Dentistry for babies: A preventive protocol

The objectives of this program were to educate the parents in the importance of preventive care and to establish protocols for oral health treatment and maintenance that reflected the oral disease risk of the infant. Since its inception, more than 1,000 infants have been enrolled in the program and compliance has been excellent.

Ceramic materials in dentistry: historical evolution and current practice

Dental ceramics are presented within a simplifying framework allowing for facile understanding of their development, composition and indications. Engineering assessments of clinical function are dealt with and literature is reviewed on the clinical behaviour of all-ceramic systems. Practical aspects are presented regarding the choice and use of dental ceramics to maximize aesthetics and durability, emphasizing what we know and how we know it.

Qualitative analysis of two reconstruction techniques and their application in dentistry

Although visualization in the field of dentistry has some of the same requirements as the medicine field, the differences in goal demand specific approaches. This paper reports on the implementation of two fundamentally different approaches to reconstruction of structures from planar cross sections and their application to dentistry data. One of the approaches was an implementation of a distance-based sampling technique, and the other is a new algorithm, based on the Delaunay triangulation. Both were tested using contour data of teeth and the results are compared here in the light of the target applications, which are teaching and training dentistry, as well as simulation of dental procedures and illnesses. Widely mentioned problems encountered in local reconstruction methods such as marching cubes for these cases are clearly illustrated in this paper, and a very satisfactory alternative is given. © 2000 SPIE and IS&T.

Intrauterine dentistry: an integrated model of prevention.

Intrauterine Dentistry is a highly relevant subject of our time. The use of preventive measures in the intrauterine stage can avoid several diseases, among these, dental caries. The WHO advises that from the 4th month of pregnancy, women should avoid the intake of sugar, so that the fetus, future child, does not develop an exaggerated attraction for these types of foods, thus being susceptible to caries. Through questionnaires sent to gynecologist-obstetricians and dentists, this research investigated the information they have about this subject and how they instruct their patients. Questionnaires were also sent to pregnant women requesting information about the instructions they had received for the prevention of oral diseases of their fetus. Seventy-one percent of the dentists and 80% of the gynecologist-obstetricians reported having instructed the pregnant women to reduce the intake of sugar. However, only 13.6% of the dentists and no gynecologist-obstetrician instructed the reduction of sugar intake between the 12th and 18th week of pregnancy. A total of 42.2% of the pregnant women referred to these instructions, but none received instruction as to the specific period of the 12th and 18th week. An ideal model of treatment for pregnant women must include integrated and multiprofessional treatment, in which general dentists and gynecologist-obstetricians work together with the participation of the patient.

Dentistry for babies: Why do parents seek dental care?

This study investigated what are the main reasons that led parents to enroll children in a clinic for infants. This was studied by consulting 1368 records during the period from July 1996 to August 2001. The predominant reason for enrolling was orientation/prevention followed by other and treatment. This study demonstrated that a program for children from the first year of life encourages parents to have a new vision of dentistry.

Odontomas in pediatric dentistry: Report of two cases

Odontomas are developmental disturbances which manifest in the form of denticles or amorphous informes masses comprising all dental tissues, especially enamel and dentin, with variable amounts of pulp and cement. We describe here two clinical cases of odontomas in children, focusing on diagnostic means and the importance of early treatment of these lesions. The standard treatment for the two present cases was surgical removal.

Dentistry and HIV: University professors' role in establishing a basis for judgment

The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the attitudes of Dentistry School Professors from two universities, one private and one public concerning HIV-positive patients or HIV-positive health care professionals. A questionnaire Was handled to all profession at the Araçatuba Dental School of São Paulo State University - FOA-UNESP (public) and Lins Dental School of the Piracicaba Methodist University - FOL-UNIMEP (private). When asked if they would be willing to be treated by an HIV-infected health care professional, 38.9% of the 77 professors at FOA-UNESP replied that they would accept only non-invasive treatments and 13% would not accept any kind of treatment; the same applied to 42.4% and 15.2% of the 33 FOL-UNIMEP professors. Among the 54 professors at FOA-UNESP and 27 at FOL-UNIMEP providing clinical service, only 31.5% and 18.5% stated that they treat HIV-infected persons like any other patient. The results were very similar in both schools. Although they reported that they taught their students not to act in a discriminatory manner towards HIV-positive patient the professors themselves showed prejudice towards infected patients and professionals. Consequently, this topic trust be further debated in the academic milieu.