Parental knowledge of dental erosion and erosion-related risk factors in children.

INTRODUCTION: Dental erosion in children has been steadily on the increase in recent years. This is mainly due to the contemporary eating habits of the new generations and their upbringing from an early age to prefer foods and beverages with high acid content. AIM: To study the knowledge of parents about dental erosion and the most common risk factors associated with it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were gathered through a direct individual questionnaire administered to the parents of children aged 3 to 5 years. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the Pearson chi-squared test for independence using SPSS 19. RESULTS: A large proportion of respondents (68.5%) stated that they knew what dental erosion was. Most of them (77.4%) were aware of the detrimental effect of carbonated beverages. In contrast, only 23.8% were aware of the potentially harmful effect of excessive consumption of citrus fruits, and only 31.9% of parents considered the impact of excessive intake of fruit juices. 16.1% of the participants were informed about the erosive potential of some medicines such as vitamin C. Nearly half of the parents (46.6%) found vigorous tooth brushing damaging. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high self-esteem, a low percentage of the respondents were actually aware of the most common risk factors for dental erosion in children.

Oral Hygiene Status and Gingivitis in Overweight and Obese Children.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity poses a significant health risk to our society with prevalence that has dramatically increased in children. Obesity and periodontal diseases share many common risk factors. AIM: To study the oral hygiene status and prevalence of gingivitis in children with increased body mass index. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in Plovdiv, October-December 2017 and January-March 2018 among 1826 school children aged 6-11. The oral hygiene status was determined using Silness-Loe plaque index and Green-Vermillion calculus index assessed on vestibular surfaces of first maxillary permanent molars and one maxillary and one mandibular central permanent incisor, and lingual surfaces of mandibular first permanent molars. The condition of the gingiva was determined as presence or absence of gingivitis. RESULTS: The study included 1826 children (953 boys and 921 girls). With regard to BMI, the distribution should be 5% underweight, 66.5% normal weight, 17.7% overweight, and 10.8% obese, as in the text below. There was no significant correlation between age and BMI. No significant correlation was found between BMI and gingivitis (. CONCLUSION: Increased BMI is not an independent predictor of gingivitis. Poor oral hygiene is strongly associated only with gender.