There was a low restorative care index in both the primary and permanent dentitions indicating that high needs continue to exist in terms of comprehensive dental care for these Irish children.
Is assessment of mandibular cortical indices (MCI) an effective tool to screen for osteoporosis? The gold standard for determining bone mineral density, 'one of the major risk factors for fractures from osteoporosis', is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, DXA is 'not a triage screening tool.' One and a half million dental panoramic radiographs are taken annually in England and Wales. Could such radiographs be used to 'triage' individuals for undetected osteoporosis? The investigator argues that cortical width, when assessed below the mental foramen, gives more robust measurements than those from other mandibular sites. Notwithstanding validity, some studies show a poor accuracy and precision when assessing MCI from panoramic radiographs. However, a recent web-based international collaborative study carried out by the author of this paper, reported a weighted kappa value >0.4 (fair/ moderate agreement) when carrying out such screening.
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