Clinical assessment of various imaging systems for dental plaque scoring after the use of 3 different toothpastes

Purpose@#This study was conducted to compare dental plaque scores obtained through clinical examinations and various imaging techniques, as well as to assess the effectiveness of herbal and conventional toothpastes for plaque removal. @*Materials and Methods@#Thirty volunteers were divided into 3 groups. Each group was given a different toothpaste (from 2 herbal toothpastes and a conventional toothpaste) with which to brush their teeth for 21 days. Both initially and after brushing, dental plaque samples were collected, and plaque on the buccal surfaces of anterior teeth was scoredusing several imaging systems after staining with a disclosing agent. Specifically, digital dental photography, intraoral digital scanning, and FluoreCam imaging were employed to capture intraoral images. The Turesky Modified QuigleyHein Plaque Index was used for clinical examination and image analysis. Quantitative polymerase chain reactionanalyses and correlational assessments between clinical examination and imaging scores were conducted before and after toothpaste use. The Shapiro-Wilk test and Pearson correlations were utilized. @*Results@#The lowest mean value was observed in the clinical examination without staining, while the highest was obtained using the FluoreCam method. No significant change was found in the level of any microorganism assessed following toothpaste use (P<0.05), with the exception of a decrease in S. mutans levels after using conventional toothpaste (P<0.05). @*Conclusion@#Herbal toothpaste demonstrated plaque-removal effectiveness comparable to that of conventional toothpaste. The use of imaging methods for measuring plaque index has been suggested as a means to educate patients about plaque control and promote ongoing oral care.

Clinical assessment of demineralization and remineralization surrounding orthodontic brackets with FluoreCam

Objective To determine quantitatively the amount of demineralization and the ability of commercially available products and an experimental cream to inhibit or reverse orthodontic related demineralization. Methods A total of 20 patients who were 25–35 years old and having orthodontic treatment for 6–8 months were chosen. Caries risk assessments were done for each patient and ones with “moderate risk” were included. Patients with fixed orthodontic appliances were divided into 4 groups (5 patients each) including one control and 3 study groups. All patients used same toothpaste 2 times a day during the 3 weeks study period. Additional to the toothpaste first study group used MI Paste Plus (GC, Tokyo, Japan), second study group used Remin Pro (Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany) and third group used an experimental remineralizing cream per day for 3 weeks. Maxillary central and lateral incisors of each patient were examined by FluoreCam (Daraza Therametric Technologies, USA) device. The examinations were performed at baseline and at the end of 1st, 2nd and 3rd weeks. Results According to the FluoreCam measurements the control group showed significant amount of demineralization at the end of 3 weeks, moreover the amount of demineralization has gradually increased in time. At the end of the study all 3 study groups showed significant amount of remineralization and the amount of remineralization for all the 3 study groups has gradually increased in time. However the amount of remineralization for 3rd study group was lesser than the 1st and 2nd study groups. The remineralization amounts for the 1st and 2nd study groups were determined to be identical. Conclusions This study demonstrated that demineralization is measurable around orthodontic brackets and the demineralization can be completely inhibited and/or reversed by the use of commercially available remineralization products.

Effectiveness of some herbals on initial enamel caries lesion

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of herbal medicaments such as ginger, rosemary and honey on remineralization of initial enamel lesion. Methods Demineralized human enamel specimens were measured for baseline surface microhardness and fluorescence methods. Ten specimens in each of four groups were used in this in vitro recycling study with the following treatments which applied three times a day: 1) sodium fluoride toothpaste (Ipana, Procter & Gamble, Turkey), 2) ginger-honey (Arifoglu Herbals, Anzer Honey, Turkey), 3) ginger-honey-chocolate (Bind Chocolate, Turkey), 4) rosemary oil (Arifoglu Herbals, Turkey). Treatment regimens of demineralization and remineralization cycle were applied for 21 days. The post-treatment data were obtained by measurements of surface microhardness and fluorescence methods. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA test with Tukey's honest significant difference test. Results Enhanced remineralization was observed with several of the treatment systems including ginger + honey and rosemary. Significant differences between treatments were observed by microhardness and FluoreCam fluorescence assesment, compared to the positive control group (NaF dentifrice). Significantly, greater remineralization was observed with the honey + ginger treatment regimen. No significant differences between groups were observed using the fluorescence assessment method, quantitative light-induced fluorescence. Conclusions Herbals (ginger, honey and rosemary) have enhanced remineralization of initial enamel lesion.