The French version of the GOHAI exhibits satisfactory psychometric properties but two items (one about swallowing, the other with complex sentence structure) had poor stability.

The results suggest that immigrant groups in western societies require different information packages, modified strategies for forming oral hygiene habits and attitudes related to dental care of children, and encouragement to exercise discipline on factors known to be risks for oral health. These strategies must recognize that immigrants and western natives attach different levels of importance to oral health and dental parameters. It should be paid extra attention to some caries high-risk subgroups.

This survey was undertaken to assess the orthodontic treatment need in a sample of 9- to 12-year-old French children (mean age: 9.77 years; standard deviation: 0.84) attending 12 different schools in the same geographic area of Ile de France. Two examiners used the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) in order to estimate treatment need. Five hundred and eleven children (268 males, 243 females) who had not previously received orthodontic treatment were examined. Two examiners, who had been previously trained in the use of occlusal indices, screened all the schoolchildren. No radiographs, study casts, or previously written records of the children were used; the IOTN was calculated from direct examination. Qualitative data were analysed using the chi-square test to determine differences in treatment need between subgroups of subjects, and kappa("kappa") statistics to analyse the findings. A correlation coefficient was used to compare professional assessments. Twenty-one per cent of the children presented an objective need for orthodontic treatment, 28 per cent had crowding, 28 per cent an increased overjet, and 15 per cent an increased overbite. The dental health component (DHC) of the IOTN was found to be reliable and simple to use. The malocclusion status of French schoolchildren was lower than that recorded in epidemiological studies of European children.

The GOHAI can be used to evaluate needs for and effect of the making of new complete dentures.

Mild dental fluorosis has long been accepted as a side-effect of water fluoridation and, more recently, has been recognized as a consequence of the use of other fluoride-based caries-preventive strategies. Traditionally, dental health professionals have not seen this as being of public health importance, but members of the public have not been asked their opinion. The purpose of the present study was to gather the opinions of lay groups concerning the appearance of the teeth of children with various degrees of fluorosis. Twenty-eight children, born in 1978, who had earlier participated in a study of fluorosis in Perth (Western Australia), allowed 110 observers to look at their upper central incisors under good viewing conditions. Fluorosis in these teeth ranged from TF score 0 (no fluorosis) to TF score 3. The observers were university students, parents, public servants, or dentists. They responded to statement items about the appearance of the teeth. The results, based on just over 3000 responses, showed that lay and dental observers could distinguish between different fluorosis levels. In response to a statement that the teeth appeared pleasing, a large majority agreed when the TF score was 0, but agreement declined as the TF score increased; when the TF score was 3, most people disagreed. Similarly, observers felt that the appearance would increasingly embarrass the child as the TF score increased. Observers, except the dentists, tended to feel that higher TF scores indicated neglect on the part of the child.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Fissure sealing using partially filled resins is an established caries preventive practice. Glass ionomer cement (GIC) sealants may offer additional advantages due to their ability to bond chemically to enamel and release fluoride. The aim of this study was to compare the caries preventive effect and retention of a GIC and a resin‐based sealant. Ketac‐fil® was tested against a chemically cured resin‐based material (Delton®) using a split mouth design. Perth (Western Australia) schoolchildren (n= 465), mean age 7 yr±0.72 (S.D.), received sealants on the occlusal surfaces of sound homologous permanent first molar pairs. Test (GIC) and control (resin) sealants were systematically allocated to left and right sides based on the child's month of birth, and were placed by dental therapists. After 3.64±0.11 yr, 415 children were examined by different clinicians, and the clinical status of the teeth and the extent of sealant retention recorded. Sealants were deemed retained when at least 2/3 of the fissure pattern was still sealed. In 252 tooth pairs, neither sealant was retained to this extent. In 71 pairs, the GIC was not retained and the resin sealant retained. In 40 pairs the reverse occurred (McNemar's test, χ2= 8.66, P < 0.005). Net gain (additional lesions prevented by the test agent per 100 treatments) was 6.1%(95% CI 3.3%, 8.9%). Effectiveness of the GIC was 80.6% (95% CI 59.6%, 90.7%). The relative risk of caries in test teeth was 0.19 (95% CI 0.09, 0.40). The study suggests that complete retention of GIC sealant is not necessary for caries prevention in newly erupted permanent first molars.

Dental fluorosis in children is reported from many locations, and its prevalence may be increasing. This study aimed to measure fluorosis in 12-year-olds in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas of Western Australia and to relate this to exposure. School dental clinics in Perth (F- 0.8 mg/L) and the Bunbury area (F- less than 0.2 mg/L) were the sampling units. Parents provided data on residence in fluoridated areas and on use of supplements and toothpaste. Exposure to water and supplemental fluoride between birth and four years was calculated. Clinical examinations (upper left central incisor) based on the TF classifications of fluorosis (which requires teeth to be dried) were conducted for 338 children in Perth and 321 in the Bunbury region. Re-examinations (n = 50) gave a weighted kappa of 0.78. Contingency analysis estimated bivariate relationships, and multiple logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) for risk factors. Fluorosis prevalence in the Perth region was 0.40, and in the Bunbury region 0.33 (chi 2 = 3.69, df = 1, p = 0.055). Prevalence was 0.44 in children with fluoride exposure equivalent to optimal water fluoridation and 0.20 among those with the lowest exposure (chi 2 = 35.99, df = 1, p = 0.0001). Increasing exposure was associated with higher fluorosis prevalence and higher TF scores, but overall, 27.3% of participants had TF score 1 (barely discernible), and only 9.4% had TF score greater than or equal to 2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Owing to an error in typesetting, the results section of the abstract was rendered incorrectly. The correct wording is as follows: Results The response rate was 65% (n = 391) among the GDPs. A majority of the GDPs preferred a new appointment with behaviour management techniques (BMT) to a child presenting pulpitis and pain. Dentists educated outside the Nordic region would use restraint more often as a treatment alternative when the child was in pain than Nordic-educated dentists (p \ 0.05). Dentists with less than 10 years of experience preferred BMT and sedation more often when the child was in pain than their older colleagues, who, however, preferred a waiting approach and no immediate treatment if the child was not in pain (p \ 0.05). The original publication has now been corrected accordingly. The online version of the original article can be found under