[What effects does methadone maintenance treatment have on the rehabilitation of heroin addicts?]

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of methadone maintenance treatment on heroin addicts. By searching in Medline and Cochrane Library two randomized controlled trials were found where methadone was the main intervention in the rehabilitation of heroin addicts. The trials were found among more than 2,350 articles on various aspects of methadone and were the only ones that met our criteria for inclusion in the study. The two studies comprised 347 participants. Both trials showed that methadone maintenance treatment had a positive effect on continuing participation in the treatment programme. One of the trials also showed that the treatment lowered the rates of opioid and cocaine use. It is alarming that only two randomized controlled trials could be found evaluating the effect of methadone maintenance treatment on the rehabilitation of heroin addicts. No trials demonstrating the effect of the treatment on mortality, crime, prostitution or risk behaviour related to communicable diseases were found.

Re-examination of incisal tooth wear in children and adolescents

The material presented in this report was derived from a longitudinal study of the development and progress of incisal tooth wear in children and adolescents. The study group was established in 1991-1992 (baseline examination) and consisted of participants between 8 and 15 years of age. They were re-examined in 1993 (interim examination) and in 1994 (final examination). In all, 77 school children (30 females and 47 males) participated in the three examinations. The timespan between baseline and interim was on average 15 months and the period between interim and final examination averaged 16 months. The total observation period was approximately 32 months. Assessments of incisal wear was made on stone casts using the incisal wear index which was shown to have good reproducibility. The results demonstrated that the prevalence and severity of incisal wear had increased significantly with age. In general the rate of incisal wear progression was higher between baseline and interim than between interim and final examination. In this respect certain differences between the tooth types seemed to exist. At baseline the relationship between age and incisal wear was positive and statistically significant for all tooth types. At the final examination the strength of this relationship had decreased for maxillary and mandibular central and lateral incisors. For canine teeth of both jaws the relationship between age and incisal wear was no longer statistically significant at the final examination.

Relationship between incisal tooth wear and the increasing number of permanent teeth in children and adolescents

The material presented in this report was derived from a longitudinal study of the development and progress of incisal tooth wear in children and adolescents. The study group was established in 1991/1992 and consisted of 77 participants between 8 and 15 years old. All participants were re-examined in 1994. The interval between the first and second examination was approximately 32 months. Each participant was scored for tooth wear of the anterior teeth of both jaws according to the Incisal wear Index (IwI) and the number of permanent teeth and the tooth types present were recorded at each examination. The results showed that the pattern of incisal wear had been maintained during the observation period. Severity of incisal wear increased as the number of teeth increased. The strength of the relationship between incisal wear and the number of teeth decreased during the observation period. At the same time, the number of teeth and the size of the wear increments were negatively correlated indicating that the rate of wear progression decreased as the number of teeth increased.

Relationship between alignment conditions of teeth in anterior segments and incisal wear

This report describes the alignment condition and incisal wear of the anterior teeth in individuals 16-19 years of age. Tooth alignment and incisal wear were assessed on casts in accordance with two index systems NONAT (non-aligned tooth) and IwI (incisal wear index). Tests of the methods showed that the reproducibility of the assessments of tooth alignment and incisal wear were satisfactory. The results of the study of tooth irregularity demonstrated that the prevalence of non-alignment of one or more of the anterior teeth were much the same (approximately 50%) for the maxillary and mandibular jaws. The highest frequency was found for the maxillary lateral incisors and the mandibular central incisors (approximately 45%). A relationship between the alignment conditions and incisal wear of the anterior teeth was established. It appeared that non-alignment of one or more teeth in one or both jaws was associated with less severe incisal wear of the anterior teeth. This was most pronounced for non-aligned maxillary central incisors and non-aligned mandibular central incisors.

A 2-year follow-up study of incisal tooth wear in dental students

This report was derived from cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of prevalence, pattern, and severity of incisal wear in 64 dental students who had virtually complete dentitions at the first examination and unchanged dentitions at the re-examination. They were first examined in 1991 and re-examined after 24 months in 1993. The average age of the students in 1991 was 23 +/- 1.7 years. Assessment of incisal wear was made on stone casts based on silicone impression material in accordance with the Incisal wear Index (IwI). The results showed that the prevalence of incisal wear had not changed during the observation period. The severity of incisal wear for maxillary and mandibular central and lateral incisors had remained essentially the same, whereas the severity of wear of maxillary and mandibular canines had increased during the observation period. There was no statistically significant relationship between age and IwI. The wear pattern found for anterior teeth is discussed in relation to the cuspid protection and the group function theories of occlusion.

Longitudinal study of incisal tooth wear in children and adolescents

This report was derived from a longitudinal study of the development and progress of incisal tooth wear in children and adolescents. The study group was established in 1991/1992 and consisted of 79 participants between 8 and 15 yr. They were reexamined in 1993 and the time span between the first and second examination was 12-14 months. Assessment of incisal wear was made on stone casts based on silicone impression material according to the Incisal wear Index (IwI). The index used was shown to have good reproducibility. The results showed that the pattern of incisal wear had been maintained during the observation period. Prevalence and severity of incisal wear had increased significantly with age. The strength of the suggested linear relationship between age and incisal wear decreased during the observation period. At the same time the growth increments of wear, delta IwI, were negatively correlated with age, indicating that the progression of incisal wear slowed down with increasing age. Description of the true relationship between age and incisal wear outside the age range represented in the sample must await the results of forthcoming studies.

Prevalence, pattern, and severity of incisal wear in dental students

This paper describes the prevalence, pattern, and severity of incisal wear of anterior teeth in 64 dental students at an average age of 23 +/- 1.7 years with a high number of permanent teeth present. The index used to assess wear on stone casts (IwI) was shown to have good reproducibility. The results indicated that about 98% of the anterior teeth had been worn to various degrees. In both jaws central incisors were most commonly affected by incisal wear, canines followed next in order, and lateral incisors were least commonly affected. Wear of identical teeth on the right and left side tended to be bilaterally symmetrical in both jaws. The results of these initial observations suggest that data from re-examination of this study group will lend themselves to detecting possible changes of the pattern and severity of incisal wear of permanent anterior teeth.

Longitudinal relationship between incisal tooth wear and periodontal condition

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the longitudinal development of incisal tooth wear and periodontal conditions in 51 persons. Stone casts obtained at the ages of 15 and 27 yr were used to assess incisal wear according to a graded scale, the Incisal wear Index (IwI). The wear increase after 12 yr, delta IwI, was related to the various health index scores at the age of 15 yr, including the Plaque Index (PlI) and Gingival Index (GI) systems. The chi-square tests showed a statistically significant association between delta IwI and periodontal condition in 15-yr-olds. Thus, relatively low PlI and GI values were accompanied by relatively high delta IwI values. It was concluded that in 15-yr-olds, PlI and GI levels are clinical predictors of future wear (delta IwI) of maxillary and mandibular central incisors. Pocket depth (PD) was a less valuable clinical predictor of such wear.

Longitudinal relationship between incisal occlusion and incisal tooth wear

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the longitudinal relationship between incisal wear of central incisors and the size of vertical overbite (OB) and horizontal overjet (OJ). Stone casts of 51 subjects were used for the determinations. Casts were obtained when the subjects were 15 and 27 years old. Statistical analysis was performed with the t test for paired samples, the chi-square test of association. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Both overbite and overjet diminished after 12 years, and incisal wear increased. It was concluded that increase in age, incisal wear, vertical overbite and incisal occlusion (OB/OJ) are clinical predictors of wear of maxillary and mandibular central incisors in adolescents.

[HIV infection, syphilis and genital diseases in Maun, Botswana]

The prevalence of HIV-infection was studied in a district hospital in Botswana, in southern Africa. Sera from 466 patients were analysed. The sexually transmitted diseases (STD) group consisted of 175 women and 178 men, who consulted the STD-clinic for complaints which could be attributed to STD or infertility and the antenatal clinic (ANC) group consisted of 113 pregnant women, who attended routine ANC. Sera were analysed with HIV-ELISA, and 3% were positive. All sera were negative in Western blot and were considered false-positive in HIV-ELISA. In the STD group, 42% of the women and 39% of the men, were seropositive for syphilis, while 41% were positive in the ANC group. The figures for clinically demonstrated genital lesions were 33%, 60% and 13%, respectively. It is concluded that HIV-infection is a new disease in Botswana, and that the prevalence is still low in the rural population examined in the present survey.