Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R D Holt

Publications and source records attributed to R D Holt.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Enamel opacities in children whose mothers took part in a dental health education scheme.

One well recognised cause of enamel opacities is excessive fluoride ingestion during the period of tooth development. In the past, "fluorosis", or opacities arising from this cause, has been reported to occur in children given fluoride supplements. In a large experiment in dental health education, fluoride supplements were given regularly to many of the children in two out of three experimental groups. 126 children were dentally examined 10 yr after the scheme began, of whom 79 had regularly received fluoride drops and/or tablets for at least part of the period between birth and 5 yr of age. Labial surfaces of each child's erupted incisor teeth were examined for enamel opacities. 75% of the 126 children had at least one affected tooth. There was a statistically insignificant, but consistent, trend for the prevalence of opacities to increase with increasing duration of use of fluoride supplements.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1990

An evaluation of bitewing radiographs in 5-year-old children.

Bitewing radiographs remain the most universally accepted aid in the detection of approximal caries in posterior teeth. The aim of this study was to evaluate their use in 5-year-old children. A total of 435 selected sets of films were read and the numbers of readable and unreadable surfaces were recorded. Of the total, 57 per cent of the sets of films were wholly readable; out of a maximum of 8700, 7490 readable surfaces were seen. Of the 248 wholly readable sets of films, 172 (69 per cent) had no evidence of caries, fillings or extracted teeth. The most common reason for loss of information was that surfaces were absent from the film (accounting for 7 per cent of all surfaces). Blurring of the surface affected 4 per cent of surfaces and overlaps a further 3 per cent. Despite the deficiencies seen, caries was diagnosed from more than one-third of all sets of films.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed1989

Second assessment of London children involved in a scheme of dental health education in infancy.

In the mid-1970's, a scheme was set up providing dental health education at home visits to mothers with young children. A free supply of fluoride supplements for their children was offered to mothers in two of the three groups taking part. In the 10th year, 126 of the children were examined for caries and gingivitis. Few statistically significant results were seen in this small sample remaining from the scheme, but trends for better dental health amongst children whose mothers had been visited at home had been seen in a previous assessment and were seen again here.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Fibre optic transillumination and radiographs in diagnosis of approximal caries in primary teeth.

The development of fibre optic light probes of small diameter has led to interest in their use as an alternative to radiographs in diagnosing approximal caries. Fifty-four children were included in the present study. Radiographic diagnosis of approximal caries in primary molars was compared with that using a fibre optic light. Sensitivity of diagnosis with the light was 0.67 for Examiner 1 and 0.74 for Examiner 2. Inter-examiner reliability was higher for radiographic diagnosis than with the use of the light (Kappa statistics 0.89 and 0.76 respectively). In terms of diagnostic accuracy and reliability, use of fibre optic transillumination does not appear to provide any advantage over radiographs for diagnosis of approximal caries in primary teeth.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Clinical trial of a low-fluoride toothpaste for young children.

In this double-blind trial, the anticaries effectiveness of a test toothpaste formulated for young children with 550 ppm F was compared with that of a positive control toothpaste containing 1055 ppm fluoride. More than 3000 2-year-old children were enrolled in the study and after 3 years of toothpaste use, 2177 (72 per cent) were examined. From a clinical and radiographic assessment, more than half the children were found to be caries free and only 32 (1.5 per cent) had evidence of rampant caries. There appeared to be little or no difference between children who had used test or control pastes, either in caries or in plaque levels. On the basis of this clinical trial the experimental toothpaste with 550 ppm fluoride would appear to have a similar anticaries efficacy to that of the control toothpaste. Differences were seen in relation to sex of the child and to social class. Girls had lower levels of plaque than boys but more carious teeth. Children from families in higher social classes had fewer carious teeth and lower levels of plaque.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1985

Effects of dental health education for mothers with young children in London.

Dental health education for mothers with young children is thought to be capable of achieving a high standard of dental health for these children. This study considers the dental health of a sample of 5-yr-old children whose mothers were given dental health education at an early stage in their child's life. The dental health education was given to one group during home visits and to a second through leaflets sent by post. Comparisons were made with a third group of children whose mothers had been randomly selected to form a control group. Sixty-nine percent of children whose mothers were given advice at home were caries free, compared to 58% of children in the control group. Scores for gingivitis were also significantly lower in the first group. No significant differences in disease levels were seen between children whose mothers had been sent leaflets through the post and those in the control group. In relation to the use of fluoride supplements, 25% of the children whose mothers had been given personal advice received fluoride supplements regularly throughout the period of the study. Children of these highly motivated mothers showed less caries (83% were caries free) and lower levels of gingivitis than children who had never received supplements.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1983

Dental health education through home visits to mothers with young children.

In the course of a recent experiment a group of 314 mothers with very young children were visited at home by a dental health educator on three occasions. Mothers were given advice about dental health for their children and were offered a free supply of fluoride drops. Results drawn from questionnaires completed at each home visit suggested that dental health education given in this way was able to influence maternal attitudes and behaviour. Virtually all mothers accepted the offer of fluoride drops for their children and after 14-16 months, 65% of the group were still using the supplements.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

An evaluation of the role and clinical contribution of New Cross dental therapists.

The first dental therapists (previously called dental auxiliaries), started their training in 1960 and, by the end of 1976, 792 women had qualified after a two-year course. In the present study the role of all dental therapists was investigated by means of a postal survey. The clinical contribution made by these ancillaries was assessed by means of a retrospective analysis of clinic day sheets recorded by 55 dental therapists employed in the community dental services. It was found that dental therapists, in terms of their working pattern and family profile, are typical of women of their age and level of qualification in Britain. The return to work by therapists, after a break from practice because of family commitments, will depend mainly on the availability of posts, particularly part-time posts. Dental therapists provide treatment predominantly for younger children. Compared with previous studies, a noticeable increase in the clinical preventive care provided by therapists was observed.

Adult↗