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Biomedical subjects

M E Curzon

Publications and source records attributed to M E Curzon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

A comparative study on methods of measuring mesiodistal tooth diameters for interceptive orthodontic space analysis.

AIM: This study was designed to find the most reliable method of measurement of mesiodistal tooth diameter. METHODS: Measurements were made of all erupted permanent teeth of 14 orthodontic study casts. These measurements were made directly by using A) a digital calliper, B) measuring photocopies of casts with a calliper, C) a Magiscan Image Analysis using a photocopy of the casts. Measurements derived from the two methods were compared by statistical analysis. RESULTS: These showed that the electronic digital calliper was the most reliable method of measuring mesiodistal tooth diameter using dental study casts. The measurement of photocopies was unreliable and the image analysis method had a too high error factor.

Copying Processes↗
PubMed2002

Association of salivary Streptococcus mutans with caries in young children: effect of dental health education on salivary levels.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of a long-term dental health education (DHE) for mothers with young children on the level of salivary Streptococci mutans (SM) and their association with caries in young children. METHODS: A randomly selected cohort of 228 children born between 1 January and 30 September 1995, in a low socioeconomic high caries suburb of Leeds (UK), was divided into the following groups: A) DHE focused on diet; B) DHE focused on oral hygiene instruction (OHI) using fluoride toothpaste; C) DHE by a combined diet and OHI message. DHE was given using an interview and counselling for at least 15 minutes in each child's home, every three months for the first two years and twice a year in the third year of the study. A fourth group D was given diet and OHI, at home, but once a year only. The children in a fifth group E (control), received no DHE and were never visited, but examined at three years of age only. All children and mothers were examined for caries using the BASCD criteria. The levels of salivary SM were determined by sampling of bacteria from the oral cavity with a 1.8 cm wide wooden spatula, after giving the mother a paraffin pellet to chew for a minute and in children using unstimulated saliva. Bacteria were plated out and counted using image analysis for counting colonies. RESULTS: At three years of age the difference in the level of salivary SM between groups was not statistically significant. However, in group E there was a statistically significant relationship (p<0.05) between salivary SM and caries in children. CONCLUSION: The difference in the level of salivary SM between groups given various programs of dental health education was not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant (p<0.05) relationship between salivary MS and caries in children.

Clinical Trial↗
PubMed2002

A clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of a three-headed versus a conventional toothbrush for oral hygiene in children.

AIM: The study was designed to compare the efficacy of the Superbrush three-headed with a conventional brush for oral hygiene in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was 78 children attending three primary schools in Leeds (UK). The clinical trial consisted of a single blind, randomized, four visits, crossover and single use toothbrush design. Subjects were randomized to one of two test groups (A and B). The 16-week trial consisted of four visits with a washout period of four weeks between the second and third visits. Both brushes were used with a horizontal mini-scrubbing strokes technique. Plaque scores were recorded at each visit using the Quigley and Hein Plaque Index as modified by Turesky et al. [1970]. RESULTS: Using a paired t-test the results from the outcome measures of the four visits indicated that buccally the conventional brush was superior in plaque removal to the three- headed brush, lingually there was no difference between brushes. Although over-all plaque removal was similar for both brushes, 85% of the children preferred the Superbrush. CONCLUSION: Significant improvements in plaque removal in children can be achieved following good tooth brushing instructions regardless of the design of toothbrush used.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Modern methods for assessing the cariogenic and erosive potential of foods.

Assessment of the acidogenic and cariogenic erosive potential of foods requires the use of reproducible and standardised methods. The methodology laid down at the San Antonio conference in 1985 remain today the basis for research on and the testing of foods. The 1999 workshop has updated the appropriate methodology and introduced guidelines on the testing of erosive potential of foods. It is to be hoped that researchers wishing to evaluate foods and their effect on the teeth will continue to use these methods.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Effectiveness on oral health of a long-term health education programme for mothers with young children.

AIM: To determine the effect of dental health education (DHE) on caries incidence in infants, through regular home visits by trained DH Educators over a period of 3 years. METHOD: A randomly selected cohort of 228 children born between 1st January and 30th September 1995, in a low socioeconomic/high caries suburb of Leeds (UK) were divided into the following groups: A) DHE focused on diet; B) DHE focused on oral hygiene instruction (OHI) using fluoride toothpaste; and C) DHE by a combined diet and OHI message. DHE was given using an interview and counselling for at least 15 minutes at home every 3 months for the first 2 years and twice a year in the third year of the study. A fourth group D was given diet and OHI, at home, once a year only. All children and mothers were examined for caries and oral hygiene. A fifth group E (control) received no DHE and were never visited but examined at 3 years of age only. RESULTS: In the groups of children visited regularly only two developed caries and three had gingivitis (all in group A). In group E, however, 33% of children had caries and nine (16%) had gingivitis. The differences in caries levels and caries risk factors between study and control groups were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Mothers of the study groups also showed an improvement in their own levels of gingivitis, debris and calculus scores by the second and third examinations (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Regular home visits to mothers with infants, commencing at or soon after the time of the eruption of the first deciduous teeth, was shown to be effective in preventing the occurrence of nursing caries.

Bottle Feeding↗
PubMed1998

Dental erosion associated with the use of 'alcopop'--a case report.

A case of dental erosion caused by excessive consumption of alcoholic soft drinks is described. The low pH of the drinks and associated vomiting can cause substantial damage to the dentition. There are no reported cases in the literature of erosion caused by the use of these drinks, and with their increasing popularity it is important that the dental profession is made aware of the possible dental implications relating to their consumption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Gastroesophageal reflux in children and its relationship to erosion of primary and permanent teeth.

Gastroesophageal reflux (GOR) is often a self-limiting condition but nevertheless is a common cause of morbidity in childhood. Studies of adult patients with hiatus hernias and GOR have suggested that there is an increased incidence of dental erosion in these individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dental erosion and GOR in children. Fifty-three children aged 2 to 16 yr (mean 4.9 yr) with moderate to severe GOR, defined by pH monitoring, were examined for dental erosion. A questionnaire investigating dietary habits, other relevant medical conditions, and erosion risk factors was also completed. Results showed that the prevalence of dental erosion was low, when compared with the UK National Survey, with only 9 (17%) children showing any signs of erosion, and of these only one had erosion involving dentine. These results suggest that dental erosion may not be as great a problem in children with GOR as it is in adults. It may be that refluxing is limited to the oesophagus, and further work is needed to investigate those children that positively reflux into the mouth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Do we still care about children's teeth?

The level of care for children over the past 5 years has become bimodal, with most children with low levels of dental caries having good maintenance care, but those with moderate to high caries receiving significantly poorer care. Capitation has led to supervised neglect for many children who develop dental decay. This is not at all unexpected considering the general lack of concern by the government and public dental services and the fact that the level of payment of GDPs is such that they cannot afford to treat children. The problems of the dental care of children in the UK are compounded by the lack of specialist paediatric dentists for the more difficult patient.

Capitation Fee↗
PubMed1997

Dental parameters in the long-term survivors of childhood cancer compared with siblings.

There have been a number of reports on the dental health of long-term survivors (LTS) of childhood malignancy as compared with normal controls. However, it is usually difficult to identify a meaningful control population as most of these patients are from widely differing geographical areas and socio-economic status. The aim of this investigation was, therefore, to study the dental health of LTS compared with siblings. 46 LTS who had siblings of a similar age were identified for the study. Both groups were examined for dental caries, gingivitis and enamel defects. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean DMFS of the test and control groups. However, the LTS had a significantly (P = 0.006) higher number of decayed surfaces (1.50 +/- 0.30) as compared with their siblings (0.50 +/- 0.20). The LTS also had a significantly higher prevalence of severe gingivitis (1.11 +/- 0.33) compared with controls (0.02 +/- 0.02). There was a significantly higher prevalence of all types of enamel defects in the LTS and fewer teeth with no enamel defect as compared with their siblings, with the mean values being 15.7 +/- 0.9 and 25.3 +/- 0.3, respectively. It was concluded that there was a higher prevalence of untreated dental disease and developmental defects in long-term survivors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The effect of different concentrations of sugars in two foods (yoghurts and baked beans) on plaque pH.

The effect of different concentrations of sugars in two foods (strawberry yoghurt and baked beans) on plaque acidogenicity was investigated using plaque sampling with a 'Beetrode' electrode. Six varieties of yoghurt, four varieties of baked beans and positive and negative control solutions of 10 per cent sucrose and sorbitol, respectively, were tested on six volunteers, selected according to the guidelines agreed at the San Antonio Conference of 1985. Plaque was harvested immediately before a one minute challenge with the test condition and at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes thereafter. Parameters investigated were minimum plaque pH reached after a one minute consumption/rinse of the test food or control solution, maximum drop in plaque pH and 'area of the Stephan curve below pH 6.5'. An Acidogenic Potential Index was calculated for each test food and the results did not suggest a linear relationship between sucrose concentration in a food and acidogenic potential.

Acids↗
PubMed1997

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↗
PubMed1996

Postgraduate training for specialisation.

With the prospect of changes brought about through the Mouatt Report and the European Union, calls for a more flexible approach to teaching dentistry are being made. This article describes a postgraduate dental education system that involves modules and credits set up at the University of Leeds. The new system moves away from the more traditional methods of educating post-graduate students.

Credentialing↗
PubMed1996

The prevalence of malocclusion in children with cerebral palsy.

The prevalence of malocclusion in children with cerebral palsy was studied by comparison with a normal control group. The prevalence of drooling and prematurity was also assessed as well as the degree of mental handicap. Results showed an increased prevalence of malocclusion in children with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsied children are likely to have a significantly increased overjet (P < 0.001) when compared with normal children. The comparatively small sample sizes precluded firm conclusions being drawn regarding other group comparisons (such as comparing children with cerebral palsy with and without a mental handicap) but there may be a tendency towards the more handicapped group having a Class II malocclusion.

Adolescent↗