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Biomedical subjects

D N Ranalli

Publications and source records attributed to D N Ranalli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Evolution of women's oral health.

The current focus on women's oral health emerged from emphasis on the women's health movement. Provision of high quality oral health care throughout a woman's life span requires the enhancement of multiple factors. Future progress will depend on partnering among various constituencies; education at the predoctoral, postdoctoral, and continuing education levels; expansion of the scope of gender-specific research; and development of innovative modalities for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and utilization of clinical dental services for women.

Dental Health Services↗
PubMed2001

Oral health issues for women athletes.

More women are participating in sports at all levels. This article presents information for dental professionals to enhance awareness of emerging issues in women's oral health, with specific emphasis on female athletes. These issues include the prevalence, prediction, and prevention of sports-related traumatic orofacial injuries as well as fads and habits such as tongue piercing, smokeless tobacco, eating disorders, and performance-enhancing drugs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Prediction of sports-related dental traumatic injuries.

Predicting sports-related traumatic injuries is an important concern for dental health professionals. A predictive index has been developed that determines the likelihood of a sports-related traumatic dental injury in children and adolescents. This index can be used to aid in the prevention of injury by understanding who is most likely to be injured and what factors influence the chance of injury. The index has been designed for ease of use by dental health professionals, and has incorporated data collection and tracking features.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Prevention of sports-related traumatic dental injuries.

Many sports-related traumatic dental injuries are preventable with the use of appropriate, properly fitted athletic equipment such as helmets, facemasks, and mouthguards. This article presents information regarding the current generation of athletic mouthguards, and issues a challenge for the development of future independent scientific research that will transform current clinical empiricism into evidence based knowledge in sports dentistry.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2000

Attitudinal factors influencing mouthguard utilization.

From the introduction of a protective mouthpiece in the sport of boxing, the evidence for the importance of this piece of athletic equipment in injury prevention has grown. Yet, despite this knowledge, only five amateur sports and one professional sport have regulations requiring the use of mouthguards. Even in the sports that require their use, compliance is not universal. Attitudes of coaches, officials, parents, and players about wearing mouthguards all influence their usage. Studies of the attitudes of these groups reveal that coaches are perceived as the individuals with the most impact on whether or not players wear mouthguards. There is reluctance among college football officials to enforce mouthguard violations that they believe are inappropriate. Parents see themselves as having responsibility in determining mouthguard use; however, their views about when and for whom mouthguards are necessary reveal a lack of complete understanding of the benefits. Resistance on the part of players stems from the physical characteristics of the mouthguard, interference with breathing and speech, and the effect on the players' image. Education on the effectiveness of properly fitted mouthguards for injury prevention, information on the risk for injury, availability of more comfortable and appealing mouthguards, and development of an approach for expanding regulations are all tools that can lead to the development of more positive attitudes and increased usage.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed1995

Attitudes of college football coaches regarding NCAA mouthguard regulations and player compliance.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of Division 1-A college head football coaches regarding the NCAA mouthguard regulations, current patterns of use by players, and responsibility for enforcement; and to compare the coaches' responses with those of officials studied previously. METHODS: A 15-item questionnaire was mailed to all 106 Division 1-A football coaches to assess their attitudes. Percent frequency distributions of coaches' responses to each item were computed and compared to the officials' responses. RESULTS: Responses were received from 98 coaches (92.45%). While 87 percent of coaches reported having a team dentist, the majority reported that the team trainer was responsible for selecting the type of mouthguard used. Most coaches (53%) reported that all players wore mouthguards, but that quarterbacks were least compliant. Most coaches reported that mouthguard rules were beneficial in determining player compliance and resulted in more frequent use. Seventy-four percent would warn the player of a violation themselves, yet only 26 percent felt the coach had the greatest influence on players wearing mouthguards. Seventy-six percent felt the current enforcement of the rules is appropriate. Coaches opinions varied from those of officials. CONCLUSIONS: Coaches view themselves, the players, or the trainer as most responsible for players wearing mouthguards, not referees. This finding coincides with the officials' opinion that the coaches should be accountable.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Attitudes of college football officials regarding NCAA mouthguard regulations and player compliance.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) mandates the use of brightly colored, intraoral mouthguards by football players to reduce the frequency and severity of craniofacial and intraoral morbidity and mortality, and to enhance the ability of officials to observe player compliance. The purpose of this 12-question mail survey was to determine the attitudes of on-field game officials regarding current NCAA mouthguard regulations and patterns of utilization by college football players. The sample consisted of all 50 Big East Football Conference officials; a response rate of 100 percent was achieved. Only 42 percent of the officials reported observing all players in compliance, and quarterbacks were identified by others as the least compliant group (52%). The majority (88%) indicated that the 1990 rule for brightly colored mouthguards had been beneficial to them in determining player compliance, and 52 percent reported that this rule had resulted in more frequent use by these athletes. Nearly all officials (96%) indicated that they would issue a warning for noncompliance to the player or coach, rather than charging a timeout for a violation as prescribed by NCAA regulations. The majority (70%) believe current enforcement is appropriate, but expressed the opinion that coaches should be held more accountable for player compliance.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A new technique for the custom fabrication of mouthguards with photopolymerized urethane diacrylate.

The use of protective mouthguards in athletes has proven to be an effective and inexpensive means of preventing traumatic injuries to the teeth and supporting structures. Of the three general types of mouthguards available currently, the custom-fabricated type is considered superior to stock and mouth-formed protectors. A new technique is introduced for the fabrication of custom-made mouthguards with light-curing urethane diacrylate material.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed1991

Prevention of craniofacial injuries in football.

The evolution of rules and regulations governing the development and use of protective football equipment for the prevention of craniofacial and intraoral traumatic injuries to football players have reduced substantially the occurrence of these injuries. Protective football equipment such as helmets, facemasks, and intraoral mouthguards have undergone numerous developmental changes to improve their effectiveness in preventing traumatic injuries to the head, face, and mouth of participants in football during practice sessions as well as in game situations. Unfortunately, however, some of these types of injuries do continue to occur. Various regulatory agencies and football governing bodies have established quality performance standards for equipment and have enacted rulings for their proper use. Penalties have been assessed for rule infractions to aid in curtailing the misuse of such equipment, as occurs for example, when the helmet is used to spear tackle an opponent or when the facemask is grasped, pulled, or twisted by an opposing player. Dentists can contribute significantly to the overall well-being of their patients who participate in football by providing information and advice regarding the proper use of protective football equipment to prevent craniofacial and intraoral traumatic football-related injuries, by fabricating properly fitted mouthguards as one aspect of their total practice of dentistry, and by providing high-quality and expeditious emergency and long-term treatment subsequent to football-related intraoral traumatic injuries. In addition, dentists can contribute on a larger scale to the overall well-being of football athletes by participating in community service activities such as mouthguard days, as consultants to football teams, as team dentists, or as advisors to those interested in research and development to improve protective football equipment, and to those responsible for sponsoring more stringent regulations for player safety in football.

Football↗
PubMed1991

Techniques for mouthguard fabrication.

The use and efficacy of mouthguards for the prevention of traumatic athletic injuries to the teeth and oral soft tissues as well as in the prevention of concussions should indicate to the athletic community the importance of this piece of protective equipment. By comparison to other athletic equipment, mouthguards are quite inexpensive. The underlying theme is to emphasize that for maximum comfort and protection, every athlete should possess a properly fitted mouthguard fabricated exclusively for the individual by a dentist. The materials and standard techniques used for the fabrication of stock, mouth-formed, and custom-made protectors are described. The characteristics that an ideal mouthguard should possess suggest that custom-formed mouthguards are superior in quality to either the stock or mouth-formed types, although the custom-formed types are more expensive and require the services of a dentist. The development of new dental materials has provided dentists with the opportunity to explore new techniques for the fabrication of custom-made mouthguards. New techniques for photopolymerized urethane diacrylate lipguards and mouthguards have been developed as have adaptations for those athletes who wear fixed orthodontic appliances and those who are partially edentulous. Proper cleaning and storage of all types of mouthguards can prolong the length of service of these protective appliances.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1989

Anatomical considerations for mandibular anesthesia in patients with hemifacial microsomia.

Hemifacial microsomia is a congenital abnormality of the structures derived from the first and second branchial arches. The severity of this disorder is variable and affects the anatomical landmarks essential for establishing the proper pathway for needle insertion prior to deposition of the local anesthetic solution to attain regional mandibular anesthesia preparatory to dental procedures. This paper describes normal anatomical considerations for regional anesthesia in the mandibular arch, deviations in normal anatomy found in patients with hemifacial microsomia, the rationale for suggesting modifications to standard techniques for mandibular anesthesia in patients with this disorder, and presents ways for the dentist to achieve anesthesia (analgesia) on the affected side of the mandibular arch in patients with hemifacial microsomia.

Anesthesia, Dental↗
PubMed1989

Toxicity testing of sealants: a tissue implant study.

The toxicity of pit and fisure sealants implanted into the subcutaneous tissues of guinea pigs was tested using the protocol for toxicity testing derived from the ADA/ANSI Document No. 41, 1982. The materials tested were Delton autopolymerized and photopolymerized, and Concise White autopolymerized and photopolymerized. After two weeks, reactive fibrosis and mild to moderately severe foreign body reactions were noted. After 12 weeks, only thin fibrous walls infiltrated occasionally by small numbers of chronic inflammatory cells were observed. The results of this investigation appear to indicate that following subcutaneous implantation of a pit and fissure sealant, a foreign body reaction will most likely take place during the first two weeks, but will be resolved by 12 weeks. Furthermore, than an initial reactive fibrosis will give way to a thin fibrosis wall by 12 weeks, and the initial inflammatory response will subside. It can also be stated that in this study, Delton and Concise White sealant materials produced similar tissue reactions, and that there were few differences between materials which were autopolymerized or photopolymerized.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of craniomandibular dysfunction in children 6 to 10 years of age with unilateral cleft lip or cleft lip and palate: a clinical diagnostic adjunct.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that a clinical evaluation for craniomandibular dysfunction in children is important for predicting future problems in adults. Because of the dysmorphology inherent in children with clefts, there is potential for craniomandibular dysfunction in many cases. The prevalence of craniomandibular dysfunction in white children with unilateral cleft lip or cleft lip and palate from 6 to 10 years of age was investigated. Thirty children (22 males and eight females) were examined. Craniomandibular dysfunction was detected clinically by the following criteria: mandibular movements; deflection of the mandible on opening; temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds; and muscle and temporomandibular joint tenderness to palpation. Information related to subjective symptoms (headaches, difficulties in opening wide, pain in the temple region, pain in opening wide, pain in chewing, and reported clicking) was collected by interview. The results showed that the prevalence of objective and subjective symptoms was 76.6 and 53.3 percent, respectively. The most frequent symptom was muscle tenderness (60 percent), followed by temporomandibular joint tenderness (26.6 percent), temporomandibular joint sounds (20 percent), and headaches (16.6 percent). Statistically significant differences by cleft type were not found in the prevalence of any objective or subjective symptom. Significant correlation was found only between temporomandibular joint tenderness and muscle tenderness. Because the overall prevalence of symptoms is shown to be high in the sample studied, routine dental examinations of patients with clefts should include an evaluation of the masticating system.

Child↗