The aim of this study was to determine the levels of dental anxiety, dental caries and gingivitis among 12-15-year-old schoolchildren, in Irbid Governorate/northern Jordan, and to evaluate the correlation between these variables. Two schools were selected by a simple random method from each of the five geographic areas in Irbid Governorate. All children (1021), from the 10 selected schools, who participated in this study completed a questionnaire modified from Kleinknecht's Dental Fear Survey (DFS questionnaire). Children underwent oral examination for dental caries and gingival condition, using Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) Index and Löe and Silness Gingival Index (GI), respectively. Results of this survey showed that the prevalence of low to moderate 'general dental fear' among the study population was 43% while that of 'high dental fear' was 10%. The self-reported 'general fear of dental treatment' was higher among girls than boys. Fear of specific stimuli (pain) was the most common source of dental fear. The sight and sensation of the anaesthetic needle and the sight, sound and sensation of the drill were rated the most fear-eliciting stimuli. The mean DMFT (2.89) and GI (1.80) of boys was not significantly different from the DMFT (3.37) and GI (1.53) of girls (P > 0.05). Spearman's correlation test demonstrated no association between 'general dental fear' and dental caries (r = 0.06) or gingivitis (r = 0.007).

The aim of this study was to assess periodontal knowledge and periodontal status in 20-60-year-old adult population in northern Jordan. A convenient sample consisting of 722 adults was included in this study. A questionnaire incorporating items related to socio-demographic and periodontal knowledge questions was completed before clinical examination, using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). The results showed that the proportions of subjects who reported bleeding gums, gums' irritation, rough tooth surface and gum disease decreased steadily with age, there is an evident linear trend with high statistical significant difference among various age groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the proportions of subjects who answered correctly the periodontal knowledge questions related to plaque definition and its role in disease aetiology and prevention, decreased with age, with a high significant difference for all knowledge questions (P < 0.001). The prevalence of subjects with healthy periodontium (score 0) decreased with age, being 41.1% among 20-29-year-old group and 11.1% in 50-60-year-old group. Similar trend was seen for bleeding on probing (score 1) whilst calculus deposit (score 2) was the major problem in all age groups over 29 years. The prevalence of periodontal pockets was relatively low, with a range of 4.5-18.6% for shallow pockets (score 3) and 2.9-11.1% for deep pockets in younger and older age groups, respectively. Younger age group had more healthy sextants than older age groups. In addition, sextants with bleeding on probing were highest in 20-29-year-old age group (1.8) compared with that in 50-60-year-old age group (0.60) whilst those with calculus deposits varied slightly among different age groups (1.50-1.65). Sextants affected by shallow or deep pockets increased steadily with age. Such a finding was also noted in excluded sextants, with an increase from 0.15 at 20-29 year-old group to 0.94 at the age of 50-60 years. It is concluded that health knowledge and status related to periodontal disease is still poor in northern Jordan. Therefore, dental health education provision is necessary to improve oral health knowledge and conditions among population in general and among older population in particular.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate oral hygiene, gingival condition and dental caries prevalence in 14-15-year-old school children in Jerash District, Northern Jordan. Twenty schools (10 male and 10 female schools) with 1362 children of eighth and ninth grades were randomly selected and incorporated in this study. All participants had dental examinations for oral hygiene, gingival condition and dental caries experience using the Silness and Löe Plaque Index (PI), Löe and Silness Gingival Index (GI), and decayed (D), missing (M) and filled (F) teeth (DMFT) and surface (DMFS) codes respectively. The results showed that males had significant lower plaque but significantly higher gingival scores than females (P < 0.001). About 24% of children were caries-free. The proportions of children with one, two or three decayed teeth were between 10% and 18%. Slight non-significant variations between males and females were observed in regard to DMFT/S and their components (P < 0.05). It is concluded that significant gender variations were noted in PI and GI scores but not in DMFT/S or their components. However, the values of these clinical scores were lower than those results previously reported in northern Jordan.

Between 1996 and 1998, a total of 2,494 samples of blood from humans and animals were collected and tested for brucellosis. This total included 1,594 samples of animal blood, collected from 1,050 sheep from 20 flocks, and 544 goats from eight herds. The serum samples were tested using the Rose Bengal test, the tube agglutination test, the complement fixation test and an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, a complete history was compiled from each flock/herd. The rate of abortions in sheep due to brucellosis ranged from 0.5% to 56%, with a mean of 33.2%. The goats had a higher abortion rate. Thirtyfour aborted sheep foetuses collected from these 20 flocks were bacteriologically and pathologically examined. A pure culture of Brucella melitensis biotype 3 was isolated from 21 of the aborted foetuses. The human blood samples were collected from two groups: first, from 800 apparently healthy people who were reporting to community hospitals for routine health checks and secondly, from 100 people from groups with a high-risk of contracting brucellosis, such as veterinarians, sheep-herders and laboratory technicians. The Brucella antibody titres for the 900 human serum samples were obtained using the microtitre agglutination test. The cumulative percentage of the serum samples showing a titre reading greater than 1:80 was higher in the atrisk group than among the normal population (7% compared to 4.1%). Although these results were not statistically significant, the higher percentage of positive reactors among the high-risk group may indicate an increased risk factor among professional agricultural and veterinary personnel in Jordan. It was concluded that brucellosis is common in sheep and goats in Jordan, subjecting the human population to high risks. Brucella melitensis Rev. 1 vaccination has been internationally recognised as the key to successfully controlling the disease. All animals in Jordan were repeatedly vaccinated between 1996 and 1998 on a trial basis, using a reduced dose of 1 ϫ ϫ 10 5 colonyforming units (CFU). Cumulative data on the annual rate of human cases of brucellosis indicate that fewer people are affected each year. The same is true for the rate of abortions in animals. Such evidence strongly suggests that the vaccination programme has been successful. However, as wild strains of Brucella have also been isolated from vaccinated animals, the authors recommend increasing the amount of vaccine to a full dose of 1 to 2 ϫ ϫ 10 9 CFU and vaccinating young female animals between the ages of three and eight months. To avoid brucellosis in humans, people should be educated about the dangers of contact with infected animals and the consumption of raw milk and milk products.

Results of this study prove that oral health awareness level among public schoolchildren in Jordan is still poor and needs to be improved. Based upon these findings, the establishment of a long-term school-based oral health education programme in Jordan is highly recommended.