Association of endodontic involvement with tooth loss in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study.

INTRODUCTION: The effect of endodontic involvement on tooth loss has not been quantified, so the present study aimed to assess this relationship after controlling for other relevant risk factors for tooth loss. METHODS: We analyzed data from 791 participants (18,798 teeth) in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. Potential tooth-level and person-level covariates were fitted into marginal proportional hazards models, including both apical radiolucencies (AR) and root canal therapy (RCT) status as time-dependent variables. Survival curves were plotted for teeth according to their AR and RCT status. RESULTS: Both current AR and RCT status were associated with increased risk of tooth loss (P < .01), after controlling for baseline levels of periodontal disease, caries, tooth type, number of proximal contacts, number of teeth, age, education, and smoking history. Root canal filled (RCF) teeth seemed to have better survival than non-RCF teeth among teeth with AR but worse survival than non-RCF teeth among teeth without AR. CONCLUSIONS: Endodontic involvement was associated with tooth loss, controlling for other potential risk factors. Additional prospective studies are needed to provide better evidence as to the impact of endodontic involvement on tooth loss.

Mass commuting and influenza vaccination prevalence in new york city: protection in a mixing environment.

OBJECTIVE: Assess influenza vaccination among commuters using mass transit in New York City (NYC). METHODS: We used the 2006 NYC Community Health Survey (CHS) to analyze the prevalence of influenza immunization by commuting behaviors and to understand what socioeconomic and geographic factors may explain any differences found. RESULTS: Vaccination prevalence is significantly lower for New Yorkers who commute on public transportation compared to other New Yorkers. This difference is largely attenuated after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and neighborhood of residence. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis identified a low prevalence of immunization among commuters, and given the transmissibility in that setting, targeting commuters for vaccination campaigns may impede influenza spread.

Extension and density of root fillings and postoperative apical radiolucencies in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study.

We evaluated the association between radiographically assessed extension and density of root canal fillings and postoperative apical radiolucencies (ARs) by using data from 288 participants in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. Study subjects were not Veterans Affairs patients; all received their medical and dental care in the private sector. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for multiple teeth within subjects and to control for covariates of interest. Defective root filling density was associated with increased odds of postoperative AR among teeth with no preoperative AR (odds ratio, 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-7.1), although preoperative AR was the strongest risk factor for postoperative AR (odds ratio, 29.2; 95% CI, 13.6-63.0 among teeth with ideal density). Compared with well-extended root fillings, neither overextended nor underextended root fillings separately were related to postoperative AR, but when those 2 categories were collapsed into one poorly extended category, poor extension was related to postoperative AR (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-3.2).