The aims of this study were to describe changes in dental status over the 22-year period from 1975 to 1997, and to make a prognosis of dental status based on these data for the years 2005 and 2015. The study is based on regular investigations of the living conditions performed by Statistics Sweden of samples varying between 11,582 and 14,964 participants and a response rate from 78% to 86%. The questions of the interview used in this study were focused on dental status and utilization of dental services. The prevalence of edentulism in the age group 25-74 years decreased from 19% in 1975 to 3% in 1996/97. The proportion of dentate persons increased from 75% in 1975 to 97% in 1996/97 in age group 45-64 years with similar trends in the other age groups. In 1996/97, 2.1% of the whole sample (16-84 years) reported that they had received implant-supported restorations. The rate was higher among the elderly and the edentulous subjects. The great regional differences in dental status found in the first part of the observation period remained only in the oldest age group in 1996/97. The prognosis predicts that 95% of the subjects in age group 65-74 years and 90% in age group 75-84 years will be dentate in the year 2015. The substantial increase of dentate subjects among the elderly that has occurred during the past few decades and its expected continuation in the coming years implies a great change in need and demand for dental care services.

The result showed that each remaining tooth at age 70 decreased the 7-year mortality risk by 4%. The difference between edentulous subjects and dentate subjects with >or=20 teeth regarding 7-year mortality was significantly higher in the last compared to the first cohort. The number of teeth was a significant predictor of mortality independent of health factors, socio-economic status and lifestyle.

More than 100 years ago, Trousseau reported migratory thrombophlebitis in cancer patients (Trosseau A, Lectures on Clinical Medicine, delivered at the Hotel-Dieu, Paris, London: New Sydenham Society; 1872; p 281-95). Subsequently, patients with DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE) have been shown to have up to a fourfold increased risk of cancer in the first year after the venous thromboembolic (VTE) event (Baron JA et al, Br J Cancer 2004;91:92-5). However, only one previous study has investigated the relationship between SVT and cancer risk (van Doormaal FF et al, Ann Fam Med 2010;8:47-50). In an effort to understand the broader cancer risk associated with all types of venous thrombosis, the authors used populationbased registries in Denmark to investigate associations of cancer with SVT, DVT, and PE. They identified all patients in Denmark from 1994 to 2009 with a diagnosis of SVT, DVT in the legs, or PE. The occurrence of cancer in each of the venous cohorts was compared with expected numbers of cases using national incidence rates to compute standardized incidence ratios (SIRs). The authors identified 763 patients with SVT, 45,252 with DVT, and 24,332 with PE. Very similar proportions of patients in the three cohorts in the first year of follow-up were diagnosed with cancer. The SIRs (95% confidence intervals) were 2.46 (2.10-2.86) for SVT, 2.75 (2.6-2.9) for DVT, and 3.27 (3.03-3.52) for PE, and declined after 1 year to 1.05 (0.96-1.16), 1.11 (1.07-1.16), and 1.15 (1.09-1.22), respectively. Venous thrombotic cohorts showed strong associations for particular cancers (liver, lung, ovaries, pancreas, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma).Comment:The key point here is that all forms of lower extremity venous thrombosis, SVT, DVT, and potential sequelae, such as PE, are markers for a clearly higher occurrence rate of cancer, particularly during the first year after diagnosis. Practical implications for screening for cancer in patients with VTE are unclear. If someone has cancer and a VTE event within 1 year of diagnosis, the prognosis is poor, with only a 12% survival (Sorensen HT et al, N Engl J Med 2000;343:1846-50). However, the implications for screening derived from this particular study are also unclear. The authors point out 45,981 individuals with VTE would have to be investigated to find 304 excess cancers during the first year of follow-up. That is a lot of investigation for not many cancers, especially when it is unclear that an early cancer diagnosis stemming from evaluation of a VTE event would ultimately prolong the life of a VTE patient with underlying cancer.

Thirty patients with Parkinson's disease were investigated with regard to their oral health. They had significantly more teeth and less caries than a control group of corresponding age. However, the salivary secretion rate was significantly lower with advancing parkinsonian symptoms. It is concluded that not only motor impairment but also autonomic dysfunction, as an expression of a more advanced neuron degeneration, could be of importance when the possibility of maintaining a good oral health in parkinsonian patients is considered.