Microleakage of Class II Posterior Composite Restorations with and Without use of Liners - A Comparative Study.

AIM: This study aims to compare the effect of liner on microleakage in Class II restorations at the occlusal and gingival levels when restored with a nanocomposite. METHODOLOGY: A total of 60 mandibular molars were selected and divided into three groups. Cavities in Group A were restored with posterior nanocomposite without liner, samples of Group B were restored with posterior nanocomposite with flowable composite liner and in Group C samples were restored with posterior nanocomposite with resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) liner. Samples were stored at 37°C in 100% humidity for 14 days. Samples were subsequently immersed in 0.5% methylene blue dye and then placed under water for 15 mins. Teeth were sectioned mesiodistally with a diamond disc and examined under a stereomicroscope. RESULTS: All the cavities exhibited dye penetration along the occlusal and gingival margins of the restored cavities. Group A showed maximum leakage compared to Groups B and C, which was statistically significant ( P = 0.001 and P < 0.0001). No significant difference in microleakage was observed between Groups B and C. Microleakage was more in gingival margins as compared to occlusal margins in all the groups. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the present study, it may be concluded that the placement of liner beneath nanocomposite restoration results in a significant reduction in microleakage.

Prevalence of Pulp Stones in the Population of Rajasthan: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Introduction This study aimed to use radiography to determine the prevalence of pulp stones in the population of Rajasthan and to evaluate the relationship between pulp stones and tooth status, type, age, and gender. Methods The radiograph data record files collected from the Department of Dentistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from September 2018 to October 2019, had a total of 9918 diagnostic quality intraoral periapical radiographs. One examiner examined all the radiographs to identify pulp stones and associated factors. Pearson chi-square test of significance was used for statistical analysis. Results On screening, a total of 889 intraoral periapical radiographs were found to have pulp stones. The presence of pulp stones was significantly higher in mandibular molars (68%) and was more common in the age group of 31-45 years (37%), followed by 13-29 years (35%). Maximum of pulp stones were of attached type (64%) than free pulp stones. Conclusion The prevalence of pulp stones in the population of Rajasthan studied is 8.9%, which is much lower than the reported prevalence in the literature. Pulp stones are predominantly attached and found significantly more often in mandibular molars in the age group of 31-44 years.

An in-vitro analysis to evaluate the disinfection effectiveness of Cold Atmospheric Pressure (CAP) plasma jet in Enterococcus faecalis infected root canals.

Cold Atmospheric Pressure (CAP) plasma has shown successful antibacterial efficacy in different medical applications which have prompted researchers to explore its possible use in endodontics. The aim of the present study was to comparatively evaluate the disinfection effectiveness of CAP Plasma jet with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and Qmix in Enterococcus Faecalis infected root canals at different time intervals (2, 5, and 10 min). 210 single-rooted mandibular premolars were chemomechanically prepared and infected with E. faecalis. The test samples were exposed to CAP Plasma jet, 5.25% NaOCl, and Qmix for 2, 5, and 10 min. The residual bacteria from the root canals if any were collected and evaluated for colony-forming units (CFUs) growth. ANOVA and Tukey's tests were used to evaluate the significant difference between treatment groups. 5.25% NaOCl showed significantly more antibacterial effectiveness (<0.001) when compared with all other test groups except Qmix at 2 and 10 min of exposure time. A minimum contact time of 5 min with 5.25% NaOCl is recommended to get zero bacterial growth in E. faecalis infected root canals. QMix requires a minimum contact time of 10 min to achieve optimal CFUs reduction and CAP plasma jet requires a minimum contact time of 5 min to achieve substantial CFUs reduction.

The Clinical Efficacy of EMLA as a Topical Anesthetic Agent Instead of Palatal Injection During Maxillary Dental Extractions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Even after the invention of the modern injection techniques, palatal injection still remains a painful experience for patients, and this pain is attributed to the presence of rich nerve complement and displacement of tightly adherent palatal mucosa during anesthesia. Aim: To check the clinical efficacy of EMLA as a topical anesthetic agent instead of palatal injection during maxillary dental extractions. Methodology: The trial includes a total of 102 participants, in whom maxillary molar extractions were indicated, were randomly divided into the experimental group (eutectic mixture of local anesthesia (EMLA) topical application was used along with buccal injection) and control group (palatal injection along with buccal injection). Pain perception during extraction was recorded using the visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Mean VAS score for 'injection' in control group patients was 5.2 ± 2.08 in contrast to no pain in experimental group. In experimental group, mean VAS score on 'probing' was 0.92 ± 1.50. VAS score on 'extraction' in EMLA group was little higher though the difference was not statistically significant. The overall experience using Liekert's scale was higher in experimental group (4.0 ± 0.76) as compared to (3.3 ± 0.82) in control group leading to higher overall satisfaction among patients who underwent extraction in the experimental group. Conclusion: EMLA application produced a satisfactory level of anesthesia in the palatal tissue when compared with the palatal injection.

Caries experience scores revisited for caries risk assessment using cariogram model - A cross-sectional study.

Context: The widely accepted caries risk assessment tools such as the Cariogram model needs modifications in the scoring of different factors for reliable results. Aims: The study was aimed to report the caries experience in 3-60 years of the Rajasthan population and to apply the newly derived average decayed exfoliated filled teeth/Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (deft/DMFT) scores in the Cariogram model to assess the caries risk. Settings and Design: The cross-sectional study was planned in the Department of Dentistry and a total of 500 participants were equally divided into five groups (3-6, 7-12, 13-30, 31-44, and 45-60 years) were included. Methods and Material: All participants were examined for caries detection using deft/DMFT, ICDAS, and CAST indices according to the predefined protocol. A single examiner evaluated the participants in a dental operatory and data was recorded. Statistical Analysis Used: One-Way ANOVA and Tukey's Post-Hoc tests were used to evaluate the significant difference between the groups of each caries index. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between the mean deft/DMFT and CAST scores of 3-6, 7-12, and 13-30 age groups with the 45-60 years age group. Caries prevalence was highest (83%) in 31-44 and 45-60 year age groups and lowest (51%) in the 3-6 year age group. Conclusions: Caries experience scores increase as the age increases and the highest scores were observed in 31-44 and 45-60 year age groups and the lowest were observed in the 3-6 year age group. The average ICDAS and CAST scores were higher when compared to the deft/DMFT index.

The clinical efficacy of minocycline mouth rinse on recurrent aphthous stomatitis-A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common ulcerative diseases affecting the general population. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficiency of 0.5% minocycline mouth rinse prescribed along with the topical anesthetic gel and vitamin supplement over the topical anesthetic gel and vitamin supplement prescribed alone for treating RAS. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 participants were randomly divided into two groups-experimental group: 0.5% minocycline mouth rinse prescribed along with vitamin supplement and topical anesthetic gel; and control group: vitamin supplement and topical anesthetic gel alone. The pain symptoms were evaluated using the VAS scores at baseline and first follow-up visits. The data were analyzed using Student's t test. Results: A significant reduction in the pain scores was observed in participants using the 0.5% minocycline mouth rinse prescribed along with vitamin supplement and topical anesthetic gel on the first follow-up visit (P = < 0.001). Conclusion: The 0.5% minocycline mouth rinse prescribed along with vitamin supplement and topical anesthetic gel had shown more reduction in the pain symptoms when compared to topical anesthetic gel and vitamin supplement prescribed alone for the treatment of RAS.

Effectiveness of zirconia crowns compared with stainless steel crowns in primary posterior teeth rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The authors' aim was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic effectiveness of zirconia crowns (ZCs) compared with stainless steel crowns (SSCs) in the rehabilitation of primary posterior teeth. TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED: Using predefined combinations of different search terms, the authors searched the standard electronic bibliographic databases-MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, The Cochrane Library, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature-and the Trip medical database for randomized controlled trials in which the investigators evaluated the clinical and radiographic effectiveness of ZCs and SSCs. Version 2 of the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials was used for quality appraisal of the included clinical trials. Random-effects model and Mantel-Haenszel test were used for the statistical analysis of estimated effect sizes. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using GRADEpro GDT software (McMaster University and Evidence Prime). RESULTS: A total of 6 studies were included from the initial 641 results. The overall risk of bias had "low" concerns in 3 studies and "some" concerns in the remaining 3 studies. From the pooled data of the meta-analysis, the authors observed 63 clinical failure events in 497 primary teeth rehabilitated with ZCs or SSCs. Rehabilitation of primary teeth with ZCs may result in fewer clinical failures (risk ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.15 to 1.52; P = .21; I2 = 62%) and probably better gingival health (mean difference, -0.32; 95% CI, -0.42 to -0.23; P < .001; I2 = 0%) than SSCs. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Primary posterior teeth rehabilitated with ZCs may have less risk of experiencing clinical failure and probably better gingival health after 12 months than SSCs. Considering the quality of available literature, no recommendations could be made regarding the effectiveness of ZCs compared with that of SSCs in the rehabilitation of primary posterior teeth. Pediatric dentists should select ZCs or SSCs according to the clinical situation for successful primary teeth rehabilitation. A protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42020194363).

Age estimation using third molar maturation based on Demirjian's criteria.

Dental age estimation is routinely used in human identification, in both the living and the dead. Teeth follow a predictable pattern of eruption and maturation that can be assessed radiographically in the living, allowing experts to estimate an individual's age. Third molars develop much later than the other permanent teeth, and can be used to estimate age of individuals nearing the age of maturity. Ability of third molar maturation when graded using Demirjian's method in ascertaining whether an individual has attained the medicolegal ages of 16 and 18 years has not yet been verified. The present study involved assessing the third molar maturation of 220 individuals of a training set using Demirjian's scoring system, generating regression models to estimate age using the third molar maturity scores, applying these models on a test set of 40 individuals, and calculating the mean difference (MD) and the mean absolute error (MAE) between the chronological and estimated ages of the test set participants. It was observed that the lowest mean difference and mean absolute error was observed for the maturation of the left mandibular third molar (MD = 1.05 years, MAE = 2.09 years). Boxplots generated in the study report that the third molar maturation stages given by Demirjian can identify whether an individual has attained the medicolegally significant ages of 16 and 18 years of age.

Level of Evidence Analysis in Journal of Maxillofacial Oral Surgery: A Twelve-Year Bibliometric Analysis of 1300 Publications (2009-2020).

AIM: Analysing Level of Evidence (LOE) provides an insight to evidence-based medicine (EBM). The aim of our study was to evaluate and analyse trends in Levels of Evidence (LOE) in Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery (MAOS) since inception, i.e. December 2009 along with categorization into subtopics. METHODOLOGY: LOE for each article was determined according to modified American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) scale and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Evidence Hierarchy. RESULTS: A total of 1264 articles were included in the final analysis, out of which high-quality evidence (Level A) accounted for 7% of the journal. The percentage of Level I/II (Level A) has increased from 2.09% in 2009/2010 to 12.74% in 2019/2020, representing a promising trend toward higher-quality research in just 10 years. Case reports and narrative reviews with Level of Evidence value "D" account the highest number (36%) of all the published articles. The majority of articles fell under Class 2 (Maxillofacial pathology) classification (35%) highlighting myriad of articles covering pathologies and various reconstruction methods, followed by trauma (16%). CONCLUSION: The status of LOE and categorizing of published articles are the first step to audit and quantify the nature of literature published by JMOS and may further help in refining the quality of research jointly by the researchers and the editorial board.

Unisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis in maxillofacial region in pediatrics: comprehensive and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to identify, enlist, and analyze cases of unisystem LCH in the maxillofacial pediatric population to understand the clinical presentation and encourage the consideration of this rare disease in the differential diagnosis. Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an aggressive benign condition affecting mainly the pediatric population. It can be easily masked as periodontal disease in the maxillofacial region. Early diagnosis and a systemic evaluation are of utmost importance. METHODOLOGY: We are presenting a complete review of literature in the pediatric population according to PRISMA guidelines for clinicopathologic, histopathological, immunohistochemistry, and treatment for unisystem LCH. The risk of bias assessment across studies was done using a Case series appraisal checklist by Guo et al. 53 RESULTS: Forty-nine articles (152 cases) were selected which met our inclusion and exclusion criteria to be included in our review. Most of the patients fall in 6-12 years of age with the involvement of the mandibular body region in 40.79% cases. This disease mainly presents as erythematous gingiva, pain, swelling, and mobile teeth. Management can range from minimal intervention to chemotherapy and surgery. CONCLUSION AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Although this is a rare condition, it should be considered especially in the pediatric population with periodontitis type lesions and floating teeth and comprehensive management should be followed. Early diagnosis of the disease is very important.

Comparative Analysis of Shear Bond Strength of Composites to the Sodium Ascorbate Hydrogel-treated Bleached Enamel Surfaces: An In Vitro Analysis.

AIM: To compare the shear bond strength of composites to the sodium ascorbate hydrogel-treated bleached enamel surfaces. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-six extracted human maxillary first premolars were sectioned mesiodistally to obtain two nonocclusal surfaces (n = 132). The specimen in the experimental group (n = 80) were divided into four treatment groups depending upon bleaching protocols used: group I (10% FGM home bleach), group II (22% Pola Night home bleach), group III (37% light-activated in-office bleach Pola Office+), and group IV (35% Pola office in-office bleach without light activation). Specimens were subjected to the 1-minute application twice with sodium ascorbate hydrogel and were further divided into two subgroups "a" (acetone-based) and "b"(ethanol-based) depending upon the bonding agents used. The specimens of the control group (n = 52) were further divided into two treatment groups, that is, positive control and negative control. The specimens were tested using universal testing machine. RESULTS: The result of the present study revealed that the specimens bleached with 10% FGM home bleach showed the greatest shear bond strength and specimens bleached with 35% in-office bleach Pola Office showed the lowest shear bond strength. CONCLUSION: A twice 1-minute application of sodium ascorbate hydrogel was effective to reverse the deleterious results of bleaching on enamel shear bond strength. Bonding agent containing acetone as a solvent (Prime and Bond NT) in this present study showed greater shear bond strength values than the bonding agent containing ethanol as a solvent (Adper Single Bond). STATEMENT OF CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The shear bond strength of composite restorative materials could be improved by applying sodium ascorbate gel to the bleached enamel surfaces. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Pathak K, Kumar P, Choudhary A, et al. Comparative Analysis of Shear Bond Strength of Composites to the Sodium Ascorbate Hydrogel-treated Bleached Enamel Surfaces: An In vitro Analysis. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(6):741-747.

The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in primary teeth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The varied prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in primary teeth around the globe raises a serious knowledge gap in the available literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of TDI in primary teeth and also to evaluate the different factors associated with TDI in primary teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Comprehensive searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials with predefined search criteria. The primary outcome was the prevalence of TDI in primary teeth, and the secondary outcomes were the factors associated with TDI in primary teeth. Qualitative analysis was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale adapted for cross-sectional studies. The random-effect model was used for meta-analysis, and meta-regression analysis was done to evaluate the heterogeneity between the included studies. Meta-analysis was done using the "meta" package of "R" language. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using GRADEpro GDT software. RESULTS: A total of 24 cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria representing 4876 TDIs in 22 839 children aged between 0 and 6 years old. The overall prevalence of TDI in primary teeth was 24.2% (95% CI: 18.24-31.43, P = 0, I2  = 99%). Falls contributed the highest number of TDI - 59.3% (95% CI: 41.05-76.40, P < .01, I2  = 98%) - in primary teeth. The most common type of tooth fracture in primary teeth was an enamel fracture (61.9%), and prevalence of TDI in children with incompetent lip closure was 49.4%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TDI in cross-sectional studies of primary teeth was 24.2% with very low quality of evidence. Falls contributed the highest number of TDI in primary teeth, accounting for 59.3%. Children with incompetent lip closure have the highest prevalence (49.4%) of TDI in primary teeth.

Clinical differences of hand and rotary instrumentations during biomechanical preparation in primary teeth-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The hand and rotary instruments are used for cleaning and shaping of root canals during biomechanical preparation in primary teeth. AIM: To determine clinical differences of hand versus rotary root canal instrumentation in primary teeth. DESIGN: Comprehensive searches were made in four electronic databases [MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, Google Scholar, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials] till March 2020, and prospective studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. The primary outcome was instrumentation time, whereas the secondary outcomes were quality of obturation, obturation time, and clinical and radiographic success. From 604 screened studies, eleven studies qualified for meta-analysis. The random-effect model and generic inverse variance approach were used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: There was significant decrease in instrumentation time [MD-5.00 minutes (95% CI: 3.05-6.94), P < .00001, moderate evidence quality] and obturation time [MD-0.43 minutes (95% CI: 0.15-0.71), P = .003, low evidence quality] with rotary instrumentation. Optimal quality of obturation was achieved in significantly more number of teeth [risk ratio (RR) = 0.71(95% CI: 0.53-0.95),P = .02, moderate to high evidence quality] with rotary instrumentation. Similar clinical and radiographic success was observed in hand and rotary instrumentation techniques. CONCLUSION: Significant reduction in instrumentation time of five minutes was observed using rotary instrumentation with moderate quality evidence.

Comparative Evaluation of the Influence of Different Sports/Energy Drinks and Alcoholic Beverages on the Surface Roughness of Three Different Flowable Esthetic Restorative Materials: An In Vitro Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the surface roughness of three flowable esthetic restorative materials after exposure to sports/energy drinks and alcoholic beverages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 210 specimens of dimension (2cm diameter and 2 mm thickness) with giomer, compomer, and composite (70 samples with each esthetic material) were made with the help of plastic rings. The prepared samples were tested in six experimental sports/energy drinks (beer, whiskey, vodka, Gatorade, Red Bull, and Sting) and distilled water was considered as the control group. Profilometric analyses of all samples were recorded before immersing into the experimental and control solutions. Then, the samples were stored in the experimental and control group solutions for 5min for 30 days. The profilometric analysis was repeated after 30 days and records were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Flowable composite showed the minimum surface roughness, whereas the flowable compomer showed the maximum surface roughness in the present test conditions. When the erosive potential of the test solutions was evaluated, surface roughness values were more for sports/energy drinks when compared to that of alcoholic beverages. CONCLUSION: All the sports/energy drinks and alcoholic beverages evaluated in this study altered the surface roughness of the tested restorative materials. The effects ranged from slight to a markedly negative impact on the surface roughness of the test restorative materials.

The incidence of nickel-titanium endodontic hand file fractures: A 7-year retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital.

AIM: The present retrospective cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the incidence and factors associated with nickel-titanium hand file fractures in root canal-treated teeth in a tertiary care hospital of western India. METHODOLOGY: The diagnostic records of intraoral periapical (IOPA) radiographs were analyzed to check for file fractures in the root canal-treated teeth. As a part of standardized departmental protocol, Hand ProTaper Universal file system (Dentsply, India) was used for chemomechanical preparation for root canal treatment. The file fractures were analyzed with reference to age group, type of teeth, curvature of the canal, site of file fracture in the canal, length of file fracture, level of file fracture, distance of the file fracture from the apex, and obturation status of the file-fractured tooth. Chi-square test was applied to assess the significance difference between the tested groups. RESULTS: A total of 19,810 IOPA X-rays were screened and 2728 root canal-treated teeth were found and of these 2728 cases, 109 file-fractured teeth were observed. CONCLUSION: The total incidence of file fractures was 3.9/100 root canal-treated cases, and mandibular molars with severely curved canals (>25°) had shown the maximum incidence of file fractures.

Critical analysis of methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of antibiotics in third molar surgeries using AMSTAR 2.

The clinicians usually prescribe antibiotics to reduce post-operative complications during third molar surgeries. However, in the absence of clear conclusions regarding the use of antibiotics in third molar surgeries, present systematic review was planned to assess the quality of systematic reviews evaluating the efficiency of antibiotics in reducing post-operative complications. The literature search was done in Cochrane Library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PUBMED, EMBASE, and Google scholar. Systematic reviews published in English during the period from January 1990 to December 2019 were included. The maxillary and mandibular third molars indicated for extraction either because of infection, orthodontic or prophylactic reasons were included. From 526 screened studies, thirteen reviews were qualified for qualitative analysis. The qualities of the included reviews were evaluated using the AMSTAR 2 tool. The included reviews were also evaluated based on the number of authors, geographic region, impact factor of the published journal, year of publication, and the number of citations for each review. One high quality, eight moderate quality, three low quality, and one critically low-quality reviews were observed in the present review. No statistically significant difference was observed between the included reviews based upon the analysis of the number of authors, geographic region, impact factor of the published journal, year of publication, and the number of citations for each review. Considering the observations form the high and moderate-quality reviews, the present systematic review concludes that antibiotics effectively aid in reducing the post-operative complications and frequency of observation of dry socket.

Evaluation of Three Different Bleaching Agents in Permanent and Primary Teeth: An In Vitro Study.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of three different bleaching agents in permanent and primary teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was done on 60 freshly extracted single-rooted teeth (30 permanent and 30 primary incisors) with intact coronal portion. The teeth were artificially stained with whole blood as the staining medium in a high-speed centrifuge. The discolorations were determined by the use of 3D Master Vita shade guide. The conventional endodontic treatment procedures were completed in all the test samples. The test samples were divided into group I (permanent teeth) and group II (primary teeth). The test samples were further divided into three subgroups according to the experimental materials used for bleaching [group IA-10% carbamide peroxide (CP), group IIB-9.5% hydrogen peroxide (HP), and group IIIC-10% sodium perborate (SP)]. The samples were evaluated at 7 days and 14 days after the completion of intracoronal bleaching procedure. RESULTS: The CP group showed lowest shade values, and SP group showed the highest shade values after 14 days in both permanent and primary teeth. The CP showed the significant difference in the shade at 7 days and 14 days in permanent teeth. No statistically significant difference was observed between the three experimental at the 7 days and 14 days in the primary teeth. CONCLUSION: The CP is effective in permanent teeth after 7 days and 14 days of intracoronal bleaching. The three experimental materials are equally effective in the primary teeth bleaching after 7 days and 14 days. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Behl M, Patnana AK, Khanna V. Evaluation of Three Different Bleaching Agents in Permanent and Primary Teeth: An In Vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(2):130-135.

A Comparative Evaluation of Three Different Dental Age Estimation Methods in India: A Test of Ethnic Variability.

AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the applicability of Demirjian, Willems, and Haavikko methods of dental age estimation in southeastern (Dravidian ethnicity) and northwestern regions (Aryan ethnicity) of the Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study includes the orthopantomographs (OPGs) of 303 individuals (173 males and 130 females) of age ranging from 5 to 14 years. The participants in the present research were evaluated under two study groups: group I: participants of the southeastern region and group II: participants of the northwestern region. Dental age was calculated using Demirjian, Willems, and Haavikko methods and compared with the chronologic age of each participant. The accuracy of dental age estimation methods was evaluated by mean absolute error. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student's t tests were used to test the significant difference between the chronologic age and estimated dental ages. RESULTS: The Demirjian method showed overestimation, while Willems and Haavikko methods showed underestimation for boys and girls in both the ethnic groups of Indian population. The Willems method of dental age estimation showed comparatively more accurate and reliable results in both the ethnic groups of the Indian population. CONCLUSION: The dental age estimation by Demirjian, Willems, and Haavikko methods showed no significant variation between the different ethnicities of the Indian population. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The present research will be helpful in pedodontic, orthodontic, and forensic investigations for accurate and reliable dental age estimation in different parts of Indian population. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Chaudhry K, Talwar M, Vanga NRV, et al. A Comparative Evaluation of Three Different Dental Age Estimation Methods in India: A Test of Ethnic Variability. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(1):16-20.

Evaluating the fracture resistance of fiber reinforced composite restorations - An in vitro analysis.

BACKGROUND: Laboratory reports show that fiber-reinforced composites have improved fracture resistance over traditional composites. However, limitations in the biomechanics of tests to evaluate the fracture resistance of fiber-reinforced composites need to be considered for accurate clinical applications. AIM: To assess the fracture resistance of particulate filler composites, glass fiber-reinforced composites, and polyethylene-fiber reinforced composites by analyzing the different fracture types and failure patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A standardized incisal (Group I) and mesioincisal fractures (Group II) were prepared on human maxillary central incisors. The test samples were further subdivided according to the restorative material used; particulate filler composites (Filtek Z 250), glass fiber-reinforced composites (fibre splint), and polyethylene-reinforced composites (Ribbond). The type of fractures was evaluated under the stereomicroscope and the failure patterns were analyzed using the graphical output from Universal Testing Machine. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Chi-square test of association was used to test the association between fiber-reinforced composites and fracture resistance of tooth restoration complex. RESULTS: No statistical association was observed between fiber-reinforced composites to the type of fractures in both incisal (P = 0.29) and mesioincisal restoration (P = 0.27). A significant association was observed between the fiber-reinforced composites to the failure patterns in both the incisal (P = 0.005) and mesioincisal restoration (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The glass and polyethylene fiber-reinforced composites showed improved fracture resistance properties than the traditional particulate filler composites in both incisal and mesioincisal restorations.

Impact of Oral Submucous Fibrosis on Quality of Life: A Multifactorial Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) has been extensively researched for its etiopathogenesis, malignant potential, and various available treatment modalities, but its effect on different domains of patient's life has not been thoroughly investigated. The present study aimed to clearly construe the effects of OSMF like severity and demographic variables on different domains of quality of life in OSMF patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Dentistry, AIIMS Jodhpur, India. A total of 200 patients (after informed consent) were selected and detailed proforma filled including patient's demographics, habits, clinical features, and quality of life using a World Health Organization Quality of life-BREF tool (WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire). Thereafter, interpretation and statistics were done by a separate trained examiner minimizing the risk of assessment bias. RESULT: Quality of life (QOL) scores differed significantly according to age, site affected, habit duration, and severity of OSMF. It, however, did not differ according to gender. CONCLUSION: In this study, there has been a statistically significant deterioration of quality of life in OSMF patients in all the domains. Realization of this would increase our chance to bring the focus of the society and its policy makers to confront the growing menace of OSMF.