Australian Dental Journal

December 2004 - Volume 49 Number 4

REVIEW

Developing primary health clinical teams for public oral health services in Tasmania This paper reviews the problem of socio-economic health inequalities and highlights the relevance of these issues for the delivery of public oral health services in the Australian island State of Tasmania.

RJ Cane DR Butler

ADRF REPORTS

The growth of the nasal septum in the 6-9 week period of foetal development – Warfarin embryopathy offers a new insight into prenatal facial development The aim of this study was to determine the role of the nasal septum in embryonic facial development.

AM Howe JK Hawkins WS Webster

Prevalence of systemic diseases in Brisbane general and periodontal practice patients Periodontitis has been associated with a number of systemic diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart diseases, and respiratory diseases. This study aimed to determine whether there is a significant difference in the prevalence of systemic diseases (a) in patients referred for periodontal care compared to the general practice population, (b) in patients attending a public hospital and private practices, (c) in patients attending public and private periodontal practices, and (d) among patients with periodontitis of varying severity

TO Georgiou RI Marshall PM Bartold

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

Direct restorative materials use in Australia in 2002 This study aimed to determine the reasons for dentists’ choice of materials, in particular amalgam and resin composite, in Australia.	FJT Burke S McHugh RC Randall IA Meyers J Pitt AC Hall
Psychosocial stressors in oral lichen planus Psychosomatic factors and their association with dermatological disorders are well recognized, yet their importance in oral lichen planus (OLP) is still debated. This study was done to determine the importance of psychosocial stressors in patients with OLP.	S Chaudhary
Longevity of a resin-modified glass ionomer cement and a polyacid-modified resin composite restoring non-carious cervical lesions in a general dental practice Long-term prospective survival studies of resin-modified glass ionomer cements (RMGICs) and polyacid-modified resin composites (compomers) placed in non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) are lacking from general dental practice. Short-term studies have shown an unsatisfactory clinical performance for several materials.	RJ Smales KKW Ng

CASE REPORT

Dens evaginatus and dens invaginatus in a maxillary lateral incisor: Report of a rare occurrence and review of literature A case of dens evaginatus (DE) and dens invaginatus (DI) concurrently affecting the maxillary right permanent lateral incisor in a 25-year-old Hispanic male is reported. DE, referred to as Talon’s cusp in the anterior teeth and Leong’s premolar in the premolar teeth, is a relatively rare condition by itself. An association of DI with this rare anomaly within the same tooth has never been reported before although it has been known to occur within the same patient. Since it is known that DE may be composed of normal enamel and dentine, as well as varying amounts of pulpal tissue, care should be exercised while performing any aesthetic procedures to remove or recontour it.

M Mupparapu SR Singer JH Goodchild

COCHRANE REVIEWS

Ozone therapy for the treatment of dental caries Dental caries is a bacterially mediated disease characterized by demineralization of the tooth surface, which may lead to cavitation, discomfort, pain and eventual tooth loss. Ozone is toxic to certain bacteria in vitro and it has been suggested that delivering ozone into a carious lesion might reduce the number of cariogenic bacteria. This possibly could arrest the progress of the lesion and may, in the presence of fluoride, perhaps allow remineralization to occur. This may in turn delay or prevent the need for traditional dental conservation by ‘drilling and filling’.

GD Rickard R Richardson T Johnson D McColl L Hooper

Antibiotics to prevent complications following dental implant treatment Some dental implant failures may be due to bacterial contamination at implant insertion. Infections around biomaterials are difficult to treat and almost all infected implants have to be removed. In general, antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery is only indicated for patients at risk of infectious endocarditis, for patients with reduced host-response, when surgery is performed in infected sites, in cases of extensive and prolonged surgical interventions and when large foreign materials are implanted.

M Esposito P Coulthard R Oliver P Thomsen HV Worthington

DATA WATCH

Access to dental care in Australia A range of factors including awareness of the need for a check-up or recognition of a dental problem prompts dental visits. The potential benefits of the visit are weighed against the costs including time, inconvenience, anxiety and monetary cost.

Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health