Impact of the undergraduate clinical teaching-learning process on caries detection and treatment decision-making

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate caries diagnosis and treatment decisions made by undergraduate dental students based on ICDAS or Nyvad criteria. Methods: Twelve students analyzed 90 digital photographs of permanent teeth at different clinical stages of carious lesion development and chose among different treatments in three different assessments: when there was no knowledge of the criteria (described as "No knowledge (N)"; when there was theoretical knowledge of the criteria (described as "Theoretical knowledge (T)" and when there was theoretical knowledge, clinical experience about dental caries and the criteria (described as "Theoretical and clinical knowledge (TC)". For "T" and "TC" the students were randomized into two experimental groups ­ ICDAS or Nyvad (experimental units: 6 students/group). The reference standard was established cooperatively by two experienced researchers. Criteria performance was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, AUC, and Kappa statistics. Treatment decision was described in percentage by contingency tables and Spearman's correlation with the reference standard. Results: The first assessment demonstrated a high percentage of operative treatment even for initial enamel lesions based on ICDAS criteria and treatment was proposed for both active and inactive lesions, according to the Nyvad criteria. In the second assessment, the students continued recommending treatments for initial or inactive lesions, but less frequently. In the third assessment, treatment decisions presented greater cohesion in relation to the assigned classification criterion. The criteria presented no differences between them in terms of diagnostic in the third assessment. Conclusion: Clinical experience may improve caries detection and treatment decisions with the use of ICDAS and Nyvad criteria

Structural integrity of MIH-affected teeth after treatment with fluoride varnish or resin infiltration: An 18-Month randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of fluoride varnish (FV) therapies or resin infiltration (RI) to maintain the structural integrity of Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) -affected teeth. METHODS: Fifty-one children aged 6-12 years with at least one incisor and one first permanent molar with yellow/brown MIH opacities were included. Patients were randomly allocated into three groups: FV - Fluoride Varnish (Duraphat); FV+etch - Fluoride Varnish (Duraphat) after enamel etching with 37% phosphoric acid; or RI - Resin Infiltration system (Icon). Opacities were monitored for 18 months. The primary outcome was the loss of integrity due to post-eruptive enamel breakdown (PEB). Covariables included sex, age, DMFT index, opacity colour, plaque index, number of MIH-affected teeth, and number of MIH-affected surfaces. Fisher's Exact was used to test the association of treatments with PEB, the Kaplan-Meyer method analysed the survival rates and Cox-regression determined which covariables would predict failure (α=0.05). RESULTS: From a total of 235 teeth, the PEB rate for RI (6.1%) was significantly lower (p<0.05) than FV (17.9%; OR 3.0, 95%CI 1.07, 8.48) and FV+etch (17.3%; OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.13, 8.73). DMFT index >3, brown opacities, cusp involvement, and age between 6-8 years predicted PEB (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Resin infiltration positively influenced the structural integrity maintenance of MIH-affected teeth by decreasing the risk of enamel breakdown over18 months follow-up. Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-8wwk3n). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Resin infiltration proved to be a more efficacious intervention to maintain the structural integrity of MIH-affected teeth than fluoride varnish therapies.

Caries treatment decisions among undergraduate and postgraduate students supported by visual detection systems.

BACKGROUND: The difficulties of caries diagnosis and the level of examiner's experience may influence the treatment decision, resulting excessive and inefficient intervention. AIM: This randomized experimental study evaluated caries treatment decisions made by undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students when examination was performed through conventional visual clinical examination (CVCE) and when supported by ICDAS (IC) or Nyvad's (NY) criteria. DESIGN: Four UG and four PG initially analyzed, by CVCE, 300 primary incisors and molars surfaces of 25 children aged 5-12 years, and choose between no treatment, non-operative, and operative treatment. Students were randomized between IC (2UG; 2PG) and NY (2UG; 2PG) and, after one week of receiving training, repeated evaluations and treatment suggestions. Reference standard was established by two researchers' consensus. Sensitivity, specificity, ROC analysis, and kappa were calculated. Treatment decisions were analyzed by means of contingency tables. RESULTS: Only sensitivity showed statistical difference (P < 0.05). Operative treatment had high percentage for initial lesions at first evaluation for both criteria; second evaluation showed higher percentage of non-operative treatments for the same lesions. CONCLUSIONS: IC and NY present satisfactory performance in primary teeth by UG and PG, and their use may assistance UG to adopt a less interventionist approach for initial enamel lesions.

Examiner's experience and the outcome interpretation of ICDAS and Nyvad's system - a prospective in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, prospectively, the influence of examiner's experience in interpreting and applying the caries detection systems ICDAS (IC) and Nyvad (NY). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve second-year undergraduate dental students (UG) and 12 postgraduates (PG) MSc level analysed and codified 77 clinical dental caries photographs at three different moments: initially, without any training; after one week of receiving training through a theoretical class; and after two years. Reproducibility and correlation was evaluated; sensitivity, specificity and area under ROC curve (AUC) were dichotomized according to the presence of cavitation (IC) and in relation to disease activity (NY). RESULTS: IC presented good kappa values for the first two evaluations. Both criteria resulted in good Spearman's correlation after two years (IC = UG: 0.89; PG: 0.93/NY = UG: 0.81; PG: 0.82). Sensitivity, specificity and AUC were statistically higher in the third evaluation by UG for Nyvad. CONCLUSIONS: ICDAS criteria seem to be instinctively understood by students without clinical experience. Nyvad's concepts performed better after two years where the students deepened their theoretical knowledge and experienced clinical practice, collaborating with the identification of activity signs.

Cryotherapy for localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia: preliminary findings on two cases.

BACKGROUND: Localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia (LJSGH) is a distinct subtype of inflammatory gingival hyperplasia that shows lack of response to traditional periodontal treatment, and after surgical excision, recurrence rate of 6-16% has been reported. CASE REPORT: Two girls (11- and 9-year-old) with multifocal red patches along the maxillary and mandibular labial gingiva showed no regression of the lesions after basic periodontal treatment. Surgical excision of focal lesion in each case was performed, which showed typical features of LJSGH. In both cases, the lesions presented recurrence. Hence, cryotherapy sessions in all lesions were performed. CONCLUSION: Cryotherapy appears to be successfully in LJSGH and well received by paediatric patients.