pregnant women. 95% of the pregnant women and 96% of the non-pregnant women had some signs of periodontal disease. The % of pregnant women having 4 or 5 mm pockets was significantly higher than that of non-pregnant women, increased with the month of pregnancy, reached a maximum of 31% in the 8-month group, but decreased to the control level in the 9-month group. These changes were interpreted to suggest that the increase of pocket depth during pregnancy was caused by gingival enlargement rather than by periodontal destruction. The results show that pregnant women had a healthier periodontal condition when compared with non-pregnant women, i.e., the number of sextants with healthy periodontal tissues was higher, the % of people having deep pockets (6 mm or deeper) was lower, and the need for prophylaxis was lower in pregnant than in non-pregnant women. These findings suggest that a special program of periodontal disease prevention for pregnant women is not necessary.

Adolescent↗

CPITN assessments in institutionalised elderly people in Kitakyushu, Japan.

A CPITN survey was conducted on 1958 institutionalised elderly people aged 59 years and older at 29 of the 30 public and private institutions in the city of Kitakyushu, Japan. About 60 per cent of the sample was edentulous, and the prevalence of periodontal conditions was high. The percentages of dentate subjects with healthy gingivae, bleeding on probing, calculus, shallow pockets, and deep pockets were 3, 4, 32, 52, and 9 per cent respectively. Half the sextants in the dentate subjects were scored as excluded (less than two teeth), indicating that many teeth were missing. Only very few sextants were healthy. These findings indicate the importance of preventive programmes for periodontal diseases in the younger generations, because (a) dental care for the elderly population becomes more difficult with increasing age and (b) periodontal care, if it is available at all, is provided too late for most people.

Aged↗

Learning efficiency of a toothbrush for mastering scrubbing method.

Toothbrushing with long horizontal strokes often causes traumatization of sound enamel and gingival tissues. Also, dental plaque on cervical and adjacent surfaces of teeth can hardly be removed because toothbrush tips cannot reach these regions adequately. A toothbrushing device which indicates overstroke was tested to determine the efficacy with which it makes subjects master brushing with short horizontal strokes following an initial period of instruction. The degree of learning measured in the testing group was superior to that of the control group immediately after the first instruction. Moreover after one week and 12 weeks, its efficacy persisted. The plaque elimination ratio, however, showed no significant difference between the testing group and the control.

Adult↗

Periodontal disease prevalence in different age groups in Japan as assessed according to the CPITN.

A CPITN survey was conducted involving 12,832 Japanese subjects from 7 to 64 years of age. Subjects under 18 were schoolchildren, and 18-year-old and older subjects represented various social backgrounds, having been randomly selected from both urban and rural Japan. Fifty percent of the 7-yr-old children had signs of periodontal disease, and this percentage increased with increasing age. In those under 14, this increase in periodontal disease was mainly due to an increase in the proportion of children developing dental calculus. Subjects with 6 mm or deeper pockets were observed starting from the 20-29-yr-old age group. In subjects over this age, the prevalence of periodontal disease was higher in men than in women. The percentages of subjects having pathologic pockets had increased remarkably in the 30-44-yr-olds. In the 45-64-yr-old group, almost all subjects had some sign of periodontal disease, and the percentage of those with 4 or 5 mm pockets and 6 mm or deeper pockets were 37% and 21%, respectively.

Adolescent↗