[Adolescent's perspectives on the factors that influence caries development: a qualitative study]

Oral and dental diseases limit an individual's activities at the school, work place and home, leading to a loss of millions of work and school hours all over the world. The period of adolescence is critical as regards shaping of healthy behaviors related to oral and dental diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe school pupils' viewpoints on factors influencing development of dental caries. A qualitative study with a content analysis approach was conducted to collect the perspectives of 18 Iranian students in 8 guidance schools selected by purposive sampling. Structured and semi-structured interviews were held to collect data. An informed consent was obtained and the interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data was analyzed through an inductive approach of content analysis. In order to support the validity and rigor of the data, different criteria such as acceptability, confirmability and transferability were utilized. Data analysis could identify four major factors influencing dental caries development: "family interactions in dental health", "role of school in caring for teeth", "role of dentists in caring for teeth" and "effect of education in caring for teeth". The factors influencing caring for teeth and mouth had a greater significance. The students' experiences, as observed in this study, can help in developing mutual trust between students and dentists, delivering better services in schools by relevant organizations, and designing more effective oral health interventions, with due consideration of vital role of the parents

Comparison of plaque removal efficacy of new and 3-month-old toothbrushes in children

The cost of replacing toothbrushes at frequent intervals may be prohibitive in underdeveloped countries. The objective of this study in Tehran was to compare the plaque removal efficacy of new and 3-month-old toothbrushes in children. In a randomized, crossover study, 93 children aged 7-9 years old received a new manual toothbrush to use twice per day for 3 months. Plaque scores were measured using the modified Quigley-Hein plaque index after children had brushed for 60 seconds with either a new or their used toothbrush. Bristle wear of worn brushes was assessed by measuring brushing surface areas on digital images. Compared with new brushes in the same subjects, no statistically significant differences were found for plaque score reductions for 3-month-old toothbrushes exhibiting various degrees of wear. Worn toothbrushes are equally effective as new ones for children

[Internal evaluation of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics / of the school of public health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences]

Experience at the national and international levels shows that internal evaluation, especially at the level of academic departments, can play a critical role in warranting having a university with high standards. The objectives of the present research project were to determine [a]. the quality of the structural elements of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department [EBD] School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and [b]. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, on the basis of which action could be taken to improve the quality of activities in the Department. The study was conducted with the collaboration of the head and faculty members, all of the students [residents, Ph.D. and M.S. students], and the graduates, of the EBD. Nine variables were studied, namely, 1]. Aims and objectives; 2]. Organizational and management structure; 3]. Faculty members; 4]. Students; 5]. Teaching and learning process; 6]. Courses and curricula; 7]. Graduates; 8]. Research and educational facilities and equipment; and 9]. Research activities of the faculty members. First the initial weight of the 9 variables were determined by opinion poll carried out among all the faculty members of EBD. Then unrelated data were identified through proper tests and omitted and the final weights extracted. The tools used to collect the data included interview, observation, and 7 self-prepared questionnaires and 2 check lists. The mean score for the 9 factors studied was 59.8%, the range being between 37.0% [for objectives and mission] and 72.0% [for graduates]. The graduate domain is one of the key areas in internal evaluation of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. On the other hand, the lower score for objective and aims domain implicates the need for future intervention in this domain

[Evaluation of parental view toward dental treatment under general anesthesia in Isfahan]

The rate of parental attitude and view toward the treatment modality of child is the one of the most important factors of the treatment. The aim of this study was the evaluation of parental view and attitude toward dental treatment under general anesthesia. In this descriptive cross sectional study, the participants, were parents whose children had recently undergone dental treatment under general anesthesia. The parents were given two self-administered questionnaire inquiring about their reasons and view toward the dental treatment under general anesthesia. Statistical analysis was performed by using Mann Whitney, Crosstab and Correlation tests. Our results showed that more than 80% of parents have moderate to high satisfaction about practice. Dentist's refer was the first reason for this treatment modality followed by relatives recommendation. More than 45% of parents indicated that lack of child fear was the most important advantage of this type of treatment. From parent's point of view previous sever pain experience and fear that transferred from relatives were the most important reason for child's fear from dental treatment. According to these results; most of parents satisfied with their child's dental treatment under general anesthesia, so promotion of social knowledge about dental treatment under general anesthesia could improve children's dental care and oral hygiene

[Treatment of early childhood caries: a literature review]

Restoration of severely damaged primary anterior teeth by early childhood caries is a challenge for clinicians. Due to pernicious nature of this condition, immediate and definitive treatment has been advocated in order to prevent further tooth destruction. It is important to preserve the integrity of natural primary dentition until the expected exfoliation time. The aim of this study was to review all suggested restorative techniques as well as their success rate in treatment of decayed maxillary anterior teeth. Aside from initial hand searching, all published studies after 1990 were identified by searching Medline, The Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Iran-medex, Google and scholar databases using "bottle caries, early childhood caries, treatment of nursing caries, children caries". For intra-canal retention of severely decayed primary teeth, resin composites, reinforced fiber, fiber glass, treated post, nickel chromium cast post with macroretentive element, can be used. A variety of restorative materials and technique are available for restoring primary anterior teeth such as atraumatic restoration, sandwich technique, stainless steel crown, open-face crown, pre-veneered S.S.C, bicarbonate crown, resin composite crown, biologic crown and strip crown. However, due to lack of supporting clinical data, none of these crowns can be determined as superior to others. Choosing many alternative treatment plans available to repair carious primary anterior teeth, the operator need to consider several factors such as, size and location of lesion, parental esthetic demands, child's attitude and behavior, moisture and hemorrhage control. These are variables that ultimately affect the treatment outcome

[Assessing the abrasive ability of three different domestic pediatric toothpastes]

The abrasive quality of children's toothpaste has long been the concern of dental professionals. On the other hand, manufacturers have tried to improve the quality and establish ingredient standards. This study was designed to compare the abrasiveness of three locally produced toothpastes, namely Darugar, Pooneh and Kam with Oral-B standard. This experimental study was conducted using 24 samples of composite blocks imbedded in acrylic material. The weight of each specimen was measured by a digital scale at 0.0001gr accuracy. Each specimen was brushed with 200gr force along with the selected tooth paste solutions using V8 cross brushing machine. The weight of each specimen was measured after 5000, 10000, 15000 and 20000 strokes. The mean weight-loss as well as their standard deviations were calculated for each group. The collected data was then analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey statistical tests. No significant difference was detected between four types of toothpastes after 5000 and 10000 strokes. However, significant differences were observed between Darugar toothpaste and the rest [Kam, Pooneh and Oral-B] after 15000 and 20000 strokes. Darugar pediatric toothpaste showed higher abrasive rate when compared with other toothpastes. The amount of wear was shown to be similar in Kam, Pooneh and Oral-B

[Basal cell carcinoma in a young man]

BCC is the most common invasive malignant neoplasm of skin which arises of epithelial cells. It is formed from cells similar to basal cell layer of epidermis. 95% of BCC cases occur between 40 to 79 year old. However, it is rare to be observed in young people. Here, we present a 22 years old man with skin type II who diagnosed with BCC on his nose following a local trauma and a history of sun exposure

[Segmental neurofibromatosis a report of two cases]

Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder presented with tumoral tissue around a nerve and other pathologic disorders. Neurofibromatosis type I [NF1] is more frequent and involves skin, central nervous system, bone and endocrine glands. Neurofibromatosis type II [NF2] is, however, presented with bilateral acoustic neuroma. Neurofiromatosis type V [NF5] is a rare disorder that has been reported in only 100 cases worldwide and presents with cutaneous neurofibromas with or without skin lesions. In the present article we have introduced 2 females aged 19 and 20 with segmental neurofibromatosis

[ comparison on fluoride uptake rates in the enamel of permanent teeth after application of Cina and ADA standard gel [Sultan]]

Background and aim: periodic and regular fluoride therapy significantly reduces caries prevalence in children and adolescents. Nowadays, a lot of different kinds of fluoride gels are used in the dental office and determination of fluoride ion uptake rate by enamel is a good way to evaluate the efficacy of these products. The aim of this experimental study was to compare fluoride ion uptake rate by the enamel of permanent teeth after the application of "Cina" gel and an ADA standard gel [Sltan]

Methods and Materials: forty intact permanent premolars Nere divided into buccal and lingual halves - with diamond disks under to water. Buccal halves were considered as cases [Fluoride-applied] and lingual ones as controts. A half-circle [6mm diameter] adhesive tape was applied to the enamel surface and other parts were then covered with acid-resistant polish. After adhesive tapes removal twenty buccal halves were exposed to "Cina and the others to "Sultan" gel. After four minutes, the specimens were suspended in 5ml synthetic saliva for 24hours at 37 degree C. Afterwards, each specimen was etched for 30 seconds in lcc of 0.5M Acid Percholoric in two sequential stages and in each stage, the window was washed with 0.2M KOH solution. Measurements of fluoride and calcium concentrations were carried out using Potentiometer and Atomic absorption spectrophotometry, respectively. Data were subjected to Paired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and wilcoxon Signed Rank test

Results: results showed that mean fluoride concentration of cases was significantly higher than controls in "Sultan" group [1824.4 ppm vs. 1449.6 ppm, P=0.000 in the first layer of biopsy and 2032.5 ppm VS. 1310.5 ppm, P=0.000 in the second layer]. In Cina gel group, there were no significant differences in fluoride concentration of two biopsy layers in cases and controls [1521.7 ppm vs. 1450.3 ppm, P=0.316 in the first layer and 1385.8 ppm vs. 1357.6 ppm, P=0.951 in the second]. In both layers, the mean fluoride uptake rates were higher in "Sultan" than "Cina" group [392.8 ppm vs. 71.4 ppm, P=0.000 in the first layer and 722.1 ppm vs. - 1.7 ppm, P=0.000 in the second layer]

Conclusion: considering the insufficient uptake rate of fluoride ion in "Cina" gel, it is suggested that lhisgel has no efficiency in increasing enamel fluoride content

[ survey on the relationship between age and plaque removal ability among 7-11 year old children in Hamedan]

Background and aim: toothbrushing is one of the recommended methods for dental plaque removal. In order to achieve this goal having muscles coordination, necessary skills and ability in the instructed toothbrushing methods seem essential. The aim of this study was to survey the relationship between age and plaque removal ability in 7-11 year-old children in Hamedan

Methods and Materials: in this experimental study, 120 samples, age ranging from 7-11 were chosen randomly form primary schools in Hamedan. From each 2ge group, 24 children [12 girls and 12 boys] were examined. Hygiene index was recorded for each sample after avoiding toothbrushing for 48 hours. Then each participant was asked to brush hisher teeth for three minutes using horizontal scrub method and the hygiene index [HI] was recorded again. The data was analyzed through t-test and one-way variance analysis

Results: there was significant difference between mean percentage of plaque free surfaces before and after brushing with no differences among different sexes. The mean percentage of plaque free surfaces was significantly different among various age groups meaning that with increasing age the percentage of plaque free surfaces was increased and this difference was highly significant between 11-year-old children and other age groups

Conclusion: plaque removal was significantly different between 7 and 9, S and 10, 9 and 10 year-old-children and 11 year-old children showed a greatly significant difference with other age groups. Thus, it seems that tooth brushing ability improves by improves age and this improvement can be observed after 9 years old, although in this study the brushing ability of 11-year-old children was also not at optimum level