Retrospective Study Regarding the Correlation between Dental Anxiety and Color Preferences in Children with Severe Early Childhood Caries.

BACKGROUND: Severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) is recognized as a significant chronic disease which affects the quality of life starting at very young ages and has a very rapid evolution towards pulp complication and loss of dental tissue. Children with a high caries index DMFT are more likely to develop high levels of dental anxiety, which will influence the degree of cooperation during dental procedures. Emotions play an important role in the psychosomatic development of children, and all the factors that contribute to the modeling of these emotional states must be known and taken into consideration. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the association between dental anxiety in children with S-ECC and the color preferences for the components of the dental environment to reduce the levels of dental anxiety during medical visits. MATERIAL AND METHOD: For this study, 91 children between 3 and 6 years of age diagnosed with S-ECC were selected from the Pediatric Dentistry Department of UMFST from Targu Mures and from a private dental office. The level of dental anxiety was determined by measuring the pulse rate, and a questionnaire was completed to establish the color preferences for the dental office environment and the dentist's attire. For this purpose, six different colors and their variants with three shades less intensity were chosen by using RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) identification codes for each color. RESULT: The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the age of the subjects and dental anxiety levels, but there was no significant correlation between the DMFT score and dental anxiety. Also, the results showed that there was no significant difference between girls and boys when choosing the colors preferred by them for the dental office, but when comparing the colors that represented happiness, significant statistical difference was found between the girls' and boys' groups (p = 0.0039). For all the subjects, the colors associated with happiness were light yellow and pink, while the colors associated with anxiety were red and dark blue. CONCLUSION: The data obtained showed that dental anxiety is strongly influenced by age, and an important role in inducing positive emotions is played by the dental environment if dressed in specific colors in order to reduce dental anxiety and create familiar conditions, especially for young children with S-ECC.

The Assessment of Early Server Childhood Caries Status in Abandoned Institutionalized Children.

Oral health is a critical indicator of children's quality of life, which at this early age, depends exclusively on the attention, involvement, and guidance of parents or caregivers. Assessing carious damage and measuring the prevalence of early severe tooth decay in temporary teeth in children is obtained by calculating the dmft index, giving the sum of an individual's decayed, missing, and filled teeth. The aim of our study was to conduct a clinical examination of the oral status of institutionalized children from Romania. We selected and included in the study 144 children, both boys and girls in equal number, with ages of five or six years old, from which 110 were eligible for the study and met the inclusion criteria. Of all children, 20.90% were five years old girls, 27.27% five years old boys, 26.36% six years old girls, and 25.46% six years old boys. Of all, 10,45% had more than three incisors presenting decays, equally affected by gender. Of the boys' group, 20% of age six had more de two canines affected, and 26.7% of five years old girls had more than three affected canines. Of the five years boys' group, 24.3% had more than three affected temporary molars, 44.9% of six years boys had more than five. Of the five years old girls, 33.3% had more than four temporary molars affected and, 56.6% of the six years old girls' group had more than five molars presenting carious lesions. The dental status and dmft values were similar for five years old and six years old children and similar boys and girls. Due to the vulnerability of young children that consists not only in their inability to identify, express, and address their own needs but also the lack of parental support, lack of an optimal diet for age, and proper hygiene, they reach adolescence with an impaired dental status, inappropriate for their age.

Prevalence and Manifestations of Dental Ankylosis in Primary Molars Using Panoramic X-rays: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Dental ankylosis is a serious condition defined as the process that causes the fusion between the dentin or the cementum of the root and the alveolar bone, with the obliteration of the periodontal ligament becoming progressively replaced by bone tissue. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence, location, severity, and association of dental ankylosis in primary molars with other dental anomalies such as the agenesis of permanent buds. For this study 150 panoramic x-rays were selected from patients with temporary or mixed dentition, aged six to twelve years old, from a private dentistry office and from the Pediatric Dentistry Department of UMFST in Targu-Mures, Romania. In order to identify the cases with dental ankylosis, the presence and severity of the infraocclusion, displacements of the neighboring teeth, the appearance of the root area, and the relationship with the bone tissue were examined. For evaluation of the categorical data we used Fischer's exact test and the Chi-squared test and the chosen significance level was set at 0.05. The results showed that the highest percentage of cases with ankylosis was found in the first group (six to nine years old), respectively, with 72% of cases compared with the second group (ten to twelve years old) with 28% of cases. Findings showed that there was no positive association between dental ankylosis and gender, but a strong correlation was found regarding the location on the dental arches. Most cases were identified on the lower arch with a higher percentage in quadrant three. Of the two primary molars, the most affected by ankylosis was the first molar in quadrant three, followed by the second molar, and finally the first molar in quadrant four. Most cases diagnosed with ankylosis had a mild to moderate degree of infraocclusion; therefore, changes in the functional balance of the dental arch and on neighboring teeth were insignificant. There were some differences obtained between our results and studies from the literature, especially regarding the localization in the lower left dental arch, but these differences can be attributed to the number of the subjects selected and from the methodology of dental ankylosis diagnosis. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that ankylosis is a dental condition which occurs in children in early mixed dentition, especially in the lower arch, with the first primary molar being the most affected tooth. The presence of infraocclusion and the absence of dental mobility, especially during the stage of primary molars' root resorption, are the main signs which must be followed to make an early diagnosis and prevent further complications.

The Assessment of Sealants' Effectiveness in Arresting Non-Cavitated Caries Lesion-A 24-Month Follow-Up.

Dental sealants are excellent means to prevent pits and fissure caries. Nowadays, the application of sealants is extended to therapeutic use in arresting non-cavitated carious lesions. This relatively new concept still lacks evidence to support its routine use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a resin-based sealant applied on first permanent molars with carious lesions (ICDAS 1−3), in comparison with its effectiveness when applied on sound surfaces (ICDAS 0). Included in the study were 114 children aged between six and eight years old, with a high caries risk (according to the CAMBRA system), with all four permanent molars erupted and with deep pits and fissures. A total number of 407 molars were sealed and assessed. A total of 49 were excluded (they had caries, which according to the ICDAS II classification were classified with code 4−6 or had older sealants or fillings). Out of these 407 molars, 213 were sound (code 0) and 194 had caries lesions as follows: 56 teeth classified as code 1, 79 teeth classified as code 2, and 59 teeth classified as code 3 according to the ICDAS II classification. The retention of the sealant and carious lesions were assessed clinically at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Regarding sealant retention, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) among the two types of sealed teeth, sound (ICDAS 0) and decayed (ICDAS 3), showed at 18- and 24-month follow-up intervals. Regarding caries lesions, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) showed between sound (ICDAS 0) and decayed (ICDAS 3) molars at 24-month follow-up. Our study results supported the resin-based sealant effectiveness in arresting incipient carious lesions, which according to the ICDAS II classification have received codes 1 and 2 but did not support sealant effectiveness in arresting caries lesions classified according to the same classification with code 3.

In vivo effectiveness of visual inspection and laser fluorescence in the diagnosis of early pit-and-fissure carious lesions: A cross-sectional study in a group of Romanian children.

ABSTRACT: General practitioners are still facing great challenges in the management of occlusal caries. Therefore, the development of better diagnostic protocols and assessment of caries activity might improve the results of nonoperative treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of visual inspection based on ICDAS-II (International Caries Detection and Assessment System) and DiagnoDent pen in the detection of pit-and-fissure early lesions in young permanent molars. The evaluation of 237 occlusal surfaces and caries risk assessment were performed in 96 children aged 7 to 15 years. The presence of pit-and-fissure noncavitated lesions was recorded using ICDAS-II scoring system and laser fluorescence. Statistical analysis was performed using McNemar test, with a level of significance of P < .05. The caries risk was measured for all participants. In 109 occlusal surfaces both methods identified enamel changes (46%) and in 62 cases both methods excluded the carious lesion (26.2%). The statistical analysis showed a significant moderate agreement between ICDAS-II code and DiagnoDent pen measurements (McNemar chi-squared statistic 9.5, P = .002 and Cohen kappa coefficient = 0.427). The majority of children (69.8%) had moderate caries risk and the most frequent risk factors recorded were sugar intake between meals, lack of regular dental control and poor oral hygiene. We concluded that ICDAS-II is a valuable and reliable diagnostic tool for early pit-and-fissure lesions and could be used alone during dental examination in children. The evaluation of caries risk should become clinical routine, as parameters belonging to high risk were frequently recorded in our study group.