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

Studies in England, USA and Australia, have shown that the working hours of female dentists do not differ significantly from the working hours of their male counterparts, until they have children. The purpose of this study was to establish whether the same phenomenon exists in South Africa and to compare working patterns of South African male and female dentists regarding nature of practice/employment, location of practice, work satisfaction and breadwinner status. Questionnaires were sent to 285 female dentists, selected by their first name in the SAMDC register. An equal number of questionnaires were sent to male dentists, selected according to the proportional random sampling technique. The total response achieved was 35.8 per cent. The female dentists' working hours showed a distinct drop as soon as they started a family (from 86 per cent, practising more than 35 hours per week, to 34 per cent) while the male dentists' hours remained unchanged (90 per cent). The fact that so many more male dentists (81 per cent) than female dentists (19.6 per cent) are primary breadwinners, explains why such a high percentage of female dentists can afford to work part-time. The majority of both male (89.7 per cent) and female (70 per cent) dentists are in private practice. However, a considerably larger percentage of females work for a salary in State clinics and at Universities. This study shows that gender, breadwinner status and the presence and age of children have a marked influence on the working patterns of South African dentists.

This study was undertaken to determine whether yeast counts could be used as an indicator of decreased host resistance. One hundred subjects were investigated, 20 young healthy dentate and 20 edentulous adults, 20 adult and 20 geriatric denture wearers and 20 patients fitted with obturators and dentures. Eleven of these obturators were silicone and 9 were acrylic. The denture and the palate of each subject was sampled by taking Sabourauds agar impressions of the posterolateral palatal area and incubating the impressions aerobically at 37 degrees C for 48 hours. The number of yeast colonies were counted and the findings analysed statistically. Palates and dentures of debilitated patients showed high yeast counts and it is concluded that a decreased host resistance can be determined by the method used in this investigation.

There seems to be a reluctance to use the Osborn terminology for identifying crown structures in the premolars of man. This may be attributed to the lack of studies on the premolars of man in which their topography has been compared with molars. We have attempted to do this using the principles of serial homology. Our study confirms that the two major maxillary premolar cusps in man are the paracone and protocone. We suggest that the lingual cingulum and the metacone have been lost and that remnants of the metaconule have made a contribution to the distal crown margin.

The palatal embrasure angles between the maxillary first molar and adjacent premolar were measured in 60 children who had had orthodontic treatment (29 with premolar extractions and 31 without), and in 20 adults with periodontal breakdown in the palatal embrasure angle area, who had had premolar extractions. Mean angles were orthodontic groups non-extraction 31 degrees, extraction 42 degrees and the adult group, 57 degrees. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the groups. A wide palatal angle between maxillary first molar and adjacent premolar appears to predispose to periodontal breakdown in the area. Rotation of teeth which open the palatal embrasure angle should be minimized.

Antibiotics are frequently used in periodontal and minor oral surgery to prevent complications. The potential disadvantages of antibiotic prophylaxis are well documented. This study compares the incidence of complications for procedures performed with and without antibiotic prophylaxis. The clinical records of 1499 patients who received treatment at a university teaching hospital were reviewed. 1078 surgical procedures were done on 596 patients. 895 surgical procedures were done without prophylactic antibiotics, with 17 complications (1.9 per cent). 183 procedures were done using antibiotic prophylaxis, with 1 complication (0.55 per cent). The difference between the incidences of complications in the two groups was not statistically significant (P < 0.001). In view of the questionable benefits and potential disadvantages of using antibiotics, their routine use during or following periodontal surgery must be questioned.