Evaluation of attitudes--dental class of 1991: a nine-year longitudinal study.

A longitudinal sample of students at a Midwest dental school was surveyed with regard to eleven attitudes about their choice of a dental career, their feelings about dental education, and their views of the dental profession. The survey was repeated seven times for the same respondents: at freshman orientation, at the end of the first, second, third, and fourth years, two and a half years, and five years following graduation. Respondents reported being optimistic about the profession, with the exception of a consistent loss of confidence in the validity of initial licensure examinations. They also felt positive about their education; although the third year placed the most stress on their positive views.

The relationship of beta-glucuronidase activity in crevicular fluid to probing attachment loss in patients with adult periodontitis. Findings from a multicenter study.

Analysis of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) offers a non-invasive means of studying the host response in periodontal disease, and may provide an early indication of the patient at risk for active periodontitis. A number of host markers have been studied for their relationship to disease activity (probing attachment loss or PAL). GCF levels of the acid glycohydrolase beta-glucuronidase (beta G), a marker of primary granule release from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), have been shown to identify patients with periodontitis at risk for additional PAL. In this multicenter trial, we evaluated (a) the short-term effect of conservative periodontal therapy on beta G activity in GCF, and (b) the relationship of persistently elevated beta G activity to PAL in patients who were monitored for 6 months. The study population included a total of 140 patients with chronic adult periodontitis. 130 patients were on a regular recall schedule, and 10 were previously untreated. After collection of baseline clinical data at all sites, and analysis of beta G in GCF from one site (mesiobuccal) per tooth, the patients received a scaling and prophylaxis. Two weeks later patients were seen for collection of GCF. If elevated enzyme activity was found at 2 weeks, the patients were seen at 3 months for a clinical exam and GCF collection. Clinical parameters were collected from all patients at 6 months. Therapy tended to reduce beta G activity in GCF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The relationship of beta-glucuronidase activity in crevicular fluid to clinical parameters of periodontal disease. Findings from a multicenter study.

Previous reports have suggested that persistently elevated levels of the acidic glycohydrolase beta-glucuronidase (beta G) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) can identify patients with chronic adult periodontitis who are at risk for future probing attachment loss (PAL). To comprehensively study beta G activity in GCF, a multicenter trial examining the relationship of the enzyme in GCF to traditional clinical parameters of periodontal disease and PAL was conducted. In this report, the baseline data was used to evaluate the relationship of beta G activity in GCF to traditional parameters of periodontal disease. The study group included 130 patients who had been treated for periodontal disease and were on a regular recall schedule, and 10 patients with chronic adult periodontitis who had never received treatment. Upon entering the longitudinal trial, the patients were examined, and a standardized 30-s GCF sample was collected from the mesiobuccal crevice of all study teeth. As a control, GCF samples and clinical data were collected from 62 patients with a healthy periodontium or mild inflammatory gingivitis without loss of probing attachment. At baseline, beta G activity for the periodontitis patients ranged from 0 to 1704 Units (U), with a median of 32 U. beta G could not be detected in 0.2% of samples (activity < or = 2.0 U). The 90% cumulative relative frequency was 139 U. For the healthy/gingivitis subjects beta G activity ranged from 0 to 504 U, with a median of 22 U. Enzyme was not detectable in 0.4% of samples. Only 0.9% of samples contained greater than 139 U. beta G activity in GCF was not related to gender or age. For the periodontitis patients, elevated enzyme activity (> or = 140 U) was most often associated with molar teeth, followed by maxillary bicuspids. Maxillary central incisors, and mandibular central and lateral incisors displayed the lowest frequency of elevated enzyme activity. The relationship of beta G activity to the traditional parameters of probing depth and bleeding on probing was assessed. For shallow sites (1.0-1.5 mm, 2.0-2.5 mm probing depth), the large majority of GCF samples contained low enzyme activity (90% of samples < 50 U). Descriptive indicators demonstrated a trend of increased beta G activity with increased probing depth. The median beta G activity shifted from 15 U for the shallowest sites (1.0-1.5 mm) to 127 U for the deepest sites (5-8 mm). However, this was due to a broadening of the distribution rather than representing a shift in the distribution profile.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effects of smoking and/or vitamin C on crevicular fluid flow in clinically healthy gingiva.

The purpose of this study was to (1) compare crevicular fluid flow in smokers and nonsmokers with clinically healthy gingiva; (2) compare crevicular fluid flow of smokers in the areas physically exposed to smoke (maxillary lingual) to that in areas not physically exposed to smoke (maxillary buccal); and (3) compare crevicular fluid flow in smokers and nonsmokers before and after 1 month of (500 mg) twice daily vitamin C supplementation. All sampled areas were required to exhibit clinical health for all measurements (gingival, plaque, and bleeding indices at 0). Ten smoking (at least one pack a day) and ten nonsmoking male dental students were subjects of the study. Areas sampled were midbuccal and midlingual of teeth 3, 5, 12, and 14. Smokers were found to have significantly less crevicular fluid flow than did nonsmokers. Lingual areas of smokers showed no significant difference from buccal areas in crevicular fluid flow. One month of (500 mg) twice daily vitamin C supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in crevicular fluid flow in smokers and nonsmokers. The effect of tobacco smoke on clinically healthy gingiva may be a physiologic result of vasoconstriction rather than a physical irritation.