Background: Little is known of the periodontal status of the New Zealand (NZ) adult population, despite the availability of data from three national oral health surveys undertaken in 1976, 1988 and 2009. Although the first two surveys provided an epidemiological overview of the NZ population's oral health, they did not provide precise estimates because of...

Introduction: Oral and oropharyngeal cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world. The most common type of cancer occurring in the oral and oropharyngeal area is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). For the purposes of this thesis oral squamous cell carcinoma has been defined as a malignant epithelial neoplasm of the tongue, floor...

This thesis discusses the sustainability of contemporary and traditional music from 'Are'are, an area in the Solomon Islands. It examines the environmental influences and the acoustemology of music through local, national and global contexts. This entails analysis of how music, and the material used to make musical instruments, reflects environmental resources, responds to, and is...

Obesity in childhood has physical, psychological and social consequences that impact on health and quality of life. While there is a need for obesity prevention and treatment programmes amongst all New Zealanders, the need is greatest for Pacific children and their families. Over one in five Pacific children (23%) and three in five Pacific adults...

This study describes the processes of cultural adaptation to environmental conditions through an examination of ceramic technology. The case study involved eight months fieldwork in the Yap Islands, Western Caroline Islands, Micronesia, to obtain archaeological, ethnographic and environmental information.Analyses of the mineral and chemical composition and physical characteristics of Yapese clays showed that two types...