PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare the incidence of dental complications in childhood cancer survivors with that of healthy control subjects, and to determine the possible influence of various factors associated with patient and treatment.Materials and MethodsSixty-one panoramic radiographs of the dentition of cancer survivors were compared with 521 radiographs of healthy patients at a similar age, between 5 and 18 years. The mean period from termination of therapy was 4.9 years (58.9±34.3 months), and 51 children (83.60%) were under age 5 when therapy began.ResultsDental anomalies were found in 38 cancer survivors (62.29%) and 69 control subjects (13.24%) (p < 0.001). Agenesis of teeth was found in 19 cancer patients (31.14%) and in 48 control subjects (9.21%). Microdontic teeth were found in 22 cancer survivors (36.06%) and 15 control subjects (2.87%) (p < 0.001), whereas teeth with short roots were found in seven cancer patients (11.47%) and 15 control subjects (2.87%) (p < 0.01). Dental anomalies in cancer patients were more common in some tooth groups and were not observed in others. The frequency of dental anomalies did not show correlation with age at the beginning or termination or time of therapy.ConclusionChildren under the age of 5 are in a high risk group for dental complications after anticancer treatment. Rudimentary chemotherapy has a considerable impact on the occurrence of dental anomalies.

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The article presents boys' initiation ritual among the Luguru people of eastern Tanzania. The author's goal is to show the importance of traditional education in shaping tribal values, gained by young men during this ritual. The development of this problem was based on the literature of authors such as P. Pels, J.L. Brain, T.O. Beidelman and others, and from my own ethnographic fieldwork conducted among the Luguru people on the rituals of passage from 30 March 2003 to 30 April 2003.Boys' initiation was presented by Arnold van Genneps' model. According to this theory, rites of passage are divided into three phases: separation, transition and incorporation. During the Separation phase, the young men disconnect from the community in order to prepare for Transition which will be in the next phase. The Transition phase is a time of symbolic death, the loss of the old name or language. It often includes fulfilment of circumcision, sacrifice, and fasting. This phase can sometimes offer severe trials and tests, during which the novice acquires knowledge related to his sexual, social and religious life. During the last phase, Incorporation, he returns to the community as a new person, a man responsible for his actions and having a higher social status.