ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Early childhood dental caries, or ECC, is a significant global oral health concern associated with various adverse outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the potential link between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the occurrence of dental caries in children. METHOD: Through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for studies examining the correlation between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood caries, we identified 609 relevant articles up to October 2023. Studies were selected, and data extraction was based on the pre-established eligibility criteria and items. Meta-analysis was executed utilizing Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA) with a random effects model, ensuring a robust synthesis of the gathered evidence. RESULT: 7 cohorts and five cross-sectional studies, totaling 12 studies, were included in our analysis. The combined results from the studies revealed a significant association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and an increased risk of dental caries in children (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.55-2.05, I2 = 68.53). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of our results. However, there were indications of publication bias, as suggested by the funnel plot and Egger's test (P = 0.011) concerning the connection between prenatal smoking and childhood caries. CONCLUSION: This review underscores the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood dental caries. Nevertheless, confounding variables influence this link, necessitating more large-scale, longitudinal studies with adjusted factors. Additional randomized control trials are needed to validate these findings due to the observed heterogeneity. Future research should investigate the precise reasons behind this association. It is essential to raise awareness among pregnant women about the risks of smoking through educational programs.
Subject(s)
Dental Caries , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Smoking , Humans , Dental Caries/epidemiology , Dental Caries/etiology , Pregnancy , Female , Child , Smoking/adverse effects , Child, PreschoolABSTRACT
Background: Lichenoid reaction (LR) is a relatively common mucocutaneous disease with an unknown etiology. Since the cause of the LRs is unknown, many drugs have been studied to palliate the symptoms. Previous studies reported that corticosteroids are often effective in the management of several oral inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of Melissa gel and triamcinolone 0.1% paste on clinical indices of oral LRs. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, sixty patients with erosive oral LRs were randomly divided into two groups, and each group was treated with Melissa gel or triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% paste, three times a day, for 4 weeks. The recovery rate and severity of pain and burning sensation were assessed after 2 and 4 weeks. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and repeated measures ANCOVA, Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, paired t-test, and survival analysis.(α = 0.05). Results: The Visual Analog Scale scores for recovery rate, pain, and burning mouth sensation and objective scoring for oral lichen planus were significantly improved at 2 and 4 weeks in both the groups. However, the pain intensity decreased significantly in the Melissa group, as compared to the triamcinolone 1% group. Conclusion: In general, we showed that Melissa gel has a better effect than triamcinolone on pain intensity. Although Melissa gel is effective in reducing lesion size, triamcinolone significantly showed better results.
ABSTRACT
Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic immune-mediated mucocutaneous disorder, with an unknown etiology. Since, both pain and discomfort are observed in patients with the erosive type, many drugs have been studied to alleviate pain and clinical symptoms. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of systemic Echinacea on clinical indices of OLP. Materials and Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 70 patients with erosive OLP were randomly divided into two groups, and each was treated with Echinacea tablets or placebo, 3 times a day, for 35 days. In addition, betamethasone lotion (0.1%) or nystatin (100,000 units) mouthwash were used by patients. The pain severity (visual analog scale [VAS]), lesion size, and the number of lesions were assessed at baseline and on days 10, 25, and 35 after study initiation. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed by statistical software, and Mann-Whitney test, Wilcoxon test, KaplanMeier, Chi-squared, and paired t-test. Results: The VAS scores in the Echinacea group were significantly reduced at each visit compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). We observed a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). Conclusion: We showed that Echinacea is an effective and complementary therapy for OLP. Furthermore, in short-term usage, Echinacea is almost completely tolerable.