In many developed countries, the primary role of dental therapists is to care for children in school clinics. This article describes Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)-run, school-based dental programs in Connecticut and explores the theoretical financial impact of substituting dental therapists for dentists in these programs. In schools, dental hygienists screen children and provide prev...

Low gold-content dental alloys nowadays represent viable alternatives to high nobility alloys. The casting techniques and equipment used for low-gold content alloys are similar to those used for conventional gold alloys. This, coupled with their acceptable properties, good clinical performance and lower cost, has lead to their widespread use. The alloy performance in the dental laboratory is an...

We used Washington State worker compensation claims (1995-2001) to characterize equipment and the mechanism of needlestick injuries (NSIs) among dental health care workers. Out of 3,655 needle-stick injuries reported 894 (24%) were among dental health care workers including dentists (n=66, 1.8%), dental hygienists (n=161, 4.4%) and dental assistants (667, 18.2%). The proportion of injuries incr...

Dentists are expected to deliver safe and pain-free dental procedures after they graduate from dental school. This includes using local anesthetics and sedative drugs that may be associated with side effects and complications that can lead to crisis situations. This study postulated that teaching medical crisis management to dental residents and assistants using human patient simulation (HPS) w...

QUESTION How can library staff develop and promote a document delivery service and then expand the service to a wide audience? SETTING The setting is the library at the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD), Indianapolis. METHOD A faculty survey and a citation analysis were conducted to determine potential use of the service. Volume of interlibrary loan transactions and staff and eq...

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological method which is widely used by medical and paramedical professionals for the management of acute and chronic pain in a variety of conditions. Similarly, it can be utilized for the management of pain during various dental procedures as well as pain due to various conditions affecting maxillofacial region. This review aims ...

OBJECTIVE To measure and analyse noise levels in the learning-teaching activities at the Dental School of the University of Porto (Portugal). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sound levels were measured in five different practice areas and laboratories, selected as representative of a variety of learning-teaching activities. The noise levels were determined using a precision sound level meter that was po...

Different service models have emerged in Canada and the United States to address the issue of senior citizens' lack of access to comprehensive dental care. Over the past decade, one such model, the use of mobile dental service units, has emerged as a practical strategy. This article describes a mobile unit, operated as an adjunct to the general practitioner's office and relying mainly on existi...

The number of minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI), cerebral concussions, is increasing and cannot be eliminated by any kind of equipment. Prevention strategies, such as the introduction of "checking from behind" rules have become effective in decreasing the number of severe spinal injuries. A new "head checking" rule should reduce mTBI in the same way in the following years. Mouthguards should ...