A 1984 study of dental disease in 534 children (aged 6-S15) of migrant farm workers in Colorado found that the prevalence of disease for this population continues to exceed the national and regional average. The mean DMFS was 3.56 with only 23 per cent caries free compared to a regional non-migrant DMFS mean of 2.50 with 44.7 per cent caries free. Results indicate that the children of migrant farm workers should remain a priority in preventive and restorative dental care programs. (Am J
Aging of the global world population both in developed and developing countries, an unbalanced male‐female ratio within this elderly population, increasing populations – including elderly – within urban areas, all will have a marked effect on the practice of dentistry. Furthermore, major epidemiological changes occurring in the dental field, including an increasing dentition life expectancy, increasing root caries prevalence, decreasing coronal caries rates in children, and the relative increase in the prevalence of periodontal problems will have further impact on the dental care system. Major changes need to be anticipated both at the level of the care provider, including the dentist, the hygienist and the dental assistant, and at the level of the potential patient, especially among the geriatric population, if the profession is to be prepared to adequately address these issues.
The University of Colorado Denver School of Dental Medicine has operated a community‐based dental education program for all of its students since 1985. A database of student productivity has been maintained in a standardized format, capable of multiyear compilation, since 1994. This study utilizes twelve years of these data to profile the type and amount of clinical treatment that can be provided by a typical fourth‐year dental student during a 100‐day community‐based training experience. Between 1994 and 2006, the school's 423 graduates provided a mean of 922 treatment procedures per student at a mean of 498 patient visits per student. During a typical four‐week clinical affiliation, each student provided a mean of approximately twenty‐seven restorations on permanent teeth, sixteen restorations on primary teeth, and twenty‐four oral surgery procedures (extractions). Students also gained considerable experience in periodontics, fixed and removable prosthodontics, and endodontics. Self‐assessed competency ratings tended to increase after completing the program, as did willingness to treat underserved populations after graduation. About 16 percent of graduates reported planning to practice in the public sector after completing dental school. A community‐based experience such as this appears to offer an opportunity to substantially augment dental students’ clinical training experiences.
ANYhave indicated that children with mentally handicapping conditions have lower DMF scores when compared with children without handicapping conditions and even lower scores when compared with children with physical handicaps. Other ~t u d i e s~-~ have shown the level of restorative care for children with physically handicapping conditions to be much lower than care provided children with no handicapping conditions of the same age.The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of caries among a population of institutionalized physically handicapped children in Israel and to use the data to estimate the treatment and workforce needs for the restorative care identified. M E T H O D S A N D MATERIALSForty-three children who were hospitalized in a long-term orthopedic hospital and rehabilitation center for handicapped children in Jerusalem, were examined during a 2-week period to evaluate their dental needs and oral hygiene status. The population ranged in age from 3 to 22 and had a variety of handicapping conditions, including progressive muscular dystrophies, meningomyelocele, poliomyelitis, cerebral palsy, osteogenesis imperfecta, scoliosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and traumatic quadriplegia.Information was gathered from each patient or a hospital staff person regarding the age, gender, oral hygiene behavior patterns, and type of toothbrush used. Other demographic information included the number of years the patient had the handicapping condition, length of hospitalization, and the range of motion status or lack of coordination of arm and hand.The Quigley-Hein Oral Hygiene Index,7 a standard 0 to 5 rating scale and a topical disclosing solution were used to evaluate oral hygiene. The Decayed, Missing, Filled Index (DMF) for permanent dentition and decayed, erupted, filled index (def) for the primary dentition were used according to the criteria published by the World Health Organization.8 To evaluate Dental schools should devote more clinical time to addressing the needs of these patients and demonstrating nonpharmacologic behavior modification approaches.f treatment needs, the decayed category of both indexes was further subdivided into primary decay, restorable with alloy; secondary decay, restorable with alloy; decay, restorable with cast restoration; decay, nonrestorable (extraction); and decay, endodontic therapy, and cast restoration required. All examinations were performed by the same examiner using a dental chair with artificial light, a front surface mouth mirror, and no. 23 sickle-shaped explorer.Mean and standard deviation values for several variables were calculated in the usual manner. In addition, analysis of variance and a Pearson correlation coefficient analysis were also performed. A P-value of P < .05 was chosen as an acceptable level of significance. RESULTS
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