No abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of oral and dental injuries in young Israeli population engaged in diverse sport activities. The participants' awareness of the use of protective devices, such as mouthguards, during sport activities was also evaluated. A population of 943 young adults, 95% males and 5% females (ages 18-19), was surveyed. A questionnaire was distributed relating to the type of sport activity practised, past oral and dental injuries over their lifetime, specifying the time and type of sports in which the injury occurred and the use and awareness of the protective devices. Of the total population examined, 850 (90%) were active in at least one type of sport, either as professionals or as amateurs. The analysis included the population that regularly participated in at least one sporting activity. The most commonly practised sports were soccer (54% of all active participants) and basketball (50%). The total number of dental and oral injuries experienced during all sport activities was 229, affecting 27% of the participants of whom 73 (9%) suffered dental injuries. Most dental injuries occurred during the basketball and soccer training sessions and matches reaching 42 and 41% of the total number of injuries, respectively, and affected 7.2 and 6.6% of the basketball and soccer players. Traumatic dental injuries in other sports occurred in less than 7% of the participants in these activities. Only 27% of the participants were aware of the protective devices, such as a mouthguards, and only 3% actually used these devices. These results point to the high risk of potential dental and oral injury during sport activities, the little knowledge about the benefits of using mouthguards and their limited utilization. The importance of public health education to increase the awareness of protective measures and devices and their actual use in Israel is the main focus. It should be a combined duty of dentists and sports physicians and of the coaches to encourage the use of protective devices during training and games.

Immunofluorescent labeling of human salivary glands was carried out with a battery of monoclonal antibodies reactive with specific cytokeratin polypeptides. All the epithelial elements of the glands were positively labelled by a broad-spectrum cytokeratin antibody (KG 8.13) and by antibody Ks 18.18, which reacts with cytokeratin No. 18 exclusively. Labelling of frozen sections with antibody KM 4.62, which is reactive with the 40 Kd (No. 19) cytokeratin, was confined to the ductal system and apparently absent from the acini. Antibody KA-1, reactive with polypeptides 4, 5 and 6 stained both the myoepithelial cells and the basal cells of the large ducts. Antibody KS 8.58, however, reacted with the basal cells exclusively. It is thus proposed that the combined use of the various monoclonal antibodies may provide a most useful probe in studies on epithelial cell diversity in normal salivary glands as well as in pathological disorders of that gland.

No abstract

The occurrence and causes of oral and dental injuries in a young Israeli population during childhood and adolescence were evaluated, as well as participants' awareness of using protective devices, such as mouth guards, during sporting activities. The survey consisted of 427 young adults, aged 18-21 years. A questionnaire was distributed relating to past oral and dental injuries over their lifetime; type of sporting activity practiced, specifying time, place and cause of injury; and use and awareness of protective devices. Participants who reported to be injured were asked to report the type of their injury, treatment provided, and satisfaction with the results. The total number of dental and oral injuries was 133, affecting 31.1% of the participants, in which 72 (16.9%) suffered dental injuries, mostly because of falls (64%), followed by sporting activities (23.2%), street-fights (7.2%), and car accidents (5.6%). Injuries occurred at school in 36.5% of cases and at home in 23.8% of cases. The most frequently reported injury was laceration (47.3%) followed by tooth fracture (41.9%). Of the 427 participants, 239 (56%) were active in at least one type of sport. Only 22.6% were aware of protective devices, e.g. mouth guards, and only 2.8% actually used these devices. These results show the high risk of potential dental and oral injury during childhood and adolescence, a lack of knowledge regarding the benefits of mouth guards and their limited use. Increased awareness of protective measures and devices, and their actual use should be encouraged with public health education.