Exploring the perceived medical ethics and law training needs of UK foundation doctors.

Foundation doctors (FDs) encounter a wide range of ethical and legal issues during their first two years of work. Despite ethics being a key part of most modern undergraduate curricula, FDs can struggle with the issues they see. This study is based on results from an on-line survey answered by 479 UK FDs regarding their medical law and ethics learning needs, and their undergraduate training in this area. Over two-thirds stated they would wish to receive MEL training as an FD on self-discharge against medical advice (∼71%), sedating patients (∼70%), decision making in emergency medicine (∼67%), and withholding and withdrawing treatment (∼66%). Over half of all respondents want MEL training during their Foundation Programme on DNACPR orders (∼63%), dealing with patients with suicidal intent (∼59%), Mental Health Act (∼55%), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (∼54%), and end of life care (∼53%). We therefore propose a minimum curriculum for ethics and law training for FDs based on these topics, as well as cases brought by the FDs themselves.

Management of a patient with severe postbleaching cervical resorption. A clinical report.

This report suggests a treatment alternative for replacing a maxillary lateral incisor, and identifies the complication of cervical resorption after bleaching.

Use of the acid-etch technique to maintain antimicrobial-containing acrylic resin strips in situ.

A technique that utilizes acid-etched composite resin to maintain antimicrobial-containing acrylic resin strips in situ is described. The advantage of this technique is that placement of a periodontal pack is unnecessary, so control of supragingival plaque is not hindered at the site of the local antimicrobial delivery. The technique described may improve the effectiveness and the clinical acceptability of local antimicrobials in the treatment of periodontal disease.

Effect of overhang removal on increasing patients' flossing frequency.

The aim of this study was to show that by removing overhanging margins, flossing frequency can be increased. Patients with multiple overhangs were sent questionnaires six to 24 months posttreatment. Of the 77 patients that were mailed questionnaires, 59 returned the completed form. Analysis of the questionnaires showed that there was a highly significant increase (p less than .0001) in flossing frequency after the overhang removal treatment. This survey also found that 98% of the patients felt that overhang removal was a worthwhile dental procedure. The results of this study suggest that overhang removal may be an important early step in the course of motivating patients to carry out flossing.

A radiographic study of chronic periodontitis in 15 year old Queensland children.

A retrospective study was carried out to determine the frequency of early periodontal bone loss in 15 year olds as seen in bite-wing radiographs. A total of 468 radiographs of 15 year olds was examined, 246 from 1970-74 and 222 from 1978-80. The alveolar bone crest on the mesial and distal of the first permanent molar teeth was examined for radiographic evidence of early chronic periodontitis. The condition of the adjacent proximal tooth surfaces was also recorded. No significant difference was found between the two groups; 39% of the 1978-80 and 43% of the 1970-74 group showed radiographic evidence of early chronic periodontitis (P less than 0.05). Males and females showed a similar frequency of periodontal disease levels. The mesial interproximal space of the first molars had significantly higher frequencies of radiographic evidence of chronic periodontitis than the distal interproximal spaces in the two groups examined. Fewer proximal restorations with overhangs were noted in the 1978-80 group, however more proximal subgingival calculus was found in this group than the 1970-74 group.