bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Deficit irrigation affects seasonal changes in leaf physiology and oil quality of Olea europaea (cultivars Frantoio and Leccino)
Authors: Tognetti R. , D’Andria R. , Sacchi R. , Lavini A. , Morelli G. , Alvino A. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe olive tree is a traditionally nonirrigated crop that occupies quite an extensive agricultural area in Mediterranean‐type agroecosystems. Improvements in water‐use efficiency of crops are essential under the scenarios of water scarcity predicted by global change models for the Mediterranean region. Recently, irrigation has been introduced to increase the low land productivity, but there is little information on ecophysiological aspects and quality features intended for a sagacious use of water, while being of major importance for the achievement of high‐quality products as olive oil. Therefore, deficit irrigation programmes were developed to improve water‐use efficiency, crop productivity and quality in a subhumid zone of Southern Italy with good winter–spring precipitation. The response of mature olive trees to deficit irrigation in deep soils was studied on cultivars Frantoio and Leccino by examining atmospheric environment and soil moisture, gas exchange and plant water status, as well as oil yield and chemical analysis. Trees were not irrigated (rainfed) or subjected to irrigation at 66% and 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETC), starting from pit hardening to early fruit veraison. Improvements in the photosynthetic capacity induced by increasing soil water availability were only of minor importance. However, plant water status was positively influenced by deficit irrigation, with 66% and 100% of ETC treatments hardly differing from one another though consistently diverging from rainfed plants. The effect of water stress on photosynthesis was mainly dependent on diffusion resistances in response to soil moisture. Leccino showed higher instantaneous water‐use efficiency than Frantoio. Crop yield increased proportionally to the amount of seasonal water volume, confirming differences between cultivars in water‐use efficiency. The unsaturated/saturated and the monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios of the oil also differed between cultivars, while the watering regime had minor effects. Although irrigation can modify the fatty acid profile, polyphenol contents were scarcely affected by the water supply. Irrigation to 100% of ETC in the period August–September might be advisable to achieve high‐quality yields, while saving consistent amounts of water.
Can wheat yield be assessed by early measurements of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index?
Authors: Marti J. , Bort J. , Slafer G.A. , Araus J.L. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractAn early prediction of crop biomass at maturity and yield is important in different circumstances. The use of spectral reflectance indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), has been proposed as a fast, nondestructive way of estimating crop growth capacity. In this study, we examined whether NDVI assessment relatively early in the crop cycle may be useful for predicting final biomass and yield in wheat. To that end, NDVI was measured and biomass quantified regularly from tillering to maturity for six different wheat genotypes grown under a contrasting range of N and water availabilities. In addition, final biomass and yield were measured at maturity. In line with expectations from the literature, we found that NDVI at milk‐grain stage was well correlated to final yield and biomass. However, it was also observed that NDVI at the onset of stem elongation was also reasonably correlated to both attributes. Because crop growth in wheat from the end of tillering to anthesis is related to the determination of grain number and yield, we propose the use of NDVI at the onset of stem elongation as a complementary criterion for establishing the required late crop management (N fertilisation, irrigation) practices.
Joint Attention and Vocabulary Development: A Critical Look
Authors: Akhtar Nameera , Gernsbacher Morton Ann 
Published: April 2007

AbstractJoint attention – parents’ and children's coordinated attention to each other and to a third object or event – is believed to play a causal and critical role in early word learning. However, joint attention, as conventionally defined and measured, relies only on overt indicators of attention, is studied predominantly in the visual modality, and varies by culture. Moreover, word learning can occur without joint attention in typical development, in autistic development, and in Williams syndrome, and joint attention can occur without commensurate word learning in Down syndrome. Thus, the assumption that joint attention is a necessary and sufficient precursor to vocabulary learning is not universally supported.
Acceptance of Hepatitis B Vaccine Among Dental Health Care Workers
Authors: Jacobson J. J. , Lang W. P. , Ybanez M. S. , Shipman C. , Johnston F. K. , LaTurno D. E. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractParticipation in hepatitis B vaccination programs by dental health care workers (DHCWs) has been low. Following a vaccination program at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, a survey was conducted to determine the relation of sociodemographic status, health beliefs, amount of patient contact, and perceived barriers to participation or nonparticipation in the program by 618 students, faculty, and staff. Stepwise logistic regression revealed that a respondent's age, perceptions about susceptibility to hepatitis B, amount of patient contact, and perceptions about the cost of the vaccine were significant determinants of participation. Findings from this study suggest that a highly structured program format is necessary to lower barriers and facilitate access to vaccination, while also cueing the DHCW to appropriate preventive behavior. Knowledge appears to be but one factor that may affect decisions regarding acceptance of hepatitis B vaccine; health beliefs, motivational factors, barriers, and program organization all have a significant impact on the DHCWs decision.
Relation of Sources of Systemic Fluoride to Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis
Authors: Woolfolk Marilyn W. , Faja Barbara Wirth , Bagramian Robert A. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe prevalence of dental fluorosis in a nonfluoridated area was determined and related to the reported fluoride ingestion histories of the children examined. A convenience sample of 543 schoolchildren in rural areas of Michigan was examined for fluorosis using the Tooth Surface Index of Fluorosis. Questionnaires that asked about previous use of fluorides were sent to parents of all children examined. The response rate was 76 percent (412 usable questionnaires). A criterion for inclusion in the data analysis stipulated that only fluorosed surfaces that occurred bilaterally would be included. Fluorosis was found on 7 percent of all tooth surfaces and only in the mild form. Twenty‐two percent of the subjects were classified as having fluorosis. Dietary supplement was the only fluoride that was found to be significantly related to the occurrence of fluorosis. A greater proportion of the subjects with fluorosis fisted physicians, rather than dentists, as the source of fluoride prescriptions. The results demonstrate similarities to the fluorosis reported in other studies in non‐fluoridated areas, but also suggest the need to minimize the occurrence of fluorosis through proper assessment of a child's fluoride exposure and the judicious use of additional fluoride.
Development of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Proposed Standard to Protect Workers from Contracting Bloodborne Diseases in the Workplace
Authors: Sandler Barbara H. , Harwood Susan E. , Thurber Claudia H. , Infante Peter F. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is in the process of developing a health standard to protect workers by reducing occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and other bloodborne pathogens. This article reviews the history of the standard, the steps involved in OSHA standard development, and–most specifically–how the dental professional can participate in this process.
Three‐year Root Caries Increments: Implications for Clinical Trials
Authors: Leske Gary S. , Ripa Louis W. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSeven hundred and ninety‐six adult subjects (mean age, 39.9 years) received visual‐tactile examinations for root caries over a three‐year period. All subjects were employed or were the spouses of employees and resided in fluoride‐deficient communities on Long Island, New York. During the three‐year observation period, 81.4 percent of the subjects did not develop root caries. The 18.6 percent who developed root caries averaged 0.8 DFS/year. The subjects' ages and baseline root DFS status were associated with the development of a root DFS increment. The older the patient, especially aged 45 and older, the greater was the risk of developing root lesions or having root fillings placed. Subjects who had a root DFS score at baseline also were more likely to experience a root DFS increment. It is recommended that when designing clinical trials of agents purported to inhibit root caries, preselection criteria for the study population should consider the subjects' ages and past history of root lesions.
Utilization of Dental Services: 1986 Patterns and Trends
Authors: Hayward Rodney A. , Meetz Harriet K. , Shapiro Martin F. , Freeman Howard E. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractData from the 1986 Access to Health Care Survey of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nationwide telephone survey, were used to provide information on changes and trends in dental utilization in the United States. Sixty‐three percent of the respondents five years or older (N = 9,352} had had a dental visit within the past year. Being elderly, having lower socioeconomic status, and being black were independent risk factors for having fewer dental visits. Persons who had dental check‐ups during the past year also demonstrated higher rates of other preventive health procedures (i.e., Pap smears, mammograms, breast examinations, and routine medical examinations). Among those without a dental visit within the past year, a financial barrier to receiving such care was reported by 12 percent of those surveyed, compared to 37 percent in 1976. We concluded that during the past decade there has been a continued trend toward increased dental visits and decreased financial problems relating to receiving dental care; however, the poor, ethnic minorities, and those with less education continue to have much lower rates of dental care utilization compared to the general population.
Relationships Between Price and Two Components of Quality of Dental Services
Authors: Crall James J. , Beazoglou Tryfon J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractFailure to account for differences in service attributes can lead to biased estimates and erroneous inferences regarding relationships between price and quality in studies of the dental care delivery system. This study examined relationships between prices of several common dental procedures and two components of the structure and process dimensions used in quality of care assessments. Results from ordinary least squares regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive relationship between price and an index of technical quality for two restorative services provided by general practitioners, even when controlling for market area characteristics. Additional analyses revealed that prices charged by general practitioners for specific services typically were lower on average and demonstrated greater variation than those charged by specialists for the same procedures. These findings highlight the need to consider service differentiation, including quality variation, in empirical studies involving the pricing of dental services.
Methodological Considerations in the Analysis of Cost Effectiveness in Dentistry
Authors: Antczak‐Bouckoms Alexia A. , Tulloch J. F. Camilla , White Benjamin A. , Capllouto Eli I. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractCost‐effectiveness analysis is a technique applied with increasing frequency to help make rational decisions in health care resource allocation. This article reviews the ten general principles of cost‐effectiveness analysis outlined by the Office of Technology Assessment of the US Congress and describes a model for such analyses used widely in medicine, but only recently applied in dentistry. The imperative for the formulation of the best current information on both the effectiveness of dental practices and their costs is made more urgent because of the now universally recognized belief that resources available to meet the demands for health care are limited. Today's environment requires critical allocation decisions within categorical health problems, across diseases, or relative to other health problems. If important health benefits or cost savings are to be realized, then these analytic approaches must become widely understood, accepted, and appropriately applied by key decision makers in the dental health sector.
Effectiveness of School Water Fluoridation and Dietary Fluoride Supplements in School‐aged Children
Authors: Horowitz Herschel S. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSchool water fluoridation and school‐based fluoride tablet programs both have been shown in many studies to be effective in preventing dental caries. These studies indicate that school water fluoridation reduces dental decay by approximately 40 percent and school‐based fluoride tablet programs by about 30 percent. However, nearly all the studies were done when the prevalence of caries among US schoolchildren was greater than it is today, which makes it difficult to assess their current effectiveness. Data from dental surveys of school‐aged children conducted during the past 30 years indicate that overall caries prevalence has declined by more than 75 percent and that of approximal tooth surfaces by more than 90 percent. Recent national data indicate the difference in caries prevalence between children with lifetime residence in either fluoridated or nonfluoridated areas has also diminished, which raises questions about the cost effectiveness of initiating school‐based fluoride programs for all areas. There are still groups of children, however, seriously affected by dental caries. It is safe to assume that implementation of school water fluoridation or fluoride tablet programs will result in traditionally reported benefits among these children. Ongoing school‐based fluoride programs should not be discontinued until it is known what impact their cessation will have on dental disease.
Review of the Anticaries Effectiveness of Professionally Applied and Self ‐applied Topical Fluoride Gels
Authors: Ripa Louis W. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractOf the five types of topical fluoride gel products available in the United States, two have not been clinically tested in randomized double blind clinical trials. For those tested, the averaged results of clinical trials involving schoolchildren in fluoride‐deficient communities indicate a caries reduction of approximately 26 percent from either a professional or self‐administered program. A similar relative reduction can be expected from programs conducted in fluoridated communities, but the absolute caries inhibition is less. Twice‐a‐year professional applications are more effective than once‐a‐year applications, and self‐applications using trays are more effective than applying the gel on a toothbrush. For subjects beyond school age, there are few clinical studies of either self‐applied or professionally applied gels; however, current epidemiological evidence does not indicate a need for public health caries preventive programs for healthy employed adults. For medically compromised patients, especially those exhibiting rampant caries associated with radiation‐induced xerostomia, a variety of topical gel procedures appear to be effective in limiting caries.
Excerpts from Presentation on Epidemiologic Data and Changing Demographics
Authors: Stamm John 
Published: April 2007

AbstractDental surveys provide epidemiologic and sociodemographic data useful for program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Dental public health decisions in North Carolina have been based on statewide oral health surveys. Results from the 1986–87North Carolina School Oral Health Survey and a comparison of these data to previous survey results and to recent national estimates of oral disease provide a basis for the discussions and deliberations during the symposium.
National Oral Health Objectives for the Year 2000
Authors: Corbin Stephen B. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe recent Institute of Medicine report on the future of public health is stimulating widespread discussion of the appropriate scope, direction, and means of ensuring the nation's health through public health efforts. Concurrently, the nation is in the process of establishing national disease prevention and health promotion objectives for the year 2000. This is a natural progression from the broad health promotion and disease prevention activities of the past, the 1990 Health Objectives for the Nation, and the Model Standards for Community Preventive Health Services. It is timely for North Carolina, as it celebrates past accomplishments of the state dental public health program, to consider alternative approaches to planning for the public's oral health. The year 2000 process, a national grass‐roots initiative, may be a useful model for individual states to adopt. Beyond identifying specific oral health concerns, the year 2000 process offers a number of functional values: the opportunity to educate a wide audience, prioritization of state oral health concerns, identification of gaps in current programs and surveillance, and the opportunity to create an effective constituency among those individuals and institutions in the best position to bring about change.
New Directions—Constituencies and Responsibilities
Authors: Niessen Linda C. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSix critical questions are discussed as background information for the participants as the future direction for dental public health in North Carolina is considered. (1) Why should a dental program exist as part of the state public health program? (2) Who are the current and future constituents? (3) What programs will be necessary? (4) Where will dental public health programs function in the future? (5) How will dental public health programs function in the future? and (6) When will dental public health programs change? The Future of Public Health Report and the Year 2000 Objectives consider many of these questions for public health and dental public health. In addition to this information, the inequities of oral health status, access to care among various population groups, constituency building, and the roles of government agencies have to be considered. This presentation challenges public health to visualize possibilities for a future that cannot be seen, but that needs to be anticipated.
Reaction Panel to Group Discussions: What Should Dental Public Health Be? and How to Get to the “Should”?
Authors: Satterfield William C. , Dudney George G. , Corbin Stephen B. , Niessen Linda C. , Stamm John 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe purpose of the reaction panel is to assess the group discussion reports, “What Should Public Health Be ?” and “How to Get to the Should.” The panel members were asked to comment on the points they believe were especially significant for future development in dental public health for North Carolina. The panel participants were the four speakers from the initial session of the symposium, including Dr. George Dudney, Dr. John Stamm, Dr. Stephen Corbin, and Dr. Linda Niessen. The reactions to the group discussions are of special value to the participants at the symposium. However, the comments should be helpful and informative to any group involved in planning the future of dental health in local communities or statewide programs.
A Comparison of Quality in a Dual‐choice Dental Plan: Capitation versus Fee‐for‐service
Authors: Atchison Kathryn A. , Schoen Max H. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe quality of dental care provided under a dual‐choice dental plan was evaluated. Eleven practices, six capitation and five fee‐for‐service, were examined. The methodology was based primarily on examinatbn of elements of structure and process of care. Samples of patient dental records were drawn from each practice for a total of 495 patient records. The results showed that none of the five fee‐for‐service dental practices and only two of the capitation practices were found to meet all the criteria for acceptable dental practice. Universally poor documentation made it extremely difficult to evaluate process measures of care. Fee‐for‐service patients received more visits and services than capitation patients. Overtreatment occurred in fee‐for‐service practices and undertreatmentoccurred in capitation practices. The distribution of services also differed, with capitation practices providing a less expensive type of service. Annual utilization of one or more services for capitation practices varied substantially by the practice. In this plan, both capitation and fee‐for‐service practices demonstrated a need for strong quality assurance mechanisms to protect the interests of patients.
Variation in Dentist Service Rates in a Homogeneous Patient Population
Authors: Grembowski David , Mllgrom Peter , Fiset Louis 
Published: April 2007

AbstractPrevious studies in medicine and dentistry document wide variations in service rates across small areas, large regions, and providers. The practice patterns of providers and underlying differences in patient need are thought to be important sources of this variation. To control for variation in patient needs, we calculated service rates of 200 general dentists in Washington state based on a homogeneous, well‐educated, upper‐middle‐class population of patients. Wide variations were found in the rates for many dental services. Dentists' practice beliefs and characteristics of the practice were sources of variation in the rates. The evidence is insufficient to determine whether undertreatment or overtreatment occurred among dentists with the lowest and highest expenditures per patient, respectively. However, the perceived oral health status of adult patients was lower in practices with the lowest total expenditures per patient than in practices with the highest total expenditures per patient, suggesting that undertreatment of adult patients in the lowest‐expenditure practices may have occurred.
The Prevalence of Periodontal Attachment Loss in an Iowa Population Aged 70 and Older
Authors: Hunt Ronald J. , Levy Steven M. , Beck James D. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractSurvey dental examinations were conducted on 262 dentate elderly people aged 70 and older and residing in two rural Iowa counties. Over 60 percent of the elderly in these counties were dentate. Buccal and mesial sites of all teeth were assessed for gingival recession, pocket depth, and attachment loss. Mean loss of periodontal attachment was 2.1 mm, and was slightly greater in older age groups and in men. More gingival recession was found on buccal sites and deeper pocketing was found on mesial sites regardless of age group, sex, or tooth type. However, the clinical magnitude of these differences was small. The prevalence of advanced periodontal breakdown was relatively low, with less than 15 percent of the subjects having at least one site with attachment loss of 7 mm or more. However, moderate periodontal breakdown was highly prevalent in this older population.