Search

Acne vulgaris is a common global skin disease affecting teenagers and adults and exerting serious psychological impacts which includes everlasting scarring, reduced self-image, depression and anxiety. One of the suspected causative agent of acne is Propionibacterium acnes; a Gram positive anaerobic organism which lives in skin hair follicle and openings. Treatments currently available for acne include use of oral antibiotics, hormones, isotretinoin and also physical treatments like lesion removal and photo-therapy. All these are associated with risks and none is completely satisfactory. Therefore, natural alternatives are gaining greater research support but lacks sufficient studies. In our study we have isolated Propionibacterium acnes from infected individuals and tested the effect of certain chemicals and herbs/vegetable extracts against it. There anti-acne property was studied and compared with commercially used antibiotics including Clinagel (Clindamycin phosphate), Vibramycin (Doxycycline), Erythromycin, Novidat (Ciprofloxacin) and Amoxil (Amoxicillin). Results indicate that some of the selected herbs and chemicals showed good activity against Propionibacterium acnes synergistic to the antibiotics when used alone or in combination. Findings of this research can play an important role in natural product based drug discovery for the treatment of Acne vulgaris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to determine knowledge/beliefs of a group of Saudi Arabian dental students regarding overweight/obesity (OW/OB). Dental students (fourth-year, fifth-year, and interns) at King Saud University College of Den-tistry completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding OW/OB in children and adults. Frequency distribution and chi-square analyses were done. The total respondents were 260 (response rate=87 percent), most of whom were male (59 percent). Half of the respondents reported their knowledge of OW/OB in adults/children to be average, with knowledge of pediatric OW/OB rated lower (37 percent reported it as fair/poor) than adult OW/OB (17 percent reported it as fair/poor). Only a third (34 percent) of the respondents selected body mass index (BMI) as the best method to identify OW/OB. More than half of the respondents correctly believed that OW/OB was a problem in many adults/children in Saudi Arabia. A slightly higher proportion endorsed a role for dentists in the identification/prevention of OW/OB in children (76 percent) as compared to adults (69 percent). Female respondents had better knowledge than males about OW/OB and were more likely to correctly select BMI as the best method for identifying OW/OB. These findings may provide support for the expansion of education in these areas in the dental curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a thorough investigation of the relationship between reflection loss and dynamic phase distribution performance of three different reflectarray resonant elements. The tunability characteristics of rectangular, dipole and ring elements printed on grounded non-linear dielectric anisotropic substrates have been investigated at X-band frequency range using CST computer model. A detailed analysis of reflection loss and dynamic phase range, with respect to dielectric anisotropy is presented for different anisotropic liquid crystal substrate materials. Preliminary analysis results show that ring element offers the highest reflection loss and dynamic phase range of 56.54dB and 248° respectively compared to rectangular element which offers 10.74dB and 90° respectively. Furthermore the rectangular element attains a maximum frequency tunability of 796MHz compared to ring element which attains 716MHz. Moreover it has also been shown that an increase in dielectric anisotropy of non-linear materials affect dynamic phase ranges and frequency tunability of three resonant elements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article describes an Internet-based instructional tool designed to give predoctoral dental students a virtual simulation of clinical pediatric dentistry to develop their pediatric behavior management knowledge. Effectiveness of this tool was evaluated using two consecutive classes of junior dental students. The control group was exposed to the traditional behavior management curriculum (two lectures) in a spring term course. The next class of dental students was exposed to the two lectures and, in addition, completed the behavior management simulation during the following spring term. Both groups completed a two-part examination (objective section=l 8 questions; open-ended section=responses to a clinical situation) designed to test their behavior management knowledge. The simulation group performed significantly better in both parts of the examination (objective section: p=.028; open-ended section: p=.012). The simulation was evaluated by students and perceived by most to be an effective addition to the curriculum. It was concluded that the experimental behavior management simulation, when added to the traditional lecture curriculum, improved pediatric behavior management knowledge in predoctoral dental students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine predoctoral dental student evaluation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Caries-Risk Assessment Tool (CAT) for children. Dental students were introduced to the CAT instrument as part of their didactic pediatric dentistry curriculum. These students were later encouraged to use the CAT instrument for determining caries risk in their pediatric patients. Following a two-year exposure to the CAT instrument, dental students completed an anonymous seven-item evaluation of the instrument at the end of their primary clinical experience in pediatric dentistry, The students were asked to score each item on a five-point scale ranging from strongly agree (#5) to neutral (#3) to strongly disagree (#1). Ninety-seven percent of eligible students completed the CAT evaluation questionnaire. Most students agreed that the CAT instrument was easy to understand (86 percent), simple to apply 176 percent), useful for prescribing radiographs (76 percent), and useful for determining preventive procedures (84 percent). Eighty percent of them indicated that they were likely to use the CAT instrument in their clinical practice. In conclusion, student acceptance of the CAT instrument indicates that it may educate predoctoral dental students regarding caries risk assessment in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to investigate various aspects of evidence-based dental prophylaxis education in postdoctoral pediatric dentistry training programs in the United States. An anonymous nationwide postal survey of fifty-two postdoctoral pediatric dentistry program directors was conducted in September 2001. The survey had a response rate of 75 percent with all geographic regions of the nation represented and with a preponderance of university-based programs (62 percent). Most of the training programs (74 percent) routinely recommended dental prophylaxis for all recall patients. The proportion of programs that recommended dental prophylaxis for the following indications were: plaque, stain and/or calculus removal--97 percent; caries prevention--59 percent; prior to topical fluoride application--67 percent; prior to sealant application--62 percent; and for behavioral modification--77 percent. Most training programs (77 percent) defined dental prophylaxis as both rubber cup pumice prophylaxis and toothbrush prophylaxis. However, only one-half of the training programs (51 percent) had modified their teaching to substitute toothbrush prophylaxis in lieu of rubber cup pumice prophylaxis. In conclusion, only one half of postdoctoral pediatric dentistry training programs in the United States teach evidence-based practice of dental prophylaxis for recall patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the dental services provided to urban low-income preschool children in the U.S. The longitudinal analysis determined the profile and cost of dental services provided the children in a community health center clinic in a fluoridated area in Hartford, Connecticut and it was found that two-thirds of the children manifested caries, as compared to two-fifths of three-year-old Connecticut low-income children under head start program.

The author considers the use of resin infiltration technique for proximal caries in the permanent dentition. Topics include the claim that resin infiltration may not be suited for proximal caries lesions in primary molars, reasons that promotion of remineralization may be better than resin infiltration for proximal lesions in permanent enamel, and reasons that definitive restorations in permanent teeth for proximal lesions not amenable to remineralization may be better than resin infiltration.

The article offers information on the trends in pediatric dental literature from 1969-1998. The pediatric dental journals "Journal of Dentistry for Children" and "Pediatric Dentistry" were reviewed to determine the trends in pediatric literature. It was found that oral medicine, pathology and surgery remained the largest research area over the years accounting for one-third of the publications. It was also found that there was a steep decline in fluoride papers in the 1990s.

The article offers information about dental caries in children which leads to pulp involvement. It states that the rate of dental caries is declining from several past years. It mentions that pulp involvement leads to two options including pulp therapy and tooth extraction. It is concluded that extraction is done in the case of maxillary incisors with pulp involvement.