In vitro treatment with ascorbate containing vitamin C metabolites enhanced the formation of mineralized nodules and collagenous proteins. Calcium threonate may be one of the metabolites influencing the mineralization process. Identifying factors which facilitate the formation of mineralized tissue has significant clinical ramifications in terms of wound healing and bone regeneration.
This study has explored the social drug use/abuse patterns associated with dental disease. Seventy‐seven subjects from the Berkeley Free Clinic were given questionnaires on their drug‐use habits and then were examined for both DMF‐T and OHI‐S scores. Ninety‐seven percent of the subjects indicated that they used one or more of the eight drugs being surveyed. The mean DMF‐T of the subjects was 13.2 and the OHI‐S was 2.61. The study indicated that persons who used barbiturates, miscellaneous hallucinogens and heroin have poorer oral hygiene than those in other categories. An unexpected finding was that subjects who used four or five of the surveyed drugs had lower DMF‐T and OHI‐S scores than those who used a lesser or a greater number of these drugs. The significance of these findings for an individual's oral health is not yet clear, but it is interesting that the oral hygiene index and DMF‐T index did not increase with the increasing number of drugs used, although the specific use of barbiturates, miscellaneous hallucinogens and heroin were related to higher OHI‐S scores. The lower OHI and DMF scores probably can be explained by the frequency of toothbrushing. Ninety‐five percent of the 4–5 drug‐use group brushed one or more times per day.
The New Zealand School Dental Service provides dental care for children 2 1/2-13 yr of age, without using routine diagnostic radiographs. This study investigated the pattern of dental X-ray exposure in groups of New Zealand children. One group consisted of 100 children who had all treatment before the age of 13 years with the School Dental Service. The other group consisted of 82 children who were treated in the University of Otago School of Dentistry paedodontic programme. Children in both groups turned 13 years of age between 1977 and 1982. From age 13 years these children were cared for by contracting dentists. Radiographic histories were recorded from School of Dentistry charts, and from the area Principal Dental Officer. Cumulative radiation doses were calculated. Surfaces restored at age 13 were noted from Department of Health records. Results show that by age 13 children enrolled in the School of Dentistry paedodontic programme received a mean cumulative skin dose of 23.03 mSv. Thyroid dose was 0.242 mSv. Children treated in the School Dental Service received a mean cumulative skin dose of 1.01 mSv and a thyroid dose of 0.006 mSv. Cumulative radiation dose for both groups was low. There was no significant difference in the mean number of restorations placed at age 13 years despite an extremely low level of diagnostic radiography in the School Dental Service group.
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