Objective: To evaluate in humans the efficacy of power driven interdental cleaning tools in addition to tooth-brushing compared to tooth-brushing alone or any non-power driven interdental cleaning tool in addition to tooth-brushing on dental plaque removal and prevention of gingivitis.   Introduction: Daily mechanical self-care disruption of dental plaque is considered important for oral health maintenance. Tooth-brushing, which is the most common method for removing dental plaque, has only a marginal effect on the interdental spaces between the teeth. Therefore, special cleaning tools are necessary for plaque removal in these areas. Dental floss has long been considered “the golden standard” of interdental cleaning and is often recommended by dental health professionals. Powered interdental tools are an alternative that in certain studies have proven to be efficient on plaque and bleeding.   Method: Two internet sources (PubMed and Cochrane Central) were searched for studies investigating the efficacy of powered interdental tools on the parameters of plaque, gingivitis and bleeding in comparison to tooth-brushing only or tooth-brushing and any non-powered interdental tool. The PRISMA 2009 protocol was adopted and studies included were analysed for results and homogeneity. Bias across studies was estimated according to a protocol by SBU.   Results: 14 articles were found relevant to the research question and analysed for data on plaque, gingivitis and bleeding. Studies were grouped according to type of device investigated. The groups consisted of oral irrigation with water on patients with natural teeth or undergoing orthodontic treatment plus a group on other interdental tools. The results show that power interdental tools have a significant ability to decrease plaque, gingivitis and bleeding. / Syfte: Syftet med studien var att söka evidens för maskinella interdentala hjälpmedels effekt på plackborttagning, gingivit och blödning och om de har en tilläggseffekt utöver tandborstning jämfört med endast tandborstning eller tandborstning i kombination med manuella interdentala hjälpmedel på människor.   Introduktion: Daglig plackborttagning är viktig för att uppnå god oral hälsa. Tandborstning är den vanligaste metoden för att ta bort plack men har endast en marginell åtkomst till det interdentala utrymmet mellan tänderna, därför behövs specielle hjälpmedel för plackborttagning i dessa utrymmen. Tandtråd har länge betraktats som ”en gyllene standard” för rengöring mellan tänderna och rekommenderas oftast av tandvården. Maskinella hjälpmedel är ett alternativ som i vissa studier har visat sig vara effektiva mot plack och blödning.   Metod: Två databaser genomsöktes (PubMed och Cochrane Central) för studier av maskinella interdentala hjälpmedel och deras effektivitet på plack, gingivit och blödning i jämförelse med tandborstning, eller tandborstning med manuella interdentala hjälpmedel. Ett protokoll för systematiska litteraturstudier (PRISMA 2009) följdes och inkluderade studier bearbetades med avseende på resultat och risk för systematiska fel med hjälp av en mall från SBU.   Resultat: Totalt 14 artiklar som var relevanta för syftet inkluderades i studien och data för plack, gingivit och blödning analyserades. Studierna grupperades i enlighet med vilken typ av hjälpmedel de utgjorde. Grupperna bestod av vattenflossers (oral irrigators) använda av patienter med egna tänder och/eller med fast tandställning samt en grupp övriga maskinella hjälpmedel. Resultatet pekar på att maskinella interdentala hjälpmedel har en signifikant effekt på plack, gingivit och blödning och kan rekommenderas till patienter som alternativ till manuella hjälpmedel.

Losing interdental gingival tissue can lead to a phenomemon known as black triangles. The absence of the interdental papilla (the so called 'black triangle disease') can cause patients problems with appearance, phonetics and with the impaction of food. The gingival soft tissues form the framework and the architecture of the dentition and, in the maxillary anterior region of the mouth, play an important role in dental aesthetics. If there is any change to the shape and/or symmetry of the gingivae through developmental, pathologic or iatrogenic factors, there can be a significant and detrimental change in the appearance and balance of the natural dentition and any prosthetic tooth replacement. In this clinical research study, we find that the radiographic measurement of the distance of the contact point to the crest of the bone is a valid and reliable tool to use. This method also adds strength to predicting black triangles as the results are similar to earlier studies and the numbers used in this study was nearly twice as much.

Parodontit är en kronisk inflammatorisk sjukdom, som orsakas av patogena bakterier som fäster på tändernas ytor, där de bildar plack. Sjukdomen kan förebyggas genom god munhygien. Syftet med studien var att beskriva och jämföra parodontit relateradkunskap och dess relation till munhygiensvanor hos patienter före och 1-år efter icke kirurgisk parodontal behandling utförd av tandhygienist samt jämföra om det föreligger någon skillnad i kunskap efter behandling mellan två olika munhälsoundervisningsprogram. Ett ytterligare syfte var att beskriva om det föreligger någon skillnad i kunskap om parodontit med avseende på ålder, kön och utbildningsnivå. Studien var en beskrivande, jämförande studie med kvantitativ ansats och en del av en experimentell tvågruppsstudie.Urvalet bestod av 113 individer, 60 kvinnor och 53 män, i åldern 20-65 år som var remitteras till en specialistklinik i parodontologi. Av de 113 studiedeltagarna randomiserades 57 personer till ett individuell skräddarsydd munhälsoundervisningsprogram och 56 personer till ett standardiserat munhälsoundervisningsprogram. Ett frågeformulär med 11 påståenden gällande kunskap om parodontit och ett påstående om tandborstfrekvens samt ett påstående om approximalrengörning användes.Resultatet visade att patienterna hade mer kunskap efter icke kirurgisk parodontal behandling, men det fanns ingen skillnad mellan undervisningsprogrammen. Inget samband påvisades mellan kunskap om parodontit och utbildningsnivå, kön och ålder. Studien visar att både individuellt skräddarsydd munhälsoundervisning och standard munhälsoundervisning ledar till en ökad kunskap om parodontit mellan deltagarna.

This study examined Taiwanese ESL learners' perception and production of English interdental fricatives (IFs) with respect to three variables: perception errors, production errors, and three ranges of length of residence (LOR) in the US (LOR < 1 year; LOR= 3-4 years; LOR ; at least 7 years). Through the investigation, several relationships among perception, production errors, and LOR were revealed. In addition, the types and patterns of the pronunciation errors as well as the phonological processes involved in the mispronunciations were investigated. The instrument included both perception and production tasks, as well as a demographic questionnaire. More specifically, the production task contains two syllable positions: word initial and word final; two sources: word list and text. The data were analyzed through auditory and spectrographic devices with an involvement of an inter-rater agreement. The results showed that there was a positive relationship between perception and production errors for each of the three groups. Namely, the more perception errors made by the Taiwanese ESL learners, the more production errors occurred. The correlation increases with each group, i.e., with LOR. The relationship between LOR and perception and production errors were significantly negative as the longer the learners had stayed in the US, the fewer errors in perception and production were made and vice versa. A descriptive analysis revealed that the initial theta and the final eth are the most difficult sounds for the Taiwanese learners to perceive. In addition, both voiceless and voiced IFs were found to be difficult to pronounce in the final position. Regarding the source where the target sounds were located, the results indicated that reading text (rather than a word list) caused more pronunciation errors for most of the learners except the group with LOR at least 7 years, which had a better performance in the production task compared with the other two groups, regardless of which source the target sounds were located. From the overall findings, ESL teachers are encouraged to apply multiple teaching tools and to provide feedback with effective correction techniques to learners in order to adjust and overcome their pronunciation errors.

Submitted by Cristiane Chim (cristiane.chim@ucpel.edu.br) on 2016-07-26T23:09:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação LEANDRO PIMENTEL RODRIGUES MOREIRA.pdf: 1234341 bytes, checksum: 2bddb031179ad502676856c17bc486d2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-26T23:09:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação LEANDRO PIMENTEL RODRIGUES MOREIRA.pdf: 1234341 bytes, checksum: 2bddb031179ad502676856c17bc486d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-15 / Based on the Speech Learning Model (FLEGE, 1995) – SLM – and on the Perceptual Assimilation Model for L2 Learning (BEST; TYLER, 2007) – PAM-L2 – and also the definition of perception (STRANGE, SHAFER, 2008) – ASP – in which they have contributed for L2 learning concerning the perceptual of non-native sounds. Moreover, this paper has the objective of investigating the perception of the dental fricative //, that is not present on Portuguese phonological system (henceforth L1), by native speakers of L1, studying English as L2. As this sound is not part of the Portuguese consonant system, learners tend to perceive this sound based on the categories they have in their L1. Thereby, taking into account the theoretical models proposed by Flege (1995), Best & Tyler (2007) and Strange & Shafer (2008), it is believed that learners when they face with sounds in the L2, in which there is not correspondence in their L1, they tend to find a similar sound already categorized in their L1 system. Besides that, factors such as age of acquisition and frequency in which learners use this L2 are present in the process, as well as the learning in formal or informal context. In order to verify these topics, there were selected learners of English as L2 from three different levels of an English school from Pelotas: basic, intermediate and advanced levels, in which two were males and two were females for each level, totalizing twelve subjects. Regarding the sound mentioned, it is presumed that // is perceived based on closer learners’ L1 sounds. In this case, the fricatives /s/, /f/ or even the plosive /t/. Regarding these factors, one test was applied with Portuguese native speakers in learning stages of English as L2 with the purpose of verifying the change pattern these subjects had. Thereafter, the identification test was applied to these informants, in which the target sound // was in initial and final position in the words. This test was applied through specific software developed with the intention of helping researches on perception. Thereupon the applied test, the data was collected to make the quantitative and qualitative analysis. According to the results, it was observed that the learners have difficulty in categorizing the fricative // and independent category. / Com base nos modelos do SLM (Speech Learning Model) (FLEGE, 1995), do PAM-L2 (Perceptual Assimilation Model for L2 Learning) (BEST; TYLER, 2007) e junto com a definição de percepção (STRANGE, SHAFER, 2008), que tem contribuído para aprendizado de segunda língua, no que diz respeito à percepção de sons não nativos (doravante L2), o presente trabalho pretende investigar a percepção da fricativa //, não pertencente ao sistema consonantal do português brasileiro (doravante L1), por falantes nativos de L1. À luz de que esse som não se faz presente no sistema da L1, esses aprendizes tendem a percebê-lo de maneira equivocada, tomando por base os sons que já são categorizados na sua L1. Dessa forma, tomando por base os modelos teóricos de Flege (1995), Best e Tyler (2007) e Strange e Shafer (2008), acredita-se que aprendizes, quando se deparam com sons da L2, cuja correspondência não existe na sua L1, tendem a procurar um som similar já categorizado na L1. Fatores como a idade de aquisição e a frequência com que o indivíduo usa essa L2 estão presentes nesse processo, bem como o aprendizado em contexto formal ou informal. Com intuito de averiguar essas questões, foram selecionados aprendizes de inglês como L2 em três níveis diferentes de uma escola de inglês da cidade de Pelotas: básico, intermediário e avançado, sendo dois indivíduos do sexo masculino e dois indivíduos do sexo feminino para cada nível, totalizando doze informantes. No que se refere aos sons em questão, presume-se que a interpretação da fricativa pelo aprendiz seja com base nos sons próximos aos que os aprendizes já possuem na L1. Neste caso, as fricativas /s/ e /f/, e, até mesmo, a plosiva /t/. Tendo em vista esses fatores, foi aplicado um teste com esses nativos do português, em estágio de aprendizagem de inglês como L2, para fins de averiguar qual o padrão de troca desses informantes. A saber, teste de identificação, cujo som alvo, a fricativa // do inglês, aparecia em posição inicial e final de palavra. Esses testes foram aplicados por meio de um software específico para pesquisas de percepção. Após a aplicação desses testes, coletaram-se os dados para que fosse feita análise quantitativa e qualitativa. Conforme os resultados previstos, observou-se a dificuldade de categorização da fricativa // como uma categoria independente.

Xylitol, classified as a natural sugar substitute, has for about 35 years been known as an agent that may act against caries. The mechanism of action; how it inhibits mutans streptococci (MS) and the clinical dose-response relationship are not however fully investigated. The general aim of the investigations was to evaluate the effect of xylitol on oral ecology in children and adolescents. A series of experimental and controlled clinical trials were performed in which samples of saliva and plaque was collected and analysed with respect to xylitol content, pH, microbial composition and lactic acid production. In paper I, significantly reduced proportions of xylitol-sensitive MS in saliva were demonstrated after 18 weeks of regular use of two dose regimens of xylitol-containing tablets (1.7g and 3.4g xylitol/day) but the acidogenicity in dental plaque was not affected. In paper II, the effect on interdental plaque-pH of two different single dose intakes (2.0g and 6.0g) of xylitol was evaluated. The higher xylitol dose counteracted the pH-drop significantly (p&lt;0.05) when the chewing was followed by a sucrose rinse while the lower dose did not differ from the control. In paper III, the xylitol concentrations in saliva after use of different common xylitol-containing products (0.1g-1.3g) were investigated. Statistically significant elevations of salivary xylitol levels were demonstrated for all products during the first 8-16 min when compared with baseline (p&lt;0.05) but the individual variation was considerable. In samples of supragingival dental plaque, a high dose rinse (6.0g) increased the xylitol concentrations for a longer period (&gt;30 min) than a low dose rinse (2.0g). In paper IV, it was demonstrated that 6.0g of xylitol in chewing gums, every day in 4 weeks, gave significantly less visible plaque and a significantly reduced sucrose-induced lactic acid formation (p&lt;0.05) in saliva. Furthermore, the proportion of MS decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) compared to baseline. In paper V, the salivary uptake of [14C]-xylitol was compared with a specific assay determining xylitol-sensitive MS and a fair positive correlation (p&lt;0.05) between the two assays was found. In a controlled trial, the proportions of MS and the salivary xylitol uptake decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) in the xylitol gum test group after 4 weeks compared to baseline which was in contrast to the control gum group. No serious adverse effects were reported in any of the investigations. The main conclusions from this thesis were: a) various xylitol-containing products increased the xylitol levels in saliva and plaque, b) 6.0g of xylitol could counteract the interdental pH-drop after sugar consumption and reduce lactic acid formation in saliva c) a daily dose of 6.0g xylitol reduced the amount of visible plaque and altered the salivary microbial composition, d) a transient shift of MS strains in saliva was demonstrated during periods of regular intake of xylitol products but no long-term impact was found after its termination. The relatively high amount of xylitol needed for a beneficial effect on the oral ecology calls for a further development of effective and safe routes for administration.

Purpose: Periodontitis generally initiates in the interdental area, where biofilm development is difficult to interrupt. Mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes (IDB) offers an effective method for plaque control and prevents gingivitis and periodontitis. This study aimed to determine whether mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes combined with the use of cetylpyridinium chloride (0.3% CPC) gel was more effective at plaque control compared with mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes alone. Materials and Methods: Forty individuals (30 - 70 years) with at least 20 teeth and moderate chronic periodontitis who had no experience with interdental cleaning aids were randomly assigned to a treatment group (brush + gel, n = 20) or a control group (brush, n = 20). Both groups were examined by a dentist at baseline and at 3 and 6 months for changes in interdental plaque [interproximal plaque index (API)] levels, gingival inflammation [sulcus bleeding index (SBI)], probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). Results: No baseline differences in age, gender, or number of teeth were observed between the two groups. During the study period, improvements in API and BOP were comparable between groups. However, improvements in SBI and PD were significantly greater in the test group than in the control group (P = 0.046 and P = 0.029, respectively). Conclusion: Mechanical interdental plaque control with interdental brushes combined with the use of CPC gel significantly improved 6-month gingival and periodontal outcomes (SBI and PD) compared with mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes alone.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:24:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabiola Dagostini Peleias.pdf: 3457328 bytes, checksum: 7dd5e2d586af21d038754992b5d71372 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-11-06 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This work is part of the sound acquisition area in second language (L2), specifically in English, and it aimed to investigate whether there was a relationship between production and perception of the voiceless interdental fricative pronunciation [&#952;] or not in a group of Brazilian native speakers (BNS), based on acoustic and phonetic analysis. It was stated that there is such a relationship on account of the BNS in the sample. According to the literature, Brazilian learners of English tend to produce the voiceless interdental fricative [&#952;] as [s], [f] and [t] ((LIEFF & NUNES, 1993). This is because they consider such sound to be similar to [s], [f] and [t], and as stated by Flege (1999) and Meador, Flege and MacKay (2000), similar sounds of L1 (native language, in this case, Brazilian Portuguese - BP) and L2 may cause difficulties for the learner. Three studies have been made: an analysis of the production of the 3 BNS as well as of the AMS (American Native speaker) concerning the sound [&#952;]; an analysis of the perception of the sound [&#952;] by the 3 BNS and, finally, an evaluation of the 3 BNS productions of the sound [&#952;] by 31 American Native judges. The results of the three analyses have been crossed, and it can be posed that they conform to the literature about the link between production and perception and the assimilation of sounds from L2 to L1. Moreover, with such results, it was possible to achieve the goal of this work. It was verified that, regarding the perception analysis, the three BNS tend to perceive the sound [&#952;] as [&#952;] or [t]. Regarding the production analysis, one of the BNS approached the ANS. Therefore, it can be stated that there is a relationship between this BNS perception and production. The two remaining BNS did not approach the ANS. Most of the time, those speakers perceived the sound [&#952;] as [t], and the same happened with their productions of the sound [&#952;]. Taking into account those figures, it can be stated that there is a relationship among their production and perception, even if they have not perceived the sound [&#952;] as it should have been done. The perception and production analyses results were compared with the evaluation of the 31 judges, and the same can be said concerning all BNS: one of the BNS approached the ANS concerning the sound [&#952;], and the two remaining ones did not approach the ANS. To sum up, it was observed that, in this particular sample, there is a relationship between their production and perception, and that two out of the three BNS assimilated the sound [&#952;] as [t] / Este trabalho situa-se na área de aquisição de sons de L2 (segunda língua), mais especificamente língua inglesa, e seu objetivo foi investigar se existe uma relação entre a produção e a percepção da pronúncia da fricativa interdental surda [&#952;] em um grupo de sujeitos nativos brasileiros, a partir da análise fonético-acústica. Defendia-se que há uma relação entre a percepção e a produção da pronúncia da fricativa interdental surda pelos sujeitos nativos brasileiros da amostra. Segundo a literatura, aprendizes brasileiros de inglês tendem a produzir a fricativa interdental surda da língua inglesa [&#952;] como [s], [f] e [t] (LIEFF e NUNES, 1993). Isso porque consideram que esse som é similar aos citados e, de acordo com Flege (1999) e Meador, Flege e MacKay (2000), sons similares de L1 (língua materna Português Brasileiro - PB)e L2 causam dificuldades para o aprendiz. Foram feitos três estudos: uma análise das produções dos 3 SNB (sujeitos nativos do PB) e do SNA (sujeito nativo americano) envolvendo a [&#952;]; uma análise de percepção do [&#952;] pelos 3 SNB e uma avaliação, por juízes nativo-americanos, das produções dos 3 SNB e do SNA envolvendo o [&#952;]. Os resultados dos estudos foram cruzados, e constatou-se que estão em consonância com a literatura sobre o vínculo entre produção e percepção e assimilação de sons em L2 para a L1, atingiram o objetivo e validaram a hipótese defendida. Os 3 SNB, no teste de percepção, tendem a perceber o som [&#952;], em sua maioria, como [&#952;] ou como [t]. No teste de produção, a SNB1 aproximou-se do SNA; para esse sujeito, há relação entre sua percepção e sua produção. Os SNB2 e SNB3 se distanciaram do SNA. Em sua maioria, perceberam os estímulos como plosiva alveolar surda [t], comportamento que também se refletiu em sua produção. Portanto, pode-se afirmar que há relação entre produção-percepção, mesmo não tendo percebido e produzido o som [&#952;], em sua maioria, de maneira correta. Os testes foram comparados às avaliações dos juízes norte-americanos, e o mesmo pode ser afirmado para todos os sujeitos: os estímulos do SNB1, em sua maioria, foram avaliados como fricativa interdental surda [&#952;], do SNB2 como plosiva alveolar surda [t] e do SNB3 também como plosiva alveolar surda [t]. Observou-se, nesta amostra, que houve a relação entre produção e percepção e que 2 entre 3 dos SNB assimilaram [&#952;] como [t]

In this thesis English interdental fricative acquisition by Brazilians second language learners has been investigated. Data from oral productions of three students groups has been gathered. The first group is composed by sixth semester undergraduate students of UNIFRA English course. The second and third groups are composed by third and tenth semester students of an extra curricular English course of UFSC. First, a phonetic transcription of selected words that contained interdental fricatives has been performed. Then, an analysis based on Connectionist Optimality Theory proposed by BONILHA (2004) has been carried out. This analysis uses the reranking of constraints, and it reveals that Brazilians second language learners are prone to make substitutions of the segment /θ/ by the segment [t] as well as the substitutions of the segment /ð/ by the segment [d]. Furthermore, there is a strong impact of the Lexical Frequency on the learners behavior. / No presente trabalho, investiga-se a aquisição das fricativas interdentais por aprendizes brasileiros de inglês como segunda língua (L2). Os dados foram colhidos a partir da leitura de palavras contextualizadas, leitura de um texto e narrativas orais produzidas por três grupos de estudantes de inglês. O Grupo 1 é composto por estudantes universitários que estavam cursando, no momento da coleta, o sexto semestre do curso de Letras do Centro Universitário Franciscano. Os Grupos 2 e 3 são formados por estudantes que freqüentavam o projeto extracurricular de ensino de línguas da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina e estavam no terceiro e décimo semestres, respectivamente. Após a transcrição fonética e seleção das palavras que continham as fricativas interdentais, foi feita a análise dos dados. Essa análise tem como base a Teoria da Otimidade Conexionista proposta por Bonilha (2004) que, através da hierarquia de restrições, demonstra a gramática da interlíngua apresentada pelo aprendiz. Os resultados apontaram para a emergência precoce da fricativa interdental desvozeada, para as substituições do segmento /θ/ pelo [t] e do segmento /ð/ pelo [d] e também a interferência do tipo de coleta realizada nos percentuais de produções corretas. Foi constatada ainda uma grande influência da freqüência lexical no comportamento dos sujeitos estudados.

Purpose: Periodontitis generally initiates in the interdental area, where biofilm development is difficult to interrupt. Mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes (IDB) offers an effective method for plaque control and prevents gingivitis and periodontitis. This study aimed to determine whether mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes combined with the use of cetylpyridinium chloride (0.3% CPC) gel was more effective at plaque control compared with mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes alone. Materials and Methods: Forty individuals (30 - 70 years) with at least 20 teeth and moderate chronic periodontitis who had no experience with interdental cleaning aids were randomly assigned to a treatment group (brush + gel, n = 20) or a control group (brush, n = 20). Both groups were examined by a dentist at baseline and at 3 and 6 months for changes in interdental plaque [interproximal plaque index (API)] levels, gingival inflammation [sulcus bleeding index (SBI)], probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). Results: No baseline differences in age, gender, or number of teeth were observed between the two groups. During the study period, improvements in API and BOP were comparable between groups. However, improvements in SBI and PD were significantly greater in the test group than in the control group (P = 0.046 and P = 0.029, respectively). Conclusion: Mechanical interdental plaque control with interdental brushes combined with the use of CPC gel significantly improved 6-month gingival and periodontal outcomes (SBI and PD) compared with mechanical cleaning with interdental brushes alone.