After the observation of a 9-year-old child with dental erosion in a general dental practice, the erosive potential of acidic candies was investigated in a 4-, an 8-, and a 12-year-old child. The saliva secretion rate and the acidity of the oral fluid of these children were measured before, during and after consumption of several types of candies. Consumption of most types of candies was finished after 2 minutes approximately. During the 2 minutes, the saliva secretion rate increased to minimally 2 and maximally 3.5 ml/min, with a concomitant pH decrease to less than 5 and even to 4. These effects disappeared within 2 minutes, suggesting that frequent consumption of acidic candies may contribute to the development of dental erosion.

In 2005 a dental survey of the prevalence of caries among 6- and 12-year-old schoolchildren in The Hague was carried out. In the case of the 12-year-olds, the prevalence of dental erosion was also studied. The sample consisted of 814 students in twelve primary schools in The Hague. The results reveal that since the previous study, in 2002, the trend in the direction of an increasing percentage of children with deciduous caries-free teeth and permanent caries-free teeth had continued. In the case of the children who were not caries-free, it was noticeable that, in general, the number of new dental caries (dmfs- and DMFS-score) had not changed in the period 1996-2005, while the number of restorations among the 6- and 12-year olds had decreased. The mean restorative index in the deciduous dentition of 6-year-olds decreased from approximately 40% in 1996 to approximately 20% in 2005; with respect to permanant dentition among 12-year-olds, the percentage decreased from more than 90% to 60%. The percentage of 12-year-olds with dental erosion in 2005 remained unchanged as compared with 2002: 24%. The research revealed that there was no increase in dental caries or dental erosion among the 6- and 12-year-old school children in The Hague.

Following the loss of several molars in the left maxilla, a 73-year-old man asked his general dentist practitioner to restore his chewing efficiency. Initially, reconstruction of the left maxilla with an implant supported fixed partial denture was considered. However, intraorally a soft-tissue swelling was observed extending from the midline of the palate to the left buccal sulcus. A panoramic radiograph showed absence of bone between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus. At first, after an incision biopsy and histopathologic examination, the condition was diagnosed as nodular fasciitis. However, because of subsequent aggressive growth of the lesion malignancy was suspected. Histopathological examination confirmed the assumption. The lesion appeared to be a sarcoma. The general diagnostic rule is that the aggressive behaviour of a lesion and the absence of a bony delineation on radiographic examination between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus are signs of malignancy, until evidence to the contrary has been provided.

Ablative surgery for oral cancer results in loss or alterations of anatomical structures, which may impair oral functions, such as speech, mastication, and swallowing. Oral functions are impaired further by significant side-effects of additional postoperative radiation therapy. Improvement of oral functions may be achieved by implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitation. The recommended treatment is a 4-implants retained overdenture. A fixed 2 unit implant-supported partial denture seems a feasible alternative treatment.

Chronic hepatitis B and C are life-threatening diseases, treated with variable success. Peginterferon-α is one of the standard therapies for chronic hepatitis B as well as C. To prevent the development of resistant viruses, combination treatment is preferable to monotherapy. Therefore, in chronic hepatitis B virus peginterferon-α combined with nucleoside inhibitors is used. The treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus with a combination of peginterferon-α and ribavirine can be improved by new protease inhibitors.