Characterizing infraocclusion in primary molars: prevalence, accompanying findings, and infraocclusion severity and treatment implications.

BACKGROUND: This manuscript investigates the prevalence, classification, accompanying findings, and treatment modalities associated with infraoccluded primary molars. The aim of this study categorizing primary molars based on the severity of infraocclusion and assessing their respective treatment interventions across different severity groups. METHODS: The classification, treatment types, accompanying findings, and the condition of succeeding premolars of infraoccluded molars were documented. Chi-square tests, including Fisher's Exact Chi-square test, Fisher Freeman Halton Exact Chi-square test, and One Sample Chi-square test, were conducted. The predetermined significance level was less than 0.05. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 3132 subjects aged 3 to 15 years, with a prevalence of 4.3% for infraocclusion. Infraocclusion typically manifests between 6 and 9 years of age and predominantly affects mandibular primary molars. Treatment interventions varied based on infraocclusion severity, with more invasive procedures required for severe cases. Accompanying findings associated with infraocclusion include adjacent teeth tipping, significant deviation in midline shifts towards the affected side and increased caries. Additionally, succeeding premolar agenesis was observed in 2% of infraoccluded molars, with extraction rates higher in cases where the successor tooth was mesially or distally located. CONCLUSIONS: The study offers novel insights to dental practitioners concerning the severity and distribution of treatment interventions for infraocclusion. It suggests that more severe cases may necessitate more invasive procedures, with the aim of enhancing patient outcomes through timely intervention and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Assessment of the knowledge and attitudes about the management of dental trauma among ear, nose and throat physicians.

PURPOSE: Ear, nose and throat physicians (ENTp) encounter dental trauma (DT) when patients refer to the emergency department, as well as during operations such as tonsillectomy and suspension laryngoscopy. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes and knowledge of ENTp about managing DT, and motivation for further education. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional observational survey on a sample of ENTp from 15 different private/public hospitals. A questionnaire of 22 questions was divided into three parts: the level of professional experience and the frequency of encountering DT; specific questions on the management of DT; self-assessment of educational approach and level of knowledge regarding DT. RESULTS: A total of 128 surveys were accomplished and included in the evaluation. A larger percentage (96.9%) of the participants have experienced at least one case in the practice, and one-third (31.3%) have encountered more than ten DT cases. Although the duration of experience significantly affected the total number of correct responses to knowledge and attitudes regarding DT questions (p:0.028), more than half of the participants (44.38%) responded incorrectly to the questions. The majority of participants (97.7%) stated that they had no education on DT, and 90.6% were willing to receive DT training. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study emphasize the deficiency of ENTp' knowledge level about the management of DT. In addition, results demonstrated the enthusiasm of ENTp for further training, which can contribute to the requirement of education for providing appropriate management of DT cases.

Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric dental attendance.

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on dental attendance and emergency/non-emergency visits of children during the outbreak, compared to the same period of 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who visited the paediatric department clinic during the observed period were included in this study. The patient's demographic data, purpose of visit, and treatment type were evaluated retrospectively from patient examination records. The Pearson chi-square and t-tests were used for comprehensive statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1454 patient files (1184/270 cases from non-pandemic/pandemic period) were assessed. A significant reduction was found in aggregated emergency/non-emergency visits during the pandemic period (p < 0.01). During the pandemic, average daily visits for emergency dental care were observed to have a decrease to half of the non-pandemic period. Non-emergency routine dental visits have also exhibited a drastic decline. Severe dental pain due to pulpal inflammation and abscess/swelling were the most frequently reported urgent dental complaints that patients applied to the paediatric dental clinic during the pandemic period. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has a significant influence on patients' attendance to paediatric dental clinic. Therefore, concerning a potential post-pandemic increase in treatment demand, meticulous future planning and proper regulation of dental care should be provided for better oral health and children's quality of life. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study's importance is the observation of dramatically reduced number of patient visits during the pandemic period which may yield increased number of oral health-related complications in the long run.

Investigating the Level of Knowledge of the Community about Oral and Dental Health.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and approaches of the participants about oral and dental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey. Participants' demographic characteristics, tooth brushing habits, selection of toothpaste, and reasons for visiting the dentist were examined in this study. Participants' knowledge levels of fluoride and their attitudes toward the most common fluoride applications among preventive treatments were also evaluated. Data entry and analyses were performed using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive and inferential statistics and chi-square test were used for analyzes. RESULTS: A total of 2,744 voluntary participants including 1,938 (70.6%) females and 806 (29.4%) males responded; 1,391 (50.7%) participants know the contents of their toothpaste; 1,680 (61.2%) participants point out that fluoride is effective in preventing dental caries. Female participants reported a statistically significant difference in their knowledge of what is fluoride when compared with male participants (p = 0.0001). The knowledge level of participants who had higher levels of education were statistically significantly different when compared with the participants who had lower education levels about fluoride and fluoride applications (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that participants' attitudes toward oral health and dental care need to be improved.

Longevity of posterior composite restorations in children suffering from early childhood caries-results from a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate health status as a new patient risk factor and analyze its influence on the survival of posterior composite restorations in patients with early childhood caries (ECC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who received dental treatment of ECC under general anesthesia (GA) and attended at least one follow-up visit were included in this study. A total of 907 patient records were evaluated retrospectively through patient examination forms and panoramic radiographs. Kaplan-Meier survival probability analysis with log-rank test was used to assess the posterior composite restorations' longevity up to 24 months. Furthermore, risk factors were determined using Cox regression multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 5063 posterior composite restorations were assessed. Following the Cox regression analysis to determine the effect of risk factors on longevity of composite restorations, findings revealed that the survival probability of composite fillings was significantly lower in patients with systemic disease (p = 0.00). Filling materials were compared based on the survival probabilities and results were further discussed. There was no significant relationship between age, gender, and the survival of the restoration; however, the child's health status (p = 0.00) and caries risk status (p = 0.05) significantly affected survival. Moreover, the type of arch and pulp intervention influenced the restoration's survival. CONCLUSION: Systemic disease has a detrimental influence over longevity of composite restorations. Therefore, considering the reduced survival rates of the composite restorations for children who have systemic disease, alternative non-invasive treatment options should be considered. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study's novelty is the observation of drastically reduced survival of composite restorations in children with systemic disease.

Antimicrobial Effect of Newly Formulated Toothpastes and a Mouthrinse on Specific Microorganisms: An In Vitro Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this in vitro study was to assess the antimicrobial properties of newly formulated toothpastes (four toothpastes for adults and two toothpastes for kids/babies) and a mouthrinse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Newly formulated six different toothpastes and one mouthrinse of a single brand and commercially available five toothpastes and three mouthrinse were investigated for their antimicrobial activity against two oral pathogens, Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, by agar well diffusion assay. After incubation, the inhibition zone diameters were measured in millimeters and statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: All experimental adult toothpastes exhibited good antimicrobial activity against S. mutans and C. albicans except the experimental toothpaste D. Experimental toothpaste B exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against C. albicans and S. mutans. Experimental toothpaste for kids showed the best antimicrobial activity against S. mutans when kids' toothpastes were compared. None of the tested toothpastes for kids/babies showed antibacterial effects for C. albicans. Among the mouthrinse tested, Sensodyne mouthrinse showed the best results. Experimental mouthrinse showed significantly lower antibacterial activity against S. mutans then Sensodyne, Eludril, and chlorhexidine mouthrinse. CONCLUSION: Although experimental toothpaste and mouthrinse formulations revealed good results in terms of antimicrobial activity to some specific microorganisms, further studies involving more bacterial species or analyzing the quality and efficacy of these products by other in vitro or in vivo tests are needed.

Analysis of efficacy of the self-assembling peptide-based remineralization agent on artificial enamel lesions.

The objective of this in vitro study was to analyze and compare the biomimetic remineralizing efficacy of the self-assembling peptide (P11-4) with agents containing casein phoshopeptide-amorhous calcium phosphate fluoride (CPP-ACFP) and sodium fluoride (NaF) on artificial caries lesions using DIAGNOdent and micro-computed tomography (µCT). Artificial enamel lesions were prepared on extracted impacted sound mandibular third molars. The samples were randomly allocated to four groups (n = 8): Group 1, P11-4 (Curodont Repair, Credentis AG, Switzerland); Group 2, CPP-ACFP (MI Varnish, GCCo., Japan); Group3, NaF (Duraphat Varnish, Colgate, Colgate-Palmolive, NY, USA); Group 4, artificial saliva (control). The agents were applied to demineralized surfaces according to manufacturers' instructions; all specimens were stored in artificial saliva for 1 month. Demineralization and remineralization on enamel surfaces were analyzed and quantified by DIAGNOdent (KaVo, Germany) and µCT (SkyScan1174, Belgium) for lesion depth/area/volume/mineral density (MD). The remineralization efficacy of the agents was evaluated by DIAGNOdent on 1st, 7th, 30th days and by µCT on 30th day. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, T test, and Wilxocon tests. The highest remineralization efficacy findings in all periods were determined in Group 1, followed by Groups 2, 3, and 4. The remineralization findings for fluorescence, MD, lesion depth in Group 1 were found significantly higher (p < 0.01) than Group 3; and no significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between Groups 1-2 and Groups 2-3. The area and volume change values in Groups 1, 2, and 3 have shown no significancy (p > 0.05). A significant correlation (p < 0.01) was found between µCT and DIAGNOdent methods. The data of this study have demonstrated that P11-4 has showed the best remineralization efficacy, followed by CPP-ACFP and NaF. It is concluded that self-assembling peptide-based remineralization agent can be used successfully for biomimetic remineralization of enamel subsurface lesions.

Assessment of the endodontic microbiota of abscessed primary teeth using microarray technology.

CONTEXT: Knowledge of the microbial composition of abscessed primary tooth is limited. AIM: The aim was to investigate the presence of 10 oral bacterial species in samples from abscessed primary tooth root canals using microarray technology and to determine their association with clinical findings. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The samples were collected from root canals of 20 primary molars with acute primer infection. The bacterial composition of the samples was semi-quantitatively defined using a microarray system (ParoCheck®). Clinical parameters included the presence of spontaneous pain, mobility, percussion sensitivity and swelling. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were statistically analyzed by Student' t-test, Fisher's exact Chi-square test, Freeman-Halton-Fisher's exact test, and Spearman's rho correlation analysis. RESULTS: All the tested species were detected in the samples. Fusobacterium nucleatum was the most frequent bacterium (100%), followed by Parvimonas micra (65%), Provetella intermedia (45%), and Treponema denticola (45%). According to paired bacterial combinations, F. nucleatum was significantly positively correlated with P. intermedia and P. micra (P < 0.05). T. denticola was significantly positively correlated with Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Campylobacter rectus, and P. micra, while it was negatively correlated with Eikenella corrodens (P < 0.05). No statistically significant relationships were found between the presence of any bacteria and clinical findings. CONCLUSION: Microarray technology used in this study has demonstrated the presence of various bacteria with varying proportions in the root canals of abscessed primary teeth. The results regarding the high rate of certain bacterial combinations suggest the enhanced pathogenicity due to additive or synergistic effects of these microbial combinations.