Journal of Dental EducationVolume 54, Issue 4 p. 237-239 Article Effect of financial incentive on productivity in a postgraduate general dentistry program OE Jensen, OE JensenSearch for more papers by this authorPM Brunette, PM BrunetteSearch for more papers by this authorSL Handelman, SL HandelmanSearch for more papers by this author OE Jensen, OE JensenSearch for more papers by this authorPM Brunette, PM BrunetteSearch for more papers by this authorSL Handelman, SL HandelmanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 April 1990 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.0022-0337.1990.54.4.tb02411.xCitations: 3About ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume54, Issue4April 1990Pages 237-239 RelatedInformation

A study involving twenty-one general dentists in private practice in Rochester, New York, was performed to assess the relationship between radiographic evidence of caries and restorative intervention in permanent teeth. Seven thousand three hundred thirty-eight bitewing radiographs taken of 387 patients over the most recent 10-year period were obtained and independently examined by six Eastman Dental Center faculty members as to presence of restorations and caries status of nonrestored proximal surfaces. Patients 20 years of age and younger had significantly lower mean maximum caries penetration scores before restorative treatment when compared to older patients. For all age groups, the mean maximum caries penetration scores indicated that, on the average, restorative treatment was initiated before there were radiographic changes in dentin. There were no differences among the dentists in the study regarding the mean elapsed time between radiographic caries diagnosis and restorative treatment. The random distribution and low number of apparent caries reversals, and the subsequent restoration of 25% of these teeth, suggested that the dentists in this study did not employ systematic remineralization strategies for their patients.

Patient records (387) were obtained from twenty-five dentists in private practice in Rochester, New York. The number and types of radiographs taken at each recall examination in the most recent 10-year period were recorded. Bitewing radiographs were taken at 50.5% of the recalls with size 2 film used most frequently (83.7%). The average recall interval was 8.4 months overall and 18.0 months for bitewing recalls. Of all proximal surfaces available on the bitewing films, 68.2% were judged adequately separated for diagnostic purposes. For individual surfaces, the highest percentages were recorded for the mesial surface of the maxillary second premolar (89.9%) in the permanent dentition and for the distal surface of the mandibular second molar (83.7%) in the deciduous dentition. Taking four bitewing films instead of two improved the percentage of adequately separated proximal surfaces at a given recall by 2% to 25%. The percentage of unreadable proximal surfaces caused by overlapping or distortion on the bitewing radiographs, when excluding the canines, ranged from 6.3% to 39.5% in the permanent dentition and from 12.5% to 24.9% in the deciduous dentition.

Thirty-three preformed plastic laminate veneers were placed in maxillary anterior teeth of twenty-one subjects. The indications for veneer placement were intrinsic staining of large conventional composite restorations or discolouration caused by previous endodontic therapy. The veneer restorations were evaluated clinically over a 6-month period for retention, colour match, surface texture, marginal integrity and gingival response. Twenty-nine restorations were available for evaluation at 6 months. Three restorations exhibited bonding failure during the study period, giving an overall retention rate of about 91%. Deep brown discolouration in two teeth could not be adequately matched with the opaquer and shader pastes supplied with the kit. Only one patient exhibited any change in veneer surface texture during the study period. Slight, but clinically inconsequential deterioration of marginal integrity was also noted in several restorations. The gingival response to the veneer restorations was uniformly excellent. It was concluded that restoration with preformed veneers, using the enamel reduction and heat adaptation techniques, provided an aesthetic, conservative and functional alternative to fixed prosthodontic therapy in selected cases.

Two groups of children, ages 12 to 15, rinsed daily for 28 mo with aqueous fluoride solutions, one group using 0.05% sodium fluoride (NaF) and the other group using 0.1% stannous fluoride (SnF2). The SnF2 group had less plaque accumulation after four mo, but no difference was apparent at 16 and 28 mo. Gingivitis was less severe in the SnF2 group throughout the study, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. The 0.1% SnF2 solution, used daily as a mouthrinse, inhibits plaque formation, although this inhibitory effect is not apparent after 16 mo of rinsing.

Providing potential dental school applicants with a realistic exposure to the practice of dentistry, in cooperation with undergraduate career counseling offices, is one way to ensure adequate recruitment of qualified and motivated individuals. The Department of General Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Center has operated such a structured volunteer program for interested high school and college students for the past three years. Twenty-six students have completed the program, and their responses have been extremely positive. In almost all cases, the students have been valuable and popular adjuncts in the operation of the postgraduate training program. The experience gives the students insight into the profession of dentistry and provides them with a rational basis for making career decisions.

This clinical trial of a daily 0.1% SnF2 mouthrinse involved over 400 children, from 12 to 15 years of age. With 0.05% NaF as the active control, rinsing was conducted daily for four mo after baseline examinations. Four-month examinations showed significantly lower Plaque Index scores for the SnF2 group. Gingival Index scores for the SnF2 group were lower, but the difference did not reach statistical significance.