The Journal of the Dental Association of South Africa = Die Tydskrif van die Tandheelkundige Vereniging van Suid-Afrika最新文献

A portable glucometer method was used to measure clearance of salivary glucose in 31 black and in 28 white 12-year-old school children. The aims of this study were to evaluate a readily available portable glucometer method and to investigate salivary glucose clearance as a marker of caries risk. Following the initial evaluation, we adapted the portable adapted glucometer method and found it reproducible and suitable for the measurement of salivary glucose clearance. Black children had almost double the salivary clearance rates of white children. No significant differences in salivary glucose clearance were seen between caries free (DMFT = 0) and caries active (DMFT > or = 3) children. Salivary glucose clearance is not suitable as a single caries risk predictor.

A survey to determine the treatment procedures adopted by general dental practitioners for the removal of impacted third molar teeth was undertaken. Questionnaires were mailed to a sample of 100 practising dentists. Of the 67 per cent that responded, 41.8 per cent (28) indicated that they would attempt the procedure while the remaining 51.2 per cent (39) would not do so. Neither the length of professional experience nor whether they practised in metropolitan or country areas had a bearing on whether the impacted tooth would be removed or not. In general, South African general dental practitioners routinely removed overlying bone by means of a bur, sutured the mucosal incision wound, prescribed antibiotics, analgesics and a mouthwash, and recalled their patients for a post-operative review. Steroids were not prescribed.

The faculties of dentistry and medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand will soon amalgamate into a faculty of health sciences. To help plan service provision a demographic profile was determined for 500 patients who attended for emergency treatment in the dental faculty over all four seasons. Mean daily rates were Autumn 7.7, Winter 8.8, Spring 7.8 and Summer 3.3. Most patients (45 per cent) arrived by car, 23 per cent came by bus while 19% walked to the dental school. Over three-quarters (77 per cent) came directly from home and the same proportion had endured symptoms for more than 48 hours. Many (60 per cent) had been treated previously at the dental school of whom 31 per cent had received this within the previous month. No less than 85 per cent had no regular dentist. A third of patients had no symptoms, 26 per cent had chronic pain and in 10 per cent the pain was acute in onset. The most frequent treatments were temporary restorations (39 per cent) and pulp extirpation (34 per cent). An irregular daily work load, together with endurance of symptoms by patients, indicates that an emergency service Monday to Friday during normal working hours is adequate.

An effective preventive and interceptive (P & I) orthodontic programme for young children would reduce the need for comprehensive orthodontic treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of the development of preventable malocclusions amongst a group of children at the mixed dentition stage. An examination (T1) was performed on 951 8-9 year old children from 9 primary schools in Pretoria. Of these, 493 children could be traced for re-examination 2 years later (T2). The following changes in the occlusion were noted: In 12.1 per cent of the 493 children, an acceptable occlusion at T1 had developed into a malocclusion at T2. A malocclusion was recorded for 97 per cent of the sample at T2, yet only 32.4 per cent of the subjects had received orthodontic treatment between T1 and T2. A mere 3.3 per cent of the children examined were treated at state clinics. In 64.6 per cent of cases the malocclusion was not diagnosed nor addressed. It is suggested that bi-annual orthodontic screening of all 7-12 year old children and implementation of P & I orthodontic treatment at community clinics would contribute to achieving the primary health care objectives of the Reconstruction and Development Programme for South Africa.