ABSTRACT
Duplicate throat swabs for detection of group A streptococci were collected in three pediatric offices from 1,035 patients with symptoms of pharyngitis. In the collecting office and in the hospital laboratory, one swab from each patient was first inoculated to sheep blood agar (incubated at 35 degrees C aerobically for 2 days) and then tested for group A streptococcal antigen by using the SMART enzyme immunoassay technique (New Horizons Diagnostics Corp) incubated for up to 24 hours. Group A streptococci were recovered in culture (from one or both swabs) and serologically identified from 444 (42.9%) of the patients. Pediatric offices numbers 1, 2, and 3 detected 84.4%, 84.6%, and 82.2%, respectively, of their patients who had positive cultures (in the office and/or laboratory) by using their own culture system and 82.6%, 71.1%, and 84.9%, respectively, of these same patients by using the SMART technique. In the laboratory, SMART test sensitivity and specificity were 71.4% and 98.7%, respectively, after 5 minutes of test incubation. However, SMART test sensitivity improved to 86.5% after overnight incubation of the immunoassay and to 91.3% if the data from one defective lot of seven SMART production lots studied were excluded. SMART test results which are negative after 5 minutes of incubation should therefore be confirmed both by reincubation of the antigen test up to 24 hours and by culture.
Subject(s)
Pediatrics/methods , Streptococcus pyogenes/isolation & purification , Adolescent , Adult , Cells, Cultured , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Infant , Laboratories, HospitalSubject(s)
Tooth Injuries , Toothbrushing/standards , Adult , Dental Enamel/injuries , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Periodontal Index , Child , Dental Plaque/epidemiology , Female , Germany, West , Gingival Diseases/epidemiology , Humans , Male , SwedenSubject(s)
Dental Prophylaxis , Health Education, Dental , Child, Preschool , Humans , Learning , Oral HygieneABSTRACT
Comparative clinical studies on the caries incidence of 10-year-old school children in Kiel and Landskrona (Sweden) showed after statistical evaluation that the Landskrona children had lesser DF surfaces than the Kiel children. A comparison of incidence broken up into separate D and F surfaces showed that the Kiel children had more D surfaces, while the children of Landskrona had more F surfaces. The connection between caries incidence and prophylactic measures is discussed.
Subject(s)
Dental Caries/epidemiology , Dental Health Surveys , Adolescent , Child , Dental Caries/prevention & control , Female , Fluoridation , Germany, West , Humans , Male , School Dentistry , SwedenSubject(s)
Dental Health Surveys , Dental Plaque/epidemiology , Oral Hygiene Index , Child , Female , Germany, West , Humans , Male , SwedenABSTRACT
Within the framework of an epidemiological survey of the dental and periodontal conditions in Swedish and German school children born in 1965, the children were asked to answer ten questions regarding oral hygiene in a questionnaire. When comparing the ten answers regarding the consciousness of oral hygiene, significant differences in knowledge were observed with the exception of information given with respect to their own toothbrush. This difference may be interpreted to the effect that the Swedish children are better aware of the importance of oral hygiene than the German children.
