Oral microbiota in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: The oral cavity is a unique ecosystem in which the microbiome is formed by the colonization of billions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Aim of the study was to assess the quality and quantity of bacterial microbiota of the oral cavity in children with type 1 diabetes in comparison to healthy children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 50 randomly selected type 1 diabetic children aged 10-18 years divided into 2 groups (25 people each) according to the level of diabetes control: well-controlled group (WC) - HbA1c ≤ 7.5%) and poorly-controlled group (PC) - HbA1c > 7.5%. The control group (GC) consisted of 25 randomly selected children with no systemic diseases. The material for microbiological tests was collected as two swabs: one from the bottom of the oral cavity and the other one from the posterior part of the dorsum of the tongue). RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the total number of isolated microorganisms between PC and GC (post hoc test p = 0.003) and WC and GC (post hoc test p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of isolated microorganisms between PC and WC (p = 0.195). CONCLUSIONS: Oral microbiome in type 1 diabetic children is significantly quantitatively different in comparison to healthy children. There are also visible qualitative differences in the profile of oral microbiota in type 1 diabetic children and healthy children.

Evaluating the stress-response of dental students to the dental school environment.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Dentists experience high amounts of professional stress beginning with their student years in dental school. This stress, given its early onset, may negatively impact the personal and professional lives of these individuals, as well as the quality of their clinical work. We sought to create an objective scale to evaluate the levels of stress in students at different stages of their education, as well as in practicing physicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty dental students participated in this study, with 10 students each selected from junior, mid-senior, and senior classes. They were randomly divided into two groups in which one group was subjected to stressors while the other group was not. JINS MEME ES_R (JINS) smart glasses and Garmin Vivoactive 3 smartwatches were used to obtain data, including electrooculography (EOG), heart rate (HR), and accelerometer (ACC) and gyroscope (GYRO) feedback, while the subjects performed a dental exercise on a phantom tooth. RESULTS: The heart rates of more experienced students were lower than those of the junior students. The EOG, ACC, and GYRO signals showed multiple differences in the measurement of amplitudes and frequency of episodes. CONCLUSION: Our pilot results show that electronic tools, like smart glasses with software and sensors, are useful for monitoring the stress levels of dental students in preclinical operating conditions. We would like to further assess the stress levels in students performing dental procedures on phantom teeth and in later clinical interactions with patients.

Dental caries and periodontal status in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that strongly affects the health of individuals. Some studies have sug-gested that it affects oral health, thus indicating a higher-than-average predisposition of patients with diabetes to caries and periodontal diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aimed at investigating the association between caries, periodontal diseases, and diabetes among children using dental indices. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 50 children (aged 10-18 years) who had type 1 diabetes for at least years. The participants were divided into well controlled (WC), (HBA1c < 7.5%) and poorly controlled (PC) (HBA1c ≥ 7.5%) groups (25 diabetic children each). The control group (GC) included non-diabetic children. The following clinical parameters were measured: DMFT index, plaque index (PI), approximal plaque index (API), gingival index (GI), and modified sulcus bleeding index (mSBI). RESULTS: The WC group had the lowest average value - 3.44 of the DMFT index with values of 5.80 and 3.88 in the PC and GC groups, respec-tively. A statistically significant difference was found in the DMFT value between PC and WC groups (p = 0.04). No statistically signif-icant differences in the values of other indices were found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Children with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes were characterised by a significantly higher intensity of caries. In contrast, no statistical-ly significant differences were observed in the periodontal status between the study groups.