The Impact of Vitamin Deficiencies on Oral Manifestations in Children.

Vitamins play a vital role in human health, particularly in the development and maintenance of oral health in children. These nutrients are broadly categorized into fat-soluble and water-soluble types, crucial for children's well-being. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of vitamin deficiencies on the oral health of children, focusing on how these deficiencies contribute to various oral health issues and determining the relationship between specific vitamin shortages and oral diseases. Findings indicate that shortages in vitamins A and D lead to enamel issues and a higher susceptibility to dental diseases, vitamin E assists in treating oral mucositis, and vitamin K is essential for blood clotting in dental surgeries. Deficits in B-complex and vitamin C result in enamel hypomineralization and soft tissue ailments, including aphthous stomatitis and gingival petechiae. Additionally, a lack of vitamin B7 compromises the immune response, increasing oral candidiasis risk. Therefore, vitamin deficiencies markedly affect children's oral health, highlighting the need for joint efforts between dental professionals and caregivers for effective pediatric care. Addressing vitamin deficiencies through supplementation and tailored dental care emphasizes the significance of nutritional health in children's overall and dental well-being, advocating for a collaborative approach to achieve optimal health outcomes.

Oral Health of Children from the SOS Children's Village in Croatia.

The aim of this study was to determine the values of DMFT/DMFS and dft/dfs in the examined groups of children and the assessment of the mothers of the examined groups of children related to the oral health of their children. The research included children from the SOS Children's Village in Croatia as well as children from biological families from rural and urban areas. The children were examined by the visual-tactile method according to the standardized World Health Organization criteria. dft/DMFT and dfs/DMFS indices were calculated. An analysis of completed questionnaires was made. The children from the SOS Children's Village demonstrated the lowest mean values of the dft/dfs (2.42/3.31) and DMFT/DMFS (1.61/2.23) indices compared to children from rural and urban areas. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant difference (p = 0.01) in SiC index values between the examined children. In the groups of children from the SOS Children's Village and from the rural area compared to the children from the urban area, oral hygiene was singled out as the most important factor in the analysis of the main components. An equally significant factor for all the respondents is the assessment of oral health and eating habits. The least significant factor for the group of children from the SOS Children's Village is socio-economic status, which is the most significant for the children from the urban area. The children from the SOS Children's village have the lowest dft/DMFT, dfs/DMFS, and SiC indices. The most important factor influencing oral health in the group of children from the SOS Children's Village that stands out is oral hygiene, and the least important is the socio-economic status. The assessment of oral health by the SOS mothers does not differ from the assessment of biological mothers of children from rural and urban areas.

Caries prevalence among schoolchildren in urban and rural Croatia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate caries prevalence in a sample of schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years from rural and urban areas in Croatia. METHODS: Using standardized World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria, the oral health status of 1,589 children (265 from rural and 1,324 from urban areas) was assessed by recording the following indices: DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth), deft (decayed, extracted, filled primary teeth), DMFS (decayed, missing, filled surfaces - permanent teeth), defs (decayed, extracted, filled surfaces - primary teeth) and SiC (Significant Caries Index). Rural areas were Stitar and Babina Greda municipalities in Slavonia and urban areas were the cities of Zupanja (Slavonia), Zagreb and Dubrovnik. RESULTS: Half of the examined children (50.0%) had caries (D component in DMFT), with 46.0% of these being from urban and 70.2% from rural areas. The median DMFT among children was 2, 4 (rural) and 2 (urban) (p < 0.001). Among 12-year-olds, the median DMFT was 4 (rural) and 3 (urban), and mean DMFT was 3.4. The median DMFS for rural area was 5 and for urban area 3 (p < 0.001). The median deft was 1.00 for rural and 1.00 for urban, while the highest value was found among 6-year-olds at 9 in rural and 7 in urban areas. The median SiC was 4, 4 (urban) and 5 (rural). CONCLUSION: Schoolchildren from urban and rural areas in Croatia differ significantly in caries prevalence. They fall into the medium DMFT classification group according to the WHO, which indicates the need for a comprehensive oral health preservation programme.

Caries prevalence in chronic alcoholics and the relationship to salivary flow rate and pH.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the dental status of alcoholics; to evaluate the relationship of unstimulated and stimulated saliva pH on their decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT); and to evaluate the relationship of unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rate on their DMFT. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients treated for alcohol dependency (n = 70; mean age 41.7 years) and a control group of non-alcoholics (n = 70; mean age 39.1 years). Examinations for dental caries were conducted using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and questionnaires. The correlation between nominal variables was determined using chi2 test (alpha = 0.05). The correlation between interval variables was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULT: The mean DMFT was similar in alcoholics (14.40) and the control group (13.44) (p > 0.05). There was a statistically significant correlation between alcoholism and unstimulated salivary flow rate (p < 0.05), but no relationship on DMFT was recorded. No statistically significant differences were found between alcoholics and controls in terms of stimulated salivary flow rate (p > 0.05) or stimulated salivary flow on DMFT (p > 0.05). There was a statistically significant correlation between alcoholism and the pH value of stimulated saliva (p < 0.01). There was no correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and the number of carious lesions (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: No major differences were found with respect to overall DMFT in alcoholics compared to the control group. Alcoholism and stimulated salivary flow rate showed no correlation. Unstimulated salivary flow rate as well as the pH values of both unstimulated and stimulated saliva, were lower in the alcoholic group.