BackgroundWithin dentistry, a limited body of literature exists regarding the referral relationships between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the referral relationship between GPs and periodontists within the state of Virginia. MethodsA survey focused on the demographic variables in the referral relationship between GPs and periodontists was developed. The survey was mailed to 800 dentists throughout the state of Virginia. Descriptive statistics was completed along with multivariate logistic regression analysis comparing the responses with the number of patients referred per month to a periodontist. ResultsFemale respondents were more likely to refer three or more patients per month to a periodontist than a male respondent (pConclusion This study indicates that four demographic variables have a statistical influence on the number of referrals per month from a GP to a periodontist. These variables are: female gender, practicing with one other dentist, employing two or more hygienists, and being greater than five miles away from the nearest periodontist.

Microclimates associated with environmental and geographic factors directly affect the ability of an organism to survive in a particular area. Survival is affected by: predator/prey abundance, temperature, relative humidity. A group of organisms that are particularly prone to habitat sensitivity are web-building spiders, because building the web commits them to a particular site for a period of time. Anelosimus studiosus is a small (~8 mm) Theridiid spider that exhibits varying degrees of sociality: a subsocial phenotype and a social phenotype. Population densities of A. studiosus vary significantly among seemingly suitable habitats within its range in east Tennessee. I conducted a large-scale survey of east Tennessee lake systems to establish connections between spider presence and geographic features such as aspect, slope and elevation. These geographic features were shown to have a strong impact on overall spider density.