Caries arrest effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride compared to alternative restorative technique: randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: This RCT study assessed and compared the effect of a biannual application of 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) with alternative restorative technique (ART) on arresting caries in primary dentition. METHODS: The RCT was conducted over a period of 12 months and included 79 healthy children (237 primary teeth), aged 3-8 years, selected from the University Pediatric Dentistry outpatient clinics, with at least one primary asymptomatic tooth with active dentinal occlusal/labial lesions. Children were randomly assigned to SDF application or ART treatment. Visual and tactile examinations were used after 6 and 12 months to assess the activity of the carious lesions using the ICDAS II. RESULTS: At 6- and 12-month-evaluation periods, no statistically significant differences in lesions arrest were found between SDF and ART groups (P = 1.000). Considering the frequency of arrested caries between the test groups at 6 and 12 months, no significant differences were observed between anterior and posterior lesions, as well as between the maxillary and mandibular lesions. When comparing the working time for the two treatments, the median time for those treated with SDF was 3.3 min, compared to 14.4 min for ART and was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Both SDF and ART are, indeed, effective for arresting caries. However, the chair-time management required for SDF is significantly shorter compared to ART. Taking into consideration the present evidence, the best decision regarding disease management and application of SDF or ART is to be made by the dentist and the patient/parent, recognizing individuals' differences and preferences.

Gender Inequalities in the Dental Workforce: Global Perspectives.

The aim of this review is to investigate the growth of diversity and inclusion in global academic dental research with a focus on gender equality. A diverse range of research methodologies were used to conduct this review, including an extensive review of the literature, engagement of key informants in dental academic leadership positions around the world, and review of current data from a variety of national and international organizations. Results provide evidence of gender inequalities that currently persist in dental academics and research. Although the gender gap among graduating dental students in North America and the two most populous countries in Europe (the United Kingdom and France) has been narrowed, women make up 30% to 40% of registered dentists in countries throughout Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa. In academic dentistry around the globe, greater gender inequality was found to correlate with higher ranking academic and leadership positions in the United States, United Kingdom, several countries in European Union, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Further disparities are noted in the dental research sector, where women make up 33% of dental researchers in the European Union, 35% in North America, 55% in Brazil, and 25% in Japan. Family and societal pressures, limited access to research funding, and lack of mentoring and leadership training opportunities are reported as also contributing to gender inequalities. To continue advancing gender equality in dental academia and research, efforts should be geared toward the collection and public dissemination of data on gender-specific distributions. Such evidence-driven information will guide the selection of future strategies and best practices for promoting gender equity in the dental workforce, which provides a major pipeline of researchers and scholars for the dental profession.

Elemental ion release from fixed restorative materials into patient saliva.

The objective of this study was to quantitatively investigate the elemental ion release from the fixed gold alloy and ceramic crowns into patient saliva. Twenty patients who participated in the study were divided into two equal groups; 1) full coverage type IV gold crowns and 2) full coverage CAD-CAM-fabricated ceramic crowns. Saliva collection and clinical evaluation of marginal integrity and gingival health were performed before crowns preparation, 3 months and 6 months after crowns placement. Clinical evaluations were conducted using California Dental Association criteria. Collected saliva samples were analysed for element release using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The zinc, copper, palladium, gold and silver were released from type IV gold crowns into saliva, while the silicon and aluminium were released from ceramic crowns. A clinically significant number of subjects had increased release of zinc from baseline to three-month recall and increased silicon release from baseline to both three-month and six-month recalls. For all elements, the subjects' counts for the case of three-month recall to six-month recall were never higher than that of the case of baseline to three-month recall except for palladium. No obvious adverse effects on marginal integrity or gingival health were noticed. Significant increased releases of zinc from cast gold crowns and silicon from CAD-CAM-fabricated ceramic crowns into the saliva were evident after 3 months of clinical service.

The investigation of copper-based impregnated activated carbons prepared from water-soluble materials for broad spectrum respirator applications.

The preparation of impregnated activated carbons (IACs) from aqueous, copper-containing solutions for broad spectrum gas filtration applications is studied here. Several samples were studied to determine the effect that impregnant loading, impregnant distribution and impregnant recipe had on the overall performance. Dynamic flow testing was used to determine the gas filtration capacity of the IAC samples versus a variety of challenge gases. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were used to characterize the impregnant distribution on the carbon as a function of impregnant loading. Oven tests were performed to determine the thermal stability of the IAC samples exposed to elevated temperatures. The role impregnant distribution plays in gas filtration capacity and the overall performance of the IAC samples is discussed. The IAC samples prepared in this work were found to have gas filtration capacities as good as or better than broad spectrum respirator carbon samples prepared from the patent literature. IACs impregnated with an aqueous 2.4 M Cu(NO(3))(2)/0.04 M H(3)PO(4).12MoO(3)/4M HNO(3) solution that were heated to 200 degrees C under argon were found to have the best overall performance of the samples studied in this work.

An epidemiological investigation into the relative importance of age and oral hygiene status as determinants of periodontitis.

The objective of this study was to assess the relative effects of age and oral hygiene on the progression of periodontitis by estimating incidence from age-specific prevalence. This study analyzed data from a representative national sample of 14,690 dentate Americans, aged from 15 to 74, seen in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) in 1971-1974. Results showed that the rate of increase in the estimated incidence of periodontitis with age, throughout all age groups, is much higher among subjects with poor oral hygiene than among those with good oral hygiene. Oral hygiene was confirmed as the most important predictor for periodontitis; in all age groups, more than 95% of those examined with good oral hygiene did not have periodontitis. It was concluded that the effect of age on the progression of periodontitis could therefore be considered negligible when good oral hygiene is maintained.