Antibacterial properties of copper iodide-doped glass ionomer-based materials and effect of copper iodide nanoparticles on collagen degradation.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the antibacterial properties and micro-hardness of polyacrylic acid (PAA)-coated copper iodide (CuI) nanoparticles incorporated into glass ionomer-based materials, and the effect of PAA-CuI on collagen degradation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PAA-CuI nanoparticles were incorporated into glass ionomer (GI), Ionofil Molar AC, and resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI), Vitrebond, at 0.263 wt%. The antibacterial properties against Streptococcus mutans (n = 6/group) and surface micro-hardness (n = 5/group) were evaluated. Twenty dentin beams were completely demineralized in 10 wt% phosphoric acid and equally divided in two groups (n = 10/group) for incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF) or SBF containing 1 mg/ml PAA-CuI. The amount of dry mass loss and hydroxyproline (HYP) released were quantified. Kruskal-Wallis, Student's t test, two-way ANOVA, and Mann-Whitney were used to analyze the antibacterial, micro-hardness, dry mass, and HYP release data, respectively (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Addition of PAA-CuI nanoparticles into the glass ionomer matrix yielded significant reduction (99.999 %) in the concentration of bacteria relative to the control groups. While micro-hardness values of PAA-CuI-doped GI were no different from its control, PAA-CuI-doped RMGI demonstrated significantly higher values than its control. A significant decrease in dry mass weight was shown only for the control beams (10.53 %, p = 0.04). Significantly less HYP was released from beams incubated in PAA-CuI relative to the control beams (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PAA-CuI nanoparticles are an effective additive to glass ionomer-based materials as they greatly enhance their antibacterial properties and reduce collagen degradation without an adverse effect on their mechanical properties. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of copper-doped glass ionomer-based materials under composite restorations may contribute to an increased longevity of adhesive restorations, because of their enhanced antibacterial properties and reduced collagen degradation.

What do classroom teachers of varying backgrounds know about English spelling?

The ability to encode (spell) is an integral writing skill needed to communicate effectively. The ability to spell, also, enhances decoding as spelling and decoding are reciprocal skills that rely on knowledge of the same subskills. Spelling can also be particularly difficult for students with literacy and phonological-processing difficulties such as dyslexia. Because of the multiple benefits of knowing how to spell correctly, it is important for teachers to know the structure of the English language, so they can explicitly teach spelling. Through the administration of a survey, this study assessed 324 U.S. teachers' knowledge of English spelling patterns (Part 1). In addition, the inclusion of survey items intended to measure teachers' awareness of how children's spelling can be influenced by either African American English or the overlap between Spanish and English in emergent bilinguals. African American English and Spanish were chosen due to the underperformance of many African American and Hispanic/Latinx students on national and state reading assessments. Part 2 of the survey assessed teachers' self-efficacy in teaching spelling, while Part 3 assessed teachers' philosophy about spelling and teaching spelling. The Rasch analyses revealed that teachers whose primary area of teaching was reading outperformed those whose primary area of teaching was not reading. Additionally, teachers who taught Emergent Bilinguals outperformed those who did not on the constructs measuring words with possible influences of Spanish language on the spelling of English words. Several spelling patterns posed problems for all groups of teachers, while others were the least difficult for teachers. Practical and research implications are addressed.

English Spelling Performance in Writing Samples Among Spanish-Speaking ELLs.

The depth of the English orthography makes reading and spelling in English a difficult task; particularly for English language learners (ELLs) whose first language (L1) has a shallow orthography. Mastering spelling in English is a critical component of increasing the English literacy of ELLs. This study investigated the English spelling of 569 Spanish-speaking ELLs in Grades 4 to 6. Participants' writing samples were analyzed for spelling errors. Latent class analysis was utilized to discover hidden categories within the data using eight spelling error categories: (a) Vowel Omission; (b) Vowel Addition; (c) Vowel Substitution; (d) Vowel Sequence; (e) Consonant Omission; (f) Consonant Addition; (g) Consonant Substitution; (h) Consonant Sequence. Consonant- and vowel-based errors were nearly equal in each grade level. Latent class analysis resulted in a two-class model. Students in Class 1 made more types of errors than students in Class 2. As the grade level increased, the percentage of students in Class 2 increased. The results of this study show the effects of English and Spanish orthographies on the spelling of Spanish-speaking ELLs, with spelling errors occurring among both vowels and consonants. As omissions were the most prevalent errors in both classes, spelling instruction aimed at decreasing omissions should be considered for ELLs.

Oral Manifestations and Quality of Life in Children with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: A Descriptive Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe oral manifestations and oral health quality of life (QOL) in children aged six months to six years, 11 months with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Methods: Parents of participants completed an oral health QOL survey. The presence of oral lesions associated with TSC was assessed. Results: Sixty-two participants enrolled between February 2015 and March 2017. Among the significant oral health findings, 11 (17.7 percent) had enamel pitting, 33 (53 percent) had no previous dental examination, eight (12.9 percent) did not brush their teeth, and eight (12.9 percent) had caries present. Per the QOL survey results, 18 (31 percent) had difficulty sleeping, 22 (37.3 percent) experienced irritability/frustration, and 15 (29.4 percent) had difficulty pronouncing words. Developmental delays were present in 40 (70.2 percent), seizures occurred within the last three months in 37 (59.7 percent), and a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor medication was used for 22 (35.4 percent). Conclusions: Enamel pitting was observed in 17.7 percent of children in the primary dentition. Oral health quality of life in this tuberous sclerosis complex cohort was significantly reduced.