DENTAL CARIES AWARENESS AND RISK ASSESSMENT IN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OF GEORGIAN UNIVERSITIES.

Dental caries development in students depends on many factors. Our research aims at studying the dependence of the incidence of caries among foreigners residing in Georgia on caries awareness and behaviors Oral health status of the study population was assessed using the caries intensity DMFT index offered by the World Health Organization (WHO). Patients were divided into two groups, according to the DMFT Index, with the first group comprising patients with low and very low DMFT index, and the second group - with moderate and high (<2,6) (>2,7) DMFT index. As one can see, the low-intensity caries group shows a reliably higher rate of correct answers. Caries predators in foreign students living in Georgia are Stress associated with examinations - OR=2.97(95% CI:1.49-5.90); Taking analgesics - OR=3.60(95% CI:1.02-12.67); Gastrointestinal diseases - OR=4.73(95% CI:1.94-11.50); Bruxism - OR=21.91(95% I:7.71-62.24); Tooth sensitivity -OR=3.77(95% CI: 1.83-7.75). Conclusion: • Knowledge of caries risk factors is low among international students with high intensity caries • Stress related to exams increases the risk of dental caries among students, the following also increases the probability of dental caries: gastrointestinal diseases; Bruxism, taking analgesics and tooth sensitivity.

[CHANGES OF SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC GINGIVITIS].

Periodontal diseases are widespread in children and adolescents. By the information of World Health Organization, 80% of children have different degrees of inflammatory periodontal diseases, that often develop from the ages of 10-11 years. Pathology of periodontal tissues is developed when there is a disproportional growth and development of tissue structure, as within the system, also in the systems and structures that provide entire organism, which itself supplements the development of periodontal diseases in juveniles. Harmonious development of children and adolescents is, on a certain level, dependent on the proper functioning of endocrine system, the functional state of which is judged by the hormones it produces, specifically cortisol. The goal of our study was to determine the level of salivary cortisol in children during puberty, also reveal the connection between the hormonal disbalance and the periodontal tissue pathologies. To achieve this, we have studied 50 students of age 11-16 years. To assess periodontal tissue state we used clinical-instrumental and roentgenologic methods, while the salivary cortisol levels were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Tests showed the connection between the hormonal disbalance and ongoing pathologic processes in periodontal tissue, more specifically, in children with high salivary cortisol levels, in the study group (average in males 2.29, in females 2.22) majority (67%) had severe forms of inflammatory periodontal diseases, which gives us a ground to conclude that in juveniles with the inflammatory periodontal diseases, functional reserve of adrenal gland is diminished.

[EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PATHOGENETIC PECULIARITIES OF DENTAL CARIES IN ADOLESCENTS].

The goal of this study was to determine the spread and intensity of dental caries in the adolescents and study the characteristics of damage to create the unified method of prognosis and development risk level of the aforementioned pathology. Impact of risk factors on the mineralization of hard tissue of tooth was studied in the 381 adolescents aged 11-16. The study found that dental caries spread among the research group was high, with the 77.9% (p>0,005), and the intensity was between average (DMFT=2,3). An analysis of the differences between values of the average caries intensity and the SIC index (Significant Caries index) in relative terms showed that minimal differences were observed in adolescents 12-13 years old (1.4 times), and maximum differences in 15-16 years old (2.5 times). Among local risk factors that induce demineralizing processes of hard tooth tissues in all age groups, poor oral hygiene (86.5%) and dental anomalies (56%) are the most significant, whereas among general risk factors, the hormonal state of juvenile age (27.2%) is of primary importance. Thus, the assessment of the role and significance of common and local risk factors of the development of dental caries, considering age, will allow organizing their early prevention mechanisms and selection of the most appropriate and optimal treatment method.