Sociobehavioural Factors Associated With Child Oral Health During COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the sociobehavioural factors that influenced children's oral health during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The online cross-sectional study was conducted in Al Jouf Province in the northern region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 960 parents of children aged 5 to 14 years were invited by multistage stratified random sampling. Descriptive, multinomial, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios and determine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 960 participants, 693 (72.1%) reported that their child had 1 or more untreated dental decay. The children of uneducated parents were 1.6-fold more likely to have 1 or more untreated dental decay (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.66; 95% CI, 0.74-3.73; P < .001). The children of unemployed parents were 4.3-fold more likely to have a financial burden for a child dental visit (AOR, 4.34; 95% CI, 2.73-6.89; P < .001). Parents from a rural area were 26.3-fold more likely to have spent a lag period of over 2 years since their child's last dental visit (AOR, 26.34; 95% CI, 7.48-92.79; P < .001). Nursery-level children were 5.4-fold more likely to need immediate care (AOR, 5.38; 95% CI, 3.01-9.60; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated a very high prevalence of 1 or more untreated dental decay in our cohort. Children of rural areas, uneducated, unemployed, widow/divorced, low- and middle-income parents and nursery school children were linked to poorly predictive outcomes of child oral health during the pandemic.

The Influence of Thermal Curing Cycles on the Color Stability of Unfilled Polymethyl Methacrylate Teeth.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of water bath polymerization cycles on the color stability of unfilled polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 72 samples of unfilled PMMA were divided into two groups. Group 1 was subjected to a short curing cycle and group 2 to a long thermal curing cycle. Color measurements were done using a spectrophotometer and evaluated by the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* color system. Color difference (∆E) was calculated before and after thermal curing cycles and the data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Group 2 teeth exhibited the highest ΔE values and color change to long curing cycle with significant difference between them. CONCLUSION: All the ΔE values were below 3.3, indicating that the color changes are not clinically perceptible.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Consumption of Carbonated Soft Drinks Among the Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Objective: To assess and evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the consumption of carbonated drinks among dental students. Carbonated drinks are pervaded by carbon dioxide and have more adverse effects since they are acidic in nature. Nowadays, these are consumed more widely globally, causing many systemic diseases; diabetes and obesity are common. Material and Methods: This study includes 204 individuals belonging to the age group of 18-26 years. A self-structured objective type cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental students regarding carbonated drinks. The participants were instructed to mark the most appropriate correct answer from the given list of close-ended type questions. Results: Of 204 dental students, the study population includes 125 female and 79 male students. 98.5% of the students knew about carbonated drinks, while 1.5% were unaware. Conclusion: Most participants preferred to have carbonated drinks even with their awareness about the ill effects of these drinks. Possible implications by the government authorities may probably increase awareness among the population (AU).

Association of oral hygiene practices with the outcome of untreated dental caries and its clinical consequences in pre- and primary school children: A cross-sectional study in a northern province of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association amongst oral hygiene practices, untreated dental caries (UDC) and clinical consequences of UDC in pre- and primary school children aged 3-5 and 6-7 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 250 subjects were recruited. The demographic and oral hygiene data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire. The UDC was measured using the 'd/D' component of the decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) index, and its clinical consequences were recorded using the 'p/P' component of the pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula and abscess (pufa/PUFA) index. The data were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 94.2% and 56.5% of the participants had one or more UDC and pulp involvement (p ≥ 1), respectively in 3-5-year-old age group. In the 6-7-year- age group the prevalence of UDC was 26.7% and the pulp involvement was 11.6%. Children who brushed with their fingers were 4.7 times more likely to have UDC (crude odds ratio [COR] = 4.71; 95% CI: 1.21-18.40). Twice-daily brushing resulted in a 39% (p = 0.732) lower likelihood of having UDC compared with once-daily brushing (COR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.04, 10.09). Children with irregular brushing frequency were 3.2 times more likely to have pulpal involvement (COR = 3.21; 95% CI: 1.74-5.93). CONCLUSION: Finger brushing, irregular frequency of brushing and lack of parental supervision whilst brushing were associated with UDC and its consequences.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in Patients with Dental Prosthesis

Abstract Objective: To determine the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) for post-treated fixed dental prostheses in selected sample of patients. Material and Methods: 120 patients treated with fixed dental prostheses, either single crowns or fixed partial dentures in maxillary or mandibular arches were asked to express their views about their quality of life. Patients' files were randomly selected from the archives of Department of Prosthetic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, a self-structured questionnaire was prepared and their responses recorded. The responses were categorized on a 5 point scale and frequencies calculated. Results: Of 120 patients approached, 79 responded with the mean age group of 37 years. From the survey, it was noted that only three variables were statistically significant, those relating to the importance of natural teeth over fixed prostheses (p=0.046), the ability to chew all kinds of foods (p=0.021) and satisfaction with the occlusion (p<0.001). Conclusion: Oral health remains important, which directly or indirectly is related to many systemic diseases. In the present study, the majority of patients were satisfied with the treatment given.

The Comparative Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Methacryloxydodecyl Pyridinium Bromide and Non-methacryloxydodecyl Pyridinium Bromide Dentin Bonding Systems Using Two Different Techniques: An In vitro Study.

BACKGROUND: Adhesive systems have enabled clinicians to preserve more tooth structure by changing cavity designs. However, because of the polymerization shrinkage adhesive systems are not capable of totally prohibiting the gap formation between the cavity and restorative material of composite resin leading to colonization of oral microorganisms from saliva. One possible solution for this serious problem is to use dental materials with antibacterial properties. So the development of such agents has initiated for successful restorations. Hence, the purpose of this study was to compare the antibacterial activities of two dentin bonding systems: Clearfil protect bond (CPB) and prime & bond NT using agar well technique and tooth cavity model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CPB and prime and bond NT (PBNT) were evaluated in this study using agar well technique and tooth cavity model. In the agar well technique, the materials were filled in the wells of Muller-Hinton agar plates inoculated with Streptococcus mutans NCTC 10449M and the diameter of inhibition zones produced around the materials were measured after 24 h of incubation. For the tooth cavity model test, 3 cavities (of diameter - 1 mm and depth - 2 mm) were prepared in the flat occlusal dentin of human extracted molar. After sterilization, the teeth were left in the culture of broth of S. mutans at 37°C for 72 h for allowing bacteria to invade the cavity for 72 h. The dentin bonding systems were applied separately to each of the two infected cavities, and the third cavity was not applied and used as control. After sealing the occlusal surfaces, the teeth were kept in sterile physiological saline at 37°C for 72 h. The standardized amounts of dentin chips (120 + 5 mg) were obtained from the cavity walls, and the numbers of bacteria recovered were determined. The results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney's U-tests. RESULTS: The primer of CPB and PBNT produced similar inhibition zones (P > 0.05), but the bonding resin of CPB did not produce any inhibition. When tested by the tooth cavity model technique, the application of CPB resulted in significantly less bacterial recovery than the PBNT (P < 0.05), demonstrating substantial antibacterial effects. CONCLUSION: The CPB that employs the antibacterial primer containing methacryloxydodecyl pyridinium bromide, was effective in inactivating the bacteria in the cavity compared to little antibacterial activity shown by PBNT. The tooth cavity mode test used in the present study is a reliable method to evaluate the antibacterial effects of dentin bonding agents simulating clinical situations.

Arteriovenous malformation of the oral cavity.

Vascular anomalies are a heterogeneous group of congenital blood vessel disorders more typically referred to as birthmarks. Subcategorized into vascular tumors and malformations, each anomaly is characterized by specific morphology, pathophysiology, clinical behavior, and management approach. Hemangiomas are the most common vascular tumors. Lymphatic, capillary, venous, and arteriovenous malformations make up the majority of vascular malformations. Arteriovenous malformation of the head and neck is a rare vascular anomaly but when present is persistent and progressive in nature and can represent a lethal benign disease. Here we present a case report of a 25-year-old male patient with arteriovenous malformation involving the base of tongue.

Immunohistochemical analysis of factors related to apoptosis and cellular proliferation in relation to inflammation in dentigerous and odontogenic keratocyst.

BACKGROUND: The effect of inflammation on pathogenesis and biological behavior of odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) and dentigerous cyst (DC) is not completely understood. Hence, we aimed to analyze the effect of inflammation on biological behavior of OKC and DC using a proliferative and anti-apoptotic marker, i.e., proliferative cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Bcl-2, respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was performed using anti-PCNA and Bcl-2 antibody in 10 cases each of classical OKC, inflamed OKC and classical DC and inflamed DC. RESULTS: Inflamed OKC and DC showed a significant increase in PCNA expression and decrease in Bcl-2 expression when compared with non-inflamed cyst. Correlation between inflammation and proliferative and anti-apoptotic activity was found to be statistically non-significant. CONCLUSION: Inflammation is responsible for change in behavior of neoplastic epithelium of OKC and hence should be treated meticulously, whereas in DC it is responsible for changes in the epithelial lining.

Survey on restoration of endodontically treated anterior teeth: a questionnaire based study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of endodontic and restorative dentistry is the conservation of natural tooth structure. Endodontically treated tooth (ETT) undergoes loss of tooth structure and changes in physical characteristics. Therefore, proper selection of restoration for ETT is mandatory. The clinical approach of restoring ETT needs taking into considerations several issues. However, the best way to restore teeth after root canal treatment has long been and still a controversial subject to debate. Therefore, this study was carried out to detect the frequency of preferred methods of restoring ETT under different conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was framed and distributed among prosthodontists, endodontist and general practitioners of north India region to find out the frequency of best suitable material and method regarding restoration of ETT. 220 questionnaires were sent by electronic mail out of which 110 were received back. The questionnaire contained different methods of restoration of endodontically treated anterior teeth at different conditions (percentages) of remaining sound tooth structure. Respondents were asked to indicate their preferred method of restoration of those teeth. RESULTS: Results showed that majority of respondents (51.82%) preferred to restore the tooth only with a tooth-color restorative material in condition A. In condition B, majority of respondents preferred to use tooth colored crown (44.55%) and prefabricated post and tooth colored restoration (24.5%). Whereas in condition C, most of the respondents preferred to use a cast post and core/crown (80.91%). CONCLUSION: From the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that the unrestored ETT is susceptible to fracture, which could lead to loss of tooth and that the maximum preservation of healthy tooth structure and use of restorative materials with mechanical properties similar to dental structure favor greater longevity of tooth restoration complex.

Remedy for repeated implant retained denture fracture-a challenging case report.

The most common site of fracture in a maxillary or a mandibular complete denture is along an anteroposterior line that coincides with the labial notch in in the denture which used to provide the frenum relief. Osseointegrated implants have been a boon to the patients who are completelly edentulous and are not satisfied with the conventional removable complete denture approach.Implant supported dentures have proven to provide superior retention and support for removable complete dentures. Nevertheless, fracture of the denture bases is a common complication of implant-supported mandibular overlay dentures,ecspecially when the artificial denture is opposing natural dentition. This article describes and illustrates a method of reinforcing implant-supported mandibular overdentures to overcome this problem.