Biomedical subjects

R C Graves

Publications and source records attributed to R C Graves.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1979

Effectiveness of combined preventive methods on erupting teeth in children in a fluoridated community.

Several preventive methods were used in combination to reduce dental caries in children residing in a fluoridated area. The method included dental health education, prophylaxis, pit and fissure sealants, topical fluoride and restorative care. Prophylaxis, sealant and fluoride procedures were repeated every 6 months. Sealant was applied to all fully erupted caries free posterior teeth in the mouth. This report compares results obtained for teeth that erupted after the study began with those teeth that were already present at the time treatment procedures were applied. Percent reductions in caries increment for newly erupted teeth at the end of 3 years for treated 6th graders was 77.5% in DMFT and 79.2% DMFS as compared to 71% and 58.3% for previously erupted teeth. Results for children in 1st grade did not how such beneficial results. Permanent first molars in younger children appear to be highly susceptible to caries. Sealant retention for newly erupted teeth follows the same pattern as for teeth previously erupted.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Pattern of sealant retention in children receiving a combination of caries-preventive methods: three-year results.

Sealant retention varied according to site of the tooth. Figures for intact sealant were particularly low for permanent first molars among first graders and for permanent second molars among sixth graders at the end of three years. Although a large percentage of these teeth needed sealant reapplications, the percentages of teeth that were lost to caries were as low as 12.2% and 12.8%, respectively. Deciduous molars had the best rate (60.9%) of complete retention and also the highest percentage (20.2%) of loss caused by caries. However, in sixth graders, the premolars had the highest percentage (46.7%) of complete retention and, at the same time, the lowest caries rate (5.6%). The sealant retention pattern has remained the same during the three-year period.

Child↗

PubMed1979

United States Air Force survey of dental needs, 1977: methodology and summary of findings.

This study represents the first, comprehensive baseline survey of dental needs conducted in the US Air Force. The air force population was stratified by command, base, and grade, and 5,805 active duty air force members, aged 17 to 57 years (mean, 27.83), were examined at random to determine their overall oral health status. Data were collected from 42 air force bases, representing 11 worldwide commands, which comprised 90% of all active duty members. This article presents the methodology for the study, a summary of the findings, and a comparison of dental needs among recruits and all other grades of active duty air force personnel. Results indicate a significant level of unmet dental needs in the US Air Force. For example, the average active duty individual presently serving in the air force would require eight hours and 48 minutes of chairside care to provide comprehensive treatment. Each entry level recruit would need an average of ten hours and 23 minutes of dental treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

A combined approach to preventing dental caries in schoolchildren : caries reductions after 3 years.

A combination of preventive methods have been used to reduce dental caries in children residing in a fluoridated area of Southeastern Michigan. These children had very low restorative treatment levels. The methods used include dental health education, prophylaxis, pit and fissure sealants, topical application of fluoride and restorative care. Prophylaxis, sealant and fluoride procedures were repeated every 6 months. Sealant was applied to all caries-free posterior teeth in the mouth. Three-year results show reduction of occlusal caries increments of nearly 73% for both 1st and 6th school grades. Although at baseline examination there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in mean DMF teeth and surface scores, the difference in mean increments at the end of 3 years was statistically significant (P less than 0.01). Percent reductions in caries increment for permanent first molars in 1st graders were 65.6 for DMF teeth and 66.7 for DMF surfaces. Corresponding figures for permanent teeth among 6th graders were 71% and 58.3%.

Child↗

PubMed1977

Sealant effectiveness for children receiving a combination of preventive methods in a fluoridated community: two-year results.

A series of preventive methods in combination have been used to reduce dental caries in children including dental health education, prophylaxes, pit and fissure sealants, topical application of fluoride and restorative care. Prophylaxes, sealant, and fluoride procedures are repeated every six months. Two-year results show reductions of occlusal caries increments of 74.3% for first graders and 77.1% for sixth graders. Sealant loss, as defined in this study, varied from 33% to 90% with the highest loss occurring in the newly erupted permanent molars during the first six months of the project. These high sealant loss rates are thought to be related to the age of the population which was designed to include children at the ages of peak eruption of permanent molar teeth (ages six and twelve). These teeth were often only minimally erupted and maintaining the dry field required for sealant retention was extremely difficult. However, in spite of these high rates of sealant loss, caries reduction on occlusal surfaces was highly significant in comparision to that of children who did not receive sealants.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

A combined approach to preventing dental caries in schoolchildren: caries reductions after one year.

A prototype school-based dental program is being conducted in a low-middle-income, urban area, as a demonstration project to test the combined effect on dental caries of several preventive measures. Procedures include ingestion of fluoridated water (1.0 ppm), topical application of acidulated phosphate fluoride, application of a pit and fissure sealant, early detection of caries and restoration of affected teeth, and dental health education (oral hygiene and dietary counseling program). The four-year project began in early 1973. A group of 1,200 children in the first and sixth grades was randomly separated into a treatment and a comparison group. All children participate in a dental health education program and consume fluoridated water. Dental care is provided on site at 18 schools, with the use of two mobile vans, saving time and expense in school hours lost and transportation costs. A hygienist coordinates the oral hygiene and dietary programs in classrooms with the help of teachers trained in workshops. Supervised toothbrushing, flossing, and use of disclosing agents are carried on in the classrooms. First-year caries increment data in permanent teeth indicate a high degree of success. Occlusal surfaces of permanent teeth in children in the treatment group, contrasted to those in children in the comparison group, showed an average reduction in caries of 84%. The encouraging results obtained at the end of one year indicate that a school-based preventive dentistry program may have great potential for preventing and controlling dental caries in schoolchildren.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

A comparison of the effectiveness of the "Toothkeeper" and a traditional dental health education program.

A study was made of the effectiveness of two dental health education programs in an elementary school in Flint, Michigan. Following stratification by grades, random assignments of students were made by classrooms to either the Toothkeeper group or a "Traditional" group. No control groups were employed. Separate in-service training workshops were attended by the classroom teachers according to the education program to which they had been randomly assigned. An intensive 16-week program was conducted by the classroom teachers following the guidelines of the two programs. Dental examinations which included an assessment of plaque and gingivitis scores were conducted on all participants at baseline, at the end of 16 weeks, and at the conclusion of the school year, some seven months after the initiation of the program. Only minimal reductions in plaque scores were observed with either program and little comparative difference was found in the two programs at the end of the evaluation period. The Toothkeeper group experienced a somewhat greater reduction in plaque scores than the "Traditional" group during the intensive 16-week phase of the study, but these scores worsened from this time to the end of the school year. Gingivitis scores demonstrated more improvement than the reductions in plaque scores would indicate and may be related to the confounding factor of large numbers of children receiving dental treatment, especially prophylaxes during the course of this study. Differences in reductions in gingivitis between the two programs were not meaningful clinically.

Dental Devices, Home Care↗

PubMed1973