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Clinical evaluation of the plaque‐removing ability of three different toothbrushes in a mentally disabled group

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of plaque removal of three different toothbrushes on mentally disabled children in two different age groups. A manual triple‐headed brush (SuperBrush; Dento Co. AS [junior, regular]) compared with a new manual toothbrush (CrossAction; Oral‐B [35 compact, 40 regular]) and an electric toothbrush with an oscillating rotating head (Braun Plaque Control 3D [Braun 3D]; Oral‐B [D15525]). Fifteen children aged 6–12 (Group A) and 15 children aged 13–18 (Group B) with mild mental disabilities participated in the single‐blind clinical study. To obtain a plaque‐free condition at baseline, professional tooth‐cleaning was performed on each participant. After instructions on how to use the toothbrushes, each group started the experiment. After 1 week of application, the Quikley Hein (QH) plaque index and the approximal plaque index (API) were used to assess the oral hygiene status of each participant. This was followed by a week of recess before each group switched to the next type of toothbrush. The study lasted for 5 weeks. Compared to the two other brushes, the Braun 3D was more effective in removing plaque (means of QHI: 1.54 (Braun 3D), 1.77 (SuperBrush), and 2.15 (CrossAction) in total; means of API 1.37 (Braun 3D), 1.52 (SuperBrush), 1.94 (CrossAction). The study indicated that the electric toothbrush is the most effective for removing dental plaque in mentally disabled children, whereas the SuperBrush is a good alternative.

Mesiodens as a risk factor in treatment of trauma cases

The presence of mesiodens often results in complications including retention of primary teeth and delayed eruption of permanent teeth, closure of eruption path, rotations, retention, root resorption, pulp necrosis, and diastema as well as nasal eruption and formation of dentigerous and primordial cysts. Less common complications involving the permanent incisors include dilaceration of the developing roots and loss of tooth vitality. Therefore, early diagnosis of mesiodens has particular importance in terms of preventing such complications. However, with respect to surgical removal of mesiodens, ideal timing of intervention - immediate or delayed intervention - remains to be a highly controversial issue. While predisposing factors of dental trauma such as open bite, increasing overjet with protrusion of upper incisors, and insufficient lip closure have been well documented in the literature, there is limited evidence indicating mesiodens as a risk factor in trauma. In this report of two cases, it is aimed to emphasize mesiodens as a risk factor in the treatment of dental trauma besides its effect on prognosis.

A retrospective study of traumatic dental injuries

AIM The prognosis of dental trauma cases varies depending on the time elapsed after the trauma before treatment started. The aim of this study was to examine epidemiological and dental data from traumatic injuries to primary and permanent teeth during the period from 2005 to 2010. MATERIAL AND METHODS The examinations aimed to determine the age and sex distributions of patients, the causes of tooth injury, the type of teeth injured, the monthly distribution of the trauma, the time elapsed between injury and treatment, and the classification of the traumatized teeth and their treatments. RESULTS The dental trauma records of patients with an average age of 9 years, including 120 girls (35.3%) and 220 boys (64.7%), were evaluated. The most commonly affected teeth were the maxillary central incisors (66.24%). The main cause was falls (70.1%). In primary dentition, subluxation (36.4%) was observed in the highest percentage of injured teeth, and in permanent dentition, the most common observation was uncomplicated crown fractures (44.9%). Only 18 patients (2.9%) were referred to the clinic within 1 h following the injury. The most frequent treatment for primary teeth was examination and follow up (63.9%). Restoration with composite resin (26.3%) and root canal treatment (28.6%) were the most common procedures for permanent teeth. CONCLUSION It was revealed that although the most frequent type of injury in permanent dentition was uncomplicated crown fracture, the root canal treatment was the most common treatment in permanent dentition. This finding suggests that when the checkup time after the injury was delayed, the pulp could lose vitality. This finding reveals that it is important to inform the parents about dental trauma and the importance of bringing their children fast to a dentist in trauma cases.

Clinical and radiographic outcomes of calcium hydroxide and formocresol pulpotomies performed by dental students

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic success rates of 3 pulpotomy techniques: formocresol, calcium hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide/iodoform. STUDY DESIGN The pulpotomies were performed by fifth-year undergraduate dental students. Members of senior staff at the clinics supervised all of the procedures. Informed consent was obtained from each childs parents. The teeth were randomly assigned to the experimental (calcium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide/iodoform) or control (formocresol) groups. After coronal pulp removal and hemostasis, remaining pulp tissue was covered with calcium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide/iodoform paste in the experimental groups. In the control group, formocresol was placed with a cotton pellet over the pulp tissue for 5 minutes and removed; the pulp tissue was then covered with zinc oxide-eugenol. All teeth were restored with stainless-steel crowns. Clinical and radiographic successes and failures were recorded at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups by the authors. Data were statistically analyzed using chi-squared tests. RESULTS The follow-up evaluations revealed that the clinical success rates were 89.7% for formocresol, 33.3% for calcium hydroxide, and 17.2% for calcium hydroxide/iodoform. The radiographic success rates were 89.7% for formocresol, 33.3% for calcium hydroxide, and 13.8% for calcium hydroxide/iodoform. CONCLUSIONS Formocresol was superior to calcium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide/iodoform pastes for primary molar pulpotomies. Internal resorption was the most common radiographic failure in all 3 pulpotomy techniques.

Effects of topical Catalase application on dental pulp tissue: a histopathological evaluation

OBJECTIVES recently, the role of antioxidant enzymes in wound healing and their therapeutic potential has been a subject of interest in medical sciences. However there is restricted knowledge on the results of topical application, optimal therapeutic dosage and carrier types. The purpose of this study was to investigate the wound healing response of dental pulp after direct pulp capping with an antioxidant enzyme; Catalase (C-40). METHODS three mongrel dogs were used in this study. A total of 32 perforated Cl V preparations were treated with either 0.8mg (n=16) or 1.6mg (n=16) Catalase (C-40) which was incorporated in gelatin carriers whereas 16 control teeth had carriers without Catalase. One millimeter thick Teflon disks were placed over the gelatin pellets and the cavities restored with silver amalgam. Short term and long term histopathologic reactions were evaluated after 7 and 90 days. RESULTS there were no statistically significant differences between the inflammatory cell responses of control and either dosage groups of Catalase at the 7-day evaluation period. However, after 90 days, better tissue healing was observed in the teeth treated with Catalase, resulting in significant differences with the control group. CONCLUSIONS it can be concluded that the results of this study encourage the topical use of antioxidant Catalase as a pulp-capping agent. However, further studies are required to determine optimal antioxidant dosages.

Salivary and Urinary Fluoride Levels after 1-Month Use of Fluoride-Releasing Removable Appliances

Forty children aged 8-10 years participated in this study. Half (n =20) of them used orthodontic appliances which contained fluoride-releasing devices embedded in the lingual surface of the appliance and the other half used orthodontic appliances prepared from a fluoride-releasing acrylic polymer. Prior to the adjustment of appliances and after 1, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days salivary and urinary samples were collected and the fluoride concentrations were determined. The mean fluoride release was highest during the first week. However, the values decreased considerably after that and the curves for the two groups became parallel. The results indicate that fluoride-releasing removable appliances could be useful for a prolonged release of low concentrations of fluoride without any systemic effect.

Evaluation of a New Intraoral Controlled Fluoride Release Device

The aim of the study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of a new hydroxyapatite-Eudragit RS100 diffusion-controlled fluoride-releasing system designed for intraoral use with a 0.15 mg F–/day release for a 1-month period. Matrix tablets, each containing 18 mg of sodium fluoride, were bonded to the buccal surface of the first maxillary molar teeth of 20 subjects (age 20–23 years). Morning and evening salivary and urinary samples were collected 5 days before the study and every day for the 1st week, then once a week for 1 month. Fluoride ion measurements were done using the microdiffusion method. The salivary and urinary fluoride concentrations were significantly raised during the treatment period (p < 0.05). Morning salivary fluoride levels were higher than evening salivary fluoride levels (p < 0.05) whereas evening urinary fluoride levels were higher than morning urinary fluoride levels (p < 0.05). The statistically significant increase in salivary fluoride levels indicates a caries-preventive role for this device.

In Vivo Effect of Calcium Phosphate Biomaterials on Dog Dental Pulp

ABSTRACT Exogenous ideal delivery system for biologically active molecules is under intensive investigation. In the present study it was aimed to test the availability of different calcium phosphate biomaterials (CPBs), hydroxyapatite (HA), beta tricalcium phosphate (TCP), and a combination of these (TCP+HA) as dental pulp capping systems on healing of dog dental pulp. Experimentally perforated dental pulps of 16 premolar and molar teeth in a beagle dog were capped with CPBs. Calcium hydroxide (CH) was used as positive control. Thirty days after the operation, teeth were extracted and examined by routine histological techniques. While in HA and TCP group the pulp tissue displayed severe inflammatory response, prompted healing of the pulp tissue in TCP+HA group was seen. Complete bridge of reparative dentin formation was obvious in TCP+HA and CH groups. This study suggested that TCP+HA induced dentinogenic effect in the pulp cells of dog teeth. TCP+HA might serve as an ideal calcium phosphate pulp capping biomaterial to induce initial healing response and it might has a capacity for being a good carrier for biologically active dentinogenic molecules.

EFFECTS OF TWO TYPES OF APPLIANCES ON OROFACIAL DYSFUNCTIONS OF DISABLED CHILDREN

The importance of preventive therapies in disabled patients have been understood in dentistry also as in every step of their medical therapies. Oral-health education of the family and the child, motivation and preventive applications starting from early ages, will probably solve most of the oro-dental health problems of this special group. Otherwise, periodontal problems, missing teeth due to caries, malocclusions and orofacial muscle dysfunctions of the patients will make the treatment more complicated. Orofacial dysfunctions mostly seen in Down syndrome (DS) or Cerebral palsy (CP) cases create a social problem for children besides their physical problems. However these dysfunctions are not accepted Students

Aktif Ortodontik Tedavi Sırasında Apeksifikasyon

OZET: Ondort yasinda bir kiz cocugunun kronik apikal periodontitis tanisi konulan so! ust surekli santral disine, aktif ortodontik tedavi sirasinda apeksifikasyon islemi uygulanarak bir yillik klinik ve radyolojik takip sonucu kok ucunun kapandigi gozlendi. Sonuc olarak apeksifikasyon tedavisinin bu cesit vakalarda basariyla uygulanan bir tedavi yontemi olarak onerilebilecegi bildirildi.