Prevalence and Risk Factors of Bruxism in a Selected Population of Iranian Children

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the prevalence of bruxism in Iranian children aged 6 to 12 years. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 600 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: the first section included demographic information, while the second evaluated the occurrence of bruxism. Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-Square, Fisher and Multinomial logistic regression were used. A level of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 698 questionnaires were distributed, of which 600 participants were returned. According to Multinomial logistic regression, awake bruxism was associated significantly with the following variables: age, sequence of birth, recurrent headache, gastrointestinal disease, nasal obstruction, neurological disorder, easy child crying, sleep disorders, talking in a dream and snoring and jaw disorder. Sleep bruxism was associated significantly with age, premature birth, allergy, gastrointestinal disease, drooling, mouth breathing, nasal obstruction, oral habit, nail biting, sleep disorder, jaw disorders, and family history. Conclusion: Pre-birth and post-birth factors play an important role in the prevalence of bruxism in society. It is possible to prevent complications of bruxism by informing parents and making a timely diagnosis. Parents should be aware of this occurrence to reduce possible related factors to teeth and the masticatory system.

In vitro comparison of microleakage with two different techniques of placing stainless steel crowns on mandibular deciduous first molar teeth with decreased mesiodistal width.

Background. Stainless steel crowns (SSCs) of the opposing maxillary deciduous molar teeth are used in mandibular deciduous first molars with decreased proximal surfaces due to caries. However, the SSCs of maxillary deciduous molar teeth are different from those of the mandibular deciduous molars in terms of the occlusal surface morphology, the buccal margin, and the proximal surface contour. Therefore, it is possible to prepare the buccal and lingual surfaces to use the SSC of the lower deciduous molar teeth and compare microleakage. Methods. Eighty extracted mandibular deciduous first molars were randomly assigned to two groups. In the case group (BLP), the buccal (B) and lingual (L) surfaces were prepared in addition to the proximal (P) surface, and an SSC was placed on the mandibular first deciduous teeth. Only the proximal surface was prepared in the control (P) group, and the SSC of the opposing tooth (maxillary deciduous first molar teeth) was placed. After dissecting the teeth, the extent of dye penetration was measured. Results. The difference in microleakage on the buccal aspect between the case and control groups was significant (P=0.02); however, the difference in microleakage on the lingual aspect between the case and control groups was not significant (P=0.89). Conclusion. Microleakage at the buccal margin of the SSC of mandibular deciduous first molars was less than the maxillary deciduous first molar SSC, with no significant differences in the lingual margin.

Evaluation of Relationship between Sever Early Childhood Caries and Breast Milk`s Lactose among 12- to 24-month-old Children.

Statement of the Problem: Severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) is common among infants and toddlers. It has many problems and challenges for families as well as dentists in fields of prevention and treatment. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between occurrence of S-ECC and level of lactose in breast milk, in infants aged 12 to 24 months. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was carried out from April to July 2020 on 30 children aged 12 to 24 months with or without S-ECC, who were sol-ely breastfed; their mothers answered questions about their breastfeeding habits. After the child's dental visit, the mother was asked to express 10 to 20ml of her milk as a sample and give it to the researchers. The samples were immediately kept at -4°C and then they were tested for lactose measurement. Finally, the test results were analyzed by SPSS 21 software using independent t-test. Results: The average amount of lactose in the breast milk of cases with S-ECC infant was 5.74g/100 ml and the average amount of lactose in the breast milk of cases without S-ECC infant was 4.64g/100 ml. There was no significant difference in lactose concentration between the two groups (p Value=0.64). The average number of breastfeeding times in cases with S-ECC infants was 7.87 per day while in the healthy cases this was 7.33 per day. There was no significant difference between the numbers of breastfeeding times per day in two groups. Conclusion: According to this study, the amount of lactose in breast milk of children with S-ECC was slightly higher than the amount of lactose in breast milk in children with healthy teeth.

Prevalence and Associated-Factors for Entamoeba gingivalis in Adolescents in Southeastern Iran by Culture and PCR, 2017.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify the prevalence and potential factors associated with Entamoeba gingivalis in adolescents in the city of Kerman, southeastern Iran, 2017. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 315 adolescents (mean age; 15 yr) consisting of 189 males and 126 females were randomly selected. For each adolescent, two specimens were collected for culturing and examination by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were performed to explore any association with demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of E. gingivalis was 11.7%. Totally, 30 (15.9%) males and 7 (5.6%) females were infected with E. gingivalis. The rate of infection in males was 2.8 times higher than that in females (P<0.001). Statistical analysis identified 4 major factors including sex (OR=4.12, P<0.001), gingival index with severe inflammation (OR = 50, P<0.001), Candida spp. infection (OR=4.41, P<0.001) and decay-missing-filled teeth [DMFT (OR=3.27, P<0.001)]. In contrast to the aforementioned factors, adolescents with history of antibiotic consumption were significantly protected from E. gingivalis infection (OR= 3.24, P<0.001). Culture media detected 9.2% (n= 29), whilst PCR identified 11.4% (n= 36) of infection. CONCLUSION: The present findings clearly demonstrate a positive association between E. gingivalis and distinct demographic and clinical risk determinants. Therefore, dental practitioners and health surveillance personnel should be aware of these confounding factors to rigorously detect and critically manage oral health issues in school-age children in order to prevent or at least minimize the eventual periodontal complications in later life.

Evaluation of parents' views about etiologic factors of severe early childhood caries: A qualitative study.

Background . Severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) is a rapid form of dental caries that firstly affects primary upper incisors of children less <3 years of age and can cause interference in child's health by pain, nutritional deficiencies and sleep disorders. It seems there are many unknown factors in the etiology as well as progression of S-ECC. The aim of this study was to assess parents' views in this relation. Methods . In this qualitative study parent's views and their 1‒3-year-old children were studied when they visited pediatric medical clinics in Kerman. After cleaning the children teeth and examination of them to discover caries, they were placed in 2 groups with or without S-ECC. Then each parent was interviewed separately and their comments were collected and studied. Examinations and interviews continued with parents until they did not express anything new. Results . Parents of children without S-ECC had better understanding about S-ECC related factors than parents of children with S-ECC and greater number of them (without significant differences) expressed known reasons for occurrence of S-ECC. There were differences among known reasons and proposed reasons mostly in parents of children with S-ECC, although the differences were not significant. Maternal stress and amount of breast milk's lactose were factors that were reported by some parents while there were unknown factors related to the etiology of S-ECC. Furthermore, no parents mentioned factors like saliva or mode of delivery. Conclusion . The most important achievement of the study was the attention of some parents to the role of their chronic stress in the occurrence of S-ECC. Another important consideration was that none of the parents mentioned the important role of the quality and quantity of saliva in preventing S-ECC, which should be promoted in the community.

Does Timing of Eruption in First Primary Tooth Correlate with that of First Permanent Tooth? A 9-years Cohort Study.

Background and aims. Predicting the teeth eruption time is a valuable tool in pediatric dentistry since it can affects scheduling dental and orthodontic treatments. This study investigated the relationship between the eruption time of first primary and permanent teeth and the variation in the eruption time considering socioeconomic status (SES) in a 9-year population- based cohort study. Materials and methods . 307 subjects were examined at bimonthly intervals during the first and second years of life and then at six-month intervals until the eruption of first permanent tooth. Eruption times of primary and permanent tooth were recorded for each child. A modified form of Kuppuswamy's scale was used to assess the SES. Results. Among 267 subjects completed all follow-ups, the eruption time for first primary and permanent teeth indicated a direct strong correlation; in that one month delayed or early eruption of firstprimary tooth resulted in 4.21 months delayed or early eruption of first appearing permanent tooth (r = 0.91, n = 267, P <0.001). No significant correlation was observed between the eruption time of first primary and first permanent teeth and SES (P = 0.67, P = 0.75, respectively). Conclusion. The eruption timing for the first primary tooth had a correlation with the first permanent tooth eruption tim-ing, while SES did not have any influence on eruption times.

Relationship between Body Mass Index and Tooth Decay in a Population of 3-6-Year-Old Children in Iran.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between BMI and tooth decay in a population of Iranian children. In this cross-sectional descriptive/analytical study, 1482 children were selected from kindergartens and preschool centers in Kerman, Iran. The children underwent examination of deciduous teeth (using the dmft index) after determination of height and weight for calculation of BMI. The relationship between BMI (after adjustment for age) and dmft was determined using Poisson's regression model. The mean of dmft in children with normal BMI was 1.5-fold that in subjects with extra body weight. Age had a significant effect on dmft. In addition, dmft was higher in boys compared to girls. The results of the present study showed that caries rate in the deciduous teeth of 3-6-year-old children decreases with an increase in body weight.

The effects of a dairy probiotic product, espar, on salivary calcium and mutans streptococci.

Background and aims. Espar is a dairy product of probiotic nature that contains useful bacteria and high calcium content. The aim of this study was to analyze effects of daily consumption of Espar on the number of salivary mutans streptococci and the level of calcium content in a population of 15 to 17 year-old female students. Materials and methods. A double-blind randomized crossover study (n = 50) of healthy female adolescents was implemented in four stage intervals. The first and third stages were 'run-in' and 'wash-out' intervals. For the second and fourth stages, two weeks long in duration, the participants consumed 100 grams of Espar or 200 grams of plain yogurt. At the end of each stage, the number of salivary mutans streptococci and the level of calcium content were documented. Results. There was a statistically significant decrease in the number of salivary mutans streptococci subsequent to Espar consumption when compared to ordinary yogurt (p < 0.01). Additionally, salivary calcium content increased significantly subsequent to the consumption of Espar and yogurt. However, Espar yielded a higher level of significant increase in salivary calcium when compared to plain yogurt (p < 0.01). Conclusion. This study found that daily consumption of Espar increased the salivary calcium level while decreasing mutans streptococci of the saliva.