The Impact of Anemia-Related Early Childhood Caries on Parents' and Children's Quality of Life.

Background and Objectives: Today, oral diseases are well-known for their effects, not only on daily life but also on quality of life (QoL). Dental caries, especially early childhood caries (ECC), are considered a public health concern as regards their impact on the life quality of children and parents from multiple aspects. The present research was conducted to assess the effect of anemia on oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in terms of children and parents. Materials and Methods: The current study was performed in two independent stages. In the first stage, the Turkish version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), and in the second stage, the Turkish version of the Parental-Caregivers Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) were used to measure the effect of anemia-related dental caries among children and parents. SPSS and Jamovi software were used for all calculations, graphs and comparisons. Results: A total of 204 participants (child-parent pairs) were incorporated in the present study. A considerable number of children (81.5%) reported occasional or more frequent oral/dental pain. Secondly, the subscale scores were determined for child symptoms (2.25 ± 0.067), child function (6.8 ± 0.22), child psychology (3.87 ± 0.128), self-image and social interaction (1.74 ± 0.063), parental distress (3.82 ± 0.143), and family function (3.5 ± 0.121). Additionally, more than half of the parents (56.3%) responded "fair" for the health of their children's teeth, lips, jaws and mouth. Similarly, the child's overall well-being was stated as being affected "a lot" by the condition of their child's teeth, lips, jaws or mouth by half of the parents (49.5%). Conclusions: Anemia-related dental caries has a highly negative impact on the quality of life of children and parents according to both of the questionnaires. Therefore, children with high scores should be prioritized for preventive procedures and timely dental treatments.

The Knowledge and Attitude of Parents About the Dental Treatment of Their Children During the New Type of Coronavirus Outbreak in Northern Cyprus.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of parents living in Northern Cyprus about the oral care and dental treatments of their children during the outbreak of the new type of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Methods: An online self-administered questionnaire was conducted consisting of 33 questions. A total of 256 parents participated in this study. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part consists of demographic information and the second part consists of the awareness and knowledge of parents about dental treatments during COVID-19. SPSS software was used for statistical data analysis. Results: In total, 81.9% of the mothers and 59.6% of the fathers stated that their children could be infected with COVID-19 during dental treatments and were apprehensive about their children undergoing such treatment because of the outbreak. Participants were asked about their knowledge regarding the transmission of COVID-19 through air droplets during dental treatments and the findings revealed that mothers (89.5%) were more aware of this than fathers (77.2%). The majority of the participants (77%) stated that their children could become infected with COVID-19 during dental treatments and were apprehensive about their children undergoing such treatment because of the outbreak; however, 65.1% did not take any extra precautions regarding their children's oral health and care. Conclusion: The majority of the parents in Northern Cyprus have good knowledge about dental clinics being one of the high-risk areas where COVID-19 can be transmitted by aerosols from infected people. However, further steps need to be taken to strengthen parents' motivations for home oral care and more studies are needed to assess the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents' attitudes toward and knowledge about dental procedures.

Comparative evaluation of low-level laser therapy on proliferation of long-term cryopreserved human dental pulp cells isolated from deciduous and permanent teeth.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the proliferative effect of low-level laser therapy on long-term cryopreserved dental pulp stem cells (DPSCS) and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDS). The DPSCS and SHEDS were divided into 2 main groups according to gallium aluminum arsenide (GaAIAs) diode laser irradiation densities as 5 J/cm2 and 7 J/cm2. Each main group was further divided into 4 groups according to laser irradiation periods as 0, 24, 48, 72 h groups. During the incubation periods, cells received laser irradiation in every 24 h according to their groups and were put into incubator after irradiation. Cell groups that were not subjected to laser irradiation were served as control groups. Viabilities of cells were determined via MTT assay at the end of all incubation periods, and data were statistically analyzed. Laser irradiation demonstrated significant effects on proliferation rate of DPSCs and SHEDs in comparison with control. Intragroup comparison data of DPSCS revealed that repetitive laser irradiation for long term (72 h) increased the cellular viability significantly in comparison with all other treatment groups; however, no significant differences were found when energy densities were compared within each time interval, except for 48 h group at which irradiation with 7 J/cm2 provided significantly higher cell viability rates of SHEDS. DPSCs showed significantly higher cellular viability than SHEDs only for the 7 J/cm2 energy density in 72 h. Longer term (72 h) repetitive laser irradiation with energy densities of 5 and 7 J/cm2 (wavelength of 980 nm) may be recommended to induce the proliferative effect on long-term cryopreserved DPSCS and SHEDS.

The Effectiveness of Laser-Activated Irrigation on the Apical Microleakage Qualities of MTA Repair HP and NeoMTA Plus in Simulated Immature Teeth: A Comparative Study.

There are limited data regarding the potential effect of erbium, chromium: yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser-activated irrigation (LAI) on the microleakage qualities of calcium silicate-based cements. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of LAI on the microleakage qualities of MTA Repair HP (MTA-HP) and NeoMTA Plus (Neo) used in root-end filling and to compare the antimicrobial effectiveness of MTA- HP. Two experimental sets were conducted: antimicrobial activity (agar diffusion test/at 24, 48 h) and microleakage (glucose leakage model/at 1st, 10th, 20th days). Antimicrobial activities of MTA-HP, Neo, Biodentine, ProRoot and MTA Angelus were evaluated, and inhibition zones were observed not only against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria but also against yeast at 48h. For microleakage evaluation, fifty teeth were prepared to simulate the clinical situation where the root-tips (apex) are open, and randomly divided into two experimental groups (n = 20/group) according to the cement type (MTA-HP and Neo), and two control (n = 5/group) groups. Each experimental group was further divided into two subgroups (n = 10/group) with respect to LAI: MTA-HP, L-HP, Neo, L-Neo. A statistical difference was only detected between Neo and L-HP groups on day 1. Subsequently, MTA-HP exhibited superior microleakage quality compared to Neo in the short-term. Er,Cr:YSGG laser-activated irrigation could be used as a reliable technique without creating adverse effects on the sealing abilities of MTA Repair HP and NeoMTA Plus.

Evaluation of low-level diode laser irradiation and various irrigant solutions on the biological response of stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth.

This study aimed to evaluate cytotoxic effects and the apoptosis of Gallium-Aluminum-Arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser irradiation, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), ozonated water and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) on stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs). Cells were exposed to EDTA (5%, 8.5%, 17%), NaOCl (1%, 2.5%, 5%) ozonated water (5, 10, 20 µg/ml) and GaAlAs diode laser irradiation (energy densities of 0.5, 1, 1.5 j/cm2). Culture medium included D-MEM, supplemented with 15% foetal bovine serum, 1% l-glutamine, 1% penicillin-streptomycin, 1% gentamycin, amphotericin-B and served as control group. The prepared irrigants were added to the relevant wells and incubated with the cells at 37 °C for 5, 10 and 15 min. The cells in the laser group were also incubated at 37 °C for 5, 10 and 15 min after the laser application. Cell viability and proliferation were analysed with the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The percentage of cell viability showed a significant reduction in all concentrations of the EDTA and NaOCl groups when compared to the control group, diode laser irradiation and ozonated water groups at 5th, 10th and 15th minutes respectively but high cytotoxic effects of all EDTA and NaOCl groups with decreased over 50% of cell viability were observed at the 15th minute. Also EDTA group with 17% concentration (17%E) presented the lowest survival rate on SHEDs with mean of 21.67% ±â€¯6.101 at this time interval. The lowest toxic effects were observed at the 5th minutes compared to other time periods at experimental groups. For detection of apoptotic cells, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labelling (TUNEL) method was performed. According to the MTT results, doses showed the highest toxicity (cell survival decreased over 50%) in each group were selected for TUNEL assay (17% EDTA; 1% NaOCl; 10 µg/ml Ozonated water; 1.5 j/cm2 diode laser irradiation). The significantly lowest percentages of TUNEL-positive cells were detected in ozonated water (10.67% ±â€¯2.93) and diode laser irradiation (13.24% ±â€¯7.61) compared to EDTA (39.89% ±â€¯11.54) and NaOCl (31.15% ±â€¯10.64) respectively. Also the difference between percentage of TUNEL-positive cells in EDTA and NaOCl groups was not significant. Synergistic combination of ozonated water and diode laser irradiation may be used in the disinfection step of necrotic root canals.