Teledentistry in pediatric dentistry: Postgraduate dental students' knowledge, practice, and attitudes.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate postgraduate pediatric dental students' knowledge, practice, and attitudes toward teledentistry and identify potential applications of this technology in pediatric dentistry. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to all students through Google Forms. The questionnaire included questions about socio-demographic information, knowledge, practice, and attitudes regarding teledentistry and the use of teledentistry during coronavirus disease 2019. Results: Before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, only 8.2% of students knew teledentistry. However, this increased to 45% after the pandemic, with differences depending on the student's clinical experience. Teledentistry was reported as useful for medicine taking, follow-up consultations, and diagnosing soft tissue problems. Conclusions: Integrating teledentistry topics into the dental curriculum can increase awareness and adoption of this technology in pediatric dentistry. Dental students need to be aware of its potential applications.

Antimicrobial effect of natural kinds of toothpaste on oral pathogenic bacteria.

INTRODUCTION: Because of the adverse effects on human health of some antimicrobial ingredients in traditional toothpaste, consumers are increasingly turning to toothpastes with natural ingredients. This study evaluates the antimicrobial effect of toothpastes containing different natural active agents against three oral pathogens: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Enterococcus faecalis. METHODOLOGY: This study tested one traditional toothpaste and seven different natural toothpastes containing theobromine, aloe vera, miswak, propolis, chitosan, enzymes and probiotics. The agar-well diffusion method was used to test the antimicrobial effect. Inhibition zones formed around toothpastes after 24 hours of incubation were measured and the data collected were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Toothpastes containing theobromine and chitosan and the traditional toothpaste showed antimicrobial efficacy for all tested bacteria. Toothpastes containing aloe vera, miswak, and propolis were only effective on S. mutans, while toothpastes containing probiotics and enzymes did not show any antimicrobial effect on the bacteria. Among toothpastes with natural ingredients, the theobromine-containing toothpaste showed the highest efficacy on S. mutans, while the aloe vera- and propolis-containing toothpastes had the lowest efficacy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Theobromine- and chitosan-containing toothpastes, which showed antimicrobial activity against all bacteria, can be recommended as alternatives to traditional toothpastes.

Endodontic treatment of immature maxillary lateral incisor with two canals: type 3 dens invaginatus.

Dens invaginatus is a developmental anomaly. The nonsurgical endodontic treatment of a type 3 dens invaginatus with a large periradicular lesion in a maxillary left lateral incisor of a 10-year-old girl is presented. In spite of difficult diagnosis and treatment of type 3 dens invaginatus, nonsurgical treatment was performed successfully. Resolution of the periradicular lesion and apical closure was observed after 1-year follow-up.

Ectodermal dysplasia with anodontia: a report of two cases.

Ectodermal dysplasia is a hereditary disorder that occurs as a consequence of disturbances in the ectoderm of the developing embryo. The triad of nail dystrophy, alopecia or hypotrichosis and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis is usually accompanied by a lack of sweat glands and a partial or complete absence of primary and/or permanent dentition. Two case reports illustrating the prosthetic rehabilitation of 2 young boys with anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia associated with severe anodontia are presented. Since the oral rehabilitation of these cases is often difficult; particularly in pediatric patients, treatment should be administered by a multidisciplinary team involving pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics and oral-maxillofacial surgery.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of several concentrations of NaOCl and Octenisept in elimination of endodontic pathogens.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test and compare the in vitro effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and octenidine hydrochloride (Octenisept) at different concentrations in the elimination of resistant microorganisms including S. aureus, E. faecalis, and C. albicans over a range of time intervals. STUDY DESIGN: A broth dilution test was performed, and the timing for irrigants to kill microbial cells was recorded. Then the samples were compared by using Kruskal-Wallis test, with significance level at P less than .05. Also minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Octenisept was evaluated. RESULTS: The in vitro antimicrobial effect of the most effective concentrations of the tested irrigants were ranked from strongest to weakest as follows: 100% Octenisept, 50% Octenisept, 5.25 % NaOCl, and 2.5 % NaOCl. CONCLUSIONS: The antimicrobial action is related to type and concentration of the irrigants as well as the microbial susceptibility.