Oral health of cystic fibrosis patients at a north american center: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe the oral health status of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) children in a US facility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty CF children ages 6-18 were recruited from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Pulmonary Clinic. Parents completed a health questionnaire. Clinical examinations checked dental caries using the dmft/DMFT index, dental hygiene using the Simplified Greene-Vermillion Index (DI-S), gingival inflammation using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs, and enamel defects using the modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index. RESULTS: The majority (90%) brush twice a day, 65% consume sugary snacks, and 70% visit the dentist every 6 months. Clinically, they presented DMFT 0.25 and dmft 0.90, fair oral hygiene with DI-S 1.02, 75% had mild gingivitis and 50% had enamel defects. The more antibiotics they took, significantly more frequent (p=0.007) and more severe (p=0.017) enamel defects were noted. Similar trend was found between the number of surgeries and the presence of enamel defects (p=0.076) and dental caries (p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, CF patients were found to be at oral health risk due to the high prevalence of dental enamel defects. Oral health for CF children should be part of the multidisciplinary care.

Removable partial dentures vs overdentures in children with ectodermal dysplasia: two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) represents a disorder group characterised by abnormal development of the ectodermal derivatives. Removable partial dentures (RPD), complete dentures (CD) or overdentures (OD) are most often the treatment of choice for young affected patients. Prosthetic intervention is of utmost importance in the management of ED patients, as it resolves problems associated with functional, aesthetic, and psychological issues, and improves a patient's quality of life. However, few studies present the principles and guidelines that can assist in the decision-making process of the most appropriate removable prosthesis. The purpose of this study was to suggest a simple treatment decision-making algorithm for selecting an effective and individualised rehabilitative treatment plan, considering different parameters. CASE REPORTS: The cases and treatment of two young ED patients are described and each one was treated with either RPDs or ODs. FOLLOW-UP: Periodic recalls were employed to manage problems, and monitor the changes associated with occlusion and fit of the prostheses in relation to each patient's growth. Both patients were followed up for more than 2 years and reported significant improvement in their appearance, masticatory function, and social behaviour as a result of the prosthetic rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: The main factors guiding the decision process towards the choice of an RPD or an OD are the presence of posterior natural teeth, facial aesthetics, lip support, number and size of existing natural teeth, and the occlusal vertical dimension.

Pharmacological management of pain during orthodontic treatment: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in managing pain arising from orthodontic interventions, such as archwire or separators placement. DATA SOURCES: Medline and Cochrane databases searched in February 2010 and updated in July 2010 using orthodontics and pain as the search terms. Additional studies located from Google Scholar, Clinical Trials and the reference lists of retrieved articles. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials comparing NSAID to placebo using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of the 1127 studies identified through database searches, seven were included for meta-analysis. Treatment effects (Hedges' g using random effects model) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the pain VAS scores were evaluated at 2, 6 and 24 h after intervention, during chewing and biting activities. Pain level at 2 h differed between the ibuprofen and placebo groups during biting (95% CI: -0.178 to -0.046), but not during chewing (95% CI: -0.551 to 0.148). At 6 h, the ibuprofen group exhibited lower pain levels during both activities (chewing 95% CI: -0.640 to -0.123, biting 95% CI: -0.857 to -0.172). At 24 h, no statistically significant difference could be detected between ibuprofen and placebo (chewing 95% CI: -0.642 to 0.112, biting 95% CI: -0.836 to 0.048). No statistically significant difference was found between ibuprofen and acetaminophen at any time point. CONCLUSION: Ibuprofen appears to lower orthodontic pain compared to placebo at 2 and 6 h after separators or archwire placement, but not at 24 h, when pain peaks.

Fluctuating molar asymmetry in relation to environmental radioactivity.

OBJECTIVE: Fluctuating dental asymmetry is considered a sensitive indicator of environmental stress. We used fluctuating asymmetry of teeth in Greek children to assess the effect of the Chernobyl accident to the Greek population, which received relatively large radiation exposure compared to other European countries. DESIGN: Sixty dental casts were divided into two groups according to date of birth prior to or after the Chernobyl accident. The intercuspal distances of the mandibular first permanent molars were measured with digital calipers. We followed the data analysis procedure proposed by Palmer and Strobeck (2003). RESULTS: Fluctuating asymmetry was found at levels above measurement error in all traits except for the buccal measurement. Overall, there were no significant differences in the fluctuating asymmetry between the two groups, after removal of outliers. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that environmental radioactivity from the Chernobyl incident did not significantly affect the symmetry of lower permanent molar intercuspal distances in the specific population, even though increased levels of radionuclides have been reported in teeth and other tissues.