Dental caries experience and its relationship to demographic factors in 2- to 6-year-old children in Fars-Iran in 2018.

PURPOSE: Among oral conditions, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. Children's dental caries are influenced by several factors, among which diet is one of the most highlighted ones. The present study was conducted to examine the decayed, missing and filled teeth in primary dentition (dmft) and caries-free (CF) indexes as well as the impact of nutrition and demographic factors on oral health of 2- to 6-year-old children in Fars Province. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on children aged 2-6 years old to evaluate dmft and CF indices according to the latest WHO standards as well as their demographic characteristics in 2018. A questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULTS: A total of 2220 children were recruited. The mean dmft was 1.37 ± 2.69. The components of the dmft score included decay (1.23 ± 2.6), missing (0.03 ± 0.11) and filling (0.11 ± 0.7) in primary dentition, and the prevalence of caries-free children was 66.5%. The results showed that dmft had a significant positive relationship with breastfeeding termination time, maternal education level and maternal age. Birth weight, consumption of iron, vitamin A and D supplements, age at onset of complementary feeding and maternal occupation had no significant relationship with dmft. CONCLUSIONS: The tooth decay index of 2- to 6-year-old children in Fars Province is very different from WHO global standards. Therefore, educating mothers about the duration of breastfeeding is important to achieve standard values for the dental caries index.

Penetration ability and microhardness of infiltrant resin and two pit and fissure sealants in primary teeth with early enamel lesions.

To determine the penetration depth and enamel microhardness (EMH) of an infiltrant resin and two fissure sealants in primary teeth with early enamel lesions. We randomly divided 174 sound teeth into six groups (n = 29): (1) phosphoric acid (PA) + Clinpro, (2) PA + Aegis, (3) Icon, (4) hydrochloric acid (HCl) + Clinpro, (5) HCl + Aegis, and (6) control. Percentage penetration (%PP) was analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (n = 15). EMH was measured (n = 12), and the percentage of EMH recovery (%REMH) was calculated. Twelve samples were examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). All data were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis and one-way ANOVA tests (p < 0.05). Groups 3 and 4 showed the highest %PP (all, p < 0.05). Icon application led to significantly higher %REMH compared to the others (p < 0.05). Groups 2 and 5 showed the lowest reduction in %REMH after pH-cycling. Application of Icon and Clinpro with HCl pretreatment showed the greatest %PP. pH-cycling led to a decrease in %REMH for all of the materials, although this effect was lower in teeth treated with Aegis.