PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the impact of “pain and swelling” associated with third molars on patients’ quality of life before surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The data for these analyses were obtained from a larger ongoing study designed to examine the surgical and medical management of problems associated with third molars. Data from […]

Age and loss of teeth can be expected to have a complex relationship with oral health-related quality of life. This study aimed to explain how age and tooth loss affect the impact of oral health on daily living using the short form, 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) on national population samples of dentate adults […]

OBJECTIVES: This study described the 5-year incidence of periodontal attachment loss (ALOSS) among older Australians. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Clinical examination data were obtained at baseline and 5 years from participants in a cohort study of South Australians aged 60+. Periodontal measurements (gingival recession, GR; probing depth, PD) were made for each tooth at 3 sites. […]

AIM: To investigate time trends in service provision. DESIGN: Four cross-sectional surveys across a 15-year period. SETTING: Australian private general practice. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of dentists. METHODS: Dentists were surveyed by mailed questionnaire in 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1998 (response rates 71%-75%). Data were weighted to provide representative estimates for the age by sex […]

Objectives. Restorative services are a major component of the annual workload of a dentist, but are undergoing a period of change as population oral health continues to improve and restorative materials and techniques are developed. The aim of this study was to examine trends in the provision of restorative services over a 15-year period spanning […]

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis and prevention are among the most frequently provided services in Australian private general dental practice, and have increased over recent times. The aims of this study were to examine the provision of examinations, radiographs, prophylaxis and topical fluoride, and to assess whether these services varied by patient, visit and oral health characteristics. BASIC […]

This study compared the prevalence and experiences of oral diseases and conditions, as well as tooth loss and retained root status, in community-dwelling older adults with and without dementia. Dental examinations were conducted at baseline and at one-year for randomly selected samples of 116 dentate community-living older adults with dementia and a comparable group of […]

Information about periodontal disease patterns among the populations of developing countries is limited. These populations may illustrate the natural history of the disease owing to low or virtually no access to dental care, contributing to a more complete understanding of the disease process. The present study aimed to describe the patterns of periodontal loss of […]

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have attributed the caries-preventive effects of preeruption (PRE) and posteruption (POST) exposure to fluoridated water based on data collected before and after the commencement or discontinuation of water fluoridation. This study aims to determine the relative pre- and posteruption exposure effects of fluoridated water on caries experience of 6-15-year-old Australian children based […]

The evidence-based approach has become the mantra of health care and service delivery. But just what it means, whether it is feasible, how to build it and the outcome of its use are not well understood. The aims of this paper are to provide an overview of an evidence-based approach to the prevention of oral […]