Background:Protective athletic mouthguards (PAMs) have been worn in competitive sports for more than 100 years. Today, participants in contact and noncontact sports wear PAMs.Hypothesis:Wearing a PAM produces oral injury.Study Type:Case series.Study Design and Methods:Sixty-two Division I football players voluntarily participated in the study. Before the beginning of the season, each player underwent a thorough oral examination, and all abnormal oral findings were photographed (hyperkeratosis, erythema, ulceration, and combinations thereof). At midseason, 14 players were given complete oral examinations, with all abnormal oral findings documented. At season end, all remaining players (n = 53) had complete oral examinations and photographs taken of abnormal oral findings.Results:The preseason examination of 62 players found a total of 85 lesions (1.4 lesions per player) on the gingiva (n = 17), buccal mucosa (n = 60), and palate (n = 8). The 14 midseason players had 28 lesions (2.0 lesions per player) on gingiva (n = 8), buccal mucosa (n = 16), and tongue (n = 4). At season end, the 53 remaining players had 198 lesions (3.7 per player) on the gingiva (n = 96), buccal mucosa (n = 79), tongue (n = 18), and palate (n = 5). In addition, the lesion intensity scores progressively increased over the season. Because the palate did not come into direct contact with the PAM, it was used as an internal control.Conclusion:The wearing of a PAM may increase the number and intensity of oral mucosal injuries, which may cause localized soft tissue reactions such as hyperkeratosis, erythema, and ulceration.Clinical Relevance:Because the PAM reduces tooth injury but may cause oral lesions, it should be sanitized daily and changed regularly and replaced whenever it becomes sharp and jagged or when the athlete develops an irritation in the mouth.

The concurrent validity of questionnaires in population studies on drug use was tested by comparing information from registers and interviews in two populations of young people from Gothenburg. The questionnaire items' sensitivity and specificity according to criteria and their capacity for prediction of drug use and no drug use and correct classification were calculated. Considering criteria weaknesses and other sources of errors, the validity of the questionnaire items was good. This conclusion is basic to longitudinal population studies which aim at clarifying the prognosis of drug abuse among young people.

A method is described for the quantitation of total human and male DNA. Q-TAT utilizes end-point, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the amelogenin and SRY loci to quantify DNA and incorporates a cloned nonhuman template to detect PCR inhibition. Standard curves of fluorescence from amelogenin or SRY amplicons were generated from amplification of known amounts of NIST traceable SRM-female or SRM-male DNA. Curves showed good linearity up to 500 pg of SRM-template (R(2) > 0.99) and reliably estimated total and male DNA content in casework samples. The nonhuman pRL(null) template included in each PCR was a sensitive indicator of known PCR inhibitors including EDTA, hemin, blue denim dye, and humic acid. Finally, the SRY amplicon was a sensitive indicator of male DNA and, in mixtures, could reliably estimate male DNA present in an excess of female DNA. The Q-TAT multiplex is a reliable quantitation method for forensic DNA typing.

Mortality in young drug users in Gothenburg was studied, by following up, for about a decade, two unselected groups (ninth grade pupils and military conscripts), and selected groups of abusers from the files of the health and social welfare authorities. In the unselected groups, cannabis smoking predominated. Solvents, LSD, and central stimulants taken orally or intravenously also occurred, particularly in the selected groups. Polydrug abuse including alcohol was common, opiate abuse was rare. Observed mortality was compared with expected mortality in the same age groups. The mortality rate was significantly increased in several of the selected groups, 2.4-6.9 times in men and 1.3-7.9 times in women. Among pupils with high-frequency drug use it was increased 5.5 times in boys and not significantly increased in girls. Among pupils with low-frequency drug use it was not significantly increased in boys and increased 4.7 times in girls. Among registered pupils the mortality was increased 4.2 and 8.2 times in boys and girls respectively. Military conscripts did not display an increased mortality. The proportion of unnatural deaths was over 90%, which was significantly higher than in the population. About half of the deaths were suicides and undetermined suicides. The proportion of undetermined suicides was high among men. Two of the male deaths were homicides. In about one third of the deaths alcohol was involved. Dextropropoxyphene was present in five of the 14 intoxications among men. Although mortality was increased it is lower than in other Scandinavian studies. This may be explained by the relative youth of the abusers and the rare occurrence of opiate abuse.

Drug-related medical and social conditions were investigated in a sample of military conscripts from Gothenburg. The men participated in a questionnaire study concerning drug abuse in 1969/70 and were traced in different registers for 5 to 7 years. Abusers demonstrated an over-consumption of psychiatric and social care. Of all military conscripts, 4% had received in-patient psychiatric care. A total of 18% of those who were high-frequency drug users received the same care. The predominant diagnosis at the time of psychiatric treatment was drug abuse. 42% of all military conscripts were registered with the Social Welfare Administration, while the figure was 71% for high-frequency drug users. The proportion of those with repeated or lengthy sick leave was greatest among those who indicated use of drugs in the questionnaire. The proportion who had driving licenses was lower among drug users and 39% of the high-frequency drug users were granted exemption from military service during the inspection proceedings compared with less than 10% among the remaining groups. Cumulative frequencies of registrations showed that a number of curves were high for groups of drug users at an early stage and that the curves had not leveled off at the end of the follow-up period.