Do Maternal Beliefs, Knowledge and Practices for Own and Young Child Oral Care Reflect on Actual Child Oral Health?

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether mother's oral health habits and knowledge for child oral care actually reflect on her young child's oral health and hence sought for direct evidence for this association. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred mothers accompanied their children, aged 2-5 years to a University Pediatric Dentistry Clinic and completed a three-arm questionnaire. Child dental caries (decayed, missing, filled surfaces-dmfs) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were recorded. Correlations were sought by the analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: A negative correlation was observed between maternal education and family income with child dmfs (p < 0.01). Additionally, other maternal factors such as age and correct knowledge of the appropriate age for a child's first dental visit, the initiation of toothbrushing, and fluoride exposure were positively associated with lower dmfs and GBI. Additionally, some maternal practices also contributed to these results. CONCLUSION: Maternal practices and knowledge are predictors of child oral health. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Mothers-to-be, especially those with low socioeconomic characteristics, should be involved in dental education and motivation interventions in order to practice proper oral hygiene for their children.

Assessment of Young Mothers' Oral Hygiene Practices during Pregnancy and Their Knowledge of Children's Oral Health in Northern Greece.

AIM: The aim of the study was to assess maternal knowledge about oral health practices for children along with oral hygiene perceptions of mothers during pregnancy in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 newly delivered mothers who were admitted to the obstetrician/gynecological (OB/GYN) University Clinic in Thessaloniki, Greece, to give birth. A three-part, self-reported, 40-item questionnaire was designed, collecting socioeconomic data, perceptions, and practices regarding maternal oral hygiene during pregnancy and their knowledge in relation to children's oral health. Collected data were recorded, tabulated, and statistically analyzed with SPSS (Version 24.0), and p < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: The sample consisted of mainly Greek, married, university alumni mothers less than 35 years of age. Self-reports of oral hygiene practices during gestation were sufficient but an inadequate level of regular dental visits was recorded. Poor knowledge was equally noted, regarding children's oral health, in the domains of fluoride toothpaste usage, the age of the first dental visit, supervised toothbrushing, nighttime breastfeeding, potential hazards of pacifier use, and thumb sucking. All factors were significantly associated with the mothers' education level (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Newly-delivered mothers presented with a lack of knowledge regarding mother/caregiver-related risk factors associated with early childhood caries (ECC), the timing of establishing a dental home, and misconceptions about the safety of dental visits during pregnancy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Healthcare professionals interacting with pregnant women or young mothers are a vital element to bridge the existing gap in knowledge and assist those socially and educationally deprived.

Integration of Breastfeeding Consultation and Practices in the Scope of Pediatric Dentistry: Collaboration with Lactation Specialists.

Background: In recent years, breastfeeding has been largely promoted due to health benefits for the children and the mothers and social, economic, and environmental advantages. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years and to be continued for as long as this is desired by the mother-child dyad.Despite its advantages, including protection against caries in the 1st year of life, prevention of malocclusions, and development of more normal breathing patterns, there is a great controversy in the literature regarding breastfeeding involvement in elevated risk for early childhood caries (ECC).Breastfeeding and oral health are strongly related. Breastfeeding can influence oral health and development, but oral findings, such as tethered tissues and natal/neonatal teeth, may negatively affect lactation. Conclusion: A healthy collaboration between the oral health care provider and the lactation specialist is important in order to identify those oral findings and prevent breastfeeding implications, but also in order to facilitate uneventful breastfeeding by emphasizing oral health care prevention strategies. Clinical significance: Information on the advantages of certain lactation aspects and the potential risks for ECC is important for the pediatric dentist to be able to form an individualized treatment/prevention plan that will benefit and promote the oral and general health of young patients. How to cite this article: Papadopoulou P, Boka V, Arapostathis K. Integration of Breastfeeding Consultation and Practices in the Scope of Pediatric Dentistry: Collaboration with Lactation Specialists. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(S-3):S306-S310.

Safe Return to Exercise after COVID-19 Infection.

COVID-19 has been posing a significant challenge to the athletic community. A wide spectrum of clinical features was reported in athletes with confirmed COVID-19 infection having mild to severe symptoms requiring hospitalisation and intensive medical care. Possibly, a lack of exercise may negatively impact the immune system, leading to an increased susceptibility to infection and comorbidities. Determining safe return to exercise after COVID-19 infection is a challenge for sports physicians. A gradual return to exercise under the guidance of a specialised medical team to achieve the pre-infection fitness level is of utmost importance. Individualised exercise programmes must be initiated at low intensity which could be gradually made more rigorous based on the pertinent metabolic equivalent. Thus, there is a clear need for clinical recommendations before athletes may return to exercise after COVID-19 infection.

Phytochemical Study and In Vitro Screening Focusing on the Anti-Aging Features of Various Plants of the Greek Flora.

Skin health is heavily affected by ultraviolet irradiation from the sun. In addition, senile skin is characterized by major changes in the collagen, elastin and in the hyaluronan content. Natural products (NPs) have been shown to delay cellular senescence or in vivo aging by regulating age-related signaling pathways. Moreover, NPs are a preferable source of photoprotective agents and have been proven to be useful against the undesirable skin hyperpigmentation. Greek flora harvests great plant diversity with approximately 6000 plant species, as it has a wealth of NPs. Here, we report an extensive screening among hundreds of plant species. More than 440 plant species and subspecies were selected and evaluated. The extracts were screened for their antioxidant and anti-melanogenic properties, while the most promising were further subjected to various in vitro and cell-based assays related to skin aging. In parallel, their chemical profile was analyzed with High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and/or Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). A variety of extracts were identified that can be of great value for the cosmetic industry, since they combine antioxidant, photoprotective, anti-melanogenic and anti-aging properties. In particular, the methanolic extracts of Sideritis scardica and Rosa damascena could be worthy of further attention, since they showed interesting chemical profiles and promising properties against specific targets involved in skin aging.

Relationship between Child and Parental Dental Anxiety with Child's Psychological Functioning and Behavior during the Administration of Local Anesthesia.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine: 1) the relationship between children's psychological functioning, dental anxiety and cooperative behavior before and during local anesthesia, 2) the relationship of parental dental anxiety with all the above child characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: There was a convenient sample of 100 children (4-12 years). Child dental anxiety and psychological functioning were measured using the "Children's Fear Survey Schedule" (CFSS-DS) and the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire" (SDQ) respectively. Parental dental anxiety was measured using the "Modified Dental Anxiety Scale" (MDAS). All questionnaires were completed by parents. Before and during local anesthesia, the child behavior was scored by one experienced examiner, using the Venham scale. Non-parametric tests and correlations (Mann-Whitney, Spearman's rho) were used for the analysis. RESULTS: The mean SDQ score was 10±5.6 for boys (n=60) and 8.3±4.8 for girls (n=40) (p=0.038), but there was no correlation with children's age. The mean CFSS-DS score was 33.1±11.86 and there was no correlation with age or gender. Children with higher levels in the pro-social subscale of the SDQ had significantly less anxiety and better behavior before local anesthesia. Higher mean CFSS-DS scores were significantly associated with uncooperative behavior during local anesthesia (p=0.04). There was no correlation between parents' and their children's dental anxiety, psychological functioning and behavior. 46% of the children had previous dental experience in the last 6 months. As time since the last dental treatment increased, an improvement was found in children's behavior during local anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Child psychological functioning was related to dental anxiety and behavior during dental appointment involving local anesthesia.

Employment of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography for the Quantification of Oleuropein in Olive Leaves and the Selection of a Suitable Solvent System for Its Isolation with Centrifugal Partition Chromatography.

A high-performance thin-layer chromatographic methodology was developed and validated for the isolation and quantitative determination of oleuropein in two extracts of Olea europaea leaves. OLE_A was a crude acetone extract, while OLE_AA was its defatted residue. Initially, high-performance thin-layer chromatography was employed for the purification process of oleuropein with fast centrifugal partition chromatography, replacing high-performance liquid-chromatography, in the stage of the determination of the distribution coefficient and the retention volume. A densitometric method was developed for the determination of the distribution coefficients, KC = CS/CM. The total concentrations of the target compound in the stationary phase (CS) and in the mobile phase (CM) were calculated by the area measured in the high-performance thin-layer chromatogram. The estimated Kc was also used for the calculation of the retention volume, VR, with a chromatographic retention equation. The obtained data were successfully applied for the purification of oleuropein and the experimental results confirmed the theoretical predictions, indicating that high-performance thin-layer chromatography could be an important counterpart in the phytochemical study of natural products. The isolated oleuropein (purity > 95%) was subsequently used for the estimation of its content in each extract with a simple, sensitive and accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatography method. The best fit calibration curve from 1.0 µg/track to 6.0 µg/track of oleuropein was polynomial and the quantification was achieved by UV detection at λ 240 nm. The method was validated giving rise to an efficient and high-throughput procedure, with the relative standard deviation % of repeatability and intermediate precision not exceeding 4.9% and accuracy between 92% and 98% (recovery rates). Moreover, the method was validated for robustness, limit of quantitation, and limit of detection. The amount of oleuropein for OLE_A, OLE_AA, and an aqueous extract of olive leaves was estimated to be 35.5% ± 2.7, 51.5% ± 1.4, and 12.5% ± 0.12, respectively. Statistical analysis proved that the method is repeatable and selective, and can be effectively applied for the estimation of oleuropein in olive leaves' extracts, and could potentially replace high-performance liquid chromatography methodologies developed so far. Thus, the phytochemical investigation of oleuropein could be based on high-performance thin-layer chromatography coupled with separation processes, such as fast centrifugal partition chromatography, showing efficacy and credibility.