ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Effective removal of dental plaque is essential factor for prevention of caries, gingival, and periodontal diseases in children and adults. AIM: To evaluate factors associated with improving toothbrushing performance (TB-P) among children. DESIGN: An observational cohort study analyzed all paediatric patients receiving regular examinations in a single dental clinic between 2009 and 2017 and regularly brushing their teeth with a triple-headed toothbrush (TH-TB). At every periodic follow-up, the TB-P of the child/parent was evaluated using the TB-P Skill Index (TB-PS-I); that is, did the child reach all five teeth segments within each arch and did he/she perform 10 back-and-forth stocks in each segment. When not optimal, they received instructions for improving TB-P and subsequently were asked to re-demonstrate. TB-PS-I was calculated and analyzed for correlation with other explanatory variables. RESULTS: A total of 1737 children with 7399 follow-up appointments were analyzed. Older age, female gender, higher number of follow-up appointments, and compliance with twice-daily toothbrushing significantly improved TB-P. The most typical mistakes in their performance were not reaching the canine segments and not performing enough strokes in each segment. Instructions given after imperfect TB-P significantly improved the TB-P. The magnitude of improvement, however, did not correlate with the performers' age, gender, or the number of follow-up visits. CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of children >8 years did not perform optimal toothbrushing even when using TH-TB.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Local anesthesia (LA) during routine dental treatment in children fails in 5%-35% of first attempts. No data, however, are available on the success rates of subsequent attempts. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of primary, secondary, and tertiary LA attempts (P-LA, S-LA, and T-LA, respectively) for anesthetizing molars during routine dental treatments in children. DESIGN: We retrospectively analyzed dental records of all children (2-18 years) who had been administered LA for the treatment of primary or permanent molars by a single paediatric dentist, between 2011 and 2022. All LAs were delivered using a computer-controlled local anesthetic delivery (CCLAD) system. RESULTS: The failure rate of P-LA in 1312 molars was 13% and correlated with age (p < .001), type of tooth (p < .001), type of treatment (p < .001), and treated arch (p < .001). The effectiveness of S-LA for buccal infiltration, intrasulcular, inferior alveolar nerve block, greater palatine nerve block (GPNB), posterior superior alveolar nerve block (PSANB), or a combination of the last two was 50%, 87.2%, 66.7%, 63.6%, 33.3%, and 100%, respectively, and was not significantly associated with age or the type of tooth, treatment, or P-LA. CONCLUSION: The optimal choice of S-LA for anesthetizing maxillary molars was a combination of PSANB and GPNB, whereas for mandibular molars, it was IS-CCLAD system.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Gun-shot wound head injury comprises a substantial fraction of combat injuries and a major cause of death in the battlefield. Current shielding gear is totally ineffective against bullets, because bullet-proof materials are too heavy to be worn on the head. The aim of this work was to describe the anatomic distribution of bullet entry wounds to the head in combat fatalities and to discern whether distribution is random (null hypothesis) or not. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the forensic external examination reports of all Israeli Defense Forces combat fatalities during the years 2000 to 2004, the Second Lebanon War (2006), and Operation Cast Lead (2009) and mapped the exact anatomic location of all bullet entry wounds to the calvaria. RESULTS: We found 76 gun-shot entry wounds to the heads of 49 fatalities. Among these wounds, the occipital and anterior-temporal regions were found to be hit significantly more often than expected compared with their relative surface area (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Fifty-five percent of all injuries occurred within 15% of the surface area of skull. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply that gun-shot entry wounds to the head are unevenly distributed. A partially bullet-proof protective helmet may prevent a substantial fraction of injuries (and fatalities) without a significant weight addition to the helmet.
