Detection of occlusal carious lesions: an in vitro comparison of clinicians' diagnostic abilities at varying levels of experience.

There are many different methods available for detecting occlusal caries. This in vitro study, performed on 94 extracted human teeth, examines differences in diagnostic abilities (using visual and tactile methods) and examines restorative choices among 21 dental clinicians, based on amount of clinical experience. Test subjects examined the extracted teeth and utilized a mirror explorer, bitewing radiographs, and magnification to diagnose suspected occlusal caries. The teeth were sectioned and diagnosed macroscopically to obtain a sensitivity and specificity value for each clinician. Based on the results, there is no strong correlation between a dentist's amount of experience and a more accurate diagnosis or more conservative treatment options.

Potent, selective MCH-1 receptor antagonists.

This paper describes the lead optimization of a new series of potent, selective, orally bioavailable, brain-penetrant MCH-1 receptor antagonists. A major focus of the work was to achieve a selectivity profile appropriate for in vivo efficacy studies and safety.

A survey of preprocedural antiseptic mouth rinse use in Army dental clinics.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project was to evaluate the use of preprocedural mouth rinses in Army dental clinics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred six-question surveys were distributed to 10 Army dental organizations throughout the United States and Germany during the period from March 2001 to March 2002. Two hundred fifty-four surveys were completed and returned. Simple mathematics were used to evaluate answers to the questionnaires. RESULTS: The 254 respondents included military dentists (n = 190), civilian dentists used by the military (n = 27), registered dental hygienists (n = 20), and military-trained dental hygiene technicians (n = 17). Eighty-four and one-tenth percent of respondents (n = 216) use preprocedural rinses in their practices to prevent possible disease transmission (n = 85) or to decrease chances of postoperative infection (n = 167). Chlorhexidine gluconate (n = 170) and phenol-based essential oil preparations (n = 84) are the most commonly used products. The perceived greatest benefits of preprocedural rinsing are to decrease oral bacterial load (38%), to decrease incidence of postoperative infection (21%), and to decrease aerosolization of bacteria (8.66%). CONCLUSIONS: Army dental clinics make extensive use of antimicrobial preprocedural rinses. Chlorhexidine and Listerine (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare, Morris Plains, NJ) are the most commonly used products. Currently available literature appears to support the use of these products in preventing or diminishing the chances of postoperative infection.

Validity of using a panoramic radiograph for initial dental classification of Army recruits.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the validity of classifying Initial Entry Training (IET) soldiers into dental fitness classification 2 or 3 based solely on examining panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dental readiness classification, derived from a clinical screening examination versus a panoramic radiological examination, was compared for 1,050 Fort Sill Basic Training recruits during a 1-month period. The dentist who reviewed the panoramic radiograph and determined a dental classification was blinded to the earlier dental classification from the clinical examination. The Spearman's rank order correlation test was used to determine if a statistically significant correlation existed between classifications based on the clinical examination versus classification by review of the panoramic radiograph alone. RESULTS: The project identified that 18% (n = 186) and 23.7% (n = 249) of the sample population had at least one class 3 condition identified from the clinical screening examination and the panoramic radiograph review, respectively. Of the 186 dental fitness category 3 conditions identified from the routine dental screening, 81.7% (152) of them were also identified from the review of the panoramic radiograph. Spearman's rank order correlation test statistic was 0.633 for a p < 0.001, indicating a statistically significant correlation in the identification of IET soldiers with class 3 conditions using a screening examination with a review of the panoramic radiograph. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that panoramic radiograph review can identify IET soldiers with dental fitness category 3 conditions and implies that a policy change may be prudent to allow this type of initial classification.