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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene is the property of Canadian Dental Hygienists Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives Ultrasonic scaling technology has evolved dramatically providing greater clinical utility subgingivally including instrumentation of light deposits and biofilm disruption. It is unknown whether dental hygiene curriculum has kept pace with the progression and reflects current applications. The first part of this two-part study aimed to determine new dental hygiene graduates' use and perceptions of preparedness in ultrasonic instrumentation. Part 2 investigates ultrasonic curriculum from the programme director perspective and will be reported on in a subsequent paper. Method Part 1 of the study surveys recently graduated Canadian dental hygienists about their use and perceptions of preparedness with ultrasonic instruments through an electronic questionnaire developed for this study. Results Participants reported using ultrasonics about half of their instrumentation time predominantly with magnetostrictive technology. Use focussed on heavier deposits with straight, slim inserts. Subjects were generally satisfied with ultrasonic education and felt reasonably well prepared in using ultrasonics. Higher levels of perceived preparedness were most associated with graduates from the 3-year diploma programme, whereas graduates from 18-month programmes were associated with greater levels of confidence in using ultrasonics. Confidence with ultrasonics did not have an effect on subsequent use - mostly all participants increased use once in practice. An earlier introduction and more practice time in school were both associated with increased feelings of preparation and confidence. Conclusions New dental hygiene graduates perceive greater preparedness, confidence and use of ultrasonic instrumentation within a more traditional paradigm. In addition, the results indicate a potential incorrect and/or inappropriate application of current technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the dosing regimens, compliance, and outcomes of premature infants who received palivizumab within the Canadian Registry of Palivizumab (CARESS). Infants receiving ≥1 dose of palivizumab during the 2006-2011 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasons were recruited across 30 sites. Respiratory illness events were captured monthly. Infants ≤32 completed weeks gestational age (GA) (Group 1) were compared to 33-35 completed weeks GA infants (Group 2) following prophylaxis. In total, 6,654 patients were analyzed (Group 1, n = 5,183; Group 2, n = 1,471). The mean GA was 29.9 ± 2.9 versus 34.2 ± 2.2 weeks for Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Group differences were significant (all p-values <0.05) for the following: proportion of males, Caucasians, siblings, multiple births, maternal smoking, smoking during pregnancy, household smokers, >5 household individuals, birth weight, and enrolment age. Overall, infants received 92.6 % of expected injections. Group 1 received significantly more injections, but a greater proportion of Group 2 received injections within recommended intervals. The hospitalization rates were similar for Groups 1 and 2 for respiratory illness (4.7 % vs. 3.7 %, p = 0.1) and RSV (1.5 % vs. 1.4 %, p = 0.3). Neither the time to first respiratory illness [hazard ratio = 0.9, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.7-1.2, p = 0.5] nor to first RSV hospitalization (hazard ratio = 1.3, 95 % CI 0.8-2.2, p = 0.3) were different. Compliance with RSV prophylaxis is high. Despite the higher number of palivizumab doses in infants ≤32 completed weeks GA, the two groups' respiratory illness and RSV-positive hospitalization rates were similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the antiobiotic prophylaxis guidelines for infective endocarditis (IE) that dentists in Canada must follow. It notes that prophylactic measures have been developed to reduce the risks of IE in dental procedures. It mentions that dentists must discuss with physcians about the guidelines. Tables of prophylaxis guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA), the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) and the British Cardiac Society are given.

Provides the backdrop for understanding the dental hygiene profession in Canada. Scope of dental hygiene practice; Background on dental hygiene education; Regulation of dental hygiene; Discourse in dental hygiene practice.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Are we prepped for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP)? Provider opinions on the real-world use of PrEP in the United States and Canada" by M.Y. Karris, S.E. Beekmann and S.R. Mehta.

The Department of Dentistry based at the Hospital for Sick Children and Bloorview MacMillan Centre in Toronto is unique. It provides treatment for cleft lip and palate patients and all forms of specialist dental treatment to children and adolescents resident in Ontario. The quality of service provided by the department has been externally recognised and validated through an ISO 9002 award (February 1999). At that time, it was the first Dental Clinic in North America to receive the ISO 9002 standard. In addition, the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association has recognised the department for its organisation and contributions in the field of cleft lip and palate and craniofacial surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Uniform System of Coding and List of Services (USC&LS) of the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) for insurance purposes. It says that categorization in USC&LS is not for definition of dental procedures, such as the term scaling which refers to removal of calculus from a tooth. One of the conditions required by CDA to users of USC&LS is not to add new codes that do not exist in USC&LS. It is noted that the substitution of the prophylaxis codes with separate code for polishing and scaling generated the greatest reaction.

The author focuses on the guidelines for prophylactic antibiotic therapy in dentistry. He cites that his teachers impressed on him that he had to be careful to prescribe such therapy in cases where there was a risk of infective endocarditis. He notes that changes to the guidelines of the American Heart Association for the prevention of infective endocarditis have been in the direction of prescribing more limited prophylactic antibiotics in a more refined range of incidents. He says that the guidelines cannot supplant informed professional judgement.

The aim of this study was to assess the need and demand for sedation or general anesthesia (GA) for dentistry in the Canadian adult population. A national telephone survey of 1101 Canadians found that 9.8% were somewhat afraid of dental treatment, with another 5.5% having a high level of fear. Fear or anxiety was the reason why 7.6% had ever missed, cancelled, or avoided a dental appointment. Of those with high fear, 49.2% had avoided a dental appointment at some point because of fear or anxiety as opposed to only 5.2% from the no or low fear group. Regarding demand, 12.4% were definitely interested in sedation or GA for their dentistry and 42.3% were interested depending on cost. Of those with high fear, 31.1% were definitely interested, with 54.1% interested depending on cost. In a hypothetical situation where endodontics was required because of a severe toothache, 12.7% reported high fear. This decreased to 5.4% if sedation or GA were available. For this procedure, 20.4% were definitely interested in sedation or GA, and another 46.1% were interested depending on cost. The prevalence of, and preference for, sedation or GA was assessed for specific dental procedures. The proportion of the population with a preference for sedation or GA was 7.2% for cleaning, 18% for fillings or crowns, 54.7% for endodontics, 68.2% for periodontal surgery, and 46.5% for extraction. For each procedure, the proportion expressing a preference for sedation or GA was significantly greater than the proportion having received treatment with sedation or GA (P < 0.001). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that there is significant need and demand for sedation and GA in the Canadian adult population.

The cross-cultural validity of a parent's version of the Dental Fear Survey Schedule (DFSS) for children was assessed by examining the relationship between the parent's report of child fear in Chinese (DFSS) and actual child behavior (CB) in the dental environment for two samples: 70 Chinese children ages 5-15 yr, residing in Canada, and 99 mainland Chinese children ages 2.5-7.0 yr residing in Kunming, Yunnan, PRC Canadian DFSS score M = 31.9 (SD = 9.5) with no differences by age or sex. PRC DFSS score M = 35.7 (SD = 8.9) with girls reported more fearful than boys. No age difference was detected. Higher DFSS scores were associated with more CB in both samples. Factor analyses yielded similar solutions and internal consistency was high. Control and potential victimization were identified as important constructs. The results suggest the Chinese version of the DFSS is a reliable and valid parental measure of child dental fear.

As Canada's population becomes increasingly more diverse, dental hygienists must face the challenge of providing culturally sensitive health care. This literature review provides a sample of cultural and professional beliefs/values, traditional oral hygiene practices and psycho-social determinants that can affect the delivery of dental health services. The paper concludes by addressing some of the personal, professional and research implications of multicultural diversity for the dental hygiene profession.