Lecture Guideline

1. Epidemiology: definitions and

measurements studies

Presented by:
Dr. Sherif Helal
Community Dentistry Course Director

1. Epidemiology : definitions and

measurements studies
Text Book:
Jongs Community Dental Health 5th
Edition By Gluk
ISBN 0815198558, Elsevier Mosby
pages 174-178

What is Epidemiology ?
Epidemiology is a Greek word means:
Epi
= upon
Demos = people
Logos = science

What is Epidemiology ?
Definitions of Epidemiology:
Def.1: Is the study of a disease or condition
among population group and how the
hereditary, environment and way of living
affect them.
Def 2: The study of distribution and
determinates of diseases or conditions
frequency in man.

What is Epidemiology ?
Epidemiology
= Etiology
__________________________________
Concern with group
of population affection.

Single individual
affection.

What is Epidemiology ?
Importance of epidemiology:
1. Fundamental understanding of epidemiology
knowledge facilitate practitioners and
authorities to access, treat and improve health
status of communities in relation to their
ethnic, habitual, religious, believes,
manner and attitude.

What is Epidemiology ?
2. It may also facilitate researches in a way of
study design and comparing studies results
outcomes round the globe with same health
problems and outcome.

Contributing Epidemiology factors

Factors which may contribute affection with
certain disease or condition are related to:
1. Host
2. Agent
3. Environment

What is Epidemiology ?
1. Host Factor:
Various individuals may share the same factor
or condition giving them great opportunity to
have the same disease or condition:
ex 1. Age (measles in children)
2. Sex (males get bold)
3. Habit (Smoking cancer)
4. Genetics (colored eyes, hair, )

What is Epidemiology ?
2. Agent Factor:
a. Biological: ex. microorganisms diseases
b. Chemical: ex. tetracycline deformed teeth
c. Physical : ex. accidents

What is Epidemiology ?
3.Environmental :
a. Climatological : ex. Dark skin with sun
exposure
b. Social : ex. education and occupation
affect individuals oral health
behavior

Types of Epidemiological studies

Types of Epidemiological study:
1. Prevalence study = how much people affected
(is the proportion of existing case or disease in a
population at one point in time or during specified
period of time)
2. Incidence study = how much new
affection cases razing up
(is the number of new cases that occur during a
specified time)

Types of Epidemiological studies

3. Descriptive study = define the extent of the disease in
a population in non numerical value so it may be also
called state case definition
this could be critical as it may determine who is
getting the disease ex. young, elderly,
4. Observation study = relationship study between
diseased and normal (value of 1 = 1:1 = no risk)
(above 1 = risk increase)

Types of Epidemiological studies

5. Cross sectional study: Examination a group of
individuals for the disease/condition
occurrence among them ex. osteoporosis in
middle age women

Types of Epidemiological studies

6. Case control study: is establishing a
disease/condition in relation to its negative
history
7. Prospective cohort study: (forward looking)
by dividing individuals in 2 groups and study
who will get the disease/condition and who
will not and compare the sum of two groups
with unexposed group.

Types of Epidemiological studies

8. Retrospective cohort study: (historical looking) it is
similar to the prospective study cohort study except
that the exposure to an element is determined from
the history records
9. Experimental or Clinical trial: of a material /
agent /vaccine, .. And record positive or negative
results
10. Community trial: conducted when community need
a preventive or therapeutic care ex. cholera
vaccination

Steps of Epidemiological studies

Steps of Epidemiological Studies:
Objective of the study
Selection of the sample
Randomization of individuals
Conduction of examination
Analysis of data
Conclusions
Publishing the report

Steps of Epidemiological studies

1. Objective:
a. idea for a research for existing problem
ex. caries high in children
b. Null Hypothesis Researcher has to think
first that there is no relation
ex. caries is high in all age groups

Steps of Epidemiological studies

c. type (Mentioned before)
prevalence , incidence, .

Steps of Epidemiological studies

2. Selection of the sample
Epidemiology Studying Sample Types:
a. Random - sample blindly chosen
b. Selected - sample is a sample carefully chosen
from population with special characteristics
c. Self - selected sample = volunteers

Steps of Epidemiological studies

* Sample size
Usually large numbers of cases since variables
in human life are so many to avoid error

Steps of Epidemiological studies

3. Randomization of individuals
- Test group/s
or Test group/s and control group
* Placebo of the control group

Steps of Epidemiological studies

4. Conduction the examination
a. method
ex. mirror and prob
b. diagnostic criteria ex. caries for teeth
catch prob or involve enamel only
c. indices
The WHO manual of oral health survey basic
method just to allow comparison of studies all over
the world

Steps of Epidemiological studies

5. Analysis of data
usually through computer programs, will be
discussed later with caries and periodontal
diseases epidemiology

Steps of Epidemiological studies

6. Conclusions:
Compare the study results with other relative
results and discuss numbers and conclude why
numbers came in the study by this way

Steps of Epidemiological studies

7. Publishing the report / study
Presentation of a study should include:
a. Introduction
b. Aim of the study
c. Materials and methods
d. Results
e. Discussion
f. References
-----------------------------------

1. Weekly Quiz
Choose one answer of the following quiz:
* Epidemiology is a science concern with ?
1. a group of population affection
2. a single individual affection