Dental Exam (dental + exam)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Dental Insurance and Clinical Dental Outcomes in NHANES III

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2005
Tonya R. Stancil PhD
Abstract Objectives: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) 1988,1994 is one of the few nationally representative data sets with information on both private dental insurance and a clinical dental exam. The objective of this analysis was to examine the possible associations between private dental insurance and clinical exam outcomes, demographic variables, and dental visits. Methods: Using NHANES III data, analysis was limited to persons aged 20 years or older who had a dental exam and reported on their private dental insurance status. Initial analyses were based on comparisons between those with and without private dental insurance. Propensity scoring method was used to examine the effects of dental insurance on clinical exam variables. Results: The percentage of individuals with private dental insurance was significantly greater among non-Hispanic blacks, those with higher educational attainment, those living at/above the federal poverty level, and those with a dental visit in the past year compared to their respective counterparts. Those with untreated caries, those with a loss of attachment of greater than 4 mm, and those with 12,27 missing teeth were significantly less likely to have dental insurance (p<0.05) than their respective counterparts. Conclusions: These results suggest that having private dental insurance is associated with better clinical oral health status. [source]


Prevalence and Severity of Dental Caries in Adolescents Aged 12 and 15 Living in Communities with Various Fluoride Concentrations

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 1 2007
América Patricia Pontigo-Loyola DrO
Abstract Objectives: To determine the experience, prevalence, and severity of dental caries in adolescents naturally exposed to various fluoride concentrations. Methods: A cross-sectional census was conducted on 1,538 adolescents aged 12 and 15 years living at high altitude above sea level (>2,000 m or >6,560 ft) in above-optimal fluoridated communities (levels ranging from 1.38 to 3.07 ppm) of Hidalgo, Mexico. Sociodemographic and socioeconomic data were collected using questionnaires. Two previously trained and standardized examiners performed the dental exams. Results: Caries prevalence was 48.6 percent and mean of decay, missing, and filling teeth (DMFT) for the whole population was 1.15 ± 1.17. In terms of severity, 9.6 percent of the adolescents had DMFT , 4, and 1.7 percent had ,7. The significant caries index (SiC) was 2.41 in the group of 12-year-olds, and 3.46 in the 15-year-olds. Higher experience and prevalence were observed in girls, in children with dental visit in the past year, those in the wealthiest socioeconomic status (SES) (quartiles 2, 3, and 4), those whose locale of residence is in San Marcos and Tula Centro, and in fluorosis-free children and those with moderate/severe fluorosis. In an analysis of caries severity (DMFT , 4), both adolescents with very mild/mild and moderate/severe dental fluorosis have higher caries severity. Conclusions: The results indicated that caries experience, prevalence, and severity as well as SiC index among 12- and 15-year-old adolescents were relatively low. Sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables commonly associated with dental caries were also observed in Mexican adolescents. Unlike other studies, we found that caries increased with higher SES. Fluoride exposure (measured through fluorosis presence) does not appear to be reducing the caries prevalence (DMFT > 0) or caries severity (DMFT , 4) in these high-altitude communities. [source]


Periodontitis and incidence of cerebrovascular disease in men,

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2009
Monik Jimenez SM
Objective To identify associations between periodontitis and incidence of cerebrovascular disease. Methods We analyzed data of 1,137 dentate men in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging and Dental Longitudinal Study who were followed with triennial medical/dental exams for up to 34 years (mean, 24 years). We evaluated incidence of cerebrovascular events consistent with stroke or transient ischemic attack in relation to mean radiographic alveolar bone loss (a measure of periodontitis history) and cumulative periodontal probing depth (a measure of current periodontal inflammation). Cox proportional hazards models were fit controlling for age, baseline socioeconomic status, and time-varying effects of established cardiovascular risk factors. Results Eighty incident cases of cerebrovascular disease occurred from 27,506 person-years. Periodontal bone loss was significantly associated with an increased hazard rate (HR) of cerebrovascular disease (HR, 3.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59,7.81 comparing highest to lowest bone loss category; p for trend, <0.001). There was a stronger effect among men aged <65 years (HR, 5.81; 95% CI, 1.63,20.7) as compared with men aged ,65 years (HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 0.91,6.25). Periodontal probing depth was not associated with a significantly increased rate of cerebrovascular disease in the combined or age-stratified analyses. Interpretation These results support an association between history of periodontitis,but not current periodontal inflammation,and incidence of cerebrovascular disease in men, independent of established cardiovascular risk factors, particularly among men aged <65 years. Ann Neurol 2009;66:505,512 [source]