This study was aimed to evaluate the relationship between the mental health level and stress coping style in a group of female subjects in a public hospital. A self-administrated questionnaire including questions on nursing work, the General Health Questionnaire(GHQ) as well as the Stress and Stress Coping questionnaire(SSCQ) was used. The subjects of this study were 225 female nurses. The subjects' age and working experience(mean ± SD) were 34.0 ± 10.3 and 10.6 ± 8.3 years, respectively. The results obtained were as follows: l) Either of the following determinants was related to negative mental health: experience of 1-2 years; working in the operating room or in-patient department. 2) The subjects whose working experience was <5 years or ≧ 10 years had higher scores in the SSCQ. These subjects were among those who did not have higher scores in the GHQ. It was suggested that these subjects need to receive a guidance in stress coping. These findings suggest that because working conditions have a negative influence on mental health, educational system for both inexperienced and experienced nurses is needed to develop an effective stress-coping style in medical institutions.

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The effect of occupational sulfuric acid exposure and other factors on teeth was explored in a crosssectional study with blind dental examinations. Among 350 male workers in a copper-smelter in Japan, 28 had mild dental erosion with silky-glazed opaque appearance of the enamel and/or shallow concavities on the enamel. While opaqueness was observed in 20 and concavities found in 11 workers, only 3 had both signs, suggesting that the concave lesions were often accompanied with enough remineralization to keep the dental surface gloss, possibly due to acid exposure at a low level. The cases had a history of working in an electrolytic refining plant(36%), significantly more than in the non-cases(14%, p<0.05). Some significant differences were found between the cases and the non-cases: the cases were older, had less dental plaque, less gingivitis, and more frequent toothbrushing habits. No significant differences were observed in possibly related dietary habits such as several types of acidic drinks. It was concluded that the present cases with dental erosion were most probably associated with occupational acid exposure. The risk ratio of cross-sectional prevalence of dental erosion for those with a history of electrolytic refining plant work was 3.0(95%CI: 1.3-6.7) compared with those without a history of acid exposure. Whether the present work environment can still develop new cases of dental erosion remains to be studied.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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