Use of different mouthrinses in an adult Swedish population.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of mouthrinse products in a Swedish adult population and the factors that influence their use. A questionnaire, comprising semi-closed questions focusing on mouthrinses for oral health, was distributed to randomly selected 700 individuals aged 17-94 years (final response rate of 60%). The data revealed that 47% of the individuals use a mouthrinse product on a regular basis and that it does not differ significantly due to age. Women use such products to a greater extent than men. Individuals who brush their teeth and who use approximal cleaning aids frequently appear to use mouthrinse products to a greater degree. Rinsing is primarily performed once a day or more (45%), in the evening (57%) and after brushing (87%). Those individuals that have been recommended to use the products by dentists and dental hygienists use them to a greater degree (78%) than those who have not received any recommendations (27%). Apart from dental personnel, advertising also plays a significant role in product selection. Of the different products available on the market, pure fluoride products constitute 46%. To summarise, this study indicates that a Swedish adult population, especially women, uses mouthrinse products to a relatively large extent, mainly as a supplement to other oral hygiene procedures such as brushing with a fluoride toothpaste twice daily. To select the most suitable product, the dental personnell should play a more active role in recommendations to the patients who need or want to use mouthrinses.

Improving the layout of recycling centres by use of lean production principles.

There has been increased focus on recycling in Sweden during recent years. This focus can be attributed to external environmental factors such as tougher legislation, but also to the potential gains for raw materials suppliers. Recycling centres are important components in the Swedish total recycling system. Recycling centres are manned facilities for waste collection where visitors can bring, sort and discard worn products as well as large-sized, hazardous, and electrical waste. The aim of this paper was to identify and describe the main flows and layout types at Swedish recycling centres. The aim was also to adapt and apply production theory for designing and managing recycling centre operations. More specifically, this means using lean production principles to help develop guidelines for recycling centre design and efficient control. Empirical data for this research was primarily collected through interviews and questionnaires among both visitors and employees at 16 Swedish recycling centres. Furthermore, adapted observation protocols have been used in order to explore visitor activities. There was also close collaboration with a local recycling centre company, which shared their layout experiences with the researchers in this project. The recycling centres studied had a variety of problems such as queues of visitors, overloading of material and improper sorting. The study shows that in order to decrease the problems, the recycling centres should be designed and managed according to lean production principles, i.e. through choosing more suitable layout choices with visible and linear flows, providing better visitor information, and providing suitable technical equipment. Improvements can be achieved through proper planning of the layout and control of the flow of vehicles, with the result of increased efficiency and capacity, shorter visits, and cleaner waste fractions. The benefits of a lean production mindset include increased visitor capacity, waste flexibility, improved sorting quality, shorter time for visits and improved working conditions.