Epidemiology and Dentistry Flashcards
What is epidemiology?
the study of the distribution of disease and determinants of disease frequency in populations
(the cause of disease)
The goal of epidemiology is to _____ and _____ at the population level.
control health problems
improve health
How is epidemiology used “operationally?”
by counting the causes of morbidity and mortality
i.e.: determining variables associated with cause
Operationally, epidemiology guides interventions to improve public health by identifying factors that are causes and are ________.
potentially modifiable
What are the “basic assumptions” of epidemiology?
- death, disease, and disability do not occur at random
- there are causal factors that can be identified through the systematic investigation of human populations
- identifying these causal factors can lead to preventive intervention
In research, we generally know either the _____ or the _______ and want to measure the other.
exposure
outcome
True or False: It is important that we measure exposure and outcome accurately and that we understand what population is represented.
True
True or False: Water fluoridation is a past achievement of epidemiology.
True
Since 1950s, the caries rate in children has gone down ____% due to fluoride toothpaste.
15-30
Developmental enamel defects such as ____ can look very similar to enamel _______.
fluorosis
hypoplasia
______ = the usual occurence of a disease in a given population
endemic
_______ = a meaningful increase in the occurence of a disease in a given population
epidemic
______ = spread of a disease across a large region or worldwide
pandemic
When a study is set up with “exposure” as the interest, that is a study of _______ variable.
independent
A dependent variable is the study of an ______ of interest.
outcome
What are the steps of epidemiologic reasoning?
- suspicion of Exposure-Disease relationship
- Hypothesis formation
- Test the hypothesis
- Rule out alternative explanations (bias, chance, etc)
Epidemiology is fundamentally concerned with ____.
populations
What is the difference between association and causation?
association = an identified RELATION between exposure and disease causation = an event, condition, or trait PRECEDES disease and without which would not have occurred at all
What are three questions in causal inference?
- methodological question (how we look for a cause)
- ontological question (what is the cause)
- ethical question (enough evidence to act on a cause)
In assessing causality, it is important to consider the _____ of the association, the ______ relationship, _____ sequence, and ______ of findings across studies.
strength of association
dose-response relationship
temporal sequence
consistency of findings
What is the dose-response relationship?
measurement that determines whether risk increases with increased exposure
How is the temporal sequence measured/determined?
does exposure precede the disease
How can studies differ?
investigator
methodology
study population
_____ is a trait which increases the probability that a disease occurs in the absence of error or bias.
risk factor
What are the four types of measurement scales in epidemiology?
- Nominal
- Ordinal
- Interval
- Ratio
Nominal scales use _____.
names
Ordinal scales follow _____.
an order based on severity
Interval scales follow ______.
a mathematical order but has NO TRUE ZERO
Ratio scale follows _____
a mathematical order with a defined TRUE ZERO
Depending on the time element, cases can be quantified as _____ or ______.
prevalent
incident
How is prevalence measured?
Prevalence Proportion:
(the # of cases) divided by (#in population)
at a specified point or period of time
How is incidence rate calculated?
(the # of new cases) divided by (population at risk)
over a period of time
True or False: Prevalence is a rate
False
True or False: Incidence is a rate.
True (incidence is not meaningful without a time span)
