e Pre-Dent Press UC Berkeley Pre-Dental Society Volume 7, Issue 6 April 25, 2012 Spring 2012 Active Members In this Issue Letter from the Editors 1 Tooth Decay: A Global 1 Outlook What PDS has been up to 2 A Brief Investigation into 4 Dental Phobia Dental School Spotlight 5 Dental Puzzle 5 Why should diabetics 6 worry about dental health? The DAT Corner 6 Letter from the Editors Hello! ank you for a wonderful semester here at the Pre-Dent Press, a newsletter published by the Cal Pre-Dental Society. is is the final issue of the semester and the 2011-2012 acadmic year! In this issue, we have an article exploring the issue of tooth decay in a global context, and brief look into the scientific literature about dental phobias, and an article discussing the health implications of diabetes with oral health. We also reflect some of the activities the Cal Pre-Dental Society hosted or took part in this semester. As usual, we also shine a spotlight on a dental school and provide some DAT practice probelms in our DAT corner. Per tradition of the last issue of the semester, we also include our list of this semester’s active members in Cal PDS. If you would like to submit an article for a future issue or have any questions about the Pre-Dent Press or the Cal Pre-Dental Society, please contact us at [email protected]. ank you! Sincerely, Wilson Chan and Stephanie Ung Pre-Dent Press Editors continued on page 4 by Cari Yang Tooth Decay: A Global Outlook Approximately 67 percent of the populations who are 5-6 years old have tooth decay with the average child having three to four decayed, missing or filled teeth (World health Organization, 2002). In developing and developed countries alike, they face the consequential problem of tooth decay due to the emerging junk food markets in developing countries such as Vietnam and Nepal. But developing countries receive the shorter end of the stick; with changing conditions in developing countries, dental caries become an increasing occurrence. With the junk food markets along with non- fluoridated tap water, lack of financial support to provide dental supplies and services and oral health education, many families in developing countries are being impacted by oral diseases and a reduced quality of life. e children in this developing country suffer from severe tooth decay causing significant pain and interfere with their nutrition, health, and ability to sleep, play, and learn. 45 percent of Nepali children under the age of 5 are severely underweight (Unicef, 2010). e children consume so many sweets that their teeth rot down to the pulp and make it difficult to chew while eating. Factors contributing to the tooth decay include lack of fluoridated water, poor nutrition (including high consumption of sugary food and beverages and extended use of the baby bottle), lack of proper tooth brushing and lack of access to dental care. More than 80 percent of Vietnamese primary school students have tooth- and mouth- related diseases, while schools fail to provide adequate dental health education (LookatVietnam, 2008). ere are difficulties with human resources and funding that have forced several dental offices to stop operating in Vietnam. Without a prevention plan, it will ultimately cost much more in the long run to treat tooth and mouth diseases. Here, officials have suggested an initiation of dental care programs at schools and have communities work the cost of these programs into their annual budget or at least require parents to help pay Alvin Jogasuria Amy Zhao Bihishta Abdul Cari Yang (A) Chloe Tsang (P) Corissa Chang (P) Eliza Tran Eric Lin Grace Tang HyoJin Lim Irene Cheng Ivy Vuong Janice Chan Jennifer Chen Jia Tian Karen Aguilar Lizi Feng Melissa Milder (P) Michael Shen (A) Nusheen Orandi Raymond Lee (A) Sara Kwong Sharlene Cam (A) A = Above and Beyond P = Perfect Attendance Courtesy of http://your-doctor.com
Transcript
The Pre-Dent PressUC Berkeley Pre-Dental Society
Volume 7, Issue 6 April 25, 2012
Spring 2012Active Members
In this IssueLetter from the Editors 1
Tooth Decay: A Global 1 Outlook
What PDS has been up to 2
A Brief Investigation into 4 Dental Phobia
Dental School Spotlight 5
Dental Puzzle 5
Why should diabetics 6 worry about dental health?
The DAT Corner 6
Letter from the EditorsHello! Thank you for a wonderful semester here at the Pre-Dent Press, a newsletter published by
the Cal Pre-Dental Society. This is the final issue of the semester and the 2011-2012 acadmic year!In this issue, we have an article exploring the issue of tooth decay in a global context, and brief
look into the scientific literature about dental phobias, and an article discussing the health implications of diabetes with oral health. We also reflect some of the activities the Cal Pre-Dental Society hosted or took part in this semester. As usual, we also shine a spotlight on a dental school and provide some DAT practice probelms in our DAT corner. Per tradition of the last issue of the semester, we also include our list of this semester’s active members in Cal PDS.
If you would like to submit an article for a future issue or have any questions about the Pre-Dent Press or the Cal Pre-Dental Society, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Wilson Chan and Stephanie UngPre-Dent Press Editors
continued on page 4
by Cari Yang
Tooth Decay: A Global Outlook
Approximately 67 percent of the populations who are 5-6 years old have tooth decay with the average child having three to four decayed, missing or filled teeth (World health Organization, 2002). In developing and developed countries alike, they face the consequential problem of tooth decay due to the emerging junk food markets in developing countries such as Vietnam and Nepal. But developing countries receive the shorter end of the stick; with changing conditions in developing countries, dental caries become an increasing occurrence. With the junk food markets along with non-fluoridated tap water, lack of financial support to provide dental supplies and services and oral health education, many families in developing countries are being impacted by oral diseases and a reduced quality of life.
The children in this
developing country suffer from severe tooth decay causing significant pain and interfere with their nutrition, health, and ability to sleep, play, and learn. 45 percent of Nepali children under the age of 5 are severely underweight (Unicef, 2010). The children consume so many sweets that their teeth rot down to the pulp and make it difficult to chew while eating. Factors contributing to the tooth decay include lack of fluoridated water, poor nutrition (including high consumption of sugary food and beverages and extended use of the baby bottle), lack of proper tooth brushing and lack of access to dental care.
More than 80 percent
of Vietnamese primary school students have tooth- and mouth-related diseases, while schools fail to provide adequate dental health education (LookatVietnam, 2008). There are difficulties with human resources and funding that have forced several dental offices to stop operating in Vietnam. Without a prevention plan, it will ultimately cost much more in the long run to treat tooth and mouth diseases. Here, officials have suggested an initiation of dental care programs at schools and have communities work the cost of these programs into their annual budget or at least require parents to help pay
Cal Pre-Dental SocietyUniversity of California, Berkeley
c/o ASUC Office of Student Affairs400 Eshelman Hall, MC 4500
Berkeley, CA 94720-4500
The Pre-Dent Press
The Pre-Dent Press is an ASUC sponsored publication. CalPre-Dental Society general meetings are ASUC sponsored andwheelchair accessible. For information on publications, pleasecontact Wilson and Stephanie at [email protected]. Forinformation on advertising with Cal PDS, please contact PatrickChuang and Michelle Khouri at [email protected].
Publicity Committee: Wilson Chan, Stephanie Ung,Mina Arbabaraghi, Sameera Arbabaraghi, JaniceChan, Corissa Chang, Hazel Jeong, Alvin Jogasuria,Rashida Mogri, Michael Shen, Cari Yang, Amy Zhao
Contact us at [email protected],visit us online at http://pds.berkeley.edu/.
For active Cal PDS membership status, members must complete four events, one of which must be a community service event. Active members may miss no more than two general meetings. Any further missed meetings may be made up through additional events.
Thank you all for a wonderful semester. Hope to see you all next academic year!
The Pre-Dent Press is accepting article submissions for the next issue.Articles may be on anything dental-related, including information ondental schools, community outreach and PDS events. Please submitmaterials to Wilson and Stephanie at [email protected]. Articles should be approximately one page, double-spaced, 12pt font. An article submission counts as one credit towards activemembership.
PDS is also currently accepting donations of new and used DAT preparation material. If you would like to make a donation, please email [email protected]. These materials will soon be available for members to rent.
Volunteers provided oral health screenings and services such as
sealants and fluoride varnish to children from all over the
community.
Adventure Playground 2012 February 25 2012
PDS members helped restore and clean up the Adventure Playground site., from weeding to shoveling to
removing nails.
Berkeley ProjectMarch 10 2012
Volunteers signed up to give back to our community, as PDS joined with other
organizations to clean up Berkeley!
What PDS has been up to...
The Pre-Dent PressVolume 7, Issue 6 3
PDS Scrapbook SocialApril 18, 2012
A year of memories has gone by fast! They will forever be treasured in our yearly scrapbook.
Dental Health Awareness WeekApril 17-18, 2012
PDS hosted a number of activities on Sproul including spreading fun
facts and giving out free dental prizes to raise awareness of dental
hygiene!
Spruce Up the Oakland School GardensApril 14, 2012
PDS volunteers got their hands dirty helping with weed-ing, planting, light construction, and garden work at the
Oakland Based Urban Gardens.
EggsterApril 7, 2012
At the dental booth, PDS teamed up with UCSF dental students to teach the importance of keeping our teeth clean and to give out free
dental screenings and varnish treatment.
CA Remote Area Medical (CA) Clinics March 22-25, 2012
Volunteers gathered to provide oral health screenings and services such as sealants and fluoride varnish to children
from all over the community who may not have the opportunity to regularly visit the dentist.
About 6 million people have diabetes and they don’t even know about it. Good news is that sometimes dentists can tell if a patient is a diabetic, or maybe need to be checked up, by looking at patient’s mouth. If a patient has abnormal amount of inflammation or infection, or if they have fruity odor to their breath, these can be the signs of undiagnosed diabetes. There are also ways to self-check to see if you have tooth and gum damage from diabetes. If you have one or more of following problems, such as red, sore, swollen gums, bleeding gums, gums pulling away from your teeth so your teeth look long, loose or sensitive teeth, bad breath, a bite that feels different,
or dentures that do not fit well, you should contact dentist and regular physician to help diagnose what the problem is.
Uncontrolled diabetes impairs white blood cells, which are the body’s main defense against bacterial infections that can occur in the mouth. Because response to fight off the infections are not same as with those without diabetes, it is important for diabetics to go to dental office minimum twice a year and get their teeth checked and cleaned.
Interestingly, the relationship between bad oral health and diabetes is two-way street; a serious periodontal disease can worsen diabetes. Serious periodontal disease may have the potential to affect blood glucose control and contribute to the progression of diabetes. Therefore, it is important to take
good care of gums and teeth in daily basis to prevent dental problems. For example, brushing teeth after every meal and flossing at least once a day can help to prevent plaque from building up on teeth. People with diabetes takes longer to heal, therefore, monitoring the glucose level and taking good care of oral health to prevent any periodontal diseases would be recommended.
of the American population still suffer from tooth decay despite the advanced technologies the nation may provide. Because so few countries are spared high levels of this disease, caries map typically display disease severity rather than prevalence. Thus, it becomes substantially difficult to pinpoint the tooth decay severity in developed countries. According to WHO, it was observed that developed countries have higher rates of caries experience, while developing countries have lower rates. There is a perception
that dental caries is no longer a problem in the developed world, but it affects 60-90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults (World Health Organization, 2004). Income disparities play a large role that determine the environment, education, and health sustainability an individual can provide for him or herself, in addition to his or her family. For the families of poverty, they are more prone to dental caries however this health issue is equated as irrelevant due to the overall dental health status of the nation.
The solutions to the tooth decay epidemic in developing countries are to (1) initiate
fluoridation programs to improve fluoride access in low-income countries, (2) advocate for a common risk factor approach to prevent oral and other chronic diseases simultaneously and lastly, (3) obtain support from other countries in order to successfully implement oral health into existing public health systems. In addition, to strengthen existing methods in developed countries, take United States for an example, there can be changes made such as (1) providing proper oral health education, (2) implementing health policies that will allow easier access for poverty-stricken families to obtain dental health insurance, (3) and encourage
general dentists and dental specialists to support free Dental care and accept Denti-Cal recipients.
continued from page 6
continued from page 1
When I introduce myself as a pre-dental student to others, it is not uncommon for me to receive comments like “I hate going to the dentist.” As I look into the academic literature, I was surprised to find that studies have been done on the basis and treatment of dental phobia.
The definition of dental phobia is an avoidance and fear of dental treatment out of proportion to the demands of the situation and is beyond voluntary control. A study was done in British Journal of Psychiatry in which a control group and a group of diagnosed patients were seen alone for dental treatment and inquired about their family members’ psychiatric history and their attitude towards dentistry. Following the
treatment, the patients completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory to rate their anxiety. In some cases, assessments had to be terminated because the subjects could not tolerate the prolonged anxiety. All the phobic patients were accompanied by a relative or friend while the control group attended unaccompanied. All members of the phobic group reported that they have had traumatic experience at the dentist at least once during childhood while only 10% has had so in the control group. They also stated a hierarchy of fear triggered during their dental visits in which pain and injection in the mouth were rated equally, followed by fear of the anesthetic mask, the sight of the instruments, and the noise of the drill.
In the Journal of Dental Research, the in addition to the fear of the patient, the attitude of the dentist is explored. A group of 130 men and 66 women were asked to fill out a questionnaire
that contained 29 items concerning demographic variables, the scale of fear, situations involving the dentists and amount of fear. The group was divided into two groups by amount of fear. There was a large difference in the amount of fear between the two on their overall fear ratings, and interestingly, they ordered their fear-evoking stimuli in the same fashion.
Through these two studies, it seems that the only factors that discriminate between fearful and non-fearful dental patients are the unfavorable family dental experience reported to the patient and family attitudes towards dentistry, and that fearful situations in dentist offices are the same but differ in the amount of fear.
by Lizi Feng
SourcesEdelstein, BL. “The Dental Caries Pandemic and Disparities Problem.” BMC Oral Health, 10 July 2006. Nepal Nutrition-Brief. 31 March 2012. <http://siteresources.worldbank.org/SOUTHASIAEXT/Resources/223546-1171488994713/3455847-1232124140958/5748939-1234285802791/NepalNutritionBrief.pdf>.Oral Health. Web. 31 March 2012. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs318/en/>.Over 80 percent of Vietnamese children suffer tooth decay. 31 March 2012.<http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2008/12/over-80-percent-of-vietnamese-children-suffer-tooth-decay.html>.Prevention and Management of dental decay in the pre-school child. 31 March 2012. <http://www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/sign83.pdf>.WHO releases new report on global problem of oral diseases. Web. 31 March 2012. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2004/pr15/en/>.
SourcesGale, Elliot. “Fears of the Dental Situation”. Journal of Dental Research: 964-966. Web. Apr 15, 2012Lautch, Henry. “Dental Phobia”. The British Journal of Psychiatry: 151-158. Web. Apr 15, 2012
A Brief Investigation into Dental Phobia
The Pre-Dent PressVolume 7, Issue 2 5
School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry
Biology Requirement1 year of Biology(lecture and lab) Chemistry Requirements2 years of Chemistry(lecture and lab)Of which at least 1 year of Organic Chemistry(lecture and lab) Physics Requirement1 year of Physics(lecture and lab)Math RequirementNoneEnglish RequirementNoneOther Required Courses1 semester of biochemistryShadowing Requirments100 hours of shadowing (paid or volunteer)Suggested CoursesGeneral Microbiology, Bacteriology, Anatomy, Genetics, Cell Biology, Immunology, Embryology, Developmental Biology, Behavioral Sciences, Courses involving psychomotor skillsAverage Class StatsNumber of Applicants: 2,450Number of Seats: 95 (60 VA residents, 35 non-VA residents)GPA: Overall GPA: 3.6 Science GPA: 3.50DAT: AA: 19 PAT: 20 TS: 20
Dental School Spotlight
Dental School SpotlightDental School Spotlight
by Sara Kwong
by Lizi Feng
Located in Richmond, Virginia, the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry not only offers a general practice Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program, but programs for many dental specialties and dentistry related fields as well. They offer instruction in departments of endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral health promotion and community outreach, oral pathology, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral and craniofacial molecular biology. Only 35 of their class of 95 students are accepted from out of state, but the tuition for VCU School of Dentistry is far less
expensive than the average for all dental schools. If you live outside of Virginia, the annual cost of tuition is about $23,460.
As many pre-dental students know, getting in to dental school can be a difficult and rigorous process. VCU School of Dentistry offers a program called the “D.5” program. The program is meant for students with great potential towards being a dentist who have applied to dental school but were not successful in gaining admission. The program allows applicants to take selected science courses from the freshman curriculum, and if they maintain the mandatory minimum of a “B” in each course, they
will have a much greater chance of being accepted into the following year’s freshman class. Additionally, if accepted, they would then also be exempt from having to repeat these courses upon their entrance into the school. Maintenance of at least “B’s” in the classes is required, and failure would result in no longer being considered for entrance into the freshman class. Students selected for the D.5 program usually have strong science backgrounds, excellent interpersonal skills, and dental experience.
ACROSS2 mildest form of periodontal disease, gums become red, swollen, and bleed easily5 a calcified structure that may form inside a salivary gland or duct and block the flow of saliva into the mouth7 a non-specific term for an inflamed and sore mouth, can disrupt a person’s ability to eat, talk, or sleep9 soft clear coating that collects on the surface of the teeth, comes from bateria that lives in your mouth10 a dental disorder in which the gum disease around the molar teeth becomes swollen and infected11 also known as bad breath, comes from protein broken down by bacteria inside the mouth12 a white or gray patch that develops on the tongue, the inside of the cheek, or on the floor of the mouth13 also known as TMJ, discomfort or tenderness in or around the ball and socket joint that connect the lower jaw to
DOWN 1 tooth decay in babies and toddlers as a result of improper bottle feeding3 an infection of the mouth caused by the candida fungus, also known as yeast4 untreated gingivitis, plaque irritate the gums6 also known as mouth ulcers, a small, oval to around ulcer, grayish or yellowish in color with a red border8 also known as teeth grinding, usually occur at night
For more information on the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, visit http://www.dentistry.vcu.edu/.
The Pre-Dent Press Volume 7, Issue 66
The DAT Corner Courtesy ofhttp://www.dattestquestions.com/.Answers revealed on page 2.
BIOLOGY1. Which of the following is an example of a density-dependent limiting factor?a. Air pollution by a factoryb. The toxic effect of waste productsc. Nearby volcanic eruptionsd. Frostse. Fires
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY2. Proteins, starches and celluloses are referred to asa. Biopolymersb. Bioresinsc. Biofibersd. Biomers
QUANTITATIVE REASONING4. 19. Fred contributes 2/25 of his gross pay to his IRA. His employer matches contributions on the first 5% of an employee’s gross pay. If Fred’s gross pay is $750 each week, what is the total amount contributed to his IRA for one week?a. $37.50b. $60.00c. $65.00d. $97.50
GENERAL CHEMISTRY3.Which of the following pairs of a person and an accomplishment is NOT correct? a. Lavoisier, concept that water is formed from oxygen and hydrogenb. Mendeleev, the periodic tablec. Volta, discovery of the batteryd. Einstein, synthesis of the first man-made elemente. Curie, discovery of radium
PERCEPTUAL ABILITY5. The pictures that follow are top, front and end views of various solid objects. The views are without perspective. That is, the points in the viewed surface are viewed along parallel lines of vision. The projection looking DOWN on it is shown in the upper left-hand corner (TOP VIEW). The projection looking at the object from the FRONT is shown in the lower left-hand corner (FRONT VIEW). The projection looking at the object from the END is shown in the lower right-hand corner (END VIEW). These views are ALWAYS in the same positions and are labeled accordingly. Note that the lines that cannot be seen on the surface in some particular view are DASHED in that view. In the problems that follow, two views will be shown, with four alternatives to complete the set. You are to select the correct one and mark it on the answer sheet.
PDS is also currently accepting donations of new and used DAT preparation material. If you would like to make a donation, please email [email protected]. These materials will be avail-able for members to rent.
by Hyo Jin LimWhy should diabetics worry about dental health?Diabetes is a big health problem in
the world. More than 20 million Americans have diabetes. People suffer from diabetes if their body makes too little insulin or becomes resistant to insulin. This leads to failure to uptake glucose from blood, hence increases the concentration of glucose in blood. Diabetes is a chronic disease that can lead to serious complications like blindness, kidney damage, heart disease, lower limb amputations, or, even, premature death. What’s not so commonly known is that diabetes can also lead to gum damages.
Anybody can suffer from gum problems. Periodontal (gum) disease can be as simple as gum inflammations. When gum inflammation, also called gingivitis, is not treated, it can advance to periodontitis. In serious diseases, it may results in major damage to the soft tissue and bone that support the teeth. In the worst cases, teeth can be lost.
According to a report “Oral Health Awareness in Adult Patients: A Questionnaire Study” in the British Dental Journal, when more than 200 adults with diabetes were surveyed, many of them did not know the increased dental risks by diabetes. To be
specific, only 13 percent of them knew their swollen gums could be made worse by diabetes. What they did not know is that if one has diabetes, he/she an increased risk of developing periodontal diseases.
Diabetes contributes to periodontal
diseases in several ways; it can lower your body’s ability to fight bacteria that invade the gums, and it can slow healing. Your blood vessels bring oxygen and nutrients to your
tissues, including mouth, and remove wastes. If you have diabetes, the blood vessels don’t work as well as it should be. Diabetes causes the blood vessel to thicken and become less elastic, making you less resistant to infection, like periodontal disease.
Diabetics often experience a decrease flow of saliva. This can lead to a condition called dry mouth, or xerostomia. Saliva has its own immune system and protects your mouth from infection. However, a lack of saliva allows plaque, the sticky film of food and bacteria, to build up easily on teeth. This accumulation of the plaque is the main cause of periodontal disease. The plaque spreads and grows below the gum line. Dry mouth can also cause tooth decay. Having poorly controlled diabetes also means that there often is excess level of glucose in the blood and saliva. It is thought that this higher level may encourage the growth of bacteria in plaque that are responsible for periodontal diseases. An increased level of glucose in saliva can also lead to thrush, which is a painful infection that leaves white patches in the mouth.
