Restorative Rehabilitation of a Patient With Tooth Wear: A One-Year Clinical Follow-Up Report.

Tooth wear is a multifactorial process of complex aetiology. It may be considered a physiological or pathological process depending upon the rate and degree of occurrence. The patients may present with symptoms of sensitivity, pain, headaches or recurrent loss of restorations and prostheses, leading to loss of function. This case report describes the rehabilitation of a 65-year-old male patient with intrinsic dental erosion combined with generalised attrition. The restorative treatment aimed at restoring anterior guidance, establishing a stable occlusion for the patient with minimal intervention.

Determination of soft tissue thickness at orthodontic miniscrew placement sites using ultrasonography for customizing screw selection.

INTRODUCTION: A wide variety of factors affect the success of orthodontic miniscrews in clinical situations, including thickness of the soft tissues. Our objectives were to assess area-related and sex-related differences in the soft tissue thicknesses of the buccal attached gingiva of the maxilla and the mandible, and the palatal masticatory mucosa at common orthodontic miniscrew placement sites, and to prescribe a guideline for miniscrew selection for a predictable clinical outcome. METHODS: The sample consisted of 32 randomly selected adults in the age group of 20 to 25 years. Soft-tissue thickness of the concerned areas was measured intraorally using an A-mode ultrasound transducer probe (Biomedix Optotechnik & Devices, Bangalore, India). Independent t tests, paired t tests, and 1-way analysis of variance with Duncan post hoc tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The palatal masticatory mucosa was 2 to 3 times thicker than the corresponding buccal attached gingiva in both sexes. The thickness of the palatal masticatory mucosa in the midpalatal region was consistently less than 1 mm (range, 0.7-1 mm). The buccal attached gingiva was comparatively thicker in the maxilla than in the mandible, except for the mandibular molar regions. It also was found that the buccal attached gingiva was thicker in women in the maxillary anterior regions, whereas, the thickness was greater in the maxillary posterior regions in the men. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluating the soft tissue thicknesses before selecting an orthodontic miniscrew can help in providing a definite guide for orthodontists to select an appropriate screw in everyday clinical practice, further enhancing the predictability of miniscrew-assisted orthodontics.

Total Salivary Anti-oxidant Levels, Dental Development and Oral Health Status in Childhood Obesity.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to assess the total antioxidant levels, dental development, and oral health status in childhood obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 children aged 6-12 years consisting of both genders from different school along Coastal Karnataka, India were part of the study and were categorized into obese/overweight, and normal children based on body mass index for age and sex. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels determined by phosphomolybidic acid and spectrophotometric method were considered. Oral hygiene index-simplified, modified gingival index and dentition status index were used to analyze oral health status. Dental development was assessed using a clinical method and correlated with standard chronology of human dentition. RESULTS: Levels of the total salivary antioxidants were increased in the study group which is very highly significant when compared with control group, oral health status in both the study group and control group was good. Number of children in study group showing accelerated dental development is relatively less when compared with control group, but is not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Salivary TAC was significantly high in overweight and obese children than their normal counterparts. Prevalence of dental caries was high in obese/overweight children when compared to normal children.

Comparison of different caries diagnostic thresholds under epidemiological and clinical settings among 7-15 year old school children from Bangalore city.

AIM: The aim of this study is to compare the different caries diagnostic thresholds under epidemiological and clinical settings among 7-15 year old school children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 7-15 years old school children of Bangalore city. Total 738 children were enrolled in the study. General information was collected regarding oral hygiene practice and personal habits of the schoolchildren. Subsequently, examination was done under both the settings to record Decayed, missing and filled surfaces index for permanent teeth (DMFS) and Decayed, missing and filled surfaces index for deciduous teeth (dmfs) using the World Health Organization (WHO) and WHO + IL criteria. RESULTS: The present study showed that both the settings (clinical and epidemiological) and diagnostic thresholds (WHO and WHO + IL), could influence the detection of carious lesions. Mean Ds under WHO + Initial lesions (IL) criteria (3.92 + 3.49) was nearly double of WHO criteria (1.88 + 2.73,) and the influence observed was more in 14 years of age, where mean Ds under WHO + IL criteria (5.43 + 2.5) which was more than double of WHO criteria (2.02 + 1.9). CONCLUSION: The choice of a diagnostic threshold (WHO and WHO + IL) and the conditions of examination (epidemiological and clinical) are important for the detection of caries.