Caries prevalence and molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) in children. Is there an association? A systematic review.

AIM: Molar incisor hypomeralisation (MIH) is a dental condition clinically characterised by the presence of morphological and qualitative enamel defects involving the occlusal and/or incisal third of one or more permanent molars or incisors. Its worldwide prevalence ranges between 2.4 and 40%. Several harmful conditions, such as genetic or medical problems during pregnancy, may act together and increase the risk of MIH. The main objective of this systematic review is to assess whether there is a correlation between MIH and dental caries in mixed or permanent dentition. METHODS: An electronic search was performed on PubMed (Medline), Scopus and Cochrane Library for articles published from August 2022 to April 2023. Cohort, cross-sectional, retrospective and prospective studies were included. In vitro and animal studies, as well as clinical cases and systematic reviews, were excluded. Studies not differentiating between mixed and permanent dentition were excluded. The observed variables were DMFT (Decayed Missed Filled Teeth) score, DMFS (Decayed Missed Filled Surface) and DMF scores related to FPM (First Permanent Molar) and the clinical prevalence of MIH. CONCLUSION: DMFT, DMFS and DMFT on FPM scores are significantly different between the group of patients with MIH and the control group. The available evidence supports a correlation between MIH lesions and caries. Caries indexes scores increase proportionally to the severity of MIH.

Oral bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis complications in patients undergoing tooth extraction: a systematic review and literature updates.

OBJECTIVE: Bisphosphonates, the most common anti-resorptive medications, are internalized by osteoclasts, where they inhibit the macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) pathway, preventing their differentiation, inhibiting anchorage to the cell membrane, and inducing apoptosis. In patients undergoing oral bisphosphonate therapy, oral surgery involves a high risk of developing drug-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ/MRONJ), among the possible complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was carried out on the PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library search engines, using the keywords "oral bisphosphonates AND tooth extraction", "third molar extraction AND oral bisphosphonates". In addition, we manually evaluated the articles included in references from other sources and an analysis of the Gray Literature was performed. A secondary outcome was to evaluate the assessment of pharmacological (antibiotics) use in the BRONJ/MRONJ management. The revision protocol followed the indications of the Cochrane Handbook, and was registered in the INPLASY database, while the drafting of the manuscript was based on PRISMA. RESULTS: The results of the systematic review, after the study identification and selection process, included a total of 7 studies: 4 retrospective studies, 2 prospective studies and 1 case report. The main complication was represented by osteonecrosis of the jaws, which appears to be related to the duration of treatment with bisphosphonates; in addition, data regarding the anatomical location of post-extraction sites, the sex and age of patients, comorbidities and various systemic risk factors were extrapolated. The most frequent post-extraction complication in patients treated with oral bisphosphonates is osteonecrosis of the jaws, with a significant prevalence in the posterior region of the mandible. In some cases, delayed healing of the surgical wound was also found; moreover, the duration of exposure to oral bisphosphonates influences the onset of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing studies continue to unravel the role of the oral environment response in alveolar bone homeostasis and how it might contribute to the induction of BRONJ/MRONJ. Approaching the problem from this perspective could provide new directions for the prevention of BRONJ/MRONJ and expand our understanding of the unique oral microenvironment.

Bibliometric analysis in paediatric dental journals listed in journal citation reports. Current trends.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyse articles published in paediatric dental journals included in Journal Citation Reports (JCR), to determine current trends in paediatric publishing. METHODS: Articles included in paediatric dentistry journals in 2020 JCR were selected, published during the period 2008-2020. After applying inclusion criteria, author-based parameters (article title, first author's name, institution, sex and number of authors, number of affiliations, first/last author's origin and geographic origin), and article-based parameters (article type, main topic, research design) were registered for each article. CONCLUSION: International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry were the four main journals in terms of production volume, USA being the most productive country. The most recurrent topic was dental surgery, and the most common design was observational studies. Study design, geographic origin of the articles, article type and main subject of the article might predict citation.

Cone Beam Computed Tomography evaluation of midpalatal suture maturation according to age and sex: A systematic review.

AIM: To systematically review and analyse the available evidence and assess if a correlation exists in children and young adults between the chronological age and the degree of midpalatal suture maturation as assessed according to the method proposed by Angelieri et al. [2013]. METHODS: A search was performed in Medline/Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science during October 2020 for published studies analysing midpalatal suture maturation through cone beam tomography according to the method proposed by Angelieri et al. [2013]. The review was performed according to the PRISMA protocol and the articles were selected according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess the quality of reporting, the STROBE checklist was applied. CONCLUSION: The high variability of the maturational stages in the studied cohorts, highlights the poor correlation between suture maturation and chronological age in both genders, especially in young adults. According to our findings until the age of 14, the high prevalence of stages related to sutural opening does not justify CBCT assessment of the MPS and supports the use of a conventional protocol for maxillary expansion.

What is trending in paediatric dentistry? An Altmetric study on paediatric dentistry journals.

PURPOSE: To assess the online attention to research in the field of paediatric dentistry in relation to publication details and citations. METHODS: The articles were identified by a search performed through the Dimensions Free App. The search included the six journals related to paediatric dentistry listed in the SCImago Journal and Country Rank. The 200 articles with the highest AAS (Altmetric Attention Score) were collected and screened for data related to publication, authorship, and research topic. Citations were harvested from WOS (Web of Science) and Scopus. RESULTS: The 86.3% of the 200 articles belonged to only two of the journals: the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry and the European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry. The 53.5% of the articles were published between 2014 and 2019. The mean AAS was 8.3. Cross-sectional studies were the most prevalent study design. AAS did not correlate to the number of citations as reported in WOS and Scopus. CONCLUSIONS: Online attention to research in paediatric dentistry can be improved. According to the topic, erosion studies displayed high visibility. The classic citation count in combination with the AAS offers a more comprehensive insight iinto research. The online profile of journals and their social media dissemination policies should be improved to facilitate the spread of research information in scholar and non-scholar audiences through the web.

The effect of maxillary protraction, with or without rapid palatal expansion, on airway dimensions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: The use of maxillary protraction appliances (MPAs) and Facemask (FM), with or without a rapid maxillary expansion (RME), have become a routine orthopaedic treatment procedure for the treatment of Class III in growing individuals; several authors have suggested that maxillary protraction could have a positive impact on airway dimensions. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of maxillary protraction appliances (MPAs), with or without a rapid maxillary expansion (RME), on airway dimensions in children in mixed or early permanent dentition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was performed on PubMed, Medline, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE and the System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe until November 30th, 2019. The Newcastle-Ottawa (NOS) scale was used to assess the studies' quality. Review Manager 5.3 (provided by the Cochrane Collaboration) was used to synthesize the effects on airway dimensions. RESULTS: After full text assessment, 8 studies were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. NOS scores ranged 6 to 9 indicating high quality. The effects of two therapeutic protocols were compared, treatment with MPAs only (113 subjects treated - 65 controls) and the treatment with MPAs + RME (137 subjects treated- 87 controls). The MPAs only treatment group displayed a significantly increase in nasopharyngeal airway dimension at PNS-AD1 (random: mean difference, 1.39 mm, 95% CI, 0.32 mm, 2.47 mm, p= 0.01) and at PNS-AD2 (random: mean difference, 1.70 mm, 95% CI, 1.14 mm, 2.26 mm, p= 0.00001). No statistically significant changes were found post treatment in MPAs + RME treatment groups at PNS-AD1 (P= 0.15), PNS-AD2 (P= 0.17), McNamara's upper pharynx (MPAs + RME P= 0.05, MPAs P= 0.99) and McNamara lower pharynx (MPAs + RME P= 0.25, MPAs P= 0.40). CONCLUSION: MPAs only treatment can increase the pharyngeal thickness after treatment both at PNS-A1 and PNS-AD2. MPA+ RME had no effect on sagittal widths compared with controls, but the effect on the transverse dimension could not be assessed.

Survey on women's awareness of the importance of oral hygiene during pregnancy for the health of the mother and her unborn child: Observational aepidemiological study.

AIM: This research aims to assess the oral hygiene habits of women in the perinatal period. The study also aims to ascertain the degree of awareness of mothers, or future mothers, about the importance of oral hygiene for themselves and their child. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: aepidemiological, observational, cross-sectional survey among a group of young women of childbearing age. The group was composed of mothers recruited from kindergartens and pregnant women who went to counseling centers or participated in childbirth courses throughout Italy. RESULTS: The sample included 500 women from Central and Northern Italy and 263 from Southern Italy for a total of 763 subjects. Most of them were Italian (87.9%) and just over 50% of them had at least one child (52.7%); 40% were above 35 years old, and 52% were between 25 and 35 years of age. CONCLUSION: Young women often underestimate the importance of oral hygiene even before pregnancy, and the impact of oral hygiene lasts throughout gestation and continues after childbirth.

Dental erosion. Etiologic factors in a sample of Valencian children and adolescents. Cross-sectional study.

AIM: To establish the relationship between dental erosion prevalence in children aged 6-14 and all the aetiological factors that lead to the development of the lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: A correlational cross-sectional study of a sample of 400 Valencian children was conducted. First, a questionnaire was completed to analyse the patients' health status, their dietary and oral hygiene habits, the kind of school they attended and their parents' academic level. Then, a clinical exploration of the permanent dentition was done, calculating the BEWE index and the risk of erosion for each patient. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental erosion of the studied sample was 22.3%. A positive correlation was observed between the presence of dental erosion and the frequent intake of fruit juices, carbonated and isotonic drinks (p<0.05), presenting a higher correlation if the liquid was kept in the mouth before swallowing. Aetiological factors such as the use of inhalers in patients with asthma (p=0.006), frequency of vomiting and regurgitation (p<0.001), frequent swimmers (p<0.001) or a low socioeconomic status (p<0.05) were also positively associated to the development of erosive lesions. STATISTICS: A descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed, using the Mann-Whitney U and the Kruskal-Wallis tests in the latter. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the frequent intake of fruit juices, carbonated and isotonic drinks, the use of inhalers and belonging to a low socioeconomic level family are factors positively associated to the development of erosive lesions.

Uncovering and autonomous eruption of palatally impacted canines.

BACKGROUND: The palatal impaction of maxillary canine is a quite common yet challenging clinical condition that orthodontists have to face in the everyday practice. The purpose of this report is to describe and discuss a case involving the uncovering of an upper canine and it subsequent spontaneous eruption. CASE REPORT: The diagnostic and therapeutic protocol of a case with a palatally impacted canine is presented. The upper right canine was uncovered with an open surgical approach. Removal of the attached gingiva and bone covering the crown enhanced the tooth spontaneous eruption, while the first levelling and aligning phase of the treatment was performed. This approach results in a shorter overall treatment time. This protocol produced an aesthetic, healthy and functional result, which was stable at the two-year post-treatment follow-up.