Radiopacity of flowable composite by a digital technique.

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the radiopacity of 19 current dental flowable composite materials by a digital technique. Digital radiographs were obtained with a CCD sensor using an aluminum step wedge, a 1-mm-thick tooth slice, and a 1-mm-thick flowable composite specimen using five different combinations of exposure and voltage. The radiopacity in pixels was determined using Digora 2.6. software. The equivalent thickness of aluminum for each material was then calculated based on the calibration curve. All of the tested flowable composite materials had higher radiopacities than that of dentin, but in almost every combination of exposure and voltage, there were some composite materials that exhibited radiopacities equal to or slightly greater than enamel p>α; α=0.01). Of the flowable composite materials tested, 37% showed lower radiopacities than enamel, and 21% of the tested materials had higher radiopacities than the 3-mm aluminum equivalent. The highest radiopacity at all exposure values was produced by the Majesty Flow and Charisma Opal Flow materials, which had radiopacities almost twice that of enamel. Flowable composite materials should have radiopacities greater than that of enamel (ISO 4049), an important consideration for the introduction of new materials to the market. The digital radiopacity analysis techniques used in this study provide an easy, reliable, rapid, and precise method to characterize radiopacity of dental flowable composite materials.

The influence of war on the oral health of professional soldiers.

AIM: Professional soldiers, although trained to deal with specific conditions, are not immune to war stress induced behavioural changes, and since oral diseases are behaviour-related some changes in the oral cavity could be expected. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 640 professional soldiers in the Croatian Army, aged 19-49 years. The study group consisted of 336 soldiers in active service during the war in Croatia (1991-1997), while control group included 304 soldiers in peacetime service. Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth Index (DMFT) and Community Periodontal Index (CPI) as well as questionnaires concerning dental behaviour and diet were employed. RESULTS: War group soldiers had significantly poorer oral health with DMFT being 14.4 in the war group and 13.1 in the controls, respectively (p < 0.001). The war group also showed a significantly higher number of periodontal pockets and excluded sextants, but lower numbers of healthy sextants (1.3 war group and 2.1 control; p < 0.001). Significant differences between the war and peacetime groups according to the number of dental visits, daily brushing frequency and diet were found. There was a tendency towards the deterioration of oral health with increase in time spent in battle fields. CONCLUSION: War conditions have a significant influence on the increased prevalence and severity of oral diseases for professional soldiers.

Clinical evaluation of three fissure sealants: 24 month follow-up.

AIM: This was to compare 3 different materials for fissure sealing (FS) after clinical use during the 24 month period and to assess the use of flowable composite resins in combination with dentine adhesives as sealing materials. STUDY DESIGN: There were 41 patients aged from 7-17, for whom 100 permanent molars were sealed with 3 different sealing materials. METHODS: Group A, 33 teeth were sealed with the material Helioseal Clear Chroma (Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein); Group B, 33 teeth were sealed with the material Teethmate F1 (Kuraray, Kurashiki, Japan, and in Group C, 34 teeth were sealed with the flowable composite Tetric Flow (Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein). For the analysis of the degree of retention, the criteria used were: 0--complete retention, 1--loss of (1/3) of material, 2--loss of (2/3) of material, 3--complete loss of material. Clinical criteria for appearance of a new caries lesion included following values: Caries present (+) or caries absent (-). STATISTICS: Chi-Square test was used for statistical analysis of retention rates between groups. RESULTS: After the 24 month period, the highest retention rate of complete retention was established for the material Tetric Flow of 76.5%, Helioseal Clear Croma 66.7%, and Teethmate F1 60.6%. The incidence of caries at Helioseal Clear Croma was 6.1%, for Teethmate F1 3%, with no statistically significant difference after the 24 months period (p=0.656). In the group of teeth sealed with Tetric Flow, there was not a single case of caries noted. CONCLUSIONS: The use of flowable composites as sealing materials is equal to other materials for fissure sealing.

Suppression of salivary Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli by topical caries preventive agents.

Reduction of cariogenic bacteria, especially salivary Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli is a valuable clinical procedure that in many ways alleviates implementation of targeted caries preventive procedures in the entire population. The aim of this study was to investigate the caries preventive values of certain preventive procedures in in vivo conditions. Four groups of subjects, each with 18 children aged from 4-5 and 10-12 years (n = 72) were treated with different caries preventive agent (aminfluoride solution, Proxyt paste, chewing gum containing xylitol and fluoride and chlorhexidine solution). During a period of two months five control measurements for number of salivary Streptococcus mutans (SM) and lactobacilli (LB) were performed. At the end of the study the best result in the reduction of the bacteria was achieved by the application of Proxyt paste and daily use of chewing gum (p < 0.001). In patients treated with this preventive procedure the number of SM was reduced by 1 class and LB to < 10(4) CFU/ml saliva after two months of study. The results obtained indicate that professional teeth cleaning and use of chewing gum with xylitol and fluorides on daily basis can be very effective protocol for cariogenic bacteria reduction and in the individual caries prevention.

Factors predisposing to early childhood caries (ECC) in children of pre-school age in the city of Zagreb, Croatia.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors predisposing to early childhood caries (ECC) in pre-school children in the city of Zagreb, Croatia. The investigation was carried out on the sample of 145 children (77 boys and 68 girls) aged between 2 and 5 years, including clinical examination of dental status and survey on the habits among the parents. The overall prevalence of ECC was 30%: in girls it was 25%, and in boys 48%. The study on the risk factors was designed as a classic case-control study. The mean value of dmfs index among the cases amounted to 8.6, in comparison to 5.2 in the control group (p<0.05). Bottle-feeding did not represent a significant risk, but night consumption of sweet beverages after first 24 months and the lack of introduction of teeth-brushing habit after first 24 months did (p < 0.001 for both predictors). The study revealed the importance of early introduction of teeth-brushing and giving up the nightly consumption of sweet beverages in prevention of ECC.

Psychophysiological parameters and children's behavior during dental treatment.

Uncooperative children represent one of the leading problems in clinical pedodontics. The hypothesis of this study was that extraverted children reveal greater pain tolerance, lower stress levels and anxiety in general in comparison to introverted ones. A total of 130 children aged 11 to 15 years were studied, 55 boys and 75 girls. In the research, psychological tests were performed along with the measurements of some physiological parameters and children's own assessment of pain intensity. The results revealed the connection between extraverted personality and children's behavior at the dentist's clinic. Pain tolerance, levels of anxiety and general pattern of behavior were significantly dependent on psychological control mechanisms.