ABSTRACT
Health care providers must take the time to educate themselves about domestic violence, its signs and symptoms, and the proper care of victims of child, spouse, or elder abuse. It is not enough to treat the immediate injuries without offering necessary and appropriate intervention on behalf of the victim. No one deserves to be beaten, sexually abused, or emotionally mistreated. If abuse is suspected, report it to the proper authorities. By focusing attention on this major health problem, physicians can provide a leadership role in using health care response to reduce the incidence of abuse and, ultimately, to save lives.
Subject(s)
Bites, Human/diagnosis , Domestic Violence , Facial Injuries/etiology , Mandatory Reporting , Tooth Injuries/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child Abuse/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Emergency Service, Hospital , Facial Injuries/diagnosis , Facial Injuries/pathology , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Tooth Injuries/diagnosisABSTRACT
The oral cavity is a microcosm of the world around us, exposed to a variety of microorganisms present in the local environment. Some of these microorganisms establish a permanent presence in the oral tissues, which serve as a suitable growth medium. These locations include soft and hard tissue, areas of high and low oxygen content, flowing secretions and dryness, and flat or grooved surfaces. Most of the normal oral flora does not cause disease; some even provide a protective benefit. However, occasionally one or more groups become pathologic, producing a disease that may have serious consequences for the host. Many of the pathologic microorganisms are viruses, and children are particularly prone to such infections, since their immune systems are still in the development stage. The learning objective of this article is to review the viral infections of the oral mucosa in children, including varicella, herpes zoster, mononucleosis, and herpangina.
Subject(s)
Stomatitis/diagnosis , Virus Diseases/diagnosis , Child , Dental Care for Children , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Mouth Mucosa/pathology , Mouth Mucosa/virology , Stomatitis/pathology , Stomatitis/virology , Virus Diseases/pathology , Virus Diseases/virologySubject(s)
Cutaneous Fistula/etiology , Dental Caries/complications , Dental Fistula/etiology , Periapical Granuloma/complications , Child , Cutaneous Fistula/therapy , Dental Fistula/therapy , Face , Female , Granuloma, Pyogenic/complications , Granuloma, Pyogenic/etiology , Humans , Periapical Granuloma/etiologyABSTRACT
Facial cellulitis in the pediatric hospital population can be classified as odontogenic and nonodontogenic. Emergency departments welcome timely diagnosis from consultants as cellulitis is associated with significant morbidity in children. The purpose of this retrospective study is to assist pediatric dentists in recognizing differences between odontogenic and nonodontogenic facial cellulitis and to determine whether odontogenic infections make up a major portion of facial swellings seen upon admission to the hospital. The completed medical records of 100 patients admitted to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from 1980-1989 with an ICD-9 diagnosis of facial cellulitis were reviewed. The types of cellulitis were differentiated using admission data. The information reviewed included age, sex, temperature, white blood cell count, location of facial infection, and season of the year. Odontogenic cellulitis comprised approximately 50% of the total hospital facial infections of the records reviewed during the 10-year period. Upon admission, patients with odontogenic and nonodontogenic facial cellulitis have similarities (season of onset during the year, febrile temperature, and location of infection) and differences (mean admission temperature, age at time of affliction, white blood cell count, and most commonly occurring microorganisms.
Subject(s)
Cellulitis/etiology , Face , Focal Infection, Dental/complications , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Body Temperature , Cellulitis/diagnosis , Child , Child, Preschool , Corynebacterium Infections/diagnosis , Dental Service, Hospital , Diagnosis, Differential , Emergency Service, Hospital , Female , Fever/etiology , Focal Infection, Dental/diagnosis , Haemophilus Infections/diagnosis , Haemophilus influenzae type b , Hospitals, Pediatric , Humans , Infant , Leukocyte Count , Leukocytosis/etiology , Male , Neisseria , Neisseriaceae Infections/diagnosis , Patient Admission , Retrospective Studies , Seasons , Sex Factors , Staphylococcal Infections/diagnosis , Streptococcal Infections/diagnosisABSTRACT
Methods to assess toothbrushing ability vary. The purpose of this study was to determine whether age could be a predictor for toothbrushing ability in children. This study evaluated the brushing patterns of 122 children utilizing the horizontal scrub technique. The results obtained suggest that a child's age is a reasonable predictor for toothbrushing ability.
Subject(s)
Aging , Motor Skills , Toothbrushing , Adult , Age Factors , Analysis of Variance , Child , Dental Plaque/therapy , Female , Forecasting , Humans , Male , Tooth , Tooth, Deciduous , Toothbrushing/methodsABSTRACT
Dentists who examine the needs of their patient population will recognize that the oral health concerns of persons with physical or mental disabilities demand more of their knowledge and skills than any other segment of their practice. To deliver quality, comprehensive care, the clinician must be updated on prevention and treatment techniques. A reference table in this article focuses on awareness of medical issues and oral conditions and the associations and interactions between them. Access to care for persons with disabilities is discussed also.
Subject(s)
Dental Care for Disabled/methods , Health Services Needs and Demand , Child , Dental Care for Disabled/instrumentation , Dental Care for Disabled/psychology , Dental Caries/prevention & control , Dental Caries/therapy , Dental Prophylaxis/methods , Dentist-Patient Relations , Health Education, Dental/methods , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Informed Consent , Mental Disorders , Periodontal Diseases/prevention & control , Periodontal Diseases/therapy , United StatesABSTRACT
Five cases of a chronic, self-limiting Candida albicans infection of the lip vermilion and juxtavermilion skin in young persons are presented. These infections typically appeared as erythematous, pruritic, yellow crusting plaques of the juxtavermilion skin, with or without desquamation of vermilion surfaces. Evidence of intraoral candidiasis, especially loss of filiform lingual papillae, was present in several cases. The disorder mimics the early stage of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis but remains within a few millimeters of the mucocutaneous junction and affected individuals appear (with a possible exception) to be immune competent. Mild trauma apparently triggers the infection. The authors emphasize that a scientifically sound cause-and-effect relationship between this new disease and Candida albicans is not herein established and present these cases in the hope that others will thereby be identified and a firmer causal relationship be established.
Subject(s)
Candidiasis, Chronic Mucocutaneous/pathology , Candidiasis/pathology , Lip Diseases/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Cheilitis/pathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Lip Diseases/microbiology , MaleABSTRACT
The distribution of blood vessels in pulp tissue can be studied through the use of perfusion techniques on freshly extracted teeth. A procedure for the perfusion of extracted human and monkey teeth in vitro is described. As the process is not histologic in nature, a method of identifying the observed vessels is suggested.
Subject(s)
Dental Pulp/blood supply , Perfusion/methods , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Histological Techniques , Humans , Macaca mulatta , Molar , Tooth ExtractionABSTRACT
In recent years several alternative instructional strategies have been recommended that were departures from traditional approaches. This paper describes several of these alternatives that have been adapted and applied to the curriculum in pediatric dentistry at West Virginia University. They include a systems approach to designing instruction, employment of single conceptual units of instruction, development of instructional objectives, use of audiovisual technology for conveying information, the opportunity for self-pacing, evaluation of students on a mastery model using a criterion-referenced system, and the opportunity for students to learn beyond mastery in programs of self-directed inquiry and contract grading. The methods used for implementing these strategies and the dynamics of their operation are discussed.
