Abstract— A comparative investigation was performed on glycosaminoglycan‐like fractions obtained from calculus, parotid saliva, and dental plaque. The calculus (sub‐gingival and supragingival) was obtained from extracted teeth. Human parotid saliva was collected with an acrylic cup and the dental plaque was gathered from different individuals. The samples were hydrolyzed with papain and the glycosaminoglycan‐like compounds were precipitated with the conventional methods. The analyses were made from the material precipitated with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). The results showed that the CPC‐precipitate of the plaque material contained less uronic acids, sulphate. hexoses. sialic acid, and proteins than did calculus and saliva. The results revealed further that the CPC‐precipitate derived from calculus contained phosphate and some calcium. Both saliva and plaque were devoid of these components. The plaque sample lacked the fractions existing in pherograms of both calculus preparation and preparation of parotid saliva (alcian'blue positive). A part of the fractions in the pherograms of calculus and saliva could be stained with lissamine green.
Summary Using a representative sample of 5028 dentulous Finnish adults the occurrence of periodontal pockets was studied separately for the maxillae and the mandibles among removable partial denture (RPD) wearers and non‐wearers. RPD(s) were worn in 11.2% of the 3444 maxillae with at least four natural teeth remaining, and in 7.7% of the 4706 corresponding mandibles ( P <0.001). Periodontal pockets were more frequently observed in maxillae than mandibles. Wearing of RPDs highly significantly ( P <0.0001) increased the odds of having periodontal pockets in general (4 mm or more) as well as the odds of having deeper periodontal pockets (exceeding 6 mm). This phenomenon was observed both in the maxillae and in the mandibles. These results suggest that wearing of RPD is a threat to periodontal tissues and that dentists should take care to frequently recall their patients fitted with RPD(s). During the recall visits more attention should be paid to the periodontal conditions of patients wearing RPD(s).
The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical dental health, use of dental services and socio-economic factors correlating with the subjective need for removable dentures in Finnish adults aged 30 years and older. A total of 2528 persons who had lost one or more natural teeth (wisdom teeth excluded) and who had not been provided with any dentures, were selected for this study. Subjects who had subjective need for prosthetic treatment had statistically significantly fewer teeth and fewer fillings, and more decayed teeth than others. Irregular users of dental services felt the need for a prosthesis more often than did regular users of those services. Irregular brushing of teeth was also associated with a greater need for prosthetic treatment. Men, older individuals and persons with less education and a smaller family income felt the need for prosthetic treatment more often than women, younger individuals and better educated persons. The factors differentiating between the two groups with and without a subjective prosthetic treatment need were analysed by discriminant analysis. The best differentiating factors were frequency of dental visits, caries score, frequency of brushing teeth, family income, number of fillings and sex.
Summary Using a representative sample of 5028 dentulous Finnish adults the occurrence of dental caries was studied among removable partial denture (RPD) wearers and non‐wearers. Of the subjects wearing no RPD(s) 61·4% had one or more carious teeth, among those wearing a single RPD the figure was 60·5% and among those wearing RPDs in both jaws 62·7%, respectively. When sociodemographic background, other oral status measures than caries and oral health care habits were simultaneously controlled, subjects wearing RPDs in both jaws had slightly increased ( P ≥0·05) probability of having one or more carious teeth compared to those with no RPD(s). Subjects with a single RPD did not have a statistically significantly increased probability of having carious teeth. Among those 3075 subjects who had one or more carious teeth the wearing of one or two RPDs did not significantly increase the number of carious teeth. Because the subjects wearing RPDs in both jaws were seen to have a slightly increased risk of having caries, this confirms the view that dentists should emphasize good oral hygiene habits and regular dental attendance among RPD wearers.
Abstract The study material consisted of 1417 children 6–8 years old representing 86% of a stratified random sample from the Finnish population. Data on caries and social class were obtained by questionnaire from the municipal dental clinics in 1978. Clinical findings for primary teeth were recorded by local dentists. Incisors were excluded from the study. 80% of the children had caries lesions, and 63 % were in need of restorative care. Mean dmft value was 4.4, mean dt, ft, and mt values were 2.3, 2.6 and 0.3, respectively. Occurrence of untreated caries lesions did not vary according to age. Compared to the girls, boys had lost twice as many teeth due to caries. No other differences were observed between sexes. Both past caries experience and need of restorative care increased continuously from the highest social class to the lowest. Observed regional differences were explained mainly by variation in social stratification, except in an area with abundant natural fluoride. More active dental care is needed for children with primary teeth, especially in lower social classes.
The aim of this study was to analyze the present state of occupational dental care in Finland. In addition, the viewpoints of employees and employers concerning possibilities for developing occupational dental care were evaluated. Five percent of employers had arranged dental services for their employees. Twenty-four firms either had their own dentist or had made an agreement with a dentist about dental care for their employees. Most of these dentists delivered all kinds of dental treatment to employees, and the costs of treatment were usually paid from the worker's sickness benefit funds. Many such funds also subsidized the costs of dental treatment delivered in other dental offices. In 1978 about 49% of the workers covered by such funds received subsidies for their dental expenses. The most important means of developing adult dental care in Finland was considered to be widening the scope of public dental care. The second means was widening the scope of the national health insurance system. In third place, the employers supported development of private dentistry. Employees, however, preferred to include dental care in agreements made by collective bargaining.
Occurrence of periodontal disease was investigated in an industrial population by a modified Peridontal Treatment Need System (PTNS). The study comprised an initial clinical examination and a follow-up examination of 165 persons 1 year later. The reproducibility of the modified PTNS was satisfactory; in a subsample studied twice the weighted kappa with its 99% confidence limits was 0.80 +/- 0.18. Only 3% of the dentulous subjects had no treatment need because of gingival or periodontal disease in the first clinical examination, in spite of the low mean age (33.2 years) of the population. The periodontium of the maxillary teeth was significantly (P less than 0.001) than that in the mandibular teeth, but there were no significant differences between right and left side of jaws. During the 1-year follow-up period the periodontal condition of 23% of subjects improved, whereas in 9% it deteriorated.
Abstract The prevalence of retained roots among Finnish adults was evaluated by examining a representative sample of 8000 Finnish adults aged 30 or older. The participation percentage was 89.6. Retained root was recorded when more than half the height of the tooth surfaces had been destroyed by caries. The reproducibility coefficient (kappa) for clinical recordings of retained roots was 0.79 for interexaminer cases and 0.65 for interexaminer cases. Fifteen pen cut of the subjects had one or more retained roots. Prevalence was twice as great among males as among females. The mean number of retained roots was 0.4 per subject. Of all teeth in the mouth, 4.4% had only the roots left. On the population level, some 343 000 adult Finns were estimated to have at least one retained root.
