Evaluation of the mother's anxiety and child's fear in two different age groups in the child's first and second dental visit.

The anxiety of the mother influences the child's behaviour in a dental setting. Objectives: The study aimed at evaluating the mother's anxiety and a child's fear of first and second dental visits in two different age groups. Study Design: The cross-sectional study design consisted of a total of 100 mother-child pairs attending Pediatric Dental clinics was included in the study. Group I consisted of 50 mother-child pairs of 6-8 years of age. Group II consisted of another 50 mother-child pairs between 12-15 years of age. Short Form of the Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (DFSS-SF) was administered to the child. Corah's Dental anxiety scale was administered to the mother. The Tell-Show-Do (TSD) technique was used in all children before the treatment. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS software 21 was used for descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for bivariate correlation between variables in the study. Results: The anxiety level of mothers on both appointment days in both age groups was found to be highly significant. The correlation of maternal anxiety to the gender of the child in both groups was found to be highly significant. Conclusion: The fear of dental treatment was commonly found in children irrespective of gender in both age groups. The TSD technique was found to reduce fear in the subsequent appointment.

Comparative Evaluation of Fracture Resistance of Fiber-Reinforced Composite and Alkasite Restoration in Class I Cavity.

Background and Aim: Tooth-colored restorative materials for the restoration of decayed posterior teeth continue to gain popularity both among dental practitioners and patients. These materials have undergone a number of improvements in recent years to enhance their physical properties and diversify their use as a restorative material relevant to clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the fracture resistance of two such advanced restorative materials, namely EverX Posterior, a fiber-reinforced composite and Cention N, an alkasite material in a Class I Cavity. Materials and Methods: Forty intact, caries-free human maxillary premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes were divided randomly into four groups of 10 teeth each. Group I were unprepared teeth (intact teeth); Group II were unrestored teeth with class I cavity; Group III were teeth restored with fiber-reinforced composite (EverX Posterior); and Group IV were teeth restored using alkasite material (Cention N). Fracture resistance was recorded for all samples using a universal testing machine. Results: Higher fracture resistance was recorded in intact teeth group followed by EverX Posterior, Cention N and unrestored teeth, respectively. The teeth restored with EverX Posterior showed higher mean fracture resistance to fractures than those restored with Cention N. Teeth restored with EverX Posterior showed no significant difference in mean fracture resistance from Intact teeth while restored teeth with Cention N and unrestored teeth did. Conclusion: Fracture resistance of EverX Posterior was comparable to that of the natural tooth and was higher as compared to Cention N.

Paediatric dentists' knowledge of behavioural management principles in Tamil Nadu, India.

AIM: Behaviour management is one of the essential skills of paediatric dentists. Appropriate use of behavioural principles helps the child in developing the skills and behaviours necessary to willingly undergo dental care, not hindered by undue anxiety or fear. However, very little is known about the knowledge of principles regarding behaviour management among paediatric dentists. Contingency management which is based on the principles of behaviour analysis is a widely accepted behavioural management technique and it includes reinforcement and punishment. The aim and objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of paediatric dentists regarding behavioural management principles related to contingency management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross- sectional survey was conducted among paediatric dental professionals and post-graduate students pursuing masters in paediatric dentistry across Tamil Nadu, India using Knowledge of Behavioural Principles as Applied to Children (KBPAC) questionnaire modified for the dental setting. The data were obtained, tabulated and statistically analysed using SPSS. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 130 participants, comprising 67 paediatric dental professionals and 63 post-graduate students. The overall average knowledge score was 40.72%. The mean knowledge level of paediatric dental professionals was (0.4378) versus (0.3597) among post-graduate students (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Knowledge of behavioural management principles related to contingency management among paediatric dentists in Tamil Nadu, India is low.

Dental caries status of children receiving Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) - A multicentric cross-sectional study in Tamil Nadu, India.

BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has progressively improved the life expectancies in HIV positive children. These antiretroviral drugs could possibly have an influence on the oral health status. Different age groups of children under HAART with caries had implications in approach to dental treatment, which were attempted to be identified in the study. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the caries status among HIV positive children receiving HAART. To characterize the age group with high caries indices and treatment needs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 HIV infected children aged 3-14 years receiving HAART from various ART centers Tamil Nadu, India. Dental examinations were performed and caries status of primary and permanent dentition was assessed using Decayed, Missing, and Filled teeth (DMFT)/Decayed, Missing, and Filled surface (DMFS) indices. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The one way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD test. RESULTS: The mean deft/DMFT scores were 3.15 ± 2.72/2.07 ± 1.31 and defs/DMFS scores were 7.42 ± 5.90/4.30 ± 2.58. The caries incidence was significantly different across the three age groups compared. DMFT scores of 13 - 14 years age group were significantly higher than in the 3-6 years (P < 0.0000) and 7-12 years (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: A higher caries experience was present among children on HAART as compared to the general population in Tamil Nadu. A significant association with increasing age and DMFT scores was noted. Age groups of 13-14 had high caries prevalence than age groups of 3-6 and 7-12 years in given study population. The individualized treatment approaches based on the age groups is suggested.

Evaluation of salivary nitric oxide level in children with early childhood caries.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO), a highly reactive radical, participates in the nonspecific natural defense mechanism of the oral cavity. The present study was attempted to evaluate the salivary NO levels in 4-5 year-old children with early childhood caries (ECC). The objective of the present study was to assess the salivary NO concentration in children with different caries activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 120 healthy 4.5 year-old children and they were equally divided into three groups based on decayed, missing, filled surfaces (dmfs) score; forty caries-free children (control group), forty children with dmfs 1.5 (ECC group), and forty with dmfs ⩾6 (severe ECC group). Saliva collected was measured for NO concentration by Griess reaction method. The obtained data were analyzed by ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean level of NO in the saliva of the control group was 51.2 ± 8.3457 and that of ECC and severe ECC were 47.1 ± 5.2614 and 33.625 ± 4.6942, respectively. The mean salivary NO concentration was significantly higher in healthy controls when compared to children with ECC and severe ECC. Moreover, a negative correlation (r = -0.6658) was observed between the salivary NO level and the mean dmfs, suggesting that as the salivary NO level decreases, the caries incidence increases. CONCLUSION: The obtained results support the antimicrobial activity of salivary NO and also suggest that an increase in NO production might contribute to lower the caries occurrence in children.