Comprehensive Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia Improves Mastication Capability in Children with Early Childhood Caries-A One-Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: Using the granulometry of ready-to-swallow food boluses, this study investigated the evolution of masticatory capability of children with Early Childhood Caries (ECC) after comprehensive dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA). METHODS: Sixteen children with ECC were assessed before and over one year after dental treatment under GA, in comparison with 12 children with a Healthy Oral State (HOS). Oral health criteria, quality of life, body mass index, and frequency of orofacial dysfunctions were recorded. Masticatory kinematic parameters and median food bolus particle size (D50) at swallowing were assessed while masticating raw carrot (CAR), cheese (CHS), and breakfast cereals (CER). The impact of posterior teeth extractions was analyzed. RESULTS: Quality of life and orofacial functions improved after dental treatment. Chewing frequency for all three foods increased without reaching the values of children with HOS, while D50 values for CAR and CHS decreased. After one year, children with posterior teeth extractions exhibited higher D50 values for CAR and CHS than children with only conservative treatment. One third of children with ECC were overweight or obese. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive dental treatment improved children's mastication, and their BMI subsequently increased. Links between mastication and nutrition should be investigated further in children.

In vitro models of gut digestion across childhood: current developments, challenges and future trends.

The human digestion is a multi-step and multi-compartment process essential for human health, at the heart of many issues raised by academics, the medical world and industrials from the food, nutrition and pharma fields. In the first years of life, major dietary changes occur and are concomitant with an evolution of the whole child digestive tract anatomy and physiology, including colonization of gut microbiota. All these phenomena are influenced by child exposure to environmental compounds, such as drugs (especially antibiotics) and food pollutants, but also childhood infections. Due to obvious ethical, regulatory and technical limitations, in vivo approaches in animal and human are more and more restricted to favor complementary in vitro approaches. This review summarizes current knowledge on the evolution of child gut physiology from birth to 3 years old regarding physicochemical, mechanical and microbial parameters. Then, all the available in vitro models of the child digestive tract are described, ranging from the simplest static mono-compartmental systems to the most sophisticated dynamic and multi-compartmental models, and mimicking from the oral phase to the colon compartment. Lastly, we detail the main applications of child gut models in nutritional, pharmaceutical and microbiological studies and discuss the limitations and challenges facing this field of research.

Radiological Evaluation of Stainless Steel Crowns Placed on Permanent Teeth in Patients Treated under General Anaesthesia.

Evidence-based evaluations of dental treatment are needed to support the development of special care dentistry services. This retrospective study was designed to collect and analyse X-ray images of permanent teeth restored with stainless steel crowns (SSC) in patients treated under general anaesthesia. Between 2013 and 2019, 360 permanent molars were crowned with SSCs in 198 adult patients. One calibrated investigator used an original validated tool to evaluate four radiographic criteria for molars restored with SSCs: (i) marginal adaptation; (ii) interdental proximal contact; (iii) the presence of glass ionomer cement overflow; and (iv) the loss of alveolar bone. Overall, no defect or a minor defect was reported for the majority of SSCs for the criteria "Marginal adaptation" (62.5%, n = 320), "Proximal contact" (82.2%, n = 236) and "Cement overflow" (95.8%, n = 337). Alveolar bone resorption was reported in 8.3% of cases, n = 14, after a mean period of 8.9 ± 14.3 months. It was shown that the restoration of permanent teeth using SSCs placed under general anaesthesia presents a low risk of periodontal morbidity in the medium term when assessed radiographically.

Long-term Outcomes of Full Pulpotomy in Permanent Molars for Patients Treated in a Single, Short Session under Special Conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Endodontic procedures for patients requiring treatment in a single, short session need to be validated. This study aimed at evaluating the long-term outcome of full pulpotomy in permanent molars performed with reinforced zinc oxide-eugenol cement (Intermediate Restorative Material [IRM], Dentsply Sirona, Versailles, France) immediately restored using stainless steel crowns under general anesthesia. METHODS: The absence of clinical signs and symptoms and the evolution of the periapical index between the treatment date and the longest follow-up time were used to grade the pulpotomy outcome as "effective," "uncertain," or "ineffective." The impact of different criteria on the pulpotomy outcome was tested (ie, the etiology of the lesion, tooth maturity, endodontic difficulty related to the coronal shape and the root canal shape, and endodontic difficulty related to the radiographic root canal appearance). RESULTS: Among the 608 teeth (338 patients) treated in a single session with IRM full pulpotomy and stainless steel preformed crowns, 263 (143 patients) were evaluated after a median follow-up period of 24 months. Overall, 89% of the pulpotomies were effective, 7.6% were of uncertain outcome, and 3.4% were ineffective. No tested criteria influenced the rate of effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes of IRM pulpotomy are similar to those of calcium silicate-based cement pulpotomy observed in the literature. This procedure should not be restricted to patients treated under general anesthesia because it is relevant for all special conditions that impose the provision of endodontic treatment in a single, short session, such as dental care emergencies during humanitarian crises or pandemic periods.

Natural food mastication capability in preschool children according to their oral condition: A preliminary study.

This study investigated, for the first time, the masticatory capability of preschool children using natural foods, and the impact of an early oral health alteration (early childhood caries: ECC) on the granulometry of ready-to-swallow food boluses. Thirteen children with ECC were compared to 13 preschool children with a healthy oral condition. Oral health criteria and NOT-S scores (Nordic Orofacial dysfunction Test-Screening) were recorded. For each child, number of masticatory cycles (Nc), chewing time (Ti), and frequency (Fq = Nc/Ti) were recorded during mastication of raw carrot (CAR), cheese (CHS) and breakfast cereals (CER) samples. Food boluses were collected by stopping children at their food-dependent individual swallowing threshold (Nc), and the median food bolus particle size value (D50) was calculated. Correlations were sought between oral health and masticatory criteria. In the ECC group, mean Fq values were significantly decreased for all three foods (p ≤ .001) and mean D50 values were significantly increased (p ≤ .001) compared to the control group (i.e., D50 CAR = 4,384 µm ± 929 vs. 2,960 µm ± 627). These alterations were related to the extent of ECC. The NOT-S mean global score was significantly increased in children with ECC (2.62 ± 1.37 vs. 1 ± 0.91 in the control group, p ≤ .01), due to "Mastication and swallowing" domain impairment. This study gives granulometric normative values for three foods in preschool children and shows the impact of ECC on D50 values. The progression of children's masticatory capability after dental treatment, and the impact of such modifications of sensory input on future eating habits should be explored.

Masticatory behavior for different solid foods in preschool children according to their oral state.

Gradual introduction of solid foods in early childhood takes part in the maturation of mastication. The impact of any oral state alteration on food oral processing development is poorly documented for this age group. This study investigated the masticatory behavior in 3 to 6 year-old children with or without early childhood caries (ECC) for three solid foods of different textures. Twenty-one children with healthy oral state and 23 children with severe ECC were observed during complete mastication of calibrated samples of raw carrot, cheese and breakfast cereals. Food refusals and kinematic parameters (Ti: chewing time, Nc: number of cycles and Fq: chewing frequency) were used to assess children masticatory behavior. Oral Health-related Quality of Life and orofacial dysfunctions were evaluated using, respectively the early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS) and the Nordic orofacial dysfunction test screening (NOT-S). Children suffering from ECC exhibited significantly higher ECOHIS and NOT-S scores, in particular for the mastication domain. Accordingly, lower chewing frequencies values were recorded in children with ECC (i.e., carrot Fq: 1.21 ± 0.20 vs 1.35 ± 0.22, p ≤ 0.01), as well as more frequent refusals for carrots. Kinematic parameters were shown to be repeatable in all children for successive samples of the same food, and tended to vary depending on the proposed food. Some masticatory behavior regulation according to food properties could already be present in preschool children. Children with ECC developed alternative behavioral strategies to overcome feeding difficulties. Further studies should investigate food bolus properties according to oral health, as well as nutritional issues. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: During childhood, the way solid foods are processed in the oral cavity to be safely swallowed and then digested in available nutrients, is poorly documented. In this study, preschool children have been shown to repeatedly adapt their masticatory behavior to a given food. The collection of various food boli as recorded at the moment of swallowing could then be considered in further food bolus properties research investigations. Moreover, this study suggested that children with altered dentition modified their masticatory kinematic parameters and developed alternative strategies, including food or texture selection, to overcome their feeding difficulties. The development of a mastication evaluation protocol could help medical professionals to detect children masticatory deficiencies and then propose diet adaptations. Considering the importance of food diversity in mastication development and maturation, food industries may consider to develop a range of texture adapted foods for young children, especially designed to gradually rehabilitate the masticatory function.

Impact of early childhood caries and its treatment under general anesthesia on orofacial function and quality of life: A prospective comparative study

BACKGROUND: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) has become a major public health concern worldwide, mostly affecting children from disadvantaged families in increasingly severe forms. This condition has been frequently reported to alter children's nutrition, growth and general development. It negatively impacts their quality of life, through painful episodes and severe eating difficulties. While this period is crucial for oral praxes development, the impact of dental state on oro-facial functions is poorly documented. This study evaluated the impact of ECC and its treatment under general anesthesia on oro-facial functions and quality of life in pre-school children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The dysfunction and quality of life scores from 25 children with ECC were evaluated before treatment (T0), one month (T1) and three months after treatment (T2), using the Nordic Orofacial TestScreening (NOT-S) and the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS), respectively, in comparison with 16 caries-free children. The number and extent of inter-arch dental contacts were also observed. RESULTS: The pre-operative higher NOT-S score observed in children with ECC decreased to reach the control level at T2. The mastication item was the most affected in the ECC group throughout the study. Their mean ECOHIS score also significantly decreased post-operatively and differences remaining between both groups were no longer clinically relevant. In addition, in children with ECC, values of functional inter-arch surfaces tended to increase over the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Oro-facial functions and quality of life, altered by ECC, could be restored through a conservative treatment approach. Relations between dental state, orofacial functions and particularly chewing, and nutrition should be investigated further

Conscious sedation procedures using intravenous midazolam for dental care in patients with different cognitive profiles: a prospective study of effectiveness and safety.

The use of midazolam for dental care in patients with intellectual disability is poorly documented. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of conscious sedation procedures using intravenous midazolam in adults and children with intellectual disability (ID) compared to dentally anxious patients (DA). Ninety-eight patients with ID and 44 patients with DA programmed for intravenous midazolam participated in the study over 187 and 133 sessions, respectively. Evaluation criteria were success of dental treatment, cooperation level (modified Venham scale), and occurrence of adverse effects. The mean intravenous dose administered was 8.8±4.9 mg and 9.8±4.1 mg in ID and DA sessions respectively (t-test, NS). 50% N2O/O2 was administered during cannulation in 51% of ID sessions and 61% of DA sessions (NS, Fisher exact test). Oral or rectal midazolam premedication was administered for cannulation in 31% of ID sessions and 3% of DA sessions (p<0,001, Fisher exact test). Dental treatment was successful in 9 out of 10 sessions for both groups. Minor adverse effects occurred in 16.6% and 6.8% of ID and DA sessions respectively (p = 0.01, Fisher exact test). Patients with ID were more often very disturbed during cannulation (25.4% ID vs. 3.9% DA sessions) and were less often relaxed after induction (58.9% ID vs. 90.3% DA) and during dental treatment (39.5% ID vs. 59.7% DA) (p<0.001, Fisher exact test) than patients with DA. When midazolam sedation was repeated, cooperation improved for both groups. Conscious sedation procedures using intravenous midazolam, with or without premedication and/or inhalation sedation (50% N2O/O2), were shown to be safe and effective in patients with intellectual disability when administered by dentists.

A clinical trial of efficacy and safety of inhalation sedation with a 50% nitrous oxide/oxygen premix (Kalinox™) in general practice.

The current study aimed to verify if the safety and effectiveness of inhalation sedation with 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen (N(2)O/O(2)) is maintained when the premix is administrated by trained general practitioners in their dental surgeries compared to its use in the hospital. Success (completion of planned treatment), cooperation (modified Venham scale), and adverse events were recorded. The acceptability of the technique to the patients, the level of patient cooperation, the ease of use, and the satisfaction of the dentist were also evaluated. Thirty-three general practitioners included 549 patients and recorded 638 sessions of N(2)O/O(2) sedation for dental treatment. Of the sessions, 93.7% were successful in terms of both sedation and treatment. Patient cooperation was seen to improve under N(2)O/O(2) sedation, and for 91% of the sessions, the patients declared that they would like future treatment to be undertaken in the same way. No serious adverse events were recorded. Minor adverse events were noted for 10% of the sessions (behavioural, vagal, and digestive disorders). These results were similar to those found for sessions undertaken in hospital practice. The main difference was in the type of patient treated-more patients received N(2)O/O(2) sedation in general practice for a one-off indication or for dental phobia, and more patients with intellectual disability and more pre-cooperative children were treated in hospital practice. This study gives strong supporting evidence for the safety and effectiveness of inhalation sedation using 50% N(2)O/O(2) in general dental practice for healthy patients.

Factors affecting dental fear in French children aged 5-12 years.

BACKGROUND: While dental anxiety is often correlated with prior negative dental experience, prevention of dental anxiety should in theory include early exposure to the dental setting. OBJECTIVE: We set out to evaluate factors affecting dental fear in French children. METHODS: Dental fear was evaluated using a visual analogue scale (DF-VAS) in a group of 1303 French children (681 boys and 622 girls) aged 5-11 years (mean: 8.12 years, SD: 1.42 years). Indicators of caries and oral hygiene were evaluated on dental examination. Indicators of well-being related to oral health, dental experience, and oral health education were collected via a structured interview. RESULTS: Dental fear was scored low in 75.7% (DF-VAS 0-3), moderate in 16.7% (DF-VAS 4-6), and high in 7.6% (DF-VAS 7-10). DF-VAS decreased statistically with experience of a prior dental visit. Children who had at least one decayed tooth presented a higher level of dental fear than those with no decay, while children with fillings were significantly less anxious than those without previous dental care. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that for children aged 5-12 years, prior experience of the dental setting can act as a positive component of dental fear.

A survey of the difficulties encountered during routine hygiene and health care by persons with special needs.

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the difficulty experienced during routine hygiene and healthcare in various domains by persons with special needs attending a dental clinic compared to controls. METHOD: Data were gathered from 98 patients (mean age 18 SD +/- 10.9 years) and 27 control subjects (mean age 17.3 SD +/- 10.6 years) using a 19-item questionnaire of difficulty. RESULTS: Seven acts showed greater difficulty in the study group: cleaning teeth (OR = 15.34; 95% CI: 3.46-70.10), washing ears (OR = 7.58; 95% CI: 1.70-33.94), dental treatment (OR = 5.54; 95% CI: 2.23-13.80), ear examination (OR = 3.80; 95% CI: 1.22- 11.86), dental examination (OR = 3.06; 95% CI: 1.27-7.42), blood tests (OR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.08-6.16) and swallowing a tablet (OR = 2.06; 95% CI: 0.01-0.46). Patients treated under sedation expressed significantly greater difficulty without sedation for dental examination (OR = 3.04; 95% CI: 1.21-7.65) and dental treatment (OR= 3.87; 95% CI: 1.54-9.73). CONCLUSIONS: Difficulty encountered in the acceptance of routine hygiene and healthcare could be used as an indicator for the need for Special Care facilities for outpatient treatment. Educational, behavioural and pharmacological procedures that can improve these situations are discussed.

Evaluation of safe and effective administration of nitrous oxide after a postgraduate training course.

BACKGROUND: Conscious sedation is used in dentistry to improve access and quality of care in patients who have difficulty coping with treatment. The aim of this prospective study was to describe a postgraduate training course in conscious sedation for dentists, with specific evaluation of the safe and effective administration of a 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen premix. METHODS: 45 practitioners were trained between 2002 and 2004. They carried out 826 sessions of inhalation sedation in 662 patients. The clinical competency of this group was compared with an expert group. RESULTS: There was no difference between trainees and experts in ability to complete the planned dental treatment under sedation (89.6% vs 93.2%). Trainees were less successful than experts for patients with intellectual disability (87.4% vs 94.2%, p < 0.01). For both groups, the degree of cooperation improved between initial induction and each perioperative step (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.01). However, for trainees, Venham behaviour scores varied with the type of patient (Kruskal Wallis test, p < 0.001). No major adverse effects were recorded. Trainees reported more minor adverse effects than experts (13% vs. 5.3% respectively, Fisher exact test, p < 0.001) CONCLUSION: The trainee practitioners provided effective and safe inhalation sedation. This challenges the current French restriction of the 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen premix to the hospital setting. Further emphasis is required on the teaching of behaviour management skills for patients with intellectual disability.

A national cross-sectional survey of dental anxiety in the French adult population.

BACKGROUND: Dental anxiety is a public health problem but no epidemiological study has been undertaken in France to evaluate its prevalence. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence, severity and associations of dental anxiety in a sample of the French adult population. METHODS: A convenience sample of 2725 adults (mean age = 47 years, SD16, minimum = 16, maximum = 101 years), representative of the French population with regard to age and urban distribution, completed a French version of the Corah Dental Anxiety scale (DAS) and a questionnaire relating to their dental appointments. RESULTS: Moderate dental anxiety (14>or=DAS>or=13) was revealed for 172 persons (6.2%), while 195 (7.3%) had severe dental anxiety (DAS>or=15), giving an overall prevalence of dental anxiety of 13.5%. Prevalence was lower proportionally with age (P < 0.001) and was higher in French overseas territories and in the countryside (P < 0.01). Farmers and low skilled workers were significantly more anxious than executives and shopkeepers (P < 0.001). Anxiety was associated with avoidance of care (p < 0.001) and lack of regular dental appointments (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Dental anxiety in France appears to concern a similar proportion of the population as in other industrialised European, Australasian or North American countries. Recommendations for prevention and management of dental anxiety are made with reference to dental education and health care services in France.

A review of the safety of 50% nitrous oxide/oxygen in conscious sedation.

Few studies into conscious sedation with 50% nitrous oxide/oxygen premix (50% N2O/O2) have been conducted in accordance with Good Clinical Practice in Clinical Trials. Of the 140 articles retained in this review, the incidence of adverse events (AEs) varied in the range of 0-68% according to the indications. When other drugs and/or local anaesthesia were used concomitantly, the relative risk for nausea and vomiting increased whereas it decreased for vertigo or hallucinations. Only one study examined potential causal relationship between serious AEs and the 50% N2O/O2 gas itself, giving a risk for a serious AE directly due to the gas of 3/10,000 administrations. No analysis of the effect of the method of administration was possible, nor could conclusions be drawn relating to the risk of occupational exposure.

A controlled national survey in France of health-related challenges for persons with Down syndrome.

Despite recent research on the impact of disability on function, little information is available to evaluate the need for daily support in persons with Down syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and relative degree of difficulty experienced by this population in routine hygiene and health care when compared to their siblings. A proxy French language questionnaire was used for this cross-sectional survey of 199 persons with Down syndrome and 153 siblings (mean age 12.3 years, range < or = 1-48). Individuals in the study group had significantly more difficulty performing all activities related to routine hygiene and health care, and were 2-22 times more likely to need help than the control group. Certain acts of routine health care were performed more regularly by those in the study group (6/12 items), and specialist medical and paramedical visits were more regular (OR = 7-44). Increased difficulty and need for help in performing acts of basic self-care may reduce autonomy and social integration for persons with Down syndrome. Recommendations are made in relation to the training of caregivers and health professionals.

Modification of behavior with 50% nitrous oxide/oxygen conscious sedation over repeated visits for dental treatment a 3-year prospective study.

In various medical domains, inhalation of nitrous oxide (N2O) in oxygen (O2) is indicated to alleviate pain and anxiety during routine treatment. Repeat treatment may often be indicated. Little data are available, however, to evaluate the long-term efficacy and side effects of reiterated N2O/O2 sedation. The aim of this study was to compare behavior during dental treatment under a premix of 50% N2O/O2 between first experience and repeat experiences of sedation in a cohort of uncooperative patients. Five hundred forty-three patients (age range, 1-94 years; mean, 17 +/- 16 years) experiencing conscious sedation for dental treatment for the first time were recruited at a special care unit during 3 years. A modified Venham scale was used to evaluate patient behavior at 5 steps during each session. Completion of planned treatment and occurrence of adverse side effects of sedation were additional criteria. Patients experienced sedation for the first time for 378 sessions, and the session was a repeat experience in 843 cases (number of visits: range, 1-6). Patient cooperation significantly improved during visits at first contact with the dentist and when applying the mask (P < 0.0001, between sessions 1 and 2). Between the first and the third sessions, the percentage of very uncooperative patients decreased from 23% to 3.7% at first contact with the dentist and from 22.3% to 8.5% on application of the mask. Experience of reiterated dental treatment under sedation with 50% N2O/O2 premix helps uncooperative patients to cope with dental treatment in the long term.