Honolulu Community College

Six indexes of periodontal health were recorded in cigarette smokers, pipe/cigar smokers and nonsmokers from the Veterans Administration Dental Longitudinal Study. These indexes included calculus deposition, plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation, periodontal pocket depth, alveolar bone loss and tooth mobility. Cigarette smokers had significantly more calculus deposition than pipe/cigar smokers, although both smoker groups had more calculus than nonsmokers. Cigarette smokers accumulated slightly less plaque than pipe/cigar smokers, and both smoker groups accumulated less plaque than nonsmokers. Gingival inflammation and tooth mobility did not differ between smokers and nonsmokers, nor between the two smoker groups. Cigarette smokers had significantly greater pocket depth than nonsmokers, in contrast to pipe/cigar smokers who were not different from nonsmokers. Radiographic measurements indicated that cigarette smokers had significantly more alveolar bone loss than either pipe/cigar or nonsmokers. After covariance adjustment for age and calculus, all smokers had less plaque, gingival inflammation and tooth mobility than nonsmokers, similar periodontal pocket depth, but only cigarette smokers had greater bone loss. This finding of greater alveolar bone loss in cigarette smokers suggests a tobacco product-related effect in systemic physiologic action.

Criticism of the juvenile court's jurisdiction over the status offender consistently neglects one important aspect of the issue. As a product of the court's history of extralegal paternalism, status offenses have involved the system in the maintenance of traditional family norms, which require greater obedience and chastity from females than from males. The enforcement of status offenses has created a de facto double standard of juvenile justice in America. Like "good parents," police and court personnel tend to select for punishment girls whose behavior threatens parental authority and boys whose behavior is beyond that which can be excused as "boys will be boys." This pattern explains both the overrepresentation of girls charged with status offenses in court popula tions and the relatively harsh official response to this behavior. Evidence is presented to show that, at every level in the system, girls charged with status offenses are treated more harshly than girls charged with crimes. Further, the noncriminal activity of girls is frequently seen as requiring more drastic intervention than the criminal behavior of boys.

Background/Context Schools are cultural contexts that have the power and potential to promote students’ cultural assets or “other” youth in a way that keeps them from creating meaningful academic identities. In this study, we build on existing research and theory by defining “othering” as a personal, social, cultural, and historical experience involving (a) cultural and racial ambiguity, (b) categorization and labeling, (c) hierarchical power dynamics, and (d) limited access to resources. In addition, we further define and understand youths’ cultural assets from a collectivistic perspective. We are interested in identifying and understanding community and indigenous strengths of “othered” youth as embedded in social and ecological systems. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study We used an ecological approach to dissect the experiences of “othered” youth through an investigation of their marginalization and assets. The questions guiding this research explore how “othered” students make sense of stereotypes and racism in the school context: How are these incidents handled? What are the norms in school for dealing with racialized and cultural encounters? What are the buffers or factors that may help students maintain a sense of cultural pride in the face of marginalization? What cultural assets emerge in schools and how are they related to students’ experiences with “othering?” Research Design This sequential 18-month qualitative study included observations and interviews. Multi-informant data with ten Native Hawaiian adolescents and five teachers and counselors of Native Hawaiian youth were used in an attempt to give voice to their experiences in urban public schools in Hawaii. These two perspectives provide points of convergence and divergence in conceptualizing how schools “other” youth. Grounded theory and Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) were used to generate themes that arose from student interviews that were then compared with interview data from school personnel. These separate, but related data sources offered perspectives across generations, power relationships, and cultural identities. Conclusions/Recommendations Our findings revealed five emergent themes: multiple identities, stereotypes, racism, coping strategies for racism, and cultural pride that highlight cultural assets and experiences with being the “other” at school. We discuss these findings in terms of how they relate to our definition of “othering” and from an ecological and relation-ally informed approach to community and cultural assets that are reciprocal and interactive. We call on practitioners and researchers alike to provide opportunities that promote and reinforce indigenous strengths in schools.

Two doses of ethyl alcohol were administered to 48 young male subjects (24 brother‐pairs), and placebo doses were administered, to five brother‐pairs (controls). Dose 1 amount was calculated to result in a peak blood alcohol content (BAC) of 100 mg/100 ml; dose 2 was given when BAC had fallen to one‐half the peak BAC resulting from dose 1, in an attempt to raise BAC back to 100 mg/100 ml. Prior to alcohol dosage, baseHne measurements were made on a number of behavioral tests. Behavioral performances during metabolism of doses 1 and 2 were compared to baseline performance. Sensitivity to ethanol was indicated by performance decrements on nearly all. tests after ethanol dosing. Acute behavioral tolerance to ethanol (ABTE) was indicated for some tests by improved performance after dose 2 compared to performance at a time after dose 1 when BACs were about equivalent A preliminary search for possible genetic components of sensitivity and ABTE was undertaken by comparing the scores of the brothers. SUMMARY 1. Sensitivity to ethanol, measured via a mean performance decrement, was found for many of the tests employed in this study, with larger decrements seen on motor tasks. 2. Despite the overall picture of average performance decrements, there was striking individual variability in performance, and a few individuals performed better after ethanol dosage. 3. Mean scores revealed a consistent trend for improved performance during clearance of the second dose of ethanol. We have termed this phenomenon “acute behavioral tolerance to ethanol.” When the short individual tests were summed to form a “motor” test battery and a “written” test battery, ABTE was clearly a significant effect. 4. Even though tests of familiality (via resemblance of brothers) were not definitive, perhaps due to the small sample size, several promising leads for further research on familiality of responses to ethanol were revealed.

The highly diverse Asian and Pacific Island population in the United States doubled in size from 1980 to 1990 and is now the nation's fastest-growing minority group. This article describes the Asian and Pacific Island elderly population and its ethnic diversity, geographic location, gender ratios, income and poverty, health status, service utilization, and cultural values and beliefs. Also presented are the specific challenges for social workers in practice settings in designing and providing culturally relevant services and programs. A number of suggestions for social work education to meet the needs of this growing aging population are offered, including the development of an ethnogerontological and multicultural social work curriculum and the critical need for data on this population.

Modern cursive script, along with its precursor the beginner's alphabet, is now well established in the curricula of most Australian schools. However, debate continues regarding the advantages of this script over the previous print and cursive style. Beyond this debate, occupational therapists continue to assess and treat children with handwriting difficulties. Therefore, how children are writing using modern cursive now warrants attention, as this is the mode of choice in most Australian schools. Three hundred and seventy‐two children aged between 7 and 14 years who attended Queensland government primary schools were asked to complete the speed subtest of the Handwriting Performance Test. The same writing sample was used to rate legibility on a scale from 1 (poor legibility) to 7 (good legibility). Handwriting speed (in letters per minute) did not differ significantly between boys and girls (mean (±SD) = 69.9±33.8 and 68.9±25.9 letters/min, respectively). In contrast, legibility was significantly better (t(370) = 3.79, P < 0.0001) for girls than boys (4.2±1.2 and 3.5±1.0, respectively). There was a low correlation between speed and legibility (r = 0.23, P > 0.05). The results are discussed in light of the shift to this new writing style and current occupational therapy practice.

Abstract The ACT heroin trial was a proposal to evaluate the efficacy of prescription heroin as a treatment for heroin‐dependent people. The trial was actively debated within the press by proponents and opponents but ultimately did not proceed due to a lack of required political support. Previous research indicates that public perceptions of the nature of drug users can influence the direction of policy responses. This paper analyses the construction of heroin users within press debate about the proposed ACT heroin trial, comparing and contrasting trial proponent and opponent views. The primary constructions of the user embraced models of users as people with health problems who were dying; who were criminals; classic deviance distinctions between us and them; that users posed costs and a threat to society; that users were victims; and discourse about ‘ruined’ selves. Despite attempts by trial proponents to construct the user as an ‘ill us’, the cultural value of abstinence from drug use and the ideology of individualism with its connotations of heroin use as a choice that required punishment rather than help were rarely challenged, reinforcing the view of drug use as a problem of individual morality.

BACKGROUND: Excellent patient compliance to periodontal maintenance is absolutely necessary for successful long-term therapy. However, absolute (100%) compliance is rare, having been reported as low as 16%. Although social, behavioral, cultural, and economic factors have been implicated as determinants in patterns of compliance, the influence of personality characteristics on attitudes remains to be carefully explored. This focused review of the literature explores current research addressing psychologic factors associated with compliance to periodontal maintenance therapy. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed electronic database was conducted, inclusive of the years 1990 to 2011. The search used MeSH terminology such as periodontal maintenance, emotional intelligence, personality, patient compliance, etc. In addition, searches were conducted of reference lists from original research and review articles. Studies were assessed with respect to methodology and design, statistical analysis, and psychologic measurements. RESULTS: Non-compliant patients appear to have a higher frequency of stressful life events. Studies suggest that initial patient response to periodontal therapy may be related to emotional intelligence. Regarding personality factors, high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are most widely associated with non-compliance. As such, increased knowledge of the "Big Five" personality factors (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) could assist clinicians in potentially increasing compliance among patients. Clinicians could also incorporate a working knowledge of the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behavior to develop individualized treatment strategies for patient compliance. CONCLUSION: Non-compliance to periodontal maintenance cannot be solely explained by one determinant but rather may involve an individual's health beliefs, emotional intelligence, psychologic stressors, and personality traits.

The aim of autotransplantation of teeth (ATT) is to replace a lost tooth with a functional tooth within the same patient. Although it has recently become more of a recognized and viable treatment approach in dentistry, the long-term outcomes are still not well-documented. The principal author (MT) has performed more than 1000 ATTs for reasons such as treating missing teeth, deep caries, poor endodontic results, and periodontitis over the past 30 years in private practice. During the course of private practice, 2 separate analyses were performed on a total of 319 cases with follow-up ranging from 2 to 26 years. The results showed a tendency toward higher success rates in younger patients; the success rate was highest in ATTs performed on immature teeth (about 95%), about 90% in patients younger than 30 years of age and approximately 80% in patients older than 30. The failures were most often caused by replacement resorption (ie, ankylosis-related resorption). The purpose of this case series was to show successful long-term outcomes of ATT as well as to provide clinical insights and describe tendencies noted over the course of 30 years of performing ATTs.

This special issue of Women & Therapy is devoted to an exploration of human trafficking as a complex human rights violation with many manifestations. Human trafficking is, paradoxically, a single t...

The suddenness and scale of the 26 December 2004 tsunami and the challenges posed to affected communities highlighted the benefits of their members having a capacity to confront and adapt to the consequences of such a disaster. Research into adaptive capacity or resilience has been conducted almost exclusively with Western populations. This paper describes an exploratory study of the potential of a measure of collective efficacy developed for Western populations to predict the capacity of members of a collective society, Thai citizens affected by the 2004 tsunami, to confront effectively the recovery demands associated with this disaster. Following a demonstration that this measure could predict adaptive capacity, the role of religious affiliation, ethnicity and place of residence in sustaining collective efficacy is discussed. The implications of the findings for future research on, and intervention to develop, adaptive capacity among Thai citizens in particular and collectivist societies in general are discussed.

BACKGROUND: Community-based screening for mental health problems may increase service use through feedback to individuals about their severity of symptoms and provision of contacts for appropriate services. AIMS: The effect of symptom feedback on service use was assessed. Secondary outcomes included symptom change and study attrition. METHOD: =1342) of the participants were then randomly allocated to receive tailored feedback. Participants were reassessed after 3 months (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR12614000324617). RESULTS: A negative effect of providing social anxiety feedback to individuals was observed, with significant reductions in professional service use. Greater attrition and lower intentions to seek help were also observed after feedback. CONCLUSIONS: Online mental health screening with feedback is not effective for promoting professional service use. Alternative models of online screening require further investigation. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Students’ attitudes towards people with a disability, their perceptions of the characteristics of a successful occupational therapist, and their future career plans were surveyed on entry to and exit from the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy course at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Factors impacting on students’ career plans were also examined. Questionnaires were administered to 84 students on the first day of the course in 1994 and to 59 students on the last day of the course in 1997. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise and compare the data. While generally positive on entry to the course, students’ attitudes were even more positive on completion. Entry and exit perceptions of the characteristics considered important to being a successful occupational therapist were closely aligned with the values and ideals of the profession. At both survey points, students indicated a reluctance to pursue work in non‐metropolitan areas and in psychosocial, research and academic fields. Clinical placements and particular clinicians were identified as having the greatest impact on students’ career plans. These findings provide support for the notions that student self‐selection into occupational therapy may assist in bringing aware students to the course and that clinical experiences during the course serve as potent influences on future career plans. Tailored use of the processes of socialisation within occupational therapy courses may assist in attracting therapists to particular geographical and clinical areas.

Abstract During the past decade, there has been tremendous growth in the number of online distance education courses offered by post‐secondary institutions. Does this growth imply better access to higher education for individuals with disabilities? This article examines individual and institutional case studies identified through a search of ERIC and other major databases. The findings are summarized in terms of student characteristics, technology trends, support and accommodation provided by postsecondary institutions, and the overall impact of distance education on people with disabilities.

This project was conducted with a multicultural construction company in Hawaii, USA. The job duties performed included drywall and carpentry work. The following objectives were selected for this project: (a) fire prevention training and inspection of first aid equipment; (b) blood-borne pathogen training and risk evaluation; (c) ergonomic and risk evaluation intervention program; (d) electrical safety training and inspection program; (e) slips, trips, and falls safety training; (f) stress assessment and Personal Profile System; (g) safety and health program survey; (h) improving employee relations and morale by emphasizing spirituality; and (i) computer-assisted biofeedback stress management training. Results of the project indicated that observed safety hazards, reported injuries, and levels of perceived stress. were reduced for the majority of the population.

A class of first year occupational therapy students were surveyed to explore their backgrounds, attitudes to disability and perceptions of the characteristics of a successful occupational therapist, factors underlying their decision to study occupational therapy, and course‐related and career expectations. Of 83 students, most were female, under 20 years of age and from a middle‐class background. Their attitudes towards people with disability were generally positive. Their decision to study occupational therapy was largely made at the end of their formal schooling and was based on altruistic and practical influences. Their expectations of the course appeared accurate and, in terms of their future career, most students expressed a desire to work in either paediatric or adult physical areas. These students will be surveyed again during the course and as graduate therapists to monitor their attitudes and the unfolding of their career paths.

Although Asian Americans are diverse in many ways, such as language, culture, ethnicity, religion, generational status, and more, many share a common experience: that of having experienced war first hand or being progeny of war survivors. World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cambodian genocide, along with centuries of oppressive and authoritarian rule, have brought experiences of trauma, directly and historically, to the lives of many Asians. Subsequent experiences of migration and resettlement, as well as life in the United States as an ethnic minority, have also compounded the layers of oppression for many Asian Americans. Sexism in our cultures of origin, as well as sexism in the U.S., represents additional realities and traumas faced by Asian American women. In this article, we explore the experiences of war and subsequent traumas in the lives of Asian American women. We present a brief review of the current state of mental health as it relates to the experiences of war trauma, with the goal of providing a crucial contextual backdrop for our review of the best practices in mental health services to Asian American women. We review some of the best practices and conclude with a narrative reflection based on our own involvement in a small professional women’s group that yielded insights, discoveries, healing, and empowerment from the legacy of war trauma.

The reliability of forensic methods continues to be controversial. Hawaii is unique in utilizing a three-panel system for evaluating criminal defendants for competency to stand trial (CST), not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI), and postacquittal conditional release (CR). The study examined independent forensic reports with judicial determinations to assess examiner agreement and judicial consensus. Examinees (N = 450) were defendants charged with felony offenses. Three groups of examiners conducted independent forensic mental health evaluations: community-based psychiatrists, community-based psychologists, and psychologists employed by the Courts & Corrections branch of the Hawaii Department of Health. Five classes of reliability estimators were examined in a noncrossed data measurement design. The study examined field reliability of CST, NGRI, and CR as operationalized psycholegal constructs. Overall, findings revealed wide variability in examiner consensus and agreement between examiners and judges, depending on type of examination. Factors associated with examiner disagreement are discussed. Findings are similar to field reliability for other types of complex decision making. Procedural standardization, application of structured professional methods, use for forensic assessment instruments, and de-bias assessment are recommended to improve the quality of forensic mental health opinions.

Minimally invasive therapeutic approaches have become the standard of care for many medical procedures. In contrast, the use of minimally invasive techniques in non-surgical and surgical periodontal therapy has not progressed to the same extent. This commentary explores some of the technologic forces that influence the acceptance of minimally invasive therapeutic modalities. There is adequate science to support the development and clinical use of minimally invasive periodontal treatment but the technology to perform minimally invasive procedures is not currently available. Potential explanations for what seems to be a growing technologic lag are explored.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the total root surface area of extracted teeth by computerized image analysis and the amount of remaining attachment area assuming various amounts of bone loss due to periodontal disease. METHODS: One hundred fifty extracted mandibular teeth were evaluated, and measured from cusp tip to the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ), CEJ to root apex, and cusp tip to root apex. The fulcrum point of the tooth was also measured, along with the total root surface area of attachment and total surface area of attachment remaining following simulation of attachment loss in 2 mm increments. Measurements were made on 80 teeth on one proximal surface and either the buccal or lingual surface and multiplied by a factor of 2. Measurements on 70 teeth were made on all 4 root surfaces to predict the accuracy of measuring only 2 surfaces to determine root surface area. Images of the tooth surfaces were obtained by video camera and converted to computer image with measurement of the surface areas. RESULTS: The total root surface area for the mandibular cuspids and first and second bicuspids was 275.88 mm2, 251.45 mm2, and 271.81 mm2, respectively. The 2-sided and 4-sided measurements for the mandibular first bicuspid were 252.55 mm2 and 247.02 mm2, respectively (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study found the total root surface area to be greater than that in most previous studies. Increasing attachment loss is related to decreasing root surface area; however, this relationship is not directly proportional. No statistical difference was found between measuring 4 surfaces versus only 2 surfaces.