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Biomedical subjects

L Ekanayake

Publications and source records attributed to L Ekanayake.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Prevalence and impact of oral pain in 8-year-old children in Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and impact of oral pain in 8-year-old Sri Lankan children and their parents. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using a multistage cluster sampling technique was carried out in a sample of 614 children attending schools in the Education Division of Badulla, Uva province, Sri Lanka. Data were collected by means of a pre-tested questionnaire that was sent to each of the children and their parents. The children were also given an oral examination. Of the 614 questionnaires which were sent to parents, 30 were not returned and eight had to be excluded from the analysis because the respondents had answered only two questions. Therefore, the present analysis is limited to data from 576 children and their parents. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalences of oral pain, as reported by the children and parents, were 49% and 53%, respectively. According to the children's report, 25% had experienced oral pain in the past 2 months while 31% of the parents reported that their child had experienced oral pain within the same period. Of those children who reported that they had experienced oral pain in the past 2 months, nearly 45% stated that the pain was severe. In 48%, the pain was triggered when biting. 'Presence of cavity/decayed tooth' was cited as the most common cause of oral pain (67%). Overall, 74% of children had experienced a negative impact as a result of the pain whilst 66% of the parents said that the child's pain had had an impact on them. Ethnic group, parental income and level of education, and the caries experience of the child were significantly associated with the reporting of oral pain in the past 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of oral pain was high among these children, and had a considerable impact on both the children and their parents.

Child↗
PubMed2005

Tooth loss, the wearing of dentures and associated factors in Sri Lankan older individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To determine tooth loss, wearing of dentures and associated factors in older individuals from Sri Lanka. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey where the data were collected by means of an oral examination and an interviewer administered questionnaire. SETTING: Negambo within the Gampaha district of Sri Lanka. SUBJECTS: A total of 630 subjects who were aged 60 years and above. RESULTS: Only 11 subjects had all 32 teeth and 17% were edentulous. Age, gender and level of income were significantly associated with the number of missing teeth. Of those with missing teeth, 22% wore dentures. Only 16% of the non-denture wearers perceived a need for dentures. Among the non-denture wearers who perceived a need for dentures, a majority had cited 'cost' as the main barrier for obtaining dentures. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age, gender, levels of income and education and missing teeth were significant predictors of wearing of dentures. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of factors that influence tooth loss and wearing of dentures may have implications for oral health care planners in the provision and delivery of oral health services to the older individuals.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2004

The association between clinical oral health status and oral impacts experienced by older individuals in Sri Lanka.

The aim of this study was to determine the association between clinical oral status and oral impacts experienced by older individuals in Sri Lanka. A total of 585 individuals who were above 60 years and were residents of an urban area was selected using a multistage cluster sampling combined with probability proportionate to size technique. However the present analysis is limited to 235 individuals who were subjected to a clinical oral examination. An interviewer administered Sinhala translation of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) scale was used to assess the oral impacts experienced by the sample. An oral examination was carried out following the interview. Of the 235 subjects clinically examined 64 (27%) were edentulous. The associations between clinical parameters and oral impacts were assessed in the 171 dentate subjects. There were positive, weak but significant correlations between the number of missing teeth, the number of teeth with third degree mobility and the OHIP score. Also those who wore dentures and had halitosis had significantly higher OHIP scores than those who did not wear dentures and did not have halitosis. Logistic regression analysis revealed that 'wearing denture' and 'having halitosis' were significant predictors of the OHIP score. In conclusion, there was a weak association between clinical parameters and oral impacts experienced by these older individuals.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Validation of a Sinhalese translation of the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 for use with older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To test the psychometric properties of a Sinhalese translation of the OHIP-14 scale for use among older adults in Sri Lanka. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. The English version of the OHIP-14 was translated in to Sinhalese, pre-tested and subsequently administered to the subjects by a trained interviewer. SETTING: Moratuwa--a densely populated urban area in the Western province of Sri Lanka. SUBJECTS: 585 individuals aged 60 years and above. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reliability of the translated scale was assessed in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was evaluated by examining the associations between perceived oral health status, perceived need for dental care and the OHIP scores. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha of the translated scale was 0.93. Corrected item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.53-0.80. The highly significant associations between perceived oral health status, perceived need for dental care and the OHIP scores support the construct validity of the translated scale. CONCLUSION: The Sinhalese translation of the OHIP-14 is a valid and reliable instrument to measure oral health related quality of life in older adults of Sri Lanka.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Prevalence and distribution of enamel defects and dental caries in a region with different concentrations of fluoride in drinking water in Sri Lanka.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence and distribution of developmental defects of enamel and caries in 14-year-old children who had been lifetime residents in a region with different concentrations of fluoride in drinking water in Sri Lanka. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Uda Walawe--a rural area in southern Sri Lanka where fluoride concentration in ground water is reported to be within the range of 0.05-6.10 mg/l. METHOD: A total of 518 children from six representative schools from this area were examined for developmental defects of enamel and dental caries using the modified DDE index and WHO criteria. The present analysis is limited to 486 children from whom drinking water samples were collected. RESULTS: Based on the fluoride concentration of the drinking water source the children were categorised into four groups: <0.3, 0.31-0.49, 0.5-0.7 and >0.7 mg/l. The prevalence of enamel defects ranged from 29-57% whilst 27-55% of children were affected by diffuse opacities in the four groups. Of the ten teeth examined, between 1.6-3.6 teeth per child were affected by enamel defects. Maxillary first premolars were the most commonly affected by diffuse opacities followed by the maxillary canines. Caries prevalence varied between 18-25% whilst the mean DMFT and DMFS values ranged from 0.29-0.54 and 0.45-0.67 respectively. Occlusal surfaces were the most affected by caries. CONCLUSIONS: The wide differences observed in the prevalence and severity of enamel defects indicate that there are variations in individual response to high fluoride levels in drinking water. It also demonstrates the need to ascertain the factors that could contribute to the prevalence and severity of enamel defects other than high fluoride levels in drinking water.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Dental anxiety in patients seeking care at the University Dental Hospital in Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and factors affecting dental anxiety in patients seeking dental care. DESIGN: A cross sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: 503 first visit patients attending the University Dental Hospital in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. OUTCOME MEASURES: Corah's dental anxiety scale was used to assess the dental anxiety in these patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental anxiety was 32% (DAS score > or = 12) while 12% were considered to be extremely anxious (DAS score > or = 15). Females were found to be more dentally anxious than males. Level of education was associated with dental anxiety. Problem oriented attenders had a significantly higher mean DAS score than regular attenders. Those who had an extraction at the last dental visit were significantly more dentally anxious than those who had a restoration/scaling. Negative dental experience was not associated with dental anxiety. The logistic regression model revealed that gender, level of education and 'fear' which was cited as the reason for the delay in seeking care for the presenting complaint were significant predictors of dental anxiety. However, only 4% of the variation in dental anxiety could be explained by these independent variables. CONCLUSION: Socio-demographic factors and variables related to past dental experiences had a limited influence in explaining dental anxiety in this sample of dental patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Prevalence of oral impacts in a Sinhala-speaking older population in urban Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of oral conditions on the quality of life in an urban older population in Sri Lanka. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study where the data were collected by means of an interviewer-administered questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 585 Sinhala speaking older adults aged 60 years and above who were residents of a densely populated urban area. Of the 585, 475 were living at home and 110 were living in institutions. OUTCOME MEASURES: Psycho-social and functional impacts of oral conditions were assessed using the Sinhalese translation of the OHIP-14 scale. RESULTS: 25% of subjects had experienced one or more impacts due to their oral conditions fairly often or very often during the preceding 6 months. Multiple impacts were reported by 17% of the subjects. The most commonly experienced impact item was "uncomfortable to eat" (17%). The mean OHIP score was 0.8 +/- 1.8. The prevalence of oral impacts and the OHIP scores were significantly associated with age, perceived oral health status, perceived need for dental care and dental visiting patterns. Those who visited a dentist during the past 12 months reported significantly more impacts than those who did not visit. CONCLUSIONS: Oral impacts that affected the quality of life were relatively common in this sample of older individuals.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Needs and demands for dental care in patients attending the University Dental Hospital in Sri Lanka.

AIMS: To determine the needs and demands for dental care in patients visiting a university dental hospital. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of first visit patients. SETTING: The University Dental Hospital in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 849 first visit patients. METHODS: The main complaint of each patient was recorded and was considered as a measure of demand for dental care. Tooth based and orthodontic treatment needs were assessed using the WHO basic methods. Periodontal treatment need was assessed by the periodontal treatment needs system. Need for prosthetic care was also assessed. RESULTS: Thirty per cent and 23% of patients demanded treatment for decayed teeth and toothache respectively. Nearly 34%, 27% and 17% of patients needed surgical, restorative and periodontal care respectively for the main complaint. Of those seeking care, 94% needed treatment other than what was required for the main complaint. The predominant normative treatment need was for periodontal care (77%) whilst 47% needed restorations or extractions. CONCLUSION: Normative needs of patients demanding treatment were high and many had demanded treatment before acute symptoms had developed. However, delays in seeking care were evident. Further studies are needed to identify factors for delay in obtaining care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Patterns and factors affecting dental utilisation among adolescents in Sri Lanka.

AIM: To determine the patterns and factors affecting dental utilisation by adolescents in Sri Lanka. DESIGN: The information was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: Ten randomly selected secondary schools. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 492 Year 11 students of which 257 were from urban and 235 were from rural schools. RESULTS: Sixty one per cent of the rural and 54% of the urban students had used dental services. There was a significant difference in the care providers and the types of treatment received at the previous visit between the urban and the rural students. A majority of students in both groups utilised dental services for symptomatic reasons. According to logistic regression analysis, those students who had received advice about oral health were 1.9 times more likely to have used dental services than those who had not received advice. Also, female students were 1.5 times more likely to have used dental services than males. CONCLUSIONS: Utilisation of dental services was low in adolescents and was mainly related to symptomatic reasons. Gender, perceived need and whether the adolescents had received information about oral health were significant predictors of utilisation of dental services by adolescents in Sri Lanka.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Decompression sickness: recovery after delayed recompression.

Two patients with Type II decompression sickness with good recovery following delayed recompression therapy are described. These are the first two cases of successful recompression therapy for this diving hazard to be reported in Sri Lanka. The risks taken by Sri Lankan divers and prevention of diving related medical disorders are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in areas with differing water fluoride levels and socio-economic groups in Sri Lanka and England.

Defects of dental enamel were recorded in 607 12-year-old children in Sri Lanka and north-east England in 1990/91. In each country, children were included from areas which received drinking water containing 0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 ppm F. In some of these areas, children from both low and high socio-economic groups were examined. The index of Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) was recorded clinically for the undried buccal surfaces of 10 permanent teeth (maxillary incisors, canines and first premolars, and mandibular first molars). The results revealed a higher prevalence of enamel defects and more teeth affected per person in children in: the high socio-economic group than in the low socio-economic group in the 1.0 ppm F area in England: in the 1.0 ppm F area than in the 0.1 ppm F area in Sri Lanka (in the low socio-economic groups), and in the 1.0 ppm F area than in the 0.1 ppm F area in England (in the high socio-economic groups but not in the low socio-economic groups): in general in Sri Lanka than in England. The occurrence of diffuse opacities increased greatly with increasing water fluoride level. A high prevalence of hypoplastic lesions was recorded in Sri Lanka.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Urinary fluoride excretion in 4-year-old children in Sri Lanka and England.

Urine was collected over 24 h from children aged 4 years in Sri Lanka and England. Fifty-three children were from Dambulla, Sri Lanka, and 44 from Newcastle, England, both localities receiving drinking water containing 0.8-1.1 mgF/l. Urine volume was measured immediately after the 24-hour collection and samples of the collection from each child were frozen for transportation prior to 'blind' analysis in one laboratory for fluoride content. The mean 24-hour urine volumes were 504 ml (SD 198) in Sri Lanka and 449 ml (SD 196) in England (p = 0.17). The mean F concentrations were 1.19 ppm (SD 0.63) in Sri Lanka and 1.02 ppm (SD 0.42) in England (p = 0.12). The mean weights of fluoride excreted were 0.55 mgF/day (SD 0.30) in Sri Lanka and 0.42 mgF/day (SD 0.19) in England (p = 0.009). The distributions of weight of fluoride excreted were also dissimilar in shape between the two countries. The extent to which these small differences in fluoride excretion in urine reflect differences in fluoride intake needs to be investigated.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1993

Distribution of developmental defects of enamel on ten tooth surfaces in children aged 12 years living in areas receiving different water fluoride levels in Sri Lanka and England.

The prevalence of enamel defects on ten tooth surfaces per subject was recorded in 1990/91 in 12-year-old children living in areas which received drinking water containing either 0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 ppm F, in Sri Lanka and in England. In some communities, children of high and low socioeconomic groups were included. The teeth included were: 46, 14, 13, 12, 11, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 36; buccal surfaces only were examined. One examiner examined all the children under natural light using the modified DDE index (Clarkson and O'Mullane, 1989). Teeth were not especially cleaned or dried. A 10 per cent re-examination of subjects indicated that examiner reproducibility was good. Data were presented for 547 subjects (168 in Sri Lanka and 379 in England). While the maxillary central incisors were affected most often in England and in the 0.1 ppm F area in Sri Lanka, this was not the case in the 0.5 and 1.0 ppm F areas in Sri Lanka where prevalence was highest in premolar and canine teeth. Demarcated and diffuse opacities predominated in the 1.0 ppm F areas in both countries, while hypoplastic lesions were prevalent in Sri Lanka in the 0.1 and 0.5 ppm F areas, especially in maxillary incisor teeth. Nearly half the lesions extended to more than one-third of the tooth surface in the 1.0 ppm F areas. The findings indicate that maxillary canine and premolar teeth are affected much more in high fluoride areas in Sri Lanka and it is suggested that this may be due to their later development relative to incisors and first molars.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Assessment of enamel opacities in children in Sri Lanka and England using a photographic method.

Colour photographs were taken of the labial surface of both maxillary central incisor teeth of children aged 12 years, living in Sri Lanka and England. In each country, children were included who lived in communities receiving drinking water containing 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 ppm F, and within these communities children were classed as high or low socio-economic (SE) status. The photographs were examined 'blind' by two examiners independently. These pertained to 670 children, 332 in Sri Lanka and 338 in England. The index of Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) was used, as modified by Clarkson and O'Mullane (1989), to measure type and extent of opacity. Intra- and inter-examiner agreement was substantial. Prevalence of opacities ranged from about a quarter of teeth in the 0.1 ppm F area in Sri Lanka to over 60 per cent of teeth in the high socio-economic group in the 1.0 ppm F area in England. Higher prevalences of opacities were recorded in: (1) the high SE group than the low SE group in the 1.0 ppm F area in England, (2) the 1.0 ppm F area than in the 0.1 ppm F area in both countries, (3) in Sri Lanka than in England in low SE groups in the 1.0 ppm F areas. The greatest differences occurred in diffuse opacities. When these data were compared with results of clinical examinations of these same tooth-surfaces by one examiner (n = 506) more teeth were graded 'normal' clinically and more teeth graded as having opacities photographically. Both demarcated and diffuse opacities were scored more frequently from photographs than clinically in both countries.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Protein filaments may initiate the assembly of the Bacillus subtilis spore coat.

The Bacillus subtilis spore coat consists of three morphological layers: a diffuse undercoat, a striated inner coat and a densely staining outer coat. These layers are comprised of at least 15 polypeptides and the absence of one in particular, CotE, had extensive pleiotropic effects. Only a partial inner coat was present on the spores which were lysozyme-sensitive. The initial rate of germination of these spores was the same as for the wild type but the overall optical density decrease was greater apparently due to the loss of the incomplete spore coat from germinated spores. Suppressors of the lysozyme-sensitive phenotype had some outer coat proteins restored as well as some novel minor polypeptides. These spores still lacked an undercoat and germinated as did those produced by the cotE deletion strain. The CotE protein was synthesized starting at stage II-III of sporulation, long before the appearance of the coat on spores at stage IV-V. Despite its apparent hydrophilic properties, this protein was present in the crude insoluble fraction from sporulating cells. CotE was not solubilized by high or low ionic strength buffers not by detergents used for the solubilization of membrane proteins. Either 8 M urea or 6 M guanidine HC1 was required and dialysis against a low ionic strength buffer resulted in aggregation into long, sticky filaments. Both the CotE and CotT spore coat proteins appeared to be necessary for the formation of these filaments. Each of these proteins contains sequences related to a bovine intermediate filament protein so their interaction could result in an analogous structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dental caries and developmental defects of enamel in relation to fluoride levels in drinking water in an arid area of Sri Lanka.

The study was conducted to assess caries and developmental defects of enamel in relation to fluoride levels in drinking water and the association between caries experience and the severity of diffuse opacities in children living in Uda Walawe, an area with varying concentrations of fluoride in drinking water in Sri Lanka. A total of 518 14-year-old children who were lifelong residents in this area were examined for dental caries and developmental defects of enamel. But the present analysis is confined to 486 children from whom drinking water samples were collected. The prevalence of enamel defects and diffuse opacities ranged from 27 to 57% while the prevalence of caries ranged from 18 to 29% in the different fluoride exposure groups. The prevalence of enamel defects increased significantly with the increase in the fluoride level in drinking water. Both the caries prevalence and the mean caries experience were significantly higher in children with diffuse opacities than in those without in the group consuming water containing >0.70 mg/l of fluoride. The association between dental caries and the severity of diffuse opacities was also significant only in this group. Children with the mildest form of opacities (DDE scores 3 and 4) had the lowest DMFS (0.25 +/- 0.7), and the highest DMFS (1.1 +/- 1.7) was found in those with the most severe form of opacities (DDE score 6). In conclusion, the relationship that was observed in this study between fluoride levels in drinking water, diffuse opacities and caries suggests that the appropriate level of fluoride in drinking water for arid areas of Sri Lanka is around 0.3 mg/l. Also individuals with severe forms of enamel defects in high-fluoride areas are susceptible to dental caries.

Adolescent↗