In prior investigations of the psychology of drinking behavior, drinkers' positive expectancies regarding the effects of alcohol have been studied extensively. From a social cognitive point of view, however, several additional psychological factors also deserve attention, namely negative expectancies, social influence, and self-efficacy expectations. In a representative sample of 161 university students, this study examined to what extent inclusion of these additional social cognitive factors enhanced the predictive power of the predominant alcohol-expectancies model of drinking behavior, and to what extent all four social cognitive factors were related to the uptake and cessation of drinking behavior. The three additional social cognitive factors contributed 17% to the explained variance in drinking behavior, in addition to the 18% accounted for by positive expectancies. The constructs with the greatest predictive strength all pertained to the social effects and social context of drinking. The most important predictors of drinking behavior were found to differ for male versus female students, and for students living with their parents versus those living on their own. The data on drinking acquisition and cessation suggest that in this sample little change in drinking behavior could be expected. The social cognitive factors were strongly related to acquisition stages but only weakly to cessation stages. Recommendations for interventions aimed at lowering alcohol intake are given.

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Use of wide-diameter and standard-diameter implants to replace single molars: two case presentations.

PURPOSE: The ultimate goal in modern esthetic dentistry is the restoration of lost hard and soft tissues by imitating nature as closely as possible. With the increasing esthetic awareness of patients, surgical and technical developments, and dentists' enhanced skills and knowledge, optimal function and esthetics are achievable even with implant-supported restorations in molar regions. Anatomic and morphologic factors and poor bone quantity and quality might reduce success rates of dental implants in the posterior jaw. Today, there are two options to replace a single missing molar by an implant-supported crown: the single wide-diameter implant or two standard-diameter implants. These two approaches are described and their advantages and disadvantages discussed in two exemplary clinical cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In one case, the edentulous ridge in the area of the mandibular right first molar (FDI tooth 46) provided sufficient mesiodistal space to restore tooth 46 with a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown on two standard-diameter implants, placed in a root-analog manner. In the other case, the manibular first molars (FDI teeth 36 and 46) were replaced by porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns on wide-diameter implants. RESULTS: It can be concluded that both options to replace a single molar provide more surface area and better biomechanical properties than one standard implant. CONCLUSION: Long-term data are needed before these treatment modalities can be recommended for the private practitioner.

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