With no evidence to support the prophylactic removal of asymptomatic wisdom teeth, a proposed watchful monitoring strategy is a more cost-effective alternative in the Australian context.

The increased generation and up-regulated activity of bone resorbing cells (osteoclasts) play a part in the impairment of bone remodeling in many bone diseases. Numerous drugs (bisphosphonates, calcitonin, selective estrogen receptor modulators) have been proposed to inhibit this increased osteoclastic activity. In this report, we describe a pit resorption assay quantified by scanning electron microscopy coupled with image analysis. Total rabbit bone cells with large numbers of osteoclasts were cultured on dentin slices. The whole surface of the dentin slice was scanned and both the number of resorption pits and the total resorbed surface area were measured. Resorption pits appeared at 48 h and increased gradually up to 96 h. Despite the observation of a strong correlation between the total resorption area and the number of pits, we suggest that area measurement is the most relevant marker for osteoclastic activity. Osteotropic factors stimulating or inhibiting osteoclastic activity were used to test the variations in resorption activity as measured with our method. This reproducible and sensitive quantitative method is a valuable tool for screening for osteoclastic inhibitors and, more generally, for investigating bone modulators.

The aim of this study was to create an Urban Dental Index (UDI) for Perth, Western Australia, adapting a method utilised by the World Health Organisation. Dental health indicators were derived from the 2011 census, standardised on a (0,1) interval, amalgamated using a geometric mean, and mapped to identify dental health inequity. The validity of the UDI was tested by comparison with oral cellulitis data. Dental health disparities were examined using a ratio of the mean of the highest to lowest decile and slope of the eight middle deciles. The robustness of the UDI was tested using indicator correlation, weighting, and systematic indicator removal. There were a high proportion of low UDI census areas outside the inner city. Adult public dental clinics were unevenly distributed across these low UDI areas. The UDI was significantly correlated with oral cellulitis data and had a moderate disparity ratio (1.69) and slope (0.23). All dental indicators were highly correlated, and UDIs calculated with weighted indicators and indicators removed were significantly correlated with the original UDI. These results indicate that the UDI is a robust tool which can be used by policy makers to target dental health initiatives to high-risk areas.

The aim of this study was to investigate the trends of hospitalisation for cellulitis in Western Australia. There was a strong association between socioeconomic status and rate of cellulitis, with the most disadvantaged quintile of the population (1.7% of residents) accounting for 34% of cellulites cases. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were almost seven times over-represented, compared with non-Indigenous Western Australians.