Epidemiology and Dentistry

Question 1

What is epidemiology?

Answer 1

the study of the distribution of disease and determinants of disease frequency in populations
(the cause of disease)

Question 2

The goal of epidemiology is to _____ and _____ at the population level.

Answer 2

control health problems

improve health

Question 3

How is epidemiology used “operationally?”

Answer 3

by counting the causes of morbidity and mortality

i.e.: determining variables associated with cause

Question 4

Operationally, epidemiology guides interventions to improve public health by identifying factors that are causes and are ________.

Answer 4

potentially modifiable

Question 5

What are the “basic assumptions” of epidemiology?

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

In research, we generally know either the _____ or the _______ and want to measure the other.

Answer 6

exposure

outcome

Question 7

True or False: It is important that we measure exposure and outcome accurately and that we understand what population is represented.

Answer 7

True

Question 8

True or False: Water fluoridation is a past achievement of epidemiology.

Answer 8

True

Question 9

Since 1950s, the caries rate in children has gone down ____% due to fluoride toothpaste.

Answer 9

15-30

Question 10

Developmental enamel defects such as ____ can look very similar to enamel _______.

Answer 10

fluorosis

hypoplasia

Question 11

______ = the usual occurence of a disease in a given population

Answer 11

endemic

Question 12

_______ = a meaningful increase in the occurence of a disease in a given population

Answer 12

epidemic

Question 13

______ = spread of a disease across a large region or worldwide

Answer 13

pandemic

Question 14

When a study is set up with “exposure” as the interest, that is a study of _______ variable.

Answer 14

independent

Question 15

A dependent variable is the study of an ______ of interest.

Answer 15

outcome

Question 16

What are the steps of epidemiologic reasoning?

Answer 16

1. suspicion of Exposure-Disease relationship
2. Hypothesis formation
3. Test the hypothesis
4. Rule out alternative explanations (bias, chance, etc)

Question 17

Epidemiology is fundamentally concerned with ____.

Answer 17

populations

Question 18

What is the difference between association and causation?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What are three questions in causal inference?

Answer 19

1. methodological question (how we look for a cause)
2. ontological question (what is the cause)
3. ethical question (enough evidence to act on a cause)

Question 20

In assessing causality, it is important to consider the _____ of the association, the ______ relationship, _____ sequence, and ______ of findings across studies.

Answer 20

strength of association
dose-response relationship
temporal sequence
consistency of findings

Question 21

What is the dose-response relationship?

Answer 21

measurement that determines whether risk increases with increased exposure

Question 22

How is the temporal sequence measured/determined?

Answer 22

does exposure precede the disease

Question 23

How can studies differ?

Answer 23

investigator
methodology
study population

Question 24

_____ is a trait which increases the probability that a disease occurs in the absence of error or bias.

Answer 24

risk factor

Question 25

What are the four types of measurement scales in epidemiology?

Answer 25

1. Nominal
2. Ordinal
3. Interval
4. Ratio

Question 26

Nominal scales use _____.

Answer 26

names

Question 27

Ordinal scales follow _____.

Answer 27

an order based on severity

Question 28

Interval scales follow ______.

Answer 28

a mathematical order but has NO TRUE ZERO

Question 29

Ratio scale follows _____

Answer 29

a mathematical order with a defined TRUE ZERO

Question 30

Depending on the time element, cases can be quantified as _____ or ______.

Answer 30

prevalent

incident

Question 31

How is prevalence measured?

Answer 31

Prevalence Proportion:
(the # of cases) divided by (#in population)
at a specified point or period of time

Question 32

How is incidence rate calculated?

Answer 32

(the # of new cases) divided by (population at risk)

over a period of time

Question 33

True or False: Prevalence is a rate

Answer 33

False

Question 34

True or False: Incidence is a rate.

Answer 34

True (incidence is not meaningful without a time span)