Duke University
Medical Center
Intercom
VOL. 24, NO. 42
OCT. 21,1977
DURHAM, N.C.
Orthodontics more than braces on kids' teeth
By Ina Fried
Orthodontics at Duke is much more
than braces on the teeth of a 13-year-old.
An infant with a cleft palate, an adult
who cannot dose his front teeth, and a
teenager whose few malformed teeth are
part of an unusual birth def^ syndrome
are examples of the patients being
treated by the Division of Orthodontics
in cooperation with a team of health care
professionals.
Dr. Galen W. Quinn, professor and
chief of the Division of Orthodontics in
the Department of Surgery, has received
a $10,000 grant from a North Carolina
corporation, which asked to remain
anonymous, to continue research and
treatment of patients.
First team improves treatment
“We're equipped to work with infants
and guide the growth and development
of their faces, jaws and dentition
(curangement of teeth)," Quinn said.
"Patients include children of all ages as
well as adults, since teeth can be moved
Research shows
at any time in life."
Improved techniques for the treatment
of abnormalities of the head, face, jaws
and teeth are available through a team
approach including plastic and general
surgeons, speech therapists,
orthodontists, dentists, pediatricians and
ear, nose and throat specialists, Quinn
said. The team was the first of its kind in
the Southeast, he added.
The professor said innovations have
been developed in diagnostic
radiographic techniques, in treatment
appliances and prostheses and in clinical
treatment procedures.
"These innovations have reduced the
number of treatment procedures,
reduced the cost of treatment and, most
important, improved the capabilities of
the individual to eat, speak, swallow and
look better," he said.
Duke among fiist
Duke was one of the first institutions
in the United States to introduce
bone-grafting procedures to stabilize the
jaw in cleft palate patients, Quinn said.
More than 3,000 cleft lip and palate
patients have been treated at Duke, and
over 1,600 of them since the E)ivision of
Orthodontics was established in 1958.
A combination of Duke-developed
appliances, surgery and replacement of
missing or improperly formed teeth
gives the patient "a happier, healthier
smile," the orthodontist said. "By the
end of treatment you probably can't tell
(Continued on page 2)
Holding tongue hazardous
By David Williamson
How do you react when someone
makes you mad?
Do you gnash your teeth or hold your
tongue? Do you throw crockery, insults
and fists, or do you try to calm troubled
waters by saying nothing?
Most mental health experts now agree
that individuals who always stifle their
feelings when others make them angry
risk a host of psychological problems.
Among the f>ossible consequences of
keeping silent, they say, are depression,
increased hostility, impaired reasoning,
psychosomatic illnesses, tension and a
greater chance of committing violent
acts.
It's better to let it out
Research conducted by a team of
psychologists from here, the University
of North Carolina and the Durham VA
Hospital indicates that people who
refuse to express anger op^y also are
likely to becwme the targets of greater
abuse.
In addition, the
studies show that
people who display
anger openly and
then explain the re
ason for it will fare
much better than if
they had said
nothing, according J
to Dr. W. Doyle j
Gentry, professor of j
medical psychology
The explanation tends to justify the
ai^er to those wrtto caused it, he said, and
may well get them to change their
behavior through feelings of empathy.
"We believe this work has some real
implications for clinical psychology,"
Gentry said. "Until now, there has been
no real scientific evidence to support the
theories and therapies for anger and
aggression."
Test elicited natural response
The experin»ents involved 60 UNC
student volunteers who were told the
resejirch was concerned with the effects
of competition on reaction time and
physical arousal.
The students, all niales, were asked to
compete with an opponent they thought
(Continued on page 3)
'mm
OPEN WIDE - Dr. Calen W. Quinn, professor and chief of the Division of Orthodontics, works
with children of all ages and adults to guide the growth and development of their faces, jaws and
teeth. (Photo by Thad Sparks)
Note of caution accompanies estrogen drugs
GENTRY
Women picking up their prescriptions
of estrogen drugs began getting a
reminder this week that the drugs may
increase a user's risk of uterine cancer.
The reminder comes in a leaflet printed
by estrogen manufacturers. The Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled
that the leaflet be inserted into every
package of the drugs or be handed out by
pharmacists every time they fill an
estrogen prescription.
A woman reading the leaflet may find
it unsettling. But she shouldn't panic, a
honnone specialist here says.
“She should sit do%m and talk it over
with her physician to see how it applies
to her own situation," said Dr. Charles B.
Hammond, an associate professor of
obstetrics and gynecology and a member
of the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Not every drug containing estrogen is
covered by the FDA ruling. The drugs
singled out usually are prescribed for
middle-aged women to relieve
symptoms of the menopause, such as hot
flashes. Birth control pills, which also
contain estrogen, are not covered by the
ruling or mentioned in the leaflet.
The FDA required the leaflet to be
printed and distributed because a
number of studies showed that estrogen
users had a higher than nonnal risk for
cancer of the lining of the uterus.
Ten studies have been published on
the estrogen — uterine cancer issue,
Hammond said. Six of the studies show
an increased risk for estrogen users, the
specialist said, while the other four show
no risk increase.
Hammond added that a study is under
way at Duke into possible links between
estrogens and a list of diseases, including
uterine cancer.
"Until our own data are available in
three or four months," he said, "I'm
reserving judgment on t^tether there's
an increased risk for estrogen users."