Evaluation of the relationship between dental anxiety and oral health status of mothers and their children.

BACKGROUND: Mothers usually have the primary role in raising children and developing health-related behaviors. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between dental anxiety and oral hygiene status of mothers and children's dental anxiety and gingival health. METHODS: The study included 305 children, aged 4-12 years, who came to the dentist for the first time and their mothers. All the demographic and oral hygiene information were collected through a questionnaire. The dental anxiety of the mothers and children was assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and Venham Picture Test (VPT), respectively. The oral examination of the mother and children was performed, and their PI, GI, and DMFT scores were recorded. RESULTS: While the correlation between MDAS and VPT was positive and strong in children aged 8-12, it was positive but weak in the 4-7 age group. A significant relationship was detected between the mother's PI, GI, DMFT, and the child's VPT score. According to the mothers' dental anxiety, there were no statistically significant differences in PI, GI, and dmft values in children aged between 4 to 7. A moderately positive and statistically significant relationship between maternal dental anxiety and children's DMFT was identified in children aged 8-12. CONCLUSIONS: Children's dental anxiety was significantly influenced by maternal dental anxiety, post-treatment complications experienced by the mother, and the oral health status of the mother. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials-ID: NCT05563532; Registration Date: 17.09.2022.

Comparison of Er,Cr:YSGG laser and diode laser in the treatment of gingival melanin pigmentation: a randomized clinical trial.

This investigation has aimed to compare the efficiency of clinical depigmentation and repigmentation rate of erbium chromium-doped: yttrium, scandium, gallium, garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) and diode lasers during a 1-year follow-up and to evaluate patient satisfaction. Twenty-two participants were divided into Er,Cr:YSGG laser and diode laser groups using computer-aided randomization. Dummett Oral Pigmentation Index (DOPI) and photographic assessment with ImageJ Software version 10.2 were performed at the preoperative period and postoperative 1st month, 6th month, and 12th month. Moreover, the study assessed intra- and postoperative intensities of pain and postoperative patient aesthetic satisfaction using the Visual Analog Scale in both groups. The median values of DOPI did not differ statistically between the groups according to time (p > 0.05). In the Er,Cr:YSGG group, the extension of repigmentation was less as compared to the diode group at 1-year follow-up (p = 0.045). In the Er,Cr:YSGG group, the patients felt less intraoperative pain and discomfort compared to the diode group (p = 0.007). No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of patient aesthetic satisfaction at the 1st and 12th months. The findings indicate that diode and Er,Cr:YSGG lasers can be used safely in depigmentation treatment, while the Er,Cr:YSGG laser has been shown to have superiorities in pain management and patient comfort parameters. Clinical Trial No.: NCT05304624.

Effect of Mozart's music on the learning of toothbrushing behavior in children with high and low dental anxiety levels.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Mozart's music on the learning of toothbrushing behavior in children with high and low dental anxiety levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, controlled, single-blinded, and observational study was conducted with 60 children, aged 8-12, who were recruited to high dental anxiety level (HDAL) and low dental anxiety level (LDAL) groups. Both groups were divided into two equal subgroups (with or without Mozart's music). In the Mozart's music subgroups, children were exposed to Mozart's Sonata for 7 min and toothbrushing training was given accompanied by music. The training was instructed to the second subgroup without listening to Mozart's music. The periodontal measurements were repeated after 15 days. Three-factor variance analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease in plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) scores in the follow-up visits for all groups (p < 0.05). A statistically significant decrease was found in PI values between groups with or without music in those with HDAL (p < 0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were found between groups with or without music in those with LDAL (p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Listening to Mozart's music before toothbrushing training had a significant effect on plaque removal in children with high dental anxiety, while Mozart's music did not have a positive effect in the group with low dental anxiety. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of Mozart's music may be beneficial in oral hygiene education for children with high dental anxiety levels.

The comparison of the efficacy of gingival unit graft with connective tissue graft in recession defect coverage: a randomized split-mouth clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Gingival unit graft (GUG) is defined as the modified form of free gingival graft. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy of GUG with connective tissue graft (SCTG) with respect to clinical periodontal parameters and patient comfort scores in gingival recessions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with bilateral recession type 1 (RT1) gingival recessions participated in this randomized and split-mouth study. Thirty-two defects received surgical treatment with SCTG or GUG. The recession defect coverage, periodontal measurements, and patient-reported outcomes (intra- and post-operative patient comfort, aesthetic satisfaction, and hypersensitivity) were evaluated at baseline and post-operative months 1, 3 and 6. RESULTS: The favorable results were obtained in both study groups in gingival recession depth (RD), gingival recession width (RW), clinical attachment level (CAL), and keratinized tissue width (KTW). The average percentages of the recession defect coverage (RC) for GUG and SCTG group treatments after 6 months were 68.2 ± 33% and 76.4 ± 30.2%, respectively (p > 0.05). Although there was no significant difference between groups at post-operative 6 months (p > 0.05) in terms of RD, RW, CAL, RC, patient comfort, aesthetic satisfaction, and hypersensitivity parameters, the increase in KTW was significantly higher in GUG group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that although both techniques were effective, GUG can be a convenient method for treatment of RT1 gingival recessions with inadequate KTW and (or) shallow vestibule depth. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: According to the results of this study, GUG may be a preferred choice in localized gingival recessions with a lack of keratinized tissue. The trial registration number: NCT04637451.

The prominent proteins expressed in healthy gingiva: a pilot exploratory tissue proteomics study.

Gingiva is a unique tissue which protects the underlying periodontal tissues from consistent mechanical and bacterial aggressions. Molecular analysis of gingiva is likely to improve our understanding of the underlying biological processes at work. The aim of this preliminary exploratory study is to analyze the proteomic profile of healthy gingiva and to detect prominently expressed proteins. Gingival tissue samples were obtained from periodontally healthy individuals who underwent surgical crown lengthening procedure. After protein isolation, two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) gels were prepared for each sample and only protein spots common to all gels were selected to eliminate the bias caused by the effect of individuals on proteomic profile. Following the 2DE; in-gel tryptic digestion and MALDI-TOF/TOF steps were performed for protein identifications. Forty-seven proteins were successfully identified. The identified proteins were classified based on their classes, molecular functions and involvements in biological processes and metabolic pathways. Among them, 14-3-3 protein sigma, Protein DJ-1, Alpha-enolase, Triosephosphate isomerase, Superoxide dismutase, Peroxiredoxin-1, Protein S100-A9, Galectin-7, Annexin A2/A4, Carbonic anhydrase 1 and chaperone proteins are worthy of attention. The proteomic profile of the gingiva reflected its highly dynamic characteristics. Despite complexity of the gingival tissue proteome, 2DE was an effective approach in studying the common protein expression profile of the gingiva. Considering the significance of gingiva in the formation of periodontal diseases, it is important to generate a detailed proteome map of gingival tissue to set up a bridge between molecular events and the disease formation. This study established an initial proteome map of the gingival tissue from healthy individuals.

Comparative examination of trabecular bone structure in healthy and diabetic patients with periodontitis using fractal analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Fractal analysis is a numerical method that indicates the structural patterns and complexity of the trabecular bone on radiographs. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the trabecular bone structure in systemically healthy patients and diabetes mellitus patients with periodontitis using fractal analysis. METHOD AND MATERIALS: The study included 125 mandibular first molars of nonsmoker patients. The subjects were divided into five subgroups: diabetes mellitus patients with mild-moderate periodontitis, diabetes mellitus patients with advanced periodontitis, systemically healthy individuals with mild-moderate periodontitis, systemically healthy individuals with advanced periodontitis, and systemically healthy individuals with gingivitis (control group). Clinical periodontal parameters (pocket depth, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment loss, and bone loss) were recorded. Two specific sites located in the mesial-distal regions (n = 250) of the mandibular first molars were identified using periapical radiographs captured with a parallel technique. Fractal analysis values were calculated using the box-counting method. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS: The highest fractal analysis values were observed in systemically healthy with gingivitis patients (mesial fractal analysis: 1.86 ± 0.01; distal fractal analysis: 1.85 ± 0.01). Patients with periodontitis (mesial fractal analysis: 1.78 ± 0.02; distal fractal analysis: 1.79 ± 0.01) exhibited lower fractal analysis values compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in mesial and distal fractal analysis values between all periodontitis groups. No correlation was found between age, sex, clinical attachment loss, bone loss, and fractal analysis (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Although fractal analysis values were lower in the periodontitis groups compared to the control group, fractal analysis did not demonstrate any periodontitis-associated changes of bone trabeculation in diabetes at any stage of periodontitis. Furthermore, there was no significant association between fractal analysis values and age, sex, clinical attachment, and bone loss.

The Effects of Motivational Methods Applied During Toothbrushing on Children's Oral Hygiene and Periodontal Health.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different motivational methods on children's oral hygiene and periodontal health. Methods: A prospective, controlled, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial was conducted with 60 six- to 12-year-olds who were randomly assigned to toothbrushing with an hourglass timer, music video, or control group. All three groups were divided into two equal subgroups: those using a manual toothbrush and those using a powered toothbrush. The plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were measured in each group. The data obtained were analyzed using three-factor variance analysis. Results: A statistically significant decrease was observed in PI and GI values in all groups (P<0.05). The highest decrease in PI values was observed in the group brushing with a music video and a powered toothbrush (51.8 percent), whereas the least decrease was observed in the control group using a powered toothbrush (26.1 percent). The differences were not statistically significant among the groups. Conclusions: A significant decrease in plaque index and gingival index values was obtained in all groups compared to baseline values. Although the additional motivational methods used during toothbrushing contributed to improved plaque removal and toothbrushing efficiency, no statistically significant differences were found among the groups.