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Biomedical subjects

P Alanen

Publications and source records attributed to P Alanen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Association between craniomandibular disorders and occlusal interferences in children.

The association between clinical signs of craniomandibular disorders (CMD) and occlusal interferences was studied longitudinally in two cohorts of children, 5 and 10 years of age at baseline, representing the nonpatient population. They were followed up for 5 years. The range of active participants was 96 to 106 in the younger group, and 64 to 74 in the older group. The subjects were seen annually for registration of signs of CMD and for the presence of interferences, and for a real or placebo occlusal adjustment. The double-blind study design was applied. Baseline data showed no association between the variables studied; parts of data from second and third examinations disclosed significant associations; and fourth, fifth and sixth examinations disclosed a consistent pattern of significant associations.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Remarks on the use of some basic epidemiological concepts in dentistry.

Scientific concepts do not emerge and develop in a vacuum but in the context in which they are used. Many concepts in epidemiology have their roots in destinal general infectious diseases that occur only once in one's life. The use of many epidemiological concepts varies greatly, even within medicine. Diseases such as dental caries, gingivitis and periodontitis cannot easily be described using concepts such as prevalence, incidence or risk, without creating confusion. The concepts sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive value can also easily lead to misunderstandings. Clarifications regarding the use of these concepts in dentistry are suggested.

Dentistry↗
PubMed1989

Association between craniomandibular disorders and occlusal interferences.

No theoretical model explaining craniomandibular disorders has been generally accepted, despite the large number of studies on its etiology. This article suggests that one reason for the lack of a well-structured causal explanation could be associated with the study design most often used: cross-sectional studies of samples representative of a base population. Variation in the number of interferences was increased among the subjects by eliminating occlusal interferences annually in the treatment group (n = 53). The control group (n = 46) underwent placebo treatment. A double-blind design was used throughout the 3-year study. A cross-sectional analysis in the third year disclosed a significant association between the number of interferences and the signs of craniomandibular disorders. The results suggest that the absence of interference-free subjects in nonselected samples can be one explanation for the lack of association reported in most studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Long-term effect of xylitol chewing gum on dental caries.

About 85% (n = 269) of the subjects who participated in the Ylivieska follow-up studies on the effect of xylitol chewing gum on dental caries during 1982-84 or 1982-85 were re-examined in 1987 for the analysis of possible long-term preventive effects. Further caries reduction was found 2 or 3 yr after the discontinuation of the use of xylitol. The effect was especially marked in girls; the reduction in caries increment in the post-use years was 60% for the 2-yr users, suggesting that more pronounced caries reduction was associated with the most regular use of xylitol. In teeth erupting during the first year of the use of xylitol gum the long-term preventive effect was greater than in other teeth. Several explanations are suggested: lasting effect of the microbiological changes in the mouth, bacterial colonization on newly erupted teeth by organisms other than S. mutans, and/or thorough maturation of the teeth under favorable physico-chemical circumstances. The results suggest that the value of xylitol in caries prevention depends on the timing of the treatment in relation to the development of the dentition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Right-left asymmetry of maximum jaw opening.

According to several studies on human populations, the mandible deviates on opening significantly more often to the left than to the right. An association between the asymmetry of opening and handedness has been suggested. The present study of 143 left-handed Finnish conscripts showed no significant difference from the asymmetry reported for populations unselected for handedness. It was concluded that the opening asymmetry and handedness are not associated. The asymmetry proved also to be unassociated with the side of first unilateral tooth contact on guided hinge closure, with the side of palpatory tenderness of the muscles of mastication, and with the side of temporomandibular joint sounds.

Dental Occlusion↗
PubMed1989

Urinary mercury concentrations in Finnish dentists.

During the past few years the safety of amalgam as a dental filling material has been the subject of general public discussion. So far there has been no agreement of whether micromercurialism, a term for the symptoms caused by minute amounts of mercury released from dental fillings, exists or not. Dentists may take mercury into their bodies from amalgam in their dental fillings and from handling it while working. We therefore included determination of urinary mercury concentrations in a comprehensive medical examination programme involving 136 dentists from South-Western Finland. We investigated factors possibly related to observed levels of mercury. The factor most closely related to high urinary mercury levels was use of amalgam by the dentist. Dentists who did not use amalgam had urinary mercury concentrations similar to those in Finns not occupationally exposed to mercury. Their "normal" excretion of mercury into the urine reflected the numbers of their dental fillings made from amalgam. The urinary concentrations of mercury of the dentists who used amalgam in their work were statistically highly significantly elevated. None of the values observed was close to the upper level for safety set by the WHO. However, since only one dentist in eight who used amalgam in their work had urinary mercury levels similar to those in Finns non-exposed to mercury at work, our findings suggest that every dentist should constantly take due care when using amalgam.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Xylitol chewing gum in caries prevention: a field study in children.

As the prevalence of dental caries decreases in industrialized nations like the United States, it simultaneously increases in developing nations and Third World countries. The decrease in the West is attributed to increased use of fluorides, but the increase in developing countries has been explained by an increase in the consumption of sugar. As this information continues to propel researchers to find sucrose substitutes, xylitol has been singled out as a proposed sucrose replacement. The question tackled by this study was: Can the daily use of chewing gum containing xylitol increase the efficacy of the existing caries-preventive measures now regularly used for 11- to 15-year-old children in most industrialized western countries?

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Association of functional state of stomatognathic system with mobility of cervical spine and neck muscle tenderness.

Clinical signs of craniomandibular disorder, the mobility of the cervical spine, and neck-shoulder muscle tenderness were assessed or measured in a nonpatient sample of 57 and a patient sample of 76 subjects. Examinations performed after a 1-year interval showed that the frequency of signs of craniomandibular disorder had remained virtually unchanged. The functional state of the stomatognathic system was significantly associated with both mobility of the cervical spine and neck-shoulder muscle tenderness.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Oral health of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Oral health, the amount of salivary Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli, and the flow rate, pH and buffer capacity of paraffin-stimulated whole saliva were analyzed in 35 adult diabetic patients and their age- and sex-matched non-diabetic, clinically healthy controls. All patients had insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) with a mean (+/- SD) duration of 14.0 +/- 9.1 yr. The prevalence of dental caries was as high in the diabetic group as in the controls but the past caries experience was remarkably lower in those individuals whose diabetes had started at a very early age (less than or equal to 7 yr). In agreement with the clinical data, the salivary levels of cariogenic microorganisms were of the same order of magnitude in both study groups. However, the relative proportion of S. mutans from the total cultivable aerobic microflora was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in diabetics compared to the controls. The other studied salivary parameters did not differ between the groups. Remarkable individual differences were observed in the correlation between glucose levels of blood and whole saliva among diabetics. In spite of the noncariogenic dietary habits, the adult diabetic patients seem to be at least as susceptible to dental caries as non-diabetics, probably due to the leakage of glucose from blood into the oral cavity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Association between tooth loss and TMJ dysfunction.

An analysis of the distribution of tooth losses in 521 subjects having lost one to fourteen teeth, disclosed a statistically significant association between the loss of maxillary first premolar and the presence of TMJ dysfunction. The association was evident on both sides. Maxillary first premolars have earlier been shown to contact prematurely on hinge closure more often than the other teeth. The loss of other teeth seemed independent of the functional state of the stomatognathic system. It is suggested that TMJ dysfunction may predispose to the loss of the maxillary first premolar by direct trauma to the tooth and/or by speeding up periodontitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Effect of war-time dietary changes on dental health of Finns 40 years later.

During the Second World War the incidence of dental caries diminished due to reduced sugar consumption. It is possible that this reduction was more permanent in those age cohorts whose teeth erupted during the war because the teeth had an opportunity to mature before the caries attack. The aim of our study was to establish whether this reduction could still be demonstrated 40 yr after the war. The material consisted of consecutive age cohorts born in 1922-48 from the large Mini-Finland Oral Health Survey representing Finnish adults aged 30 yr or over in 1979. The results showed a systematic difference in the number of caries free premolars and second molars between the age cohort born in 1931-33 and the younger and older age groups in favor of the group 1931-33, indicating that the first years after eruption may have had a long-term effect on the health of the teeth.

Adult↗