Does obstructive sleep apnea affect oral and periodontal health in children with down syndrome? A preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared with children without DS, with reported prevalence of 31 ± 75% among clinical-based samples. We aimed to find out whether there is any effect of OSA on periodontal and dental health in children with DS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Overnight polysomnography (PSG) was performed. OSA was defined as Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) ≥ 1/h. Children received a full mouth periodontal and dental examination that included probing depths (PD), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and bleeding on probing (BOP) on six sites per tooth. Decay, decay - Missing, missing - Filling, filling - Tooth, tooth (DMFT-for permanent tooth/dmft-for primary tooth) scores were calculated. RESULTS: Children were divided into two groups depending on whether they were diagnosed with OSA or no OSA. Group 1 (DS with OSA) and Group 2 (DS without OSA) included 11 children (age = 11.5 ± 2.2) and 7 children (mean age = 9.7 ± 2.3), respectively. Subjects in Group 1 displayed statistically significantly higher levels of GI (P = 0.020) and BOP (P = 0.006) than Group 2. CONCLUSION: OSA is an important problem for DS and may affect oral health negatively. Based on our findings, OSA can be associated with impaired gingival health in DS children and close follow-up may be necessary for this group.

Resin infiltration technique and fluoride varnish on white spot lesions in children: Preliminary findings of a randomized clinical trial.

AIM: To clinically assess the efficacy of resin infiltration versus fluoride varnish for arresting white spot lesions (WSLs) on permanent teeth in children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Among the children referred to the our University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, 23 aged between 8-14 with 81 anterior WSLs were included in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to either the resin infiltration group or the fluoride varnish group. WSLs were assessed using a laser fluorescence device (DIAGNOdent pen, Kavo, Germany) and were characterized at baseline, immediately following resin infiltration application and at a 6-month follow-up. For the statistical analyses, the IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (IBM SPSS, Turkey) program was used to assess the findings of the study. RESULTS: Participant retention was 100% at 6 months. There was no significant difference between the two groups when baseline DIAGNOdent (DD) values were compared (P > 0.05). The reduction in 6-month follow-up DD values were statistically significant in both groups relative to baseline values. The 6-month values of the resin infiltration group were statistically lower than those of the fluoride varnish group (P = 0.028, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Resin infiltration and fluoride varnish are clinically feasible and efficacious methods for the treatment of anterior WSLs. The inhibition of caries progression by resin infiltration should now be considered an alternative to fluoride treatment.

Temporomandibular disorders in young people with an intellectual disability: prevalence of signs and symptoms.

AIM: To assess the prevalence of signs and symptoms related to TMJ disorders in a group of young people with intelectual disability (ID) and a matched group of healthy adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of 105 young Special Olympics (SO) athletes (ID group) aged from 14 to 25 years and a control group were examined for the presence or absence of signs and symptoms of TMD through interview and clinical examination. RESULTS: A total of 64 young people with ID (61%) had at least one sign of TMD compared to 41 (39%) of the individuals screened that was free of any TMD symptoms. A significantly higher prevalence of TMJ sounds (palpation and stethoscope), TMJ tenderness, maximum vertical opening, headaches were observed among SO athletes compared to the healthy control group (p<0.05). A significant difference was recorded only for the Temporalis tenderness between the girls and boys (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: TMJ disorders are noticeable problem for intellectually disabled patients and a possible cause of pain that should be examined more in detail. We suggest that oral screening in people with a mental disability should be modified by including basic TMJ examination parameters in order to allow better understanding of the pathological aspects so as to address effective preventive and therapeutic measures.

Viability of fibroblasts in a novel probiotic storage media.

A number of storage media have been investigated as to their ability to maintain the viability of the periodontal ligament (PDL) cells and thus to permit longer extra-alveolar periods prior to replantation of avulsed teeth. The aim of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the number of viable PDL cells of avulsed teeth treated by Hank's Balanced Salt Solutions (HBSS), saline, a novel probiotic solution and milk. Thirty-six freshly extracted single-rooted human teeth with closed apices were divided into one of the four experimental groups and two control groups (N = 6 each). The positive and negative controls corresponded to 0 min and an 8-h dry time respectively. Following extraction, the coronal 3 mm of PDL tissue was scraped with a #15 scalpel to remove cells that might have been damaged. The experimental teeth were dried for 30 min followed by a 45 min immersion in one of the four experimental media. Each experimental tooth, after drying and soaking, was incubated for 30 min with a 2.5 ml solution of 0.2 mg ml(-1) of collagenase CLS II and a 2.4 mg ml(-1) solution of dispase grade II in phosphate buffer saline (PBS). The cells were then labelled with 0.4% Trypan blue for determination of viability. The teeth stored in positive control demonstrated the highest number of viable PDL cells followed in rank order by HBSS, saline, Lactobacillus reuteri solution and milk. There was no significant difference in the number of viable PDL cells between HBSS, milk, L. reuteri solution and saline. Within the parameters of this study, it appears that probiotic may be able to maintain PDL cell viability as HBSS, milk, or saline.