Australian Dental Journal

June 2001 - Volume 46 Number 2

REVIEWS

Full occlusal protection - theory and practice of occlusal therapy In this review the full occlusal protection theory is proposed and its clinical practice demonstrated for varying Angle's malocclusions. The concept of developing restorative anatomical shapes or bio-designing occlusal schemes of crowns to compensate for poor intra-arch tooth positioning is proposed and demonstrated. Clinical parameters for full occlusal protection in occlusal therapy are presented.	M Darveniza
Water fluoridation, osteoporosis, fractures - recent developments Optimal (1ppm) water fluoridation is seen as the most socially equitable way to prevent dental caries, however concerns about the safety of fluoridation are periodically raised.	LL Demos H Kaza FM Cicuttini MI Sinclair CK Fairley
Dental complications of head and neck radiotherapy: Part 1 Radiotherapy for head and neck tumours is a viable treatment modality. However, a wide range of potentially debilitating dental complications may accompany this treatment. The nature and impact of these implications are outlined in this first part of a two-part article. In Part 2, prevention and management strategies available to the dental practitioner to stave off the dental side effects of radiotherapy will be explored.	N Andrews C Griffiths

ADRF REPORTS

A comparison of Kodak Ultraspeed and Ektaspeed Plus dental X-ray films for use in endodontics The advantage of using a faster film for length determination in endodontic therapy is obvious. However, for such a film to be generally accepted, it must demonstrate comparable diagnostic quality to traditionally used films.

AJ Moule A Wong PA Monsour KE Basford

Cupped lesions of early onset dental erosion in young southeast Queensland adults Dental erosion manifests itself as cupped lesions on cusp apices and in fissures of teeth in patients from southeast Queensland referred with excessive tooth wear. When found in young adults, these lesions may indicate early onset of active dental erosion. If the numbers and extent of cupped lesions increase with age, erosion may be a slow cumulative process.

F Khan WG Young V Law J Priest TJ Daley

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

A retrospective analysis of oral hairy leukoplakia in South Australia The features of oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) have been widely reported in the literature. However, no studies have described this lesion in the Australian setting. This study retrospectively examines, with respect to specific clinical factors, the prevalence of OHL in a South Australian HIV-infected population.	RM Logan EA Coates AM Pierce DF Wilson
Prevalence of periodontal conditions among public-funded dental patients in Australia The aims of this study were to describe periodontal health status by gender, type of care, geographic location and age and to investigate associations of these factors with tooth loss.	DS Brennan AJ Spencer GD Slade
Patterns of access to public oral health care in Queensland by gender, indigenous status and rurality Data were collected on courses of care from all attendances at public sector dental clinics between July 1994 and June 1996 and examined by gender, rurality and indigenous status.	PJ Slater

CASE REPORT

Ascending necrotising fasciitis as a result of odontogenic infection: a report of two cases Necrotising fasciitis is a severe soft tissue infection which spreads rapidly through fascial planes, is characterised by soft tissue necrosis and is potentially life-threatening. It is a rare entity in the head and neck region. The management of this condition is difficult and early diagnosis and aggressive surgical and medical management are essential. This paper reports two cases of necrotising fasciitis as a result of ascending odontogenic infection involving the temporalis muscle.

JA Shand A Breidahl NR Hing BR Johnstone D Wiesenfeld

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Continuing education: The 1998 Survey of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Continuing education (CE) is an essential professional activity. In the last decade, CE has been actively pursued by the medical profession in Australia and abroad. However, the uptake of CE in dentistry has been much slower and there is minimal Australian data on dental CE.	P Sambrook D Thomson R Bastiaan A Goss
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