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Biomedical subjects

P J Fos

Publications and source records attributed to P J Fos.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The risk of falling in the elderly: a subjective approach.

Accidental injury resulting from falling is the leading cause of death in the elderly population. In fact, 11% of the nation's annual injury deaths occur in this age group. A significant number of accidental deaths occur in resident institutions. A short-term risk index was constructed and validated for the purpose of predicting the risk of a fall in an elderly institutionalized population. The risk index was developed from expert insights, using Bayesian inference. A group of experts identified major risk factors that influence the chance of a fall and provided estimates of the impacts of the identified risk factors. Identification of risk factors, elicitation of experts' insights, construction of the subjective risk index, and validation of the index are discussed.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Benefit of formal analysis in the sale of a dental practice.

Although many practice administration decisions involve everyday operations, some, such as the sale of a dental practice, are unique. This paper presents discussion of the complexities inherent in this problem and a method with which to approach it. Concepts of decision analysis are employed to aid in the selection of a selling price, as well as accounting for the uncertainty involved in evaluating prospective buyers. A decision-tree diagram is used to fully represent the decision problem and to illustrate possible decision options.

Decision Support Techniques↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The study of caries prevalence in children in a developing country.

This study has shown that prevalence of dental caries in a rural section of a developing country is related to age, socioeconomic status, and specific location. Caries prevalence is also directly correlated with family consumption of sugar. No correlation could be found, however, with regard to sex. Further study should be conducted on the relationship of individual practices (sugar consumption and hygiene) to caries-prevalence. In particular, data could be collected on practices in the communities where the school surveys were conducted in order to define the factors underlying the high prevalence of caries in some and lower prevalence in the others. The fluoride levels in the drinking water and the possible effect of hypoplasia on caries-prevalence in primary teeth are topics for further research. The latter condition should be investigated to determine the cause of its high prevalence, which might be an important consideration in future dental health interventions. Dental health education should be directed as soon as possible to communities, such as those in this study, where dental caries prevalence and sugar consumption are still low. It is usually more successful to encourage the adoption of new behaviors and attitudes or redirect them in a similar direction than to ask people to give up a valued behavior. In this situation, it would be preferable to encourage continuation and effective use of traditional hygiene methods and the current low levels of sugar consumption than to wait until sugar consumption is likely to become entrenched at high levels and traditional hygiene practices abandoned.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of fluoride on dental caries reduction by means of a community water supply.

A study of 200 children, patients of the City of New Orleans Health Department Bureau, was made to determine the effects of a fluoridated water supply (the Mississippi River) on their caries experience. Results show that drinking water is a very cost-effective vehicle of fluoride administration, and that a fluoridated community water supply does indeed reduce the numbers of caries lesions and extractions.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An alternative approach to prevention: computer-assisted patient education.

Computer-assisted instruction is a reliable, viable, and increasingly popular method for patient education. CAI programs are easy to use, nonintimidating to the patient, and enjoyable. CAI is a relatively new, but effective method of "spreading the word" to those who most desperately need the information. As technology advances, more computer-based patient education programs will become available to the dental health-care profession. The computer based education center will become a useful and integral component of the dental office of the future.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗