Caries experience of Egyptian adolescents: does the atraumatic restorative treatment approach offer a solution?

To assess the prevalence and severity of dental caries amongst Egyptian adolescents and the prevalence of carious lesions treatable through the atraumatic restorative treatment [ART] approach. Using a convenient sample procedure, two secondary schools with a dental clinic were selected [967 students, average age: 13.7 +/- 0.8 years, range: 12-15]. Dental caries was diagnosed using the ART caries criteria, and plaque and calculus were assessed using the Green and Vermillion criteria amongst students grades 1-3 in the dental clinic by 3 calibrated examiners. The effect of the independent variables gender, age, tooth surface, jaw side [left or right] and type of jaw [mandible/maxilla] on dependent caries experience variables and D2 and D3 variables were tested using ANOVA. The prevalence of dental caries including enamel lesion [D2MFT] amongst the 967 students was 51.4% and that of dental caries excluding enamel lesions [D3MFT] was 38.1%. The mean D2MFT and D3MFT scores were 1.5 and 0.8, respectively. The percentage of teeth filled and extracted was low. Female students had statistically significantly higher mean D3MFT/S and D2MFT/S scores than males [p < 0.0001]. The prevalence of cavitated carious lesions [D3] treatable through ART was 48% for score 2 and 28% for score 3. Most of the cavitated lesions were found untreated despite the presence of a dental clinic and a dentist on the school premises. The majority of cavitated lesions without pulp involvement could be treated using the preventive and restorative components of the ART approach

Rotavirus and coeliac autoimmunity among adults with non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms

To determine celiac disease [CD] serology and rotavirus [RV] by polymerase reaction [PCR] in adults with non-specific gastrointestinal complaints. The study comprised 5176 randomly selected individuals living in Tehran, Iran between September 2006 and September 2007. Six hundred and seventy individuals with GI symptoms were identified with a questionnaire and invited for a further study including stool sampling and blood tests. Stool samples were examined for detection of RV by amplification of specific gene [VP6] and by light microscopy and formalin-ether concentration methods for parasite detection. The subjects also tested for CD including anti-transglutaminase [tTG] antibodies and total immunoglobulin A [IgA]. The study was carried out in the Research Center of Gastroentrology and Liver Disease, Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The VP6 gene was detected in 150 [22.3%] individuals. Anti-tissue transglutaminase [tTG-IgA] was positive in 22 individuals [95% CI 2.3-5.1] and IgG-tTG antibody in 3 individuals who were IgA deficient. Amplification of VP6 gene was positive in 8/25 [32%] with positive CD serology and in 142/645 [22%] with negative CD serology. This difference was not statistically significant [p=0.2]. This study shows that RV infection is common among Iranian patients with non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms. However, in contrast to studies in children, this study shows that the prevalence of active RV infection was not statistically significantly different between individuals who were tTG antibody positive and those who were tTG antibody negative