The caries rate is increasing in the Saudi ARAMCO children population and there are 8,000 births yearly.

Prevention is the only solution. Mini-surveys of children and mothers attending the Saudi ARAMCO Maternal and Child Health Clinics (MCH) are presented. Data includes patient characteristics (mother, child, age); caries experience (DMFT, anterior/posterior), nursing practices (breast, bottle, cup), and last dental treatment (source, type, and time interval). A program has been developed to provide pre-emergency treatment, preventive services and referral for the mothers and children who normally only seek emergency care. An average of 40 patients have been treated in theMCH Clinic one morning a week for the last two years. Screening and treatment take 10 minutes per patient. The procedures, personnel requirements and infection control will be described. This program fills in important gap in the provision of dental services and it could be a model for other MCH Clinics in the Kingdom.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.066:p72

The periodontal environment of supporting teeth requires a deep clinical analysis consisting of the evaluation of the biological space (Gargiulo et al 1961) and the evaluation of the quality and importance of attached gingiva.

A prosthetic limit respecting the periodontal structure must not overlap the functional epithelium and generate inflammation.

In the absence of a biological space or if its integrity is broken down for prosthetic reasons, a new space must be created by crown lengthening.

A minimal zone of attached gingiva is necessary with intrasulcular restoration. If such a zone is absent it must be surgically created.

This presentation will focus mainly on the diagnosis and management of prosthetic cases requiring periodontal care either surgically or by forced eruption.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.067:p73

Endemic dental fluorosis is a common aesthetic problem that annoy patients. It is a special problem in Saudi Arabia.

In the present clinical cases, treatment of dental fluorosis was made by acid bleaching technique using two different concentrations namely 12% and 18% HCI. This was followed by application of sodium hypochlorite and lastly a paint of dental adhesive to fill the opened microcavities.

Results were very encouraging showing that both HCI acid concentration help in removal of fluorosis stains without detectable pulpal changes. However, a 12% HCI is less harmful to the enamel surface although time of application exceeds that of 18% HCI.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.068:p74

The dental profession possesses the necessary knowledge and technology to assist parents in rearing caries-free children. In addition, dentists have the opportunity to help and prevent many other problems for infants and toddlers. The purposes of this presentation are: (1) to identify some dental problems of infants and toddlers that require early evaluation and assistance in prevention, (2) to review preventive measures commonly used for infants and toddlers and (3) to present methods of examination and management of infants and toddlers. In an effort to educate parents of infants and toddlers regarding the benefits of early dental evaluation and counseling on preventive dental procedures, informational literature can be distributed to them from the following sources: prenatal parenting programs, OB/GYN offices, newborn information pockets and pediatrician and family physician offices during "well-baby" visits. Prenatal dental counseling to expectant parents is important in providing preventive health education services. Postnatal dental counseling and the time of first dental visit to the dentist are also important in the prevention programs. Preventive counseling should be adopted to the family and should be broad enough to include oral hygiene instructions, dental injuries, nursing caries, the danger of electrical cords, proper feeding, teething infants and fluoride application including systemic administration. Reinforce the two important areas of parental responsibility, tooth cleaning and diet management. By educating parents regarding their important role in the oral health of their children we can provide a pleasant and logical introduction to dentistry and promote the profession in a most positive way.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.069:p75

The assessment of dental arch form is of academic as well as clinical importance and has interested orthodontists for many decades. However there is a little agreement as to which is the most appropriate method of assessing this arch form. In this investigation 22 contact points from 30 lower study models, were digitized employing the travelling microscope (Bhatia and Harrison 1987). The resultant coordinates subjected to three polynomial (parabola, quartic and sixth degree) and cubic spline functions. The cubic spline method provided the best fit and the parabola the worst. The quartic and sixth degree polynomials both provided a close and acceptable fit, but the quartic had the advantages of being symmetrical. After taking into account the closeness of fit, symmetry and simplicity of the design, the latter was deemed to be the most suitable for assessing dental arch form.
Saudi Dental Journal 1994;6(SI)-Abstr.070:p76