Prevention of craniofacial injuries in ice hockey.

Prior to 1975, craniofacial injuries were the most frequent of all ice hockey injuries. Through the cooperative efforts of hockey administrators, health professionals, sports standards organizations, and the introduction of mandatory protective equipment playing rules craniofacial injuries in youth, high school, and college hockey players in the United States have been almost eliminated. Blind eye injuries, once a major problem, no longer occur in players wearing certified full face protectors. The saving in health care costs for treating eye injuries alone is estimated to be upwards of $10 million annually. Despite the phenomenal success of amateur hockey organizations in eliminating most craniofacial injuries, such injuries continue to occur in recreational, "Old Timers," major junior, and professional hockey players because of failure to use the most effective types of protective equipment. The system established in the United States for preventing craniofacial injuries in the sports of ice hockey that involves youth, high school, and college hockey associations along with standards setting and certification procedures can serve as a model for all amateur sports throughout the world.

Caries inhibition of a dentifrice containing 0.78% sodium monofluorophosphate in a silica base.

The purpose of this double blind clinical trial was to determine the anticaries activity of a dentifrice containing 0.78% sodium monofluorophosphate in a silica gel abrasive base compared with a placebo under conditions of supervised brushing. 1154 schoolchildren, ages 9-12, were recruited in a non-fluoridated semi-rural area of northeastern Connecticut. Subjects were stratified according to school, grade and sex, and then randomly divided into two groups. Each school day, children brushed their teeth for 1 min under supervision by project personnel. Weekend and vacation usage was ad libitum. Caries examinations and radiographic readings were performed by the same examiner (J.R.). After 12 months, the 996 subjects examined showed that the group using the test dentifrice had significantly (less than 0.05) lower DMFT (25.0%) and DMFS (19.1%) increments than the group using the placebo. After 24 months the 876 subjects examined showed that the test group continued to have significantly lower DMFT (24.5%) and DMFS (24.7%) increments than the placebo group. Surface protection after 24 months ranged from 22.1% for occlusal to 37.1% for interproximal surfaces.

Injuries in Junior Ice Hockey.

Does the price of a ticket entitle hockey fans to see more injuries? That's the result of excusing paid gate junior hockey players from wearing facial protection.

The preformed stainless steel crown for restoration of permanent posterior teeth in special cases.

There are problems involving permanent posterior teeth for which the stainless steel crown may provide the most desirable short-term solution. In placing the crown, emphasis should be given to recognition of the wide variation of available crowns, occlusal considerations, the importance of the rubber dam, and the use of a precementation radiograph to confirm margin adaptation of the crown.