Caries prevention and treatment in early childhood: comparing strategies. A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Early childhood caries is a common condition that poses a serious risk to children's health because it can progress quickly, resulting in pain, abscesses, and a general decline in health. As a result, invasive therapies are needed, which call for highly skilled personnel. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify the most recent and widely applied early childhood caries (ECC) prevention and treatment approaches. Only substances that act topically and minimally invasive interventions were considered. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The database search was restricted to randomized clinical trials completed within the last five years, specifically those that examined the following procedures: sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish, alternative restorative technique (ART), nano-silver fluoride, silver diamine fluoride, and silver modified atraumatic restorative treatment sealants (SMART). RESULTS: A total of 815 articles were found. After removing duplicates, 584 articles were included, and 567 of them were excluded due to not meeting the predefined inclusion criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Every method considered has been proven to be successful in halting the progression of ECC and is well-liked by patients, even those who are unwilling to cooperate, as well as by parents. The most common unfavorable effect of SDF is irreversible black discoloration in treated tooth surfaces, but this is typically not a problem. They are all low-cost, minimally invasive techniques that might also be widely used in large communities and low socioeconomic settings.

Direct and indirect bonding techniques in orthodontics: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Some of the most significant aspects in orthodontics for achieving favorable treatment outcomes include correct bracket positioning and a shorter period to accomplish bracket bonding. Two different brackets bonding techniques - direct and indirect bonding - are described in the literature. The aim of this review is to evaluate the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of the two techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases in a period from January 2013 to April 2023 with English language restriction using the following Boolean keywords: "orthodontic bracket* AND (bonding OR placement)". RESULTS: A total of 3,820 articles were identified by the electronic search, and after duplicate removal, screening, and eligibility, a total of 11 papers were included for the qualitative analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Indirect bonding is more predictable and precise than direct bonding. Indirect bonding has a greater impact on minimizing bracket placement errors than direct bonding, but it still takes longer to complete than the traditional procedure. However, further studies on the differences between direct and indirect bonding, as well as digital bonding, are needed.