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Biomedical subjects

T Palin-Palokas

Publications and source records attributed to T Palin-Palokas.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Oral health knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and skills of children entering school in urban and rural areas in Tanzania.

This study analysed the prevailing oral health-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of children entering school in Tanzania. The assessment was conducted in a random sample of 200 children who were newly enrolled in first grade in urban and rural areas of the Ilala district, by means of interviews, oral hygiene check-ups and practical exercises. Toothbrushing was a prevalent habit among these children, but its efficiency was low. Modern toothbrushes were commonly used and preferred to wooden toothbrushes. Toothpaste was considered essential and commonly used in urban areas but, instead, charcoal or ash were used in rural areas. The children's sugar consumption was low, but they widely valued sugary snacks. They had low awareness of gum disease and tooth decay, and poor knowledge about the causes and prevention of these diseases. These findings indicate gaps in the children's oral health ideas and practices acquired from home. The ongoing school oral health education is a crucial opportunity for the required improvements.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Participation, willingness and abilities of school-teachers in oral health education in Tanzania.

In Tanzania, teachers in primary schools conduct oral health education as part of the school syllabus, most of them without any training for the task. The participation, willingness and abilities of teachers involved in this duty were studied by means of questionnaire, interviews, oral hygiene examinations and practical exercises. The teachers' knowledge of oral health matters and their skills in toothbrushing were poor. Health lessons in general were not accorded high priority. The teachers preferred parents to instruct their children on toothbrushing, and were reluctant to teach pupils about dietary matters. They stressed the shortage of time and materials for teaching health lessons and their heavy workload at school. These findings indicate a necessity, and a point of departure, for organising training for oral health education and encouraging teachers to undertake this task.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Caries occurrence in Klinefelter syndrome men (47,XXY males).

Men with the Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY males) and their brothers were studied as regards their caries experiences as part of a comprehensive study on oral facial growth and health in individuals with sex chromosome anomalies. The results show that caries experience was greater among the 47,XXY men than among their normal brothers, and a greater proportion of the 47,XXY men's cumulative caries experience consisted of extractions.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Occlusal features and caries experience.

It has been suggested that ideal occlusion would contribute to caries prevention, that crowding would predispose teeth to caries, and that enamel defects would increase caries susceptibility. Such opinions usually occur in textbooks or articles without any reference to relevant scientific evidence. Studies have been published that assess the association between occlusal features and caries. The studies reported vary greatly with respect to representativeness and diagnostic criteria. The findings have been conflicting. The most recent studies that have included relatively large numbers of subjects do not confirm an association between occlusal findings and caries experience. Crowding does not seem to increase susceptibility to caries. The suggested association between enamel defects and clinically diagnosed caries has only been studied in deciduous teeth. Defective enamel structure appears to increase caries susceptibility mainly in children whose enamel defects are caused by nutritional problems early in life that affect the whole of the deciduous dentition.

Dental Caries↗
PubMed1987

Relative importance of caries risk factors in Finnish mentally retarded children.

The relative importance of associations between caries occurrence and exposure to sugar-sweetened products, fluoride preventives, medication with drugs affecting saliva secretion and the standard of oral hygiene was assessed in 125 mentally retarded and 79 healthy 9-10-yr-old Finnish children. The evaluation of the relative importance of the associations was based on logistic regression analyses. For the mentally retarded children the most important determinant of caries risk was their poor standard of oral hygiene. Frequent use of sugar-sweetened snacks was found to be an important determinant of caries risk for both the mentally retarded and the healthy children.

Dental Caries↗
PubMed1985

Caries prevalence in Turner's syndrome (45,X females).

Dental caries prevelance in permanent teeth (DFS) was studied in 50 patients with Turner's syndrome (45,X females) and 41 normal first-degree female relatives. Caries prevalence was lower in 45,X women than in controls, and this difference was more pronounced in the incisor region than in pre-molar and molar teeth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Occurrence of developmental morphological defects in permanent teeth of mentally retarded children.

A group of 9- to 11-year-old mentally retarded children (n = 92) and randomly selected healthy controls of the same age (n = 67) were psychologically tested for mental performance and examined for developmental morphological defects in their permanent teeth. About twice as many teeth with developmental defects in crown morphology were found in the retarded children as in healthy children. In retarded children, the frequency of defective dental crowns increased with the severity of mental retardation, as measured in terms of IQ. Owing to modifying factors that affect IQ, however, this trend can be questioned.

Child↗
PubMed1984

Risk factors of dental caries in 9-10-year-old mentally retarded Finnish children.

Mentally retarded children from one age cohort and their randomly selected controls in one Finnish county were examined for standard of oral hygiene, and their parents and nurses interviewed for information on dental health habits and for other relevant background information. The mentally retarded consumed sugar containing products less frequently than the mentally normal controls. Toothbrushing and fluoride supply was also less common in the retarded than in the healthy. Among the retarded, the dental health habits were most favorable in registered outpatients and least favorable in administratively unknown retarded not included in special welfare. Differences in dental health habits between these subgroups of the retarded were large. In contrast to the findings in the healthy children, frequency of toothbrushing was not associated with the observed standard of oral hygiene in the mentally retarded. The toothbrushing subgroup of the mentally retarded consumed sugar more frequently than the toothbrushing healthy children and commonly used drugs which reduced saliva flow or promoted gingival hyperplasia.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Video as a medium of oral health education for children with mental handicaps.

This study assessed the usefulness, appropriateness, and relevance of a video as an oral health education medium for children with mental handicaps and for preschool groups where children with mental handicaps and healthy children are taught together. The evaluated video was designed for children with mental handicaps but was also recommended for integrated groups. Forty children with mental handicaps from four special education classes and two nursery school groups, 151 normal children from 11 nursery school groups, and the teachers of these classes and groups evaluated the material. The assessment of the material's value was based on the teachers' records of their experiences with the material, their records of the children's opinions and discussions about the material, and their records of drawing interviews with the children. Based on the evaluation, it is apparent that, when used by trained teachers, professionally made videos designed for children with mental handicaps can be useful and valuable aids in educating children of different levels of mental and social development about oral health. Integrated groups need videos featuring both children with mental handicaps and normal role models and with a diversity of contents that will interest and challenge both types of audiences.E.

Adolescent↗