ISSN : 0376-4672
Objectives: The water fluoridation program has been implemented since 2008 at the Daesan water treatment plant, Changwon City. The aim of this study is to evaluate caries preventive effect of permanent teeth from community water fluoridation program Methods: Evaluation surveys were conducted on 8-, 10- and 12-year olds in the fluoridated and non-fluoridated area of Uichang-gu and Seongsan-gu, Changwon City in 2015. The number of the subjects in 2015 was 722 in fluoridated area and 707 in non-fluoridated area. The caries preventive effect of permanent teeth by community water fluoridation was estimated by the differences in adjusted DMFT and DMFS scores between the program and control groups. Cofounders of mean number of fissure-sealed teeth or surfaces, and number of subjects by gender were adjusted to estimate the caries preventive effect of permanent teeth. Results: The mean DMFT score or DMFS score of children aged 8-, 10- and 12-years adjusted for the number of fissure-sealed teeth or surfaces in fluoridated area were significantly lower than those in non-fluoridated area in 2015. The caries preventive effect of permanent teeth estimated based on the difference of mean DMFT scores adjusted for fissure-sealed teeth, age and number of subjects by gender between control and program group among children was 37.3%. Conclusions: These results suggest that the caries preventive effect of permanent teeth from water fluoridation program at Daesan water treatment plant, Changwon City was so high that the water fluoridation program should be developed in other regions in Korea.
Patients with malocclusion may present with preexisting mucogingival problems susceptible to attachment loss during or after orthodontic treatment. Lower anterior teeth especially show a high prevalence of gingival recession following orthodontic treatment. This case report demonstrates hard tissue augmentation of labially thin or deficient alveolar bone (dehiscences and fenestrations) to prevent attachment loss during or after orthodontic treatment. Three patients presented clinically prominent root surfaces and dehiscences and fenestrations on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in lower anterior teeth. Labial hard tissue augmentation of lower anterior teeth was performed with deproteinized bovine bone mineral and collagen membrane. Six months later, hard tissue augmentation reduced root prominence and created a greater volume of hard tissue on lower anterior area in clinical and radiographic findings. Hard tissue augmentation using xenograft could prevent attachment loss associated with orthodontic treatment and maintain stability of healthy periodontium.
According to the burst of aged people, researchers have focused on aging-related diseases. Cognitive impairment including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), one of the representative diseases related to aging, has no treatment option until now. Recently, it has been revealed that systemic inflammation plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of AD. Previous studies have suggested the association between poor oral health and cognitive impairment. Poor oral health can cause dental caries, chronic periodontitis, multiple tooth loss, and poor chewing ability, etc. Especially, periodontitis is a well-known chronic inflammatory disease and affects cognitive impairment directly and indirectly by inflammatory products mediators. Therefore, reduction of pathogenic microbial burden and inflammatory products by treating periodontitis can be a therapeutic modality to prevent cognitive impairment or to slow down the progression of it. Future studies are necessary to elucidate the causal relations and plausible mechanisms between poor oral health and cognitive impairment.
The number of patients with dementia in Korea is estimated to be 576,000 in 2013 and 648,000 in 2015, and 840,000 in 2020 and 2,710,000 in 2050. Therefore, it can be expected that the number of patients with dementia will increase among the elderly patients who are looking for dentistry. Dementia and oral hygiene are closely related, so the future role of the dentist is very important. In order to treat effectively the patients with cognitive disorders, we should consider effective communication methods with them. Xerostomia is another important factor affecting oral health of dementia patients. In establishing the dental treatment plan, the most appropriate treatment method should be selected considering the characteristics of individual dementia patients and all possible efforts should be made for successful treatment results.
