In-office study to evaluate the effects of a stabilized stannous fluoride dentifrice and an advanced manual toothbrush regimen on gingival health and plaque accumulation in Mexican adults.

PURPOSE: This office-based study was conducted to investigate the influence of an oral hygiene regimen, consisting of a stabilized stannous fluoride dentifrice and an advanced manual toothbrush, on gingival health and plaque accumulation in Mexican adults after 4 weeks of use. METHODS: This was an unsupervised, open-label, single-treatment, 4-week study conducted in Mexico. At Baseline, gingival health and plaque coverage were assessed for each participant by dentists using categorical scales. Participants were given 0.454% stabilized stannous fluoride dentifrice (Crest Pro-Salud Limpieza Profunda) and an advanced manual toothbrush with a CrissCross bristle design (Oral-B Pro-Salud 7 Beneficios), and were instructed to follow the manufacturer's usage instructions for the products, which state to brush after every meal, at least three times daily, or as indicated by their dentists. At the end of Week 4, plaque and gingivitis were reassessed using the same scales. RESULTS: 200 participants (age range 18 - 49 years) completed the 4-week study and were considered evaluable. The mean age of the study group was 29.9 ± 8.8 years, with 125 females and 75 males. After 4 weeks of product use, 172 participants (86%) showed noticeable improvement in their gingival health and 93% showed noticeable improvements in their overnight plaque coverage.

Evaluation of bond strength of metal brackets by a resin to ceramic surfaces.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of three different ceramic brands with two different ceramic surfaces (glazed and deglazed), with and without silane application. METHODOLOGY: Using the three different ceramics (Empress 2, Finesse, and Ceramco II), two metallic brackets were bonded to each sample, one with the adhesive system and the other one with a silane application. The samples were thermocycled, and then the debonding tests were performed with the Instron Universal Testing Machine. All the results were statistically analyzed with a three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. RESULTS: The three-way ANOVA (brand, ceramic surface, with/without silane) indicated significant differences among them (p < 0.05). ANOVA showed that the greatest bond strength value (megapascals, MPa) was for Empress 2 deglazed with the silane application (8.873 MPa), followed by Finesse glazed with the silane application (7.072 MPa). CONCLUSION: The ceramic surface has a direct effect on adhesion. Therefore, Empress 2 deglazed achieved the greatest value in bond strength. To achieve the ideal values of 6-10 MPa, applying silane to the ceramic surface before bonding the brackets is recommended, even though silane can damage the ceramic surface.