Survival Function of Clinical and Radiographic Success of Three Obturating Materials in Primary Teeth at 3, 6 and 9 Months Periodic Intervals - A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

The study aims to assess clinically and radiographically the success of zinc oxide eugenol, metapex, and endoflas as root canal obturating materials in primary teeth over 3, 6, and 9 months of time intervals. The randomized controlled trial was performed in 60 primary molars of 36 children aged between 4 and 9 years. Permanent restorations were given and stainless steel crowns were placed for the treated tooth. Comparing the survival proportion between the three groups was done using the Wilcoxon (Gehans) statistical test. The clinical survival variable showed 100% survival proportion for zinc oxide eugenol and endoflas, while for metapex it was 69% at the end of 9 months. The radiographical survival proportion was 100% for zinc oxide eugenol, followed by endoflas at 92% and 58% for metapex group.

Assessment of Personality Traits among Pediatric Dentists in India: A Cross-sectional Study.

Aim: To identify the most common personality traits among pediatric dentists in India. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Big Five personality test (BFPT). It included 50 questions based on five personality traits-extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. The questionnaire was e-mailed and also sent through WhatsApp messages as a Google Form to all the pediatric dentists in India. Scoring for each trait was done based on the specific formula provided. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: A total of 390 pediatric dentists responded and filled out the questionnaire. The agreeableness trait was the most commonly exhibited trait, followed by the conscientiousness trait. Emotional stability was the least exhibited trait. Emotional stability was statistically different between male and female pediatric dentists. Conclusion: Agreeableness and emotional stability were the most and least expressed traits, respectively, among the participants. This survey showed that pediatric dentists in India could have a high tolerance and competent behavior. Clinical significance: Dentists may possess unique personality traits that distinguish them from the general population. Within the dental profession, there could be variations in personality traits depending on the specialty they practice. How to cite this article: Asokan S, PR G, Dhanabalan O, et al. Assessment of Personality Traits Among Pediatric Dentists in India: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(3):489-493.

Association between sleep patterns and early childhood caries in 3-4-year-old children: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the sleep practices of children and their association with early childhood caries (ECC) at three different age periods. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the sleep practices, feeding practices, and oral hygiene practices of children during nighttime from 0 to 2 years of age. A survey among 550 mothers of children aged 3-4 years with ECC (n = 275) and without ECC (n = 275) was conducted using a pretested and validated questionnaire. The three practices (sleep practices, feeding practices, and oral hygiene practices) of children at 0-3 months, 4-11 months, and 1-2 years of age were recorded and analyzed. Results: Risk factors associated with ECC at 0-3 months of age were gender (odds ratio [OR]: 0.59, 0.36-0.98), no previous dental visit (OR: 2.30, 1.15-4.59), bedtime (OR: 3.54, 2.01-6.25), and intentional feeding practice at night (OR: 1.83, 1.0-3.35). At 4-11 months of age, no previous dental visit (OR: 3.28, 1.66-6.49), mother's education (OR: 0.42, 0.23-0.76), frequent night wakes (OR: 5.98, 1.89-19.21), and intentional feeding practice at night (OR: 111.09, 32.25-382.68) and, at 1-2 years of age, no previous dental visit (OR: 2.37, 1.45-3.88), intentional feeding practice at night (OR: 19.12, 9.09-40.21), and breastfeeding for more than 2 years (OR: 14.56, 7.17-29.56) were associated with ECC. Conclusion: Lack of previous dental visit and intentional feeding at night were the common risk factors associated with ECC in children.

Piagetian's principles on moral development and its influence on the oral hygiene practices of Indian children: An embedded mixed-method approach.

BACKGROUND: Moral principles in children can influence their oral hygiene practices and can be beneficial in providing better oral health care. AIM: To assess the consistency of Piaget's moral development principles in Indian children aged 7 to 11 years and evaluate its influence on their oral hygiene practices. DESIGN: The first phase of the embedded mixed-method approach included telephone interviews of 50 children on eight situations of moral development as suggested by Jean Piaget. Children were categorised into heteronomous and autonomous moralities based on the content analysis. The second phase of the study included a semi-structured qualitative interview on knowledge and practice behaviour of children on oral hygiene maintenance. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the overall moral development of children aged 7 to 9 years and 9 to 11 years (p = .57). Only 4.8% of girls had heteronomous morality, and a significant difference was noted between boys and girls (p = .014). There was a significant difference in the oral hygiene practices observed between heteronomous morality and autonomous morality children. CONCLUSION: Children were autonomous in their morality at 7 to 9 years of age. Children with autonomous morality performed better oral hygiene practices than children with heteronomous morality.

Pre-eruptive intracoronal radiolucencies in permanent dentition of children in Tamil Nadu-A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Pre-eruptive intracoronal radiolucency (PEIR) poses a challenge to paediatric dentists as it cannot be clinically detected. AIM: To estimate the prevalence and coexisting factors of PEIR in permanent teeth of children and adolescents in western Tamil Nadu, India. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study assessed 5012 digital panoramic radiographs of children and adolescents below 14 years of age obtained from private digital imaging centers, dental clinics, and dental colleges located in five districts of western Tamil Nadu. The prevalence and PEIR and its coexisting factors were assessed by two independent calibrated investigators. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: The subject prevalence and tooth prevalence of PEIR were estimated to be 3.2% and 0.4%, respectively. Maxillary canines and mandibular premolars were commonly involved. Majority of the lesions were limited to less than one-third of dentin thickness (74%) and distal aspect of the crown (45.1%). Ectopic positioning (9.3%) and dental caries in the preceding primary tooth (9.9%) were the most common coexisting factors. CONCLUSION: Pre-Eruptive Intracoronal Radiolucency defects were commonly seen in maxillary canines, mandibular premolars, and distal aspect of the crown involving less than one-third dentin thickness. Ectopic positioning and caries in primary teeth were commonly seen along with the PEIR defects.

Role of probiotics and synbiotics on inhibiting Streptococcus mutans level in saliva of children: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics and synbiotics through its direct and indirect interactions interferes with biofilm formation, competes with oral microorganisms thereby creating better oral health. AIM: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of Probiotics and Synbiotics on inhibiting Streptococcus mutans level in saliva of children after 15 days of daily intake of probiotic and synbiotic curd. METHODOLOGY: A double-blind randomized controlled trial was planned. Salivary samples at baseline were collected from forty children in the age group of 6-12 years who were divided into two groups of 20 each to receive probiotic and synbiotic curd respectively for 15 days. Salivary samples were collected after intervention and S. mutans levels were estimated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Intra- and inter-group comparison of mean S. mutans levels for both the groups were done using the paired and unpaired t-test respectively. The statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction in salivary S. mutans counts was observed in both the groups after 15 days (P < 0.001). A significantly higher inhibition of S. mutans growth was present in the probiotic compared to synbiotic group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Probiotics and Synbiotics were effective in inhibiting salivary S. mutans level of children. However, inhibition of S. mutans growth was found to be better in children who consumed Probiotic curd than the Synbiotic curd.

Parenting Styles and their Influence on Child's Dental Behavior and Caries Status: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the association between parenting styles, child's behavior in dental setting and dental caries status. Study design: Children aged 3-7 years on their first dental visit were included in the study. Their parents were asked to complete Parenting Style Dimension Questionnaire (PSDQ) to assess their parenting style. Oral prophylaxis was performed for the children and their behavior was assessed using Frankl behavior rating scale. Their caries status was recorded using DMFT/deft index. Results: Out of 315 parents, 240 parents exhibited authoritative parenting style, 45 exhibited permissive and 30 exhibited authoritarian parenting style. Permissive parenting was associated with four-fold increase in the child's negative dental behavior and authoritarian parenting showed two-fold increase in the negative behavior of children compared to authoritative parenting. Children of both authoritative and authoritarian parents showed less caries status and the permissive parenting depicted threefold increase in the caries status compared to authoritative parenting. Conclusion: Children of both the permissive and authoritarian parents showed more negative dental behavior than children of authoritative parents. Children of permissive parents showed increased caries status compared to the children of authoritative parents.

Impact of different modes of school dental health education on oral health-related knowledge, attitude and practice behaviour: an interventional study.

PURPOSE: The study was planned to evaluate the effectiveness of three modes of school dental health education (SDHE) on the oral health-related knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) behaviour of school children. METHODS: An interventional study was carried out among 8-9 year old school children from January 2016 to January 2018. Three hundred and sixty children from three schools in Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India participated in this study. Each school was randomly allotted with a mode (drama, modified snake and ladder game, flashcard) of SDHE, which was delivered for 20 min, every 6 months for 2 years. A validated questionnaire with 18 questions was used to record oral health-related KAP behaviour at baseline and after 2 years. RESULTS: At the end of 2 years, there was an increase in the percentage of correct response for all the nine knowledge questions, in all the three modes. The mean difference in the cumulative knowledge score between baseline and 2 years was 1.39 ± 2.05 for drama mode, 1.8 ± 1.51 for game mode and 1.7 ± 1.5 for flashcard mode of SDHE. There was a significant difference in three knowledge questions and one attitude practice behaviour question between the three groups at the end of 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: All the three modes were effective in improving the oral health-related KAP behaviour of school children. Game mode made a better impact on the knowledge scores of these children, and it was observed to be more child-friendly and entertaining.

Effect of sesame oil, ozonated sesame oil, and chlorhexidine mouthwash on oral health status of adolescents: A randomized controlled pilot trial.

CONTEXT: Oil pulling procedure involves swishing of oil in the mouth for various oral health benefits. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sesame oil (SO), ozonated SO (OSO), and chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash on the oral health status of adolescents. STUDY SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Parallel multi-arm double-blinded randomized trial was done in a Government higher secondary school. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 75 adolescents aged 12-14 years with decay-missing-filled index ≤3 were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 25): Group I (SO), Group II (OSO), and Group III (CHX mouthwash). Baseline (T1) Debris Index (DI-S), Calculus Index (CI-S), Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), Plaque Index (PI), and salivary Streptococcus mutans count were recorded. All the groups were subjected to intervention with the respective mouth rinses for 15 days. The index scores and the salivary S. mutans count were reassessed after 15 days (T2) and 1 month (T3), and the results were statistically analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows. The statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk test were used to test the normality of the data. The Friedman test and Wilcoxon-signed rank test were carried out for intragroup comparison. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-test were employed to analyze inter-group comparison. RESULTS: All the groups showed statistically significant reduction in DI-S, CI-S, OHI-S, PI, and S. mutans count after 15 days. CONCLUSION: Oil pulling therapy using SO and OSO showed a significant improvement in oral hygiene.

Effect of nonfluoridated remineralizing agents on initial enamel carious lesions: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Although fluoride enables remineralization, presence of calcium and phosphate ions is necessary to promote the process. So, various nonfluoridated remineralizing agents have been emerging to treat the noncavitated carious lesions. AIM: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the clinical effectiveness of nonfluoridated remineralizing agents on initial enamel carious lesions. METHODS: Seven electronic databases were searched using the key words. In total, 158 human clinical trials were retrieved in the search from January 1950 to October 2016. Seventy-one repeated articles were excluded. Among the 87 articles obtained, 53 articles were eliminated after reading the title and abstracts. After assessing the full text, 28 articles were excluded. Three more studies were included from the cross references of the articles chosen. RESULTS: All the nine trials included assessed the clinical effectiveness of casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP ACP). They showed a positive effect of CPP ACP on the remineralization of white spot lesions. CONCLUSION: The use of CPP ACP resulted in significant reduction of the white spot lesion size measured using visual examination methods. This systematic review indicated a lack of reliable evidence supporting the clinical effectiveness of other commercially available nonfluoridated remineralizing agents.

Evaluation of remineralisation potential of experimental nano hydroxyapatite pastes using scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray analysis: an in-vitro trial.

AIM: To analyse the remineralisation potential of experimental nano hydroxyapatite (nHAP) paste on artificial caries lesions using scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). METHODS: Sixty-five enamel specimens were randomly divided into 4 test groups (n = 15): 1% commercially available nHAP paste (CnHAP) group, 1% experimental nHAP paste (EnHAP) group, 10% EnHAP group, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) group and control group (n = 5). Artificial carious lesions were induced in all the specimens and treated with respective paste twice daily for 14 days. The specimens were subjected to EDX analysis at baseline, after demineralisation and after remineralisation. The surface characteristics of the remineralised enamel specimens were evaluated by SEM. RESULTS: All the test groups showed significant change in calcium and phosphorus weight percentage (wt%) after remineralisation. The 10 % EnHAP showed higher mean value of calcium and phosphorus wt% followed by 1% CnHAP, 1% EnHAP and CPP-ACP. After remineralisation, both 10% EnHAP and CPP-ACP showed favourable enamel surface changes in SEM analysis. CONCLUSION: Commercially available and experimental nHAP have the potential to remineralise artificially induced carious lesions.

Comparison of Oral Health Status and Knowledge on Oral Health in Two Age Groups of Schoolchildren: A Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Oral health plays a pivotal role in the overall wellbeing of children. As children grow, there is a variation in their oral health status due to the changing trends and lifestyle. AIM: To evaluate and compare the factors related to oral health status in two age groups of school going children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 582 children aged 8 to 11 years from 3 schools were included. Based on their school grade, they were grouped as younger (third grade) and older (fifth grade) children. Their dental caries status, caries treatment needs, oral hygiene status were assessed. A questionnaire was given to them to assess their knowledge on oral health. RESULTS: Both third and fifth grade children had similar caries status. The caries treatment needs was significantly higher (p = 0.02) in fifth grade children of school III. The oral hygiene status was significantly better (p = 0.004) in fifth grade children of school I and third grade children (p < 0.001) of school III. Fifth grade children were found to have more knowledge on oral health and it was statistically significant in school II (p = 0.001). In school III, as caries status increased, the oral hygiene index score significantly increased (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Age did not have any influence on the oral health status of children. The older children had better knowledge on oral health, but the oral hygiene practices were not followed effectivelyHow to cite this article: Geethapriya PR, Asokan S, Kandaswamy D. Comparison of Oral Health Status and Knowledge on Oral Health in Two Age Groups of Schoolchildren: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(4): 340-345.