Are Vitamin Beverages Good for Dental Health? / 치위생과학회지

Background@#Although the consumption of vitamin beverages has increased because of the recent interest in health and beauty, guidelines addressing appropriate consumption habits are lacking. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the erosive potential of several vitamin beverages and to propose guidelines for the appropriate intake of these drinks. @*Methods@#Five vitamin beverages were selected after a pre-investigation of the current beverage market. Coca-Cola and mineral water were selected as the control beverages. The pH of the beverages was measured with a calibrated pH meter, and the titratable acidity (TA) was determined by using 1 M sodium hydroxide to reach pH 5.5 (TA5.5) and 7.0 (TA7.0). The screening method suggested by the International Organization for Standardization was used to measure pH variation (pH) by using an under-saturated hydroxyapatite solution to determine the difference between the initial and final pH of the screening solution. All measurements were performed in triplicate. @*Results@#All vitamin beverages tested in this study exhibited a low pH (2.53∼2.99), similar to Coca-Cola, which is known to be a highly acidic beverage. The highest TA5.5 and TA7.0 values of the vitamin beverages were 7.03 ml and 8.81 ml, respectively. The largest change in pH determined by using the screening solution was found in Bacchus D (pH 1.44±0.05). The mean pH of the vitamin beverages was 1.12±0.29, which was higher than that of Coca-Cola (positive control, pH 0.58±0.05). @*Conclusion@#Vitamin beverages exhibited an erosive potential capable of damaging enamel surfaces. Therefore, the frequency of vitamin beverage intake should be limited, and individuals consuming these drinks should try to restore normal oral pH as quickly as possible.

Analysis of Some Online Questions with High Frequency about Dental Treatment in Korea / 치위생과학회지

BACKGROUND: The Internet has advantages in terms of accessibility and amount of information, and the search for health information over the Internet is increasing exponentially. The purpose of this study is to analyze the information generated about some dental treatment on the internet by year. METHODS: Naver Knowledge (JisikIn in Korean) which is an interactive search service was selected as the first search site in Korea. Scaling, wisdom tooth extraction, and endodontic treatment that can be paid by Korean health insurance were selected. Finally, 4,729 questions about scaling, 23,963 wisdom teeth extraction questions and 17,733 endodontic treatment questions were extracted. The question contents, the information about the questioner and the answerer, and an error of answers were investigated. Frequency analysis was used and chi-square test was used if necessary. RESULTS: The most frequently asked questions were discomfort and dissatisfaction after the treatment. The need for treatment was the second in questions of the wisdom tooth extraction and endodontic treatment, but the health insurance benefit was the second in dental scaling. Most of the questioners didn't disclose personal information. The public answered the most in 2013~2014, but the highest percentage of the respondents was experts in 2017. Responses were mostly personal experience, but showed a tendency to decrease with years, and professional knowledge showed an increasing tendency. The error of the answer has also gradually decreased. CONCLUSION: Questions about dental care over the Internet are increasing exponentially, experts are responding increasingly, and errors in answers are decreasing. Nevertheless, it is necessary to pay attention to the related expert group to prevent misinformation.

Echinostoma ilocanum Infection in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia

Fecal examinations using the Kato Katz technique were performed on a total of 1,287 villagers (945 students and 342 general inhabitants) of Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia in May 2007 and November 2009. The overall intestinal helminth egg positive rate was 23.9%, and the most prevalent helminth species was hookworms (21.6%). Other helminth eggs detected included echinostomes (1.0%), Enterobius vermicularis (0.8%), small trematode eggs (0.7%), which may include Opisthorchis viverrini and Haplorchis spp., and Hymenolepis nana (0.4%). In order to recover adult echinostomes, we treated 2 patients with 10-15 mg/kg praziquantel and purged. Total 14 adult echinostomes, 1 and 13 worms from each patient, were collected. The echinostomes characteristically had 49-51 collar spines and 2 round or slightly lobated testes. They were identified as Echinostoma ilocanum (Garrison, 1908) Odhner, 1911. So far as literature are concerned, this is the first record on the discovery of human E. ilocanum infection in Cambodia.