PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

S L Fischman

Publications and source records attributed to S L Fischman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Hydrogen peroxide: a review of its use in dentistry.

Several dentifrices that contain hydrogen peroxide are currently being marketed. The increased use of bleaching agents containing (or generating) H2O2 prompted this review of the safety of H2O2 when used in oral hygiene. Daily exposure to the low levels of H2O2 present in dentifrices is much lower than that of bleaching agents that contain or produce high levels of H2O2 for an extended period of time. Hydrogen peroxide has been used in dentistry alone or in combination with salts for over 70 years. Studies in which 3% H2O2 or less were used daily for up to 6 years showed occasional transitory irritant effects only in a small number of subjects with preexisting ulceration, or when high levels of salt solutions were concurrently administered. In contrast, bleaching agents that employ or generate high levels of H2O2 or organic peroxides can produce localized oral toxicity following sustained exposure if mishandled. Potential health concerns related to prolonged hydrogen peroxide use have been raised, based on animal studies. From a single study using the hamster cheek pouch model, 30% H2O2 was referred to as a cocarcinogen in the oral mucosa. This (and later) studies have shown that at 3% or less, no cocarcinogenic activity or adverse effects were observed in the hamster cheek pouch following lengthy exposure to H2O2. In patients, prolonged use of hydrogen peroxide decreased plaque and gingivitis indices. However, therapeutic delivery of H2O2 to prevent periodontal disease required mechanical access to subgingival pockets. Furthermore, wound healing following gingival surgery was enhanced due to the antimicrobial effects of topically administered hydrogen peroxide. For most subjects, beneficial effects were seen with H2O2 levels above 1%.

Animals

Prevalence of dental caries among Ethiopian emmigrants.

Studies have documented the prevalence of caries in developing countries. The current study adds to this body of knowledge. Of the total Ethiopian Jewish population who emmigrated to Israel in 1991, a sample of over 800 individuals was randomly selected representing all age groups. DMF-T and DMF-S scores were recorded, as well as percentages of caries free individuals. Results indicated that almost no fillings or crowns had been provided to the study population. The Missing 'M' component was low as was the Decay 'D' component, although this increased with increasing age, ranging from 0.33 D-T at the 0-12 age group to 2.46 at the 51+ age group. In the permanent dentition 88.4 per cent of those 0-12 years of age were caries free and 74.5 per cent were caries free in both the primary and permanent dentition. Almost 59 per cent of the 13-20 years olds were caries free and 32.8 per cent of those 21-50 years old. Only 16.7 per cent were caries free at age 51+ years old. The data indicate a relatively low prevalence of both coronal and root caries, and an effort has to be made to keep these figures low for years to come mainly by diet and dental health education.

Adolescent

The motivational benefits of a dentifrice containing baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.

Twenty-two family practice dentists, in a large metropolitan area, were recruited to act as independent examiners in a study to evaluate the compliance of their patients to accept a good oral hygiene regimen with the use of a fluoride dentifrice, containing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, dispensed from a dual dispensing package. To evaluate compliance, the dentists attended an orientation seminar and were trained to assess gingival health using the CPITN periodontal probe. Each dentist evaluated the gingival health status of five to seven of his own patients, initially and after one and three months of product use following hygiene instruction and product assignment. One-hundred and thirty-one patients successfully completed the study. After one month of using the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda toothpaste, the mean reduction in bleeding sites was 53%; at three months the reduction was 62%. The hydrogen peroxide/baking soda dentifrice was well accepted by dentist and patient, and a discernible improvement in oral health of the patients was achieved when the product was used in a conscientious oral hygiene program.

Adult

The laboratory and clinical safety evaluation of a dentifrice containing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.

This study reports the laboratory, clinical, and microbiological finding of the safety testing and daily use of a dentifrice delivering 0.75% hydrogen peroxide and 5% baking soda. Laboratory studies using Ca45 labeled teeth and biologically stained teeth confirmed that the dentifrice did not decalcify enamel or bleach teeth. Over the course of a six-month period, 62 subjects using a hydrogen peroxide-baking soda dentifrice and 21 subjects using a control dentifrice were examined for oral soft tissue change and hard tissue alterations. No soft tissue changes attributable to the use of either dentifrice were noted. Experienced clinicians using Trubyte shade guide teeth observed no significant changes to the subjects' anterior teeth following 6 months use of the test dentifrice. Paired discrimination tests revealed that the examiners could distinguish color differences in the shade guide teeth at 0.7%. Microbiological monitoring of the subjects for six months use of their assigned dentifrice and for the following months on the control dentifrice, revealed neither an increased incidence of candida nor increased candida counts.

Adult

Dental specialty education.

Dental education has been the topic of considerable discussion in the dental literature during the period between February 1990 and January 1991. Emphasis has been given to the current financial and pedagogic problems facing the profession. It is a time of change, perhaps even great change, and this review focuses on those articles most significant for specialty education at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels.

Education, Dental

Controversies in oral medicine.

This article reviews two conditions commonly seen in oral medical practice. Aphthous ulceration and lichen planus are two very perplexing problems with controversies about etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, management, and, in the case of lichen planus, malignant potential.

Administration, Topical

Clinical index systems used to assess the efficacy of mouthrinses on plaque and gingivitis.

The American Dental Association's Council on Dental Therapeutics has adopted Guidelines for acceptance of chemotherapeutic products for the control of supragingival dental plaque and gingivitis. The most widely used plaque indices are the plaque index (PI) and the Turesky index. Gingivitis has usually been assessed by the Löe and Silness method, although the modified gingival index of Lobene and a bleeding index reported by Caton and Polson have also been used. To date, 2 products have been accepted by the Council as being effective in helping control supragingival plaque and gingivitis. These products were evaluated using clinical indices described in this review. The indices were selected from the many in the literature as being valid, reliable, and easily learned. Suggestions are made for criteria to be used in comparability studies.

Dental Health Surveys

Role of the general practitioner in data collection and cross matching.

Dental records used in identification procedures are most often obtained from the offices of general practitioners. The family dentist is required to provide accurate and well documented data to assist in the identification process. The forensic team participating in a mass disaster identification may also utilize the services of general practitioners. They play an active role in the oral autopsy, the oral radiographic procedure, and the identification process itself.

Data Collection

Current status of indices of plaque.

Microbial plaque has been described by the Council on Dental Therapeutics of the American Dental Association in their recently drafted Guidelines for acceptance of products for the management of dental plaque and gingivitis. The choice of an index system to be used in plaque trials should be made in terms of the objective of the trial, the size of the population, the period of the study, and the type and extent of change anticipated. The indices currently in use estimate the quantity of plaque in terms of tooth area covered or the thickness of material in the area measured. The Silness and Loe and the modified Turesky methods have been suggested as acceptable indices for the estimation of cleansing ability.

Dental Health Surveys

The use of medical and dental radiographs in identification.

Following mass disasters and individual deaths, dentists with special training and experience in forensic odontology are frequently called upon to assist in the identification of badly mutilated or decomposed bodies. Teeth and dental restorations are resistant to destruction by fire and the elements and are, therefore, useful in identification. The forensic odontologist makes use of dental radiographs taken of the victim before death. These are compared to dental data from the remains to assist in making the identification. Many features of the teeth and numerous characteristics of dental treatment are quite unique. This permits accurate and legally acceptable identification of the remains. The cases described illustrate the procedures and techniques of identification using ante-mortem and post-mortem radiographs.

Adult

The patient with cancer.

Patients with cancer require competent oral health care, provided by a sympathetic and conscientious clinician. Often the ambulatory patient will be best managed by the generalist-family dentist. An understanding of the nature of oral disease in these compromised patients and a readiness to discuss dental treatment modifications with the attending physician should help prepare the dentist to prevent and to treat oral disease in the patient with cancer.

Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities

Correlative clinico-pathological evaluation of oral premalignancy.

In 1972, the World Health Organization's "Meeting of Investigators on the Histological Definitions in Precancerous Lesions" defined a precancerous lesion as a "morphologically altered tissue in which cancer is more likely to occur than in its apparently normal counter part" (Pindborg 1980). There are two generally accepted precancerous lesions in the oral cavity, leukoplakia and erythroplakia (Pindborg 1980). Leukoplakia is currently defined as "a white patch or plaque that cannot be characterized clinically or pathologically as any other disease" (WHO 1978). This definition has no histological connotation and is used in a strictly clinical sense (Pindborg 1980, Banoczy 1977). Erythroplakia is defined as a "bright red velvety plaque which cannot be characterized clinically or pathologically as being due to any other condition" (Pindborg 1980).

Diagnosis, Differential

Inter-examiner reliability in caries trials.

A statistical model is given for representing the several components of variability present in measurements (e.g., DMFS scores) given by examiners to patients. Methods for making inferences about the intraclass correlation coefficient of reliability are presented and illustrated on a real set of data. The proper analysis of data from a reliability study is shown to depend on the planned design and analysis of the clinical or field trial to be conducted following the reliability trial.

Child