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Biomedical subjects

K J Fairbrother

Publications and source records attributed to K J Fairbrother.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Perceptions of general dental practitioners of a local secondary care service in restorative dentistry.

AIM: A major role of the hospital based secondary care service in restorative dentistry is to accept referrals in order to formulate treatment plans. The aim of this survey was to improve service provision at Newcastle Dental Hospital by establishing baseline quality perceptions from referring general dental practitioners (GDPs). METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to 393 randomly selected local GDPs, with a response rate of 67%. RESULTS: Results indicated great demand for advice and treatment which was higher than expected for temporomandibular joint problems. 42% of GDPs felt that treatment plans were not helpful and the period of waiting for a response following consultation too long. The reasons for this perception are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The need for better communication between primary and secondary care was highlighted, as was the distinct preference of GDPs for hospital consultants rather than registered specialist practitioners to carry out specialist treatment.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

New approach for making accurate cross sections of casts.

This article describes a new procedure for producing cross sections of a cast, a denture, or an impression and a method of presenting the results in graphic form to show variance. To test the method, identically colored, duplicate dentures were embedded in plaster blocks formed from a precisely engineered and calibrated brass box. A modified jig and saw allowed the plaster blocks to be positioned, held, and sectioned at any required location with a high degree of accuracy. The sectioned surfaces of the duplicate dentures were scanned. The resultant profiles were registered in location frames on the computer screen, traced by computer to produce outlines, and printed onto transparent film for the purpose of comparison. In vitro results showed the relationship between congruent outer forms and provided clear visual evidence of the accuracy of the procedure used and a way to further in vivo use.

Calcium Sulfate↗

Anticalculus agents.

Most dentifrices and some mouthrinses now contain 1 or more active anticalculus agents to achieve so-called tartar control. The aim of this article is to review the research associated with the development of anticalculus agents and to evaluate in some detail, the efficacy of those agents which are currently available in dentifrice products.

Dental Calculus↗

[The role of sensitivity of oral hygiene indices in the selection of proper methodology of plaque-control clinical studies].

UNLABELLED: A double blind split-pilot study was carried out to test the potential increase in sensitivity of the Quigley and Hein (Turesky modification) plaque index using a six site recording technique against the two site technique in assessing the antiplaque effects of dentifrices. The study also evaluated the impact of asking the subjects not to brush their teeth the morning of the evaluations versus those who where hot given these instruction. The results indicated that the triclosan containing dentifrice had a significant anti-plaque effect over the placebo at 3 weeks when using both two (p = 0.003) and six (p = 0.002) sited plaque assessment methods. However the six-sited index demonstrated the greater efficacy for the active dentifrice. At six weeks no statistically significant difference between the two dentifrices was seen. The instruction of subjects not to brush before the plaque evaluation increased the mean plaque scores as well as the treatment effect at any time. IN CONCLUSION: The six-sited plaque index increased the sensitivity of the index in determining the anti-plaque efficacy of dentifrices, as well as indicating that instructing subjects not to brush preceding their plaque evaluations also increases sensitivity for determining anti-plaque efficacy of dentifrices.

Adult↗

The comparative clinical efficacy of pyrophosphate/triclosan, copolymer/triclosan and zinc citrate/triclosan dentifrices for the reduction of supragingival calculus formation.

Three triclosan-containing "multi-benefit" dentifrices were compared for clinical efficacy in reducing supragingival calculus formation following a dental prophylaxis. A total of 544 subjects completed a double-blind parallel-group clinical study using the Volpe-Manhold Index (VMI) to record severity and occurrence of supragingival calculus. The study design included a pre-test period where the calculus formation rate was measured in subjects brushing with a placebo dentifrice. Following a prophylaxis, subjects were stratified for age, gender and VMI scores and assigned to one of four treatments: 1) a dentifrice containing 5.0% soluble pyrophosphate/0.145% fluoride as NaF/silica abrasive/0.28% triclosan (hereafter PPi/TCS-comparable to Crest Complete dentifrice, Procter & Gamble, UK); 2) a commercial dentifrice containing 2.0% Gantrez acid copolymer/ 0.145% fluoride as NaF/silica abrasive/0.30% triclosan (hereafter Gan/TCS-Colgate Total dentifrice, Colgate-Palmolive Company, UK); 3) a commercial dentifrice containing 0.5% zinc citrate trihydrate/0.15% fluoride as sodium monofluorophosphate/silica abrasive/0.20% triclosan (hereafter Zn/TCS-Mentadent P dentifrice, Unilever, UK); and 4) a control dentifrice comprised of 0.145% fluoride as NaF/silica abrasive (hereafter Control). Subjects were instructed to use their assigned dentifrice at least twice per day and to brush as they do normally. Supragingival calculus formation was assesed at two and four months using site-specific and whole-mouth VMI indices for both calculus severity and occurrence. Following four months of use, the PPi/TCS dentifrice provided statistically significant reductions in calculus severity (22-23%) and occurrence (15%) as compared with the Control dentifrice. The Zn/TCS dentifrice also provided significant reductions in calculus severity (17-19%) and occurrence (12-13%) as compared with the Control. The Gan/TCS produced no statistically significant reductions in calculus formation (occurrence or severity) compared with the Control. The PPi/TCS dentifrice provided statistically significant reductions in calculus severity (15-21%) and occurrence (12-16%) as compared with the Gan/TCS dentifrice. These results support the clinical effectiveness of PPi/TCS and Zn/TCS dentifrices for the reduction of supragingival dental calculus formation following a dental prophylaxis.

Adolescent↗