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Oral Health Inequalities In Adolescents And Young Adults In Ontario, Maria Rahman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Oral health is consistently linked to physiological, psychological, and social aspects of well-being in adolescents and young adults. In this thesis, I aimed to examine the social determinants of oral health and dental care utilization. First, I conducted a scoping review of the literature, demonstrated the multifaceted nature of oral health and its connections to broader social and economic factors. Then, I conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey which showed a social gradient in oral health and dental care utilization among adolescents and young adults in Ontario. When stratified by age, there was a protective association …

The Significance Of Injuries And Anatomical Patterns Of Trauma In Pedestrian And Cyclist Fatalities And Their Association With Motor Vehicle Collision Dynamics And Post-Collision Kinematics, Moheem M. Halari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Deaths from motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a major global health concern, with over 1.35 million fatalities reported annually by the United Nations. More than half involve pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Post-mortem examinations by pathologists determine the cause of death and mechanisms of injury and play a significant role in the investigation of the deaths of vulnerable road users.

The purpose of this study was to understand the injury patterns sustained by pedestrians and cyclists fatally injured in motor vehicle impacts.

This study reviews the development of injury patterns described in the medical literature and identifies their limitations in the …

Smartphones For Smart Eating: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Smartphone Applications On Improving Adolescent Food Knowledge, Heather A. Jantzi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Many Canadian adolescents have unhealthy eating habits which are risk factors for developing chronic diseases later in life. Food literacy plays a role in healthy eating habits but teens in Ontario currently lack sufficient nutrition education learning opportunities in home and school environments. Across health research, smartphones have been utilized as a novel medium to promote learning and alter behaviour. This thesis seeks to understand the effectiveness of smartphone applications at improving food knowledge in adolescents through (i) a systematic review of published interventions, and (ii) by investigating the efficacy of a novel location-based smartphone application. Findings from this thesis …

Head Shapes And Toothaches: A Study Of Cranial Modification And Dental Pathology At Muna, A Late Pre-Hispanic Cemetery From The Archaeological Sanctuary Of Pachacamac (Lima, Perú)., T Naomi Nakahodo Moromizato

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a bioarchaeological analysis of cranial modification and dental pathology in a sample of human remains excavated from the pre-Hispanic MUNA cemetery. This cemetery was on the outskirts of the Archaeological Sanctuary of Pachacamac in the Lurín Valley. The cemetery was comprised of disturbed skeletal remains and relatively well preserved fardos funerarios (funerary bundles) from the Late Intermediate Period (1100-1470 CE) and early Late Horizon (1470-1532 CE). The results of this thesis show that the skeletal remains and fardos likely belonged to a single community, and the analyzed sample showed intra-site variation of the fronto-occipital cranial modification. The …

The Impact Of Access To Oral Health Care On Inadequate Oral Health And Multimorbidity, Luis Limo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The connection between oral health and other non-communicable chronic conditions—commonly referred in the dental literature as the oral-systemic health connection—emphasizes the role of oral health care on both oral diseases and chronic conditions, particularly in vulnerable populations like the elderly. This thesis comprises 2 studies: the first is a systematic review on the impact of oral health care interventions, as an indicator of access to oral health care, on chronic conditions of which their co-existence would result in multimorbidity; the second study is a cross-sectional investigation of the associations between oral health, access to oral health care, and multimorbidity among …

The Role Of Psychosocial Factors In Oral Health And Related Major Chronic Conditions, Abby Hensel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Psychosocial factors may be a common pathway that increases the susceptibility to co-occurring oral health conditions and other non-communicable chronic conditions. This thesis aimed to investigate the role of psychosocial stress in the co-occurrence of oral health conditions and systemic chronic conditions. First, a scoping review was conducted which found psychosocial stress to be positively associated with both oral and other chronic diseases. Next, a cluster analysis of oral health and multimorbidity profiles was conducted which showed middle-aged and older Canadians to have varying health profiles based on their oral health and multimorbidity status. We also found that individuals with …

Science Attitudes Of Students Enrolled In An Introductory Environmental Science Course, Rajan Brar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines attitudes towards science for 198 students enrolled in an introductory university environmental science course. Conceptual frameworks include the theory of planned behaviour and the tripart model of attitudes to assess science attitudes. A quantitative research design, using secondary data, is used to address this purpose. Within this study, Enjoyment of Science and Science Anxiety factors of attitudes towards science, components of the affective domain of attitude are compared to student gender, faculty, and academic year using a modified mATSI:2 questionnaire. It is found that faculty displays the most significant association with science attitudes, with students from science …

A Study On The Field Of Xr Simulation Creation, Leveraging Game Engines To Develop A Vr Hospital Framework, Virat K. Tripathi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis introduces an adaptable and extensible VR framework designed for clinicians and patients using pre-existing game development software like Blender and Unreal Engine. The framework aids patients in familiarizing themselves with hospital scenarios and environments, reducing anxiety, and improving navigation. Clinicians can use the tool to educate patients and collaboratively design new aspects of the environment. A prototype implementation demonstrates the system's effectiveness, with usability studies indicating that teleport movement is preferred over sliding for locomotion and that navigation speed can improve with subsequent trials in the VR simulator. The framework's potential for enhancing patient experience and facilitating informed …

The Modulation Of Lfp Characteristics In The Freely Moving Common Marmoset, William Jm Assis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The hippocampus is a neural structure critical for navigation. Neurons in this region, along with others, create a functional network which generates large-amplitude modulations known as local field potential (LFP) activity. Prior LFP research has predominantly used rodent animal models, however recent studies have shown that frequencies associated with navigation in other mammals do not correlate to those of the rodent. We hypothesized that LFP characteristics in the common marmoset are modulated by the speed and axis of travel of the animal. Two marmosets were placed in a free moving 3-dimensional environment where movement and neurological activity were recorded. Results …

The Ventilatory Response To Modified Rebreathing Is Unchanged By Hyperoxic Severity: Implications For The Hyperoxic Hyperventilation Paradox, Joshua D. Huggard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

We measured the ventilatory response to hyperoxic CO₂ rebreathing with O₂ tension clamped at increasingly higher pressures. We hypothesized that the V̇_E versus PCO₂ relationship is fixed and independent of PO₂. Twenty participants (10 females; mean± SD age: 24±4 years) performed three repetitions of modified rebreathing in 4, randomized, isoxic-hyperoxic conditions: mild: PO₂=150 mmHg; moderate: PO₂=200 mmHg; high: PO₂=300 mmHg; and extreme: PO₂≈700 mmHg. For each rebreathing trial, the P_ETCO₂ at which V̇_E rose was identified as the ventilatory recruitment threshold (VRT, …

Systemic, Institutional, And Teaching Factors In The Delivery Of Interprofessional Education Curriculum In Canada, Mohammad B. Azzam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Canadian federal and several provincial governments are currently collaborating to establish ‘team-based’ primary healthcare—or interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), which can be effectively accomplished when interprofessional education (IPE) is sustainably delivered by health and social care (HASC) professional education programs. Indeed, achieving the intended patient/client-oriented outcomes of IPE and subsequent IPCP requires deliberate and purposeful considerations of several systemic, institutional, and teaching factors. Regrettably, the analyses of the extent to which these factors have influenced effective IPCP is currently under-researched. In this integrated-article dissertation, we took a purposeful and systematic approach to explore the extent to which these multi-tiered factors …

Mechanical Response Of The Craniofacial Skeleton To Subfracture Impacts In The Time And Frequency Domains, Paige Merko

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Resonant frequencies have been suggested as a mechanism of brain injury since these vibrations can transfer energy into the brain. Study of the vibrational response of the craniofacial skeleton to impact is limited in literature. In this research, four cadaver specimens were impacted at five locations on the craniofacial skeleton. The mechanical response to each impact was compared in the time and frequency domains. Impacts to the maxilla and its associated soft tissues tended to be attenuated, while impacts to the cranial vault, specifically to the occipital, produced the most severe response. Results suggest that the facial skeleton and its …

Torque Expression Of Active And Passive Self-Ligating Orthodontic Brackets With Different Archwire Materials, Sidney Mugford

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aimed to compare torquing moments, engagement angles, and torsional stiffness generated by stainless steel (SS), titanium molybdenum alloy (TMA) and nickel titanium (NiTi) wires in three active self-ligating (ASL), one passive self-ligating (PSL), and a conventional twin orthodontic bracket system control. Brackets were tested in simulations of buccal and palatal root torque. A custom 3D printed testing apparatus was developed to measure torque. In general, the PSL and conventionally ligated systems generated significantly larger torquing moments than ASL systems, especially with stiffer wires and greater degrees of twist. Torquing direction only influenced torque expression with ASL systems. The …

Metal Release Of Cocrmo Alloy In Protein-Rich Solutions – Effect Of Irradiation, Sliding And Manufacturing Process, Zheng Wei

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

CoCrMo alloys, which have excellent corrosion and wear resistance, are widely used for implants in the human body. Even for the most corrosion-resistant alloys, interfacial reactions occur between the metal surface and the biological environment. It is important to investigate the mechanism of corrosion behavior of CoCrMo in protein-rich solutions. This research is focused on the metal release and corrosion behavior of CoCrMo in protein-rich solutions under different simulated conditions and for different manufacturing processes. Implants can sometimes be present in patients who need to undergo cancer radiotherapy. Therefore, the effect of gamma irradiation on the metal release from CoCrMo …

Validation Study On The Differentiation Of Human Periodontal Ligament Cells In The Presence Of Cementum Protein 1 And Periostin, Deborah A. O'Reilly

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Existing research alludes to the fact that human periodontal ligament cells differentiate into an ossifying phenotype in response to differential gene expression during orthodontic tooth movement. The purpose of this research was to validate the differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells of young individuals in the presence of specific proteins and stimuli (cementum protein, periostin and osteogenic media), which mimic the environment of the periodontal ligament. Another objective was to assess the differential gene expression within these cells under the same conditions. A protocol was developed to provide a collagen-protein scaffold on which human periodontal ligament cells were maintained for …

From Micro To Macro: Examining Potential Microbiome Mediated Influences On Human Growth And Health Outcomes Through Breastfeeding And Antibiotic Exposures, Nicole K. Phillips

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Human microbiome research has rapidly developed over the past two decades yet absent from most research is the composition and dynamics of microbiomes within human populations. Given the limitations in longitudinal studies which requires decades of repeated microbe taxonomic testing of a population sample, an alternative option is to examine microbiomes and their influences via proxies using pre-existing health datasets. This research demonstrates preliminary associations between presumed disrupted and supportive microbiomes dynamics proxied by antibiotic and breastmilk exposure respectively. Using health record data across the life span from approximately 500,000 U.K. participants, this research demonstrates variable altered growth and health …