PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “DENTAL CLINICS”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Dental clinical evaluation: a review of the research.

Preclinical and clinical evaluation in dental education needs systematic study. Research on the main variables affecting reliable and valid clinical evaluation is reviewed to identify research findings applicable to clinical evaluation settings. The research reviewed shows that performance criteria should be objectively stated, that measurement scales should contain few points, and that evaluator training may improve reliability. Suggestions for the design of future evaluation studies are provided in an effort to expand the scope and usefulness of this type of research.

Curriculum↗

The effects for recall patients of a comprehensive sealant program in a clinical dental public health setting.

The preventive outcomes of a comprehensive sealant program in a dental public health treatment center for low SES children are reported. The Linn County (Iowa) Dental Health Center implemented a comprehensive sealant philosophy in 1978. Since then, virtually all pits and fissures in primary and permanent teeth for all new and recall patients have been sealed. The comprehensive sealant philosophy was formulated following a previously reported Dental Health Center study documenting the negative outcomes of unmet treatment need as a result of the lack of continuity of care for this specific low SES target population. Sealants were evaluated for all recall patients seen over a two-month period. The sealants had been placed six months to six years before the two-month examination period. Ninety-five percent of the sealants were intact for the recall patients. Only 3.3 percent of the sealants were in need of repair or resealing--a procedure easily incorporated into the preventive recall appointment. Only 1.5 percent of the teeth were carious, and to a minor extent. To maintain the total sealant treatment philosophy on repaired and newly erupted teeth for recall patients in the dental public health setting requires on the average approximately five additional minutes per recall appointment. Low SES children are at highest risk to dental caries, but are still not guaranteed access to ongoing preventive services. Sealants are of much greater importance than the usual prophylaxis-fluoride regimen for low SES children displaying more episodic than preventive dental behavior. Comprehensive sealant programs should be considered for all dental public health clinical treatment programs for children.

Child↗

Tooth surface loss in adult subjects attending a university dental clinic in Trinidad.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of tooth surface loss (TSL) in a sample of subjects attending a university dental clinic in Trinidad and to investigate the relationship to tooth brushing, medical history, parafunction and dietary habits. DESIGN: Tooth surface loss was measured clinically by the index used in the 1998 UK, Adult Dental Health Survey. SETTING: Trinidad, West Indies. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of adult subjects attending The University of the West Indies Dental School Polyclinic, Mount Hope. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered and tooth surface loss measured clinically. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: mild, moderate and severe tooth surface loss. RESULTS: 155 subjects were examined (mean age 40.6 years) of whom 72% had some degree of TSL with the majority (52%), exhibiting mild, 16% with moderate and 4% with severe TSL. There were associations found between TSL and age (OR=3.14), reflux (OR=1.37), parafunction (OR=1.06), weekly consumption of citrus fruits (OR=1.31) and soft drinks (OR=1.78), daily consumption of alcohol (OR=1.40) and a vegetarian diet (OR=2.79). CONCLUSIONS: Tooth surface loss in this Trinidadian population group appears to be common. Data supports an association between TSL and age, reflux parafunction and certain dietary patterns.

Adolescent↗

Testing of the questionnaire on dental care satisfaction in a sample of adult patients visiting dental clinics at Faculty of Odontology, Kaunas University of Medicine. A pilot study.

UNLABELLED: A pilot study was conducted with the aim to test and develop a questionnaire which covers dental patients attendance, satisfaction with dental care, oral health self-evaluation, attitudes and knowledge about oral health, before applying it to a broad population. A total of 53 adult subjects (mean age 40.1) visiting Kaunas University of Medicine dental clinics, filled in the questionnaire presented by the researchers. Statement choices to define dental care satisfaction were selected from previously used instruments for similar studies in other countries. RESULTS: Major difficulties in answering questions were related to using the Likert scale response alternatives. All statements concerning dental care satisfaction with the mean Likert score value below 2.0 were decided to be indicative for the importance of characteristics. According to factor analysis and distribution of the mean scores of dental care satisfaction characteristics it was decided to include no more than 8 questions in each dimension to the final version of questionnaire. In case of equal loadings of several statements in the factor analysis, the statement with lower mean score was used. CONCLUSIONS: The use of professional terminology in questionnaire survey should be tested before applying to a broad population. The final instrument for measuring dental care satisfaction should be formed on the basis of statistical evaluation of relative importance and comparative load of different questions/statements to be included in the questionnaire.

Adult↗

Dental clinic attendance in Soweto, South Africa, before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient attendance rates 1 year before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services in Soweto, South Africa. METHODS: Monthly clinic records for clinic attendance, both casual and booked, and number of dental operators were recorded 1 year either side of April 1996. RESULTS: Patient attendance fluctuated by day and season. There was a mean 46% increase in attendance after free primary dental health services were introduced, with more than a sixfold increase in casual attendees (pain, sepsis) than in booked patients (restorative treatment, dentures, orthodontics). CONCLUSIONS: There was a statistically significant increase in casual patient attendance in the year after free primary dental health care was introduced with an increased dental operator load.

Appointments and Schedules↗

Characteristics and study motivation of clinical dental students in Nigerian universities.

A cross-sectional study of a cohort of 197 clinical dental students in the four accredited dental schools in Nigeria was conducted to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of these dental students and their motives for the choice of dentistry. The results indicate that the number of female dental students in Nigeria is increasing, which reflects a trend well established in virtually all other nations. The vast majority of Nigerian dental students (97 percent) qualified for school based on their performance on the University Matriculation Examination. About one-third, 32.5 percent, indicated that dentistry was their first choice for a career. This choice was greatly influenced by family in 50 percent of this group of students. There were several factors that strongly influenced career choice among students who indicated that dentistry was their first choice: interest, prestige, good employment opportunity abroad, and regular work hours. The need to go into a prestigious and financially lucrative profession similar to medicine were the commonest reasons identified by the group of students for whom dentistry was not the first career choice. The motives for choosing dentistry as a career in this group of students seem to relate to an image of dentistry as a vehicle for the achievement of personal goals. It is recommended that high school students be encouraged to see dentistry first hand. This is because in countries such as Nigeria it is not unusual for a potential dental student to have never visited the dentist.

Achievement↗

Occupational hazards among clinical dental staff.

Although identification of risks to dental healthcare workers has been explored in several industrialized nations, very little data is available from developing countries. This paper examines the occupational hazards present in the dental environment and reports survey results concerning attitudes and activities of a group of Nigerian dental care providers. A survey on occupational hazards was conducted among the clinical dental staff at the Dental Hospital of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife in Osun State, Nigeria. Thirty eight of the forty staff responded, yielding a response rate of 95%. Subject ages ranged from 26 to 56 years with approximately 25% in the 31-46 year old bracket. All of the staff were aware of the occupational exposure to hazards, and the majority had attended seminars/workshops on the subject. Only five staff members (13.2%) owned a health insurance policy and 26 (68.4%) had been vaccinated against Hepatitis B infection. All dentists (24) had been vaccinated compared with only two non-dentists; this relationship was significant (p= 30.07, chi2=0.000). Fourteen members of the clinical staff (36.8%) could recall a sharp injury in the past six months, and the majority (71.1%) had regular contact with dental amalgam. Wearing protective eye goggles was the least employed cross infection control measure, while backache was the most frequently experienced hazard in 47% of the subjects. The need for Hepatitis B vaccinations for all members of the staff was emphasized, and the enforcement of strict cross infection control measures was recommended. The physical activities and body positions that predispose workers to backaches were identified and staff education on the prevention of backaches was provided.

Adult↗

Psychiatric disorders in a dental clinic.

This paper describes the psychiatric disorders seen in 138 consecutive attenders at a psychiatric clinic in a dental hospital. The disorders were rated using a standardised interview, and assigned a diagnosis in accordance with a multiaxial classification known as the DSM-III. The rate of psychiatric disorder seen in these patients was over 90% and the implications of this are discussed.

Depressive Disorder↗