Teeth are central for the study of ecology, as teeth are at the direct interface between an organism and its environment. Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth in the use of teeth to understand a broad range of topics in living and fossil primate biology. This in part reflects ...

Teeth have long been used as indicators of primate ecology. Early work focused on the links between dental morphology, diet, and behavior, with more recent years emphasizing dental wear, microstructure, development, and biogeochemistry, to understand primate ecology. Our study of Lemur catta at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar, has ...

Understanding the paleoecology of extinct subfossil lemurs requires reconstruction of dietary preferences. Tooth morphology is strongly correlated with diet in living primates and is appropriate for inferring dietary ecology. Recently, dental topographic analysis has shown great promise in reconstructing diet from molar tooth form. Compared with traditionally used shearing metrics, ...

Not only can teeth provide clues about diet, but they also can be indicators of habitat quality. Conspecific groups living in different habitats with different kinds of foods may exhibit different rates of dental attrition because their teeth are less well adapted to some foods than to others. Ecological disequilibrium ...

Determining the diet of an extinct species is paramount in any attempt to reconstruct its paleoecology. Because the distribution and mechanical properties of food items may impact postcranial, cranial, mandibular, and dental morphologies related to their procurement, ingestion, and mastication, these anatomical attributes have been studied intensively. However, while mechanical ...

Dental caries is the most prevalent human infection. It is a multifactorial disease in which the microbial composition of dental plaque plays a major role in the development of clinical symptoms. The bacteria most often implicated in the development of caries are that group of streptococci referred to as the ...

Recovery planning is a key component of many threatened species conservation initiatives and can be a powerful awareness raising tool. One of the largest impediments to conservation efforts in the Pacific region however, is the lack of ecological data and its subsequent effects on the development of feasible and useful ...

In the original description of Dolichopithecus (Kanagawapithecus) leptopostorbitalis, Iwamoto, Hasegawa and Koizumi, 2005, a moderately large-sized colobine monkey from the Late Pliocene of central Japan, affinities to the European Dolichopithecus rather than to the Transbaikalian Parapresbytis were noted based on the similarities in cranial morphology. Computed tomography scans confirm the ...

The aim of the study was to identify the number and distribution of genotypes of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus) isolated from caries-free and caries-active subjects. Non-stimulated saliva, buccal smooth surface of the right upper teeth, fissures of sound occlusal surface, and carious surface were sampled ...

Recent humans and their fossil relatives are classified as having thick molar enamel, one of very few dental traits that distinguish hominins from living African apes. However, little is known about enamel thickness in the earliest members of the genus Homo, and recent studies of later Homo report considerable intra- ...

Dental microwear has long been used as evidence concerning the diets of extinct species. Here, we present a comparative baseline series of dental microwear textures for a sample of 21 anthropoid primate species displaying interspecific and intraspecific dietary variability. Four dental microwear texture variables (complexity, anisotropy, textural fill volume, and ...

A Comment on the Letter by B. N. Joshi et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 022501 (2011).

As the most common and best preserved remains in the fossil record, teeth are central to our understanding of evolution. However, many evolutionary analyses based on dental traits overlook the constraints that limit dental evolution. These constraints are diverse, ranging from developmental interactions between the individual elements of a homologous ...

Aloe vera is a medicinal plant with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and immune-boosting properties. In the present study we investigated the inhibitory activities of Aloe vera gel on some cariogenic (Streptococcus mutans), periodontopathic (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis) and an opportunistic periodontopathogen (Bacteroides fragilis) isolated from patients with dental caries and periodontal ...

Streptococcus mutans is generally recognized as a causative agent of human dental caries. The production of mutacins (bacteriocins) by S. mutans is considered to be an important factor in the colonization and establishment of S. mutans in the dental biofilm. Two types of mutacins have been characterized: the lantibiotics and the non-lantibiotics. ...

With more than two billion infected people, from whom 350 to 400 million suffer from chronic infection, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still a major health problem worldwide. As dental treatment puts both dentists and patients at a higher risk of HBV infection, dentists can play an important role in ...

This report presents a case of impacted lower third molar extracted for surgical reasons in patient with uncontrolled hepatitis C. After decalcification, dental pulp vasculature and its tissue quality were investigated. Serial sections of 4-μm thickness along the midline buccolingually for the demineralized specimen were obtained, mounted on a glass ...

More than 25 new specimens of Teilhardina brandti, one of the oldest known euprimates, are reported from earliest Eocene strata of the southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. The new fossils include the first upper dentitions, a dentary showing the lower dental formula for the first time, and the first postcrania ascribed ...

Determinants of synesthetic color choice for Japanese phonetic characters were studied in six Japanese synesthetes. The study used Hiragana and Katakana characters, which represent the same set of syllables although their visual forms are dissimilar. From a palette of 138 colors, synesthetes selected a color corresponding to each character. Results ...

This study analyzes the experiences of African Americans in the physical education and kinesiology profession since the late 1850s. Using a variety of primary and secondary source material, we place special emphasis on the experiences of African American physical educators in higher education and in the American Alliance for Health, ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate relative and absolute relationships between preterm birth (PTB) and neighborhood education over time. METHODS: Live births in Québec, Canada, were obtained for 1990-1995, 1996-2000, and 2001-2006. Mean maternal education and proportion of females with no high school diploma were expressed as continuous cumulative rank scores for 10,923 ...

The incorporation of web-based learning into the dental curriculum has been consistently recommended in the literature on reform in dental education. There has been growing support for web-based learning in dental and dental hygiene education as demonstrated by deans' identifying this as a planned curricular innovation. The purpose of our ...

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a national survey to determine the communication techniques that dentists use routinely and variations in their use. METHODS: American Dental Association Survey Center staff members mailed an 86-item questionnaire to a random sample of 6,300 U.S. dentists in private practice. Participants reported routine use ("most of ...

ABSTRACT Objectives: Oral health has a significant effect on health, and for women, poor oral health can lead to poor birth outcomes and can affect their child's health. Nursing interventions to improve the oral health of at-risk women have the potential to increase maternal and child systemic and oral health. ...

INTRODUCTION: Medical school surveys of pre-doctoral curriculum hours in the somnology, the study of sleep, and its application in sleep medicine/sleep disorders (SM) show slow progress. Limited information is available regarding dentist training. This study assessed current pre-doctoral dental education in the field of somnology with the hypothesis that increased ...

In a controlled study, primary care dental professionals in the intervention group were encouraged to provide smoking cessation advice and support for all smoking patients with the help of a stage-based motivational protocol. The barriers and facilitators reported by the dental professionals on two occasions for their efforts to incorporate ...

Aims and objectives To investigate the quality and content of dental practice websites by constructing an audit framework based on regulations, guidance and expert advice, and applying this framework to a random sample of UK dental practices' websites.Methods An audit framework was constructed and in-depth data collected from a random ...

Aims and objectives To investigate the quality and content of dental practice websites by constructing an audit framework based on regulations, guidance and expert advice, and applying this framework to a random sample of UK dental practices websites.Methods An audit framework was constructed and in-depth data collected from a random ...

In a controlled study, primary care dental professionals in the intervention group were encouraged to provide smoking cessation advice and support for all smoking patients with the help of a stage-based motivational protocol. The barriers and facilitators reported by the dental professionals on two occasions for their efforts to incorporate ...

The purpose of this article is to report changes to dental hygiene education in Japan and to evaluate the successful implementation of these changes in 2010. The legislative change that began in 2005 revised the length of education for dental hygiene students from two years to three or four years ...

This study explored the rate of underreporting of bloodborne exposures among dental students in a U.S. dental school during the final two years of clinical practice. It also explored the reasons students cite for failing to report bloodborne exposures. Surveys of the dental students found that senior students reported only ...

This paper reports an explorative study about academic educators' perceptions towards learning management systems (LMS) and eLearning tools as used in dental education. Fifty-five educators participated in an online survey which explored their views on eLearning tools within the context of their own professional training background and teaching needs. In ...

A revision of the clinical assessment system of the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine was initiated in 2007, with the goal of achieving a system that would be fully understood and used by both faculty and students to improve student performance throughout the curriculum. The transformation process ...

The primary aims of the study were to investigate the use of digital radiography within primary dental care practices in the West Kent Primary Care Trust (PCT) area and general dental practitioners' (GDPs) self-reported change in radiographic prescribing patterns following the introduction of the nGDS contract in 2006. Data were ...

The dental health data for the Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC) inmate population were analyzed to better understand dental health issues experienced by inmates and IDOC's system for responding to those dental needs. Each inmate is given a dental health assessment upon admission to Iowa's prison system. These data were ...

In 2002, the Brazilian Ministry of Education approved the official curricular guidelines for undergraduate courses in Brazil to be adopted by the nation's 188 dental schools. In 2005-06, the Brazilian Dental Education Association (BDEA) promoted workshops in forty-eight of the schools to verify the degree of transformation of the curriculum ...

The identification of key issues and considerations for interdisciplinary and interprofessional education are explored. Both benefits and barriers to interprofessional education are discussed. The concept of simulation is reviewed relative to interprofessional education primarily as a catalyst for implementation of collaboration. The promise of interprofessional education and outcome studies direct ...

Currently, the debate over the addition of the midlevel provider position for dental hygienists rages on. The midlevel provider (similar to the physician's assistant) in dentistry exists in a handful of states in various forms, but is hotly contested in many other states. This is the second half of a ...

Many graduating dentists leave dental school feeling that they are not prepared to start and run a dental practice. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions dental graduates have in the area of practice management. A twenty-item survey was mailed in the fall of ...

The aim of this study was to survey patient satisfaction with dental care delivered in general practice and to compare the results with those obtained five years earlier using the same questionnaire. A previously piloted patient satisfaction question- naire was distributed to consecutive adult patients of one dentist at two ...

This study investigated current trends of Iowa dental practitioners with regard to acquisition and utilization of scientific information resources to support decision making in the clinical practice of dentistry. A survey questionnaire regarding the utilization of various sources of information to support clinical decisions was mailed in September 2009 to ...

The USA dental education programmes are facing challenges similar to those confronting countries around the globe, particularly amongst the industrialised nations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the educational programmes of 15 USA dental schools to determine their impact on improving workforce diversity and oral health care access. ...

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2011 Background.  Paediatric dentists receive training in sedation during their advanced education training, but evidence suggests that this training varies widely. Aim.  The purpose of this study was to survey members of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) and the European Academy of Paediatric ...

ARTICLE TITLE AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: Efficacy of silver diamine fluoride for arresting caries treatment. Yee R, Holmgren C, Mulder J, Lama D, Walker D, van Palenstein Helderman W. J Dent Res 2009;88(7):644-7. REVIEWER: Milton Houpt, DDS, PhD PURPOSE/QUESTION: To assess the effectiveness of a topical application of silver diamine fluoride ...

The increasing complexities of health care that dental graduates must be equipped to handle require schools to develop new models of education in order to address these intricacies. To meet these challenges, it is the school's responsibility to provide an environment that fosters discovery and scholarly activity, embraces evidence-based philosophies, ...

There is little published literature about the outcomes of dental hygiene baccalaureate degree education, particularly in Canada. Since there are various dental hygiene entry-to-practice educational models in Canada, exploring baccalaureate dental hygiene education is becoming an increasingly important subject. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal outcomes ...

The approach to care in dentistry has evolved over the past couple of decades from a narrow focus on oral disease to addressing the psychosocial determinants of oral health. Subsequently, there have been many attempts to reform dental curricula through alternative models of education, such as competency-based and community-based educational ...

Practice success is defined across the four'dimensions' of oral health, patient satisfaction, job satisfaction and financial profit. It is suggested that the 'secret' of success in dental practice is to make patient (customer) satisfaction the primary focus. Not a very earth shattering or surprising'secret' perhaps! This is hardly a new ...

Objective To investigate job satisfaction among hygienist-therapists. Increasing numbers of hygienist-therapists work in UK primary dental care teams. Earlier studies suggest a clinical remit/clinical activity mismatch, without investigating any link with job satisfaction.Methods A UK-wide survey of dental hygienist-therapists using a random sample of the General Dental Council Register of ...

INTRODUCTION:: The purpose of this exercise was to use in situ simulation training to assess a pediatric dental clinic's emergency response protocol, specifically evaluating overall team and system process effectiveness as well as clinical performance. METHODS:: Two high-fidelity simulation scenarios were developed to evaluate an existing clinic-wide multidisciplinary emergency code ...