Could bulk fill glass hybrid restorative materials replace composite resins in treating permanent teeth? A randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the clinical and radiographic efficacy of Equia system bulk fill glass hybrid material with composite resins in the permanent restoration of pediatric patients' permanent teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 44 pediatric patients aged 8-16 who applied to Necmettin Erbakan University Pediatric Dentistry Department. The groups were formed as symmetrical teeth in the same patient using the split-mouth design. The study included class I caries lesions of 144 permanent teeth. Group 1 was restored with the Equia system bulk fill glass hybrid material (Equia Forte HT + Equia Forte Coat [GC, Co, Tokyo, Japan]) (n = 72) and Group 2 with the Charisma Smart universal composite resin (Kulzer, Gmbh, Hanau, Germany) + Clearfil SE Bond (Kuraray, Noritake, Sakazu, Okayama) (n = 72). Evaluations were performed clinically and radiographically by two physicians in 2nd week, 3rd month, 6th month, and 12th month and the results were recorded. Clinical evaluation was carried out using modified-USPHS criteria. Obtained data were statistically analyzed using Kendall's W test and Cochran's Q test for the comparison within the group, and the Chi-square test for the comparison between groups. RESULTS: Among the materials utilized in the study, there was no statistically significant difference in marginal adaptation, marginal discoloration, retention, anatomical form, postoperative sensitivity, and secondary caries according (p > 0.05). Group 2 outperformed statistically significant Group 1 in terms of color match in all periods (p < 0.05). While there was no statistically significant difference in surface structure between the groups in 2nd week and 3rd month (p > 0.05), there was a statistically substantial difference in 6th, and 12th months (p < 0.05). No secondary caries or periapical lesions were found in any restorations during radiographic evaluation. CONCLUSION: After a year, the clinical performance of both Equia and composite resins was equivalent and successful in the majority of the measures against which they were evaluated. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Based on the results of the research, Equia system bulk fill glass hybrid restorations are considered a viable alternative to composite resins in class I permanent teeth restorations.

The effects of gastric acid on pediatric restorative materials: SEM analysis.

In this study, we aimed to demonstrate changes in the surface roughness and microhardness of three different restorative materials routinely used in pediatric dentistry (composite, compomer and resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMCIS)) in response to continuous daily exposure to gastric acid. Twelve samples of each of type of restorative material were prepared. Eleven of the specimens were included in the gastric acid cycle. The microhardness and surface roughness of ten samples were measured before and after the cycle. Another sample included in the cycle was compared with the sample not included in the cycle by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of roughness scores following gastric acid cycle (p = 0.039). RMCIS material possessed the highest roughness value. A significant difference was identified in terms of microhardness levels before and after the gastric acid cycle (p = 0.001). The most significant change was observed in the compomer material. SEM analysis, performed after the gastric acid cycle, revealed that most cracks were identified in RMCIS material; this was followed by compomer and composite materials, respectively. Our analysis indicates that the restorative materials used frequently in pediatric dental procedures, show increased surface roughness and reduced microhardness when exposed to gastric acid.

Knowledge and experience of pediatricians and pedodontists in identifying and managing child abuse and neglect cases.

Child abuse, by definition parents and other family members, caregivers, or any adult he does not know culturally inappropriate, harmful to the child described, inhibiting growth and development, or exposure to a restrictive behavior. This study aims to evaluate the capabilities of pediatricians and pedodontists in identifying and managing child abuse and neglect within healthcare settings, a crucial responsibility for professionals across various medical disciplines. Questionnaire was performed on 53 pediatricians and 89 pedodontists. Utilizing a 28-item expert-designed electronic questionnaire, the study solicited responses from pediatricians and pedodontists to assess their demographic characteristics, professional experience, and self-perceived competence in this critical area. The results indicate that 42% of the participating healthcare providers have encountered at least one case of child abuse and neglect. Notably, pedodontists displayed a higher level of uncertainty in identifying abuse and neglect cases compared to pediatricians. Furthermore, participants who had a higher level of self-perceived competence were significantly more willing to identify and manage cases, although this self-assessment did not correlate with their actual skills or level of willingness to intervene effectively. The study concludes that there is a pressing need for specialized training programs tailored to enhance the skill sets of healthcare providers in identifying and managing child abuse and neglect. These programs should encompass not only academic knowledge but also practical applications and psychosocial support techniques to ensure a holistic approach to combating this serious issue.

Retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness of teledentistry approach during COVID-19 in pediatric dentistry: A parental perspective.

Objective: Dentistry necessarily requires close face-to-face contact with patients, so it was largely halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this pandemic, teledentistry (TD) could be a novel way to resume dental practice. It was aimed to investigate the satisfaction of the parents who received teledentistry (TD) service in a pediatric dentistry clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other factors that may have contributed to this satisfaction. Methods: It was conducted using a telephone survey to interview the parents who used the TD system between June and December 2020. The survey includes participant demographics, COVID-19 anxiety, TD system, reasons for using TD, and Internet use in the field of health. Five-point Likert scale was used. A Chi-squared test was used and p < 0.05 was accepted as significant. Results: Most of the participants stated that they had no trouble connecting to the TD system (82.5%), and 119 participants reported that the system helped them to solve their health problems. Significant relationships (p < 0.05) were found between overall satisfaction and parental job, level of education, anxiety level (3 questions), and use of the Internet in healthcare (4 questions), whereas no associations were found regarding the other variables (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Parents benefited greatly from the TD system and would be open to using it after the pandemic. The education and parental job categories of parents, anxiety level, and use of the Internet in healthcare seem to have relationships with overall satisfaction.