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This paper assesses the fate of lipids associated with low-temperature and pit-fired pottery to determine to what degree organic compounds persist or are removed during short-firing episodes below 800 °C. Three different types of clay were fired using contrasting techniques including at 400 °C for 4 h in a muffle furnace, and pit-firing in which pottery was fired to higher temperatures but for shorter periods of time. Total lipid extracts obtained by solvent extraction of test sherds were screened using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) to determine the lipid concentrations and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to identify the organic compounds present. The results showed that firing of clay removes all naturally occurring alkyl lipids; however, during pit-firing, diterpenoid lipids were introduced into the clay as a condensate from pine (Pinus spp.) wood used as fuel. These results confirm that alkyl lipids, e.g., fatty acids, can be reliably associated with the use of vessels, although caution is required when interpreting the origins of lipids that might derive from fuel used in firing.

Objective: To use a model of health learning to examine the role of health-learning capacity and the effect of a school-based oral health education intervention (Winning Smiles) on the health outcome, child oral health–related quality of life (COHRQoL). Setting: Primary schools, high social deprivation, Ireland/Northern Ireland. Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial. Method: A total of 383, 7- to 8-year-old children were invited to participate and randomly allocated into intervention and control conditions. Baseline and 12-month follow-up assessments of COHRQoL, self-esteem, toothbrushing–fluoride toothpaste knowledge and unstimulated saliva samples were made. An 18-hour post-brushing, saliva fluoride concentration was used to assess toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste (behaviour). The data were entered onto SPSSv22. Structural equation modelling was applied using AMOSv22 to test for the role of health-learning capacity (baseline self-esteem and COHRQoL) and simultaneous effects of Winning Smiles upon knowledge, behaviour and COHRQoL (at follow-up). Results: A total of 238 children participated at baseline and follow-up. A partial latent hybrid model fitted the data reasonably well (χ2 = 65.6, df = 50, p = .07) as shown in addition by a Comparative Fit Index of .97 and a Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) value of .042 (90% confidence interval [CI]: .00, .06). The intervention had a significant effect on toothbrushing–fluoride toothpaste knowledge (p

The discovery during the first half of the 20th century of the link between natural fluoride, adjusted fluoride levels in drinking water and reduced dental caries prevalence proved to be a stimulus for worldwide on-going research into the role of fluoride in improving oral health. Epidemiological studies of fluoridation programmes have confirmed their safety and their effectiveness in controlling dental caries. Major advances in our knowledge of how fluoride impacts the caries process have led to the development, assessment of effectiveness and promotion of other fluoride vehicles including salt, milk, tablets, toothpaste, gels and varnishes. In 1993, the World Health Organization convened an Expert Committee to provide authoritative information on the role of fluorides in the promotion of oral health throughout the world (WHO TRS 846, 1994). This present publication is a revision of the original 1994 document, again using the expertise of researchers from the extensive fields of knowledge required to successfully implement complex interventions such as the use of fluorides to improve dental and oral health. Financial support for research into the development of these new fluoride strategies has come from many sources including government health departments as well as international and national grant agencies. In addition, the unique role which industry has played in the development, formulation, assessment of effectiveness and promotion of the various fluoride vehicles and strategies is noteworthy. This updated version of 'Fluoride and Oral Health' has adopted an evidence-based approach to its commentary on the different fluoride vehicles and strategies and also to its recommendations. In this regard, full account is taken of the many recent systematic reviews published in peer reviewed literature.

The discovery during the first half of the 20th century of the link between natural fluoride, adjusted fluoride levels in drinking water and reduced dental caries prevalence proved to be a stimulus for worldwide on-going research into the role of fluoride in improving oral health. Epidemiological studies of fluoridation programmes have confirmed their safety and their effectiveness in controlling dental caries. Major advances in our knowledge of how fluoride impacts the caries process have led to the development, assessment of effectiveness and promotion of other fluoride vehicles including salt, milk, tablets, toothpaste, gels and varnishes. In 1993, the World Health Organization convened an Expert Committee to provide authoritative information on the role of fluorides in the promotion of oral health throughout the world (WHO TRS 846, 1994). This present publication is a revision of the original 1994 document, again using the expertise of researchers from the extensive fields of knowledge required to successfully implement complex interventions such as the use of fluorides to improve dental and oral health. Financial support for research into the development of these new fluoride strategies has come from many sources including government health departments as well as international and national grant agencies. In addition, the unique role which industry has played in the development, formulation, assessment of effectiveness and promotion of the various fluoride vehicles and strategies is noteworthy. This updated version of ‘Fluoride and Oral Health’ has adopted an evidence-based approach to its commentary on the different fluoride vehicles and strategies and also to its recommendations. In this regard, full account is taken of the many recent systematic reviews published in peer reviewed literature.

PURPOSE: We assessed the impact of the introduction of a €0.50 prescription copayment, and its increase to €1.50, on adherence to essential and less-essential medicines in a publicly insured population in Ireland. METHODS: We used a pre-post longitudinal repeated measures design. We included new users of essential medicines: blood pressure lowering, lipid lowering and oral diabetic agents, thyroid hormone, anti-depressants, and less-essential medicines: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Proton Pump Inhibitors/H2 antagonists (PPIs/H2 ), and anxiolytics/hypnotics. The outcome was change in adherence, measured using Proportion of Days Covered. We used segmented regression with generalised estimating equations to allow for repeated measurements. RESULTS: Sample sizes ranged from 7145 (thyroid hormone users) to 136 111 (NSAID users). The €0.50 copayment was associated with reductions in adherence ranging from -2.1%[95% CI, -2.8 to -1.5] (thyroid hormone) to -8.3%[95% CI, -8.7 to -7.9] (anti-depressants) for essential medicines and reductions in adherence of -2%[95% CI, -2.3 to -1.7] (anxiolytics/hypnotics) to -9.5%[95% CI, -9.8 to -9.1] (PPIs/H2 ) for less-essential medicines. The €1.50 copayment generally resulted in smaller reductions in adherence to essential medicines. Anti-depressant medications were the exception with a decrease of -10.0% [95% CI, -10.4 to -9.6] after the copayment increase. Larger decreases in adherence were seen for most less-essential medicines; the largest was for PPIs/H2 at -13.5% [95% CI, -13.9 to -13.2] after the €1.50 copayment. CONCLUSION: Both copayments had a greater impact on adherence to less-essential medicines than essential medicines. The major exception was for anti-depressant medicines. Further research is required to explore heterogeneity across different socio-economic strata and to elicit the impact on clinical outcomes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background: In the Republic of Ireland, the HSE Dental Service provides state-funded dental care to children under the age of 16. Many children rely on these services as their sole source of dental care. The services are intermittent and not standardised nationally, resulting in variation in practice[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], G-I-N Conference 2012

To determine the proportion of Republic of Ireland 35-44 and 65+ year-olds currently satisfying the criteria for a classic shortened dental arch (SDA) of 20 anterior teeth.Secondary analysis of data collected in the 2000/02 epidemiological survey of the oral health of Irish adults.Participants underwent a clinical oral examination in health board dental clinics and completed a detailed interview pertaining to dental and general health.The analysis is based on a random sample of adults, aged 35 to 44 years (n = 978), and 65 years and older (n = 714).The SDA was measured as 20 teeth in the mouth in the positions normally described as from the left second premolar to the right second premolar in each arch.Only one of the 35-44 year-olds and none of the 65+ year-olds had teeth in their mouths in positions normally described as a classic SDA. However, of the 35-44 year old age group only five patients who had at least a premolar dentition of 20 contiguous teeth had been provided with a removable denture compared to one patient from the 65+ years group.Very few older patients in the Republic of Ireland have a SDA based on the measure used. However, very few have been provided with removable dentures where they already possess at least a premolar dentition of 20 contiguous teeth. Suggested reasons for this may include limitations of the data recorded, patient preferences and economic factors.

Dental caries is a disease of childhood social disa\ud dvantage being considered as a marker of family dep\ud rivation \ud and relative poverty. School-based programmes such \ud as, ‘Winning Smiles’ (WS) have been used to promote \ud toothbrushing with luoride toothpaste in children r\ud esiding in areas of high social deprivation. Withou\ud t a clear \ud understanding of the underlying toothbrushing dynam\ud ic how could WS achieve its deined aim to promote \ud toothbrushing as a self-care practice in children r\ud esiding in areas of greatest deprivation? The need \ud to research \ud the dynamics of childhood toothbrushing remained. T\ud he aim of this qualitative exploration was twofold,\ud irst \ud to explore children’s views of toothbrushing and se\ud condly, to relect, if possible, on the degree to wh\ud ich the \ud children’s views and experiences can aid an underst\ud anding of the power dynamics of toothbrushing pract\ud ices \ud in childhood. In order to achieve these aims it was\ud necessary to use a child-centred approach to glean\ud the \ud thoughts, values and opinions of the participating \ud children. The children who participated were aged b\ud e-\ud tween 8-9-years-old and resided and attended school\ud s in the most deprived parts of Dublin and Belfast.\ud The \ud data analysis was theoretically underpinned by the \ud work of Foucault and Nettleton. The children had a \ud series \ud of toothbrushing rules which were a conglomerate of\ud ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’. The rules relected an element\ud of con\ud -\ud lict in the children’s behaviour since they describ\ud ed what the children felt they ‘should’ do (‘toothb\ud rushing \ud rules’), as well as what they ‘actually’ did (‘toot\ud hbrushing practices’). The toothbrushing rules were\ud mainly \ud based on their parental household rules which the c\ud hildren incorporated into their toothbrushing pract\ud ices. \ud It is suggested that children incorporate informati\ud on from parents, school-based programmes and the de\ud ntist \ud into their toothbrushing practices. This qualitativ\ud e exploration has allowed the process of understand\ud ing the \ud power dynamics associated with children’s toothbrushing t\ud o begin. In order to gain a greater understanding \ud from the child’s perspective greater time is need t\ud o appreciate how children incorporate what appears \ud to be \ud a rather mundane aspect of everyday life into their\ud health repertoire.