[The influence of barometric pressure changes in the oral cavity: dental barotrauma and barodontalgia].

Several oro-facial physiologic and pathologic phenomena affect individuals during flight or self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) diving. Physicians and dentists who treat aircrews and divers are occasionally challenged by those manifestations, though their uncommon appearance. This article reviews the two main barometric-related phenomena in the oral cavity: dental barotrauma and barodontalgia. Dental barotrauma includes all barometric-related dental mechanical phenomena. Tooth fracture or failure of dental restoration usually appears in a tooth with a leaking restoration or secondary caries lesion. In addition, changes in barometric pressure can cause a reduction in the retention of dental restoration and appliance. Barodontalgia is the oral pain which evoked during changes of the atmospheric pressure. This manifestation can be classified as a direct or non-direct pain. In most cases, the direct pain is caused by deterioration of pre-existed oral disease, whereas the source of the nondirect pain is an extra-oral facial barotrauma. These two barometric-related manifestations can cause a decrease in life quality and jeopardize the safety of flight or diving.

The relationship of physical fitness on pilot candidate selection in the Israel Air Force.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine whether physical fitness is an important component in the selection process of pilot candidates to the Israel Air Force (IAF) flight school. METHODS: There were 223 male pilot candidates who volunteered to participate in the study. All subjects were tested 1 - 12 wk prior to a week-long "bootcamp" for aerobic power (Astrand bicycle test), anaerobic power (vertical jump test), and percent body fat. In addition, an activity profile was established based on an activity history questionnaire. All fitness measures were correlated to a performance score based on the IAF selection criteria measure for each candidate. RESULTS: Candidates who were accepted to flight school had a higher aerobic capacity, anaerobic power output relative to body weight and a lower percent body fat than candidates who were not successful. Significant correlations were seen between the performance score and aerobic power (r = 0.31), anaerobic power (r = 0.17) and anaerobic power relative to body weight (r = 0.21). Linear regression analysis showed that aerobic power explained 9% of the variance in the performance score, while anaerobic power explained an additional 3%. The results of this study suggest that physical fitness has a positive influence on the success of pilot candidates in gaining admittance to the IAF flight school.

The effect of leg strength on the incidence of lower extremity overuse injuries during military training.

This study examined the effects of strength, aerobic fitness, and activity profile on the incidence of overuse injuries, particularly stress fractures, during military training. A total of 136 military recruits were followed during 9 weeks of basic training. Maximal strength and aerobic fitness were determined by a one-repetition maximum leg press and a 2,000-m run, respectively. An activity profile was determined by the recruit's activity history. Twelve recruits (8.8%) were diagnosed with stress fractures. Recruits who were 1 SD below the population mean in both absolute (98.4 +/- 36.6 kg) and relative strength (1.72 +/- 0.61 kg/kg of body weight) had a five times greater risk for stress fracture (p < 0.05) than stronger recruits. Poor aerobic fitness did not appear to be related to any increased incidence of stress fracture. It appears that recruits with lower body strength levels, within 1 SD of the population mean, have a reduced incidence of stress fractures during military training.