Hellenika stomatologika chronika. Hellenic stomatological annals最新文献

The ionizing radiation is inherently harmful to human beings, and people must be protected from unnecessary or excessive exposure to it. The harmful nature of high doses of x rays has been known for many years. However, for low doses such as those commonly employed in dental radiographic procedures the magnitude of the risk (or even if there is a risk) remains uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to do an analysis of the Dose-risk relationships at low doses of radiation according to the latest recommendations and philosophy of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP).

An air-powder jet abrasive system has recently been introduced for stain removal from teeth. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether its abrasive effect on enamel and on the root renders these surfaces more caries prone. The AIR-FLOW (EMS SA) abrasive was directed for 30 seconds on predetermined (test) sites of the crown and the root of each of 10 teeth, under controlled conditions. These and adjacent (control) sites in the form of windows, were then exposed to an acid gel for caries-like lesion formation. The central sections of each window were examined under the polarizing microscope. The enamel treated with the abrasive appeared somewhat roughened while the root showed crater-like abrasion defects averaging 303 mm (+/- 140) in depth. The mean depth of enamel test lesions was 253 mm (+/- 77) and that of control lesions 98 mm (+/- 77), the difference being statistically significant (p less than 0.001). The corresponding values for the root lesions were 695 mm (+/- 103) and 695 mm (+/- 120) respectively. Consequently, enamel surface modification by AIR-FLOW decreased the resistance of enamel to caries-like lesions in vitro and it is postulated that this may also happen at "susceptible sites" in vivo. Loss of cementum and superficial dentine abraded by AIR-FLOW was significant but did not lead to increased root susceptibility to caries-like lesions in vitro.

The purpose of this review is to examine the correlation between pregnancy and dental caries. The epidemiologic results are few and controversial, leading to no certain conclusion. The possible causes of caries during pregnancy are: changes in saliva and mouth flora, vomiting, neglected oral hygiene and nutritional changes. The causes are extensively discussed, particularly the last two, which seem to be the basic ones, although the others cannot be rejected. The increased needs of dental care of the woman during pregnancy must be emphasized, as well as her special management during the dental treatment. Treating the pregnant patient is a task of a group of specialists which should include the dentist, too. A protocol for facing the pregnant's dental treatment needs is suggested.

Oral habits have been described by psychologists and psychyatrists as psychodynamic phenomena. Dentists are concerned with oral habits because of the detrimental consequences they have in the oral facial system. The dentist who is in a position to confront a child with an oral habit in order to treat his dentinofacial problems is required to be aware of the psychological background of his patient as well as of the conditions under which the children do the habit in order to overcome emotional difficulties. The dentist should also search into the child's family to find out what the causes of the child's oral habit maybe. For the treatment of an oral habit the dentist should ensure both the child's and the family's cooperation and he should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of every available method for treatment. Methods of treatment are: Use of orthodontic appliances: This method has the disadvantage that disturbs the child's psychological need for the habit, it can be interpreted as a punishment, it is visible and it causes speaking difficulties. It should be applied only in cooperation with the child. Behavioristic technique: This method aims to reinforce the child's positive behavior according to the Skinnerian principle: stimulus-response-reward. It has fast results but it is a conditioned treatment. Psychoanalytic method: It could solve the problem of the child's primary need for the oral habit in a radical manner. However it is practically impossible to be applied in Dentistry. Behavior modification according to ego psychology. With this method we attempt to analyse and understand the psychological cause of an oral habit.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The FMA is an angle formed by the intersection of the Frankfort horizontal plane and the mandibular plane. The significance of the FMA to prosthodontic diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis has been well documented. The objective of this study was to determine the reliability of an instrument designed for the clinical measurement of the FMA. 10 dried skulls (dentate dentulous or partially edentulous) were used in this preliminary study. To ensure the firm position of the mandibles during measurements all mandibles were firmly attached to the upper members of the skulls by a combination of compound and adhesive tape. The FMA was measured on both sides (right-left) of each skull a total of two times by two examiners. The average of the four readings was taken as the final clinical measurement. Lateral cephalometric roentgenograms were obtained for all skulls using standard Radiological techniques. Tracings were made on acetate from all the radiographs and the deviation between the two planes (Frankfort-Mandibular) was measured. The data were statistically analyzed using the student's paired t-test. The results of this preliminary study indicate that the instrument is reliable. Further clinical application however and research is needed to confirm our results and make the instrument a valuable tool to the hands of the clinician.

A variety of methods have been proposed for the accurate determination of the tooth length which is concidered to be a stage of major importance in endodontic treatment. The purpose of this study is to present briefly the basic functional principles of each one of them and evaluate them comparatively.

This article refers to the contemporary aspects about the carious lesions in the deepest parts of a cavity near the pulp. In these situations the problem that arises is to how deeply this carious dentine should be excavated without the risk of destroying the pulp. On this question there have been expressed two divergent opinions based also on two divergent theories. The one theory supports that during the carious process the microorganisms proceed the decalcification of the dentin, whereas the other theory supports the opposite view. According to the new aspects, in acute carious lesions the decalcification proceeds the bacteria, while in chronic caries the microorganisms, the discoloration and the bacterial invasion are closer to each other. This article also refers to the microflora of deep carious lesions and to the fate of bacteria that remain under the fillings. From this paper we come to the following conclusions: 1) In certain clearly defined conditions some carious dentine should be left at the base of a cavity in order to avoid the pulp exposure. But the periphery of the cavity must be unquestionably caries-free. 2) Few microbes always remain after the excavation of the carious cavities. 3) These microbes under well-fitting restorations do not proliferate and gradually die. 4) The defensive properties of the pulp play also a significant role, because pulp immunoglobulins are able to react upon invasive bacteria. 5) Finally, it must be emphasized that the clinical dentist must not underestimate the microbial role and action.

A hundred fifty six patients taking antihypertensive drugs and complaining for xerostomia were examined, in order to compare the incidence of xerostomia with age and sex of those patients. Xerostomia was recorded in 62.3% of the patients. In 74.2% of the patients taking sympatholytic drugs xerostomia was recorded, and in 64.3% of the patients taking diuretic drugs. Xerostomia seemed to be a complication of ageing in both sexes with a predilection in women. Finally, the incidence of xerostomia during the first six months was 32%.

The management of functional disturbances of the stomatognathic system requires long term follow up. The complexity of managing TMJ dysfunction is reflected in the variety of treatment modalities. Almost all clinicians claim successful results with their treatment, although in our days it seems that simple reversible treatment methods are more favourable than others complicated irreversible technics. Treatment problems and failures, related to mandibular repositioning appliances, surgery and restorative dentistry caused a major shift in ideas concerning the natural history of functional disturbances of the stomatognathic system and suggest the need to reconsider the various approaches to the treatment of the TMJ. The majority of patients improve by simple methods as Biofeedback, Physiotherapy, full arch stabilization splints etc. The dentist should insure patients' compliance and very carefully inform the patient for all the details, the expectations and the complications of treatment, concerning more complicated irreversible technics, such as occlusal adjustment, orthodontics, restorative dentistry, surgery of the TMJ and orthognathic surgery.

Hemophilia is an inherited hemorrhagic disease which is due to the insufficiency of Factor VIII, or Factor IX, or Factor XI. Hemophilia patients are regarded as special patients with increased dental problems. The present paper consists of two parts. In the first part the types of hemophilia, ways of transmission, severity forms, and clinical characteristics are described. In the second part a protocol concerning the dental treatment of hemophilia patients is presented. There are four basic types of hemophilia: hemophilia A or classical hemophilia or Factor VIII deficiency, hemophilia B or Christmas disease, hemophilia C and von Willebrand's disease. Hemophilia is transmitted either as a sex-linked recessive or as an autosomal dominant trait, depending on the type of the disease. The severity of hemophilia depends on the amount of the coagulation factor present. According to this amount, there are four scales of severity. The clinical characteristics of the disease also depend on the amount of the factor present and vary, from occasional bleedings to serious and even life-threatening bleeding episodes. In the second part of the paper the special psychological and physiological problems of the hemophiliacs are discussed. In addition, there is reference to the hematologic coverage these patients need, as well as to the protection measures for the dental personnel against hepatitis and AIDS. The dental treatment plan at the office is presented in detail, including a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment of hemophilia patients in the operating room under general anesthesia.