Işıl Şaroğlu Sönmez

Prevalence of dental anxiety in 7- to 11-year-old children and its relationship to dental caries.

Objectives: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to evaluate the level of fear of dental procedures among schoolchildren and assess the relationship between caries experience and fear of dental procedures. Subjects and Methods: 275 children aged 7–11 years were recruited for the study. Before conducting a dental examination, each subject was asked to independently complete a Children’s Fear Survey Schedule – Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) questionnaire. Children having a score of ≥38 were included in the group ‘with dental fear’ while those scoring <38 were placed in the ‘without dental fear’ group. All dental examinations were performed on the school premises according to WHO criteria. Results: Mean CFSS-DS value was 28.1, and the number of children who experienced dental fear was 40 (14.5%). It was found that Decayed, Missing and Filled Surface Index (DMFS-dfs) increased significantly with increasing CFSS-DS values. Fear scores were highest for ‘Choking’ (3.3), ‘Injections’ (2.6) and ‘Having somebody put instruments in their mouth’ (2.6). No significant differences in fear scores between boys and girls were found in this study. Conclusions: The data showed prevalence of dental fear in the 7–11-year-old children of this study. Dental fear scores decreased with increasing age.

Comparison of caries prevention with glass ionomer and composite resin fissure sealants.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) was developed primarily for use in underserved areas of the world. This study was designed to compare caries prevention with high-viscosity glass ionomer cement (GIC) sealants placed according to the ART procedure and light-cured composite resin sealants after 3 years. METHODS The study was conducted in a boarding school in the city of Kirikkale. Four experienced dentists placed a total of 207 sealants (91 GIC and 116 composite resin), without chair-side assistance, on the school premises. RESULTS A total of 137 sealants were available after 3 years. 55.3% of the GIC and 93.8% of the composite resin sealants were lost completely, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant. Only six of 56 teeth in the GIC group and eight of 81 in the composite resin group showed caries. CONCLUSION Under field conditions in which moisture control was not effective, a high-viscosity and less technique-sensitive glass ionomer material can be used as an effective sealant material, rather than resin.

Ozone therapy in the management and prevention of caries

The purpose of this article was to assess the effectiveness of ozone therapy in the management and prevention of caries, reviewing clinical and in vitro studies. Ozone has proven to be effective against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In dentistry, most of the published articles are based on ozones antimicrobial effects and the treatment of caries. Most of the clinical studies reported ozone to be a promising alternative to conventional methods for caries management. However, a few studies have shown ozone to be insufficient for preventing caries and reducing microorganisms in open occlusal carious lesions. Ozone might be a useful tool to reduce and control oral infectious microorganisms in dental plaque and dental cavity. However, the results of in vitro studies are controversial; while some researchers reported that ozone therapy had a minimal or no effect on the viability of microorganisms, others suggested ozone to be highly effective in killing both gram-positive and gram-negative oral microorganisms. Therefore, more evidence is required before ozone can be accepted as an alternative to present methods for the management and prevention of caries.

Comparison of Retention Rates of Fissure Sealants Using Two Flowable Restorative Materials and a Conventional Resin Sealant: Two-Year Follow-Up

Objective: The purpose of this clinical study was to compare the retention rates of two flowable restorative systems (Admira Flow and Grandio Flow) with that of a conventional resin-based sealant (Fissurit F). Materials and Methods: The study was planned as a clinical trial with a split-mouth design. A total of 122 sealants (38 Admira Flow, 41 Grandio Flow, 43 Fissurit F) were randomly applied to completely erupted permanent molars in 35 patients aged 9–20 years and followed up for 24 months. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s χ2 and multiple comparison tests. Results: At the end of the follow-up period, Fissurit F had higher retention rates (81.0%) than both Admira Flow (60.5%) and Grandio Flow (57.1%), with p < 0.05. However, there was no significant difference in caries development among groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The two flowable composite resin materials used as fissure sealant were less retentive than the conventional resin sealant.

Clinical Evaluation of a Colored Compomer in Primary Molars

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of a new colored compomer material, Twinky Star, in primary molars. Subjects and Methods: Eighty class II restorations were placed in a total of 36 subjects and the clinical success of the restorations was evaluated after 12 months based on modified US Public Health Services criteria. Results: The failure rate of the restorations was 3.9% (3 out of 77) and the clinical success of the restorations, measured by anatomic form, marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, surface texture, maintenance of interproximal contact and secondary caries, was acceptable. Conclusion: The clinical success of the colored compomer material, Twinky Star, indicates that it could be a good alternative to tooth colored compomers.

Autoextraction of Permanent Incisors and Self-Inflicted Orodental Trauma in a Severely Burned Child

Autoextraction is one type of self-injurious behaviour. In the literature, self-injurious behaviours are observed in syndromes and genetic conditions. However, to the best of our knowledge, SIB and autoextraction in a severely burned patient have not been reported to date. This report describes the self-inflicted trauma and autoextraction in a severely burned child, and the management of the child during and after burn treatment.

Assessment of monomer release from 3 different fissure sealants

Background: Light-activated resin-based dental fissure sealants are the most widely accepted among clinicians. The objective of this study was to determine monomer release of 3 different light-curing fissure sealants in vitro: Control Seal (Voco, Germany), Fissurit FX (Voco, Germany) and R&D Series Fıssured Nova (Imicrly, Turkey). Methods: Each material was polymerized with a curing light: Valo Cordless (Ultradent) LED in standard mode for 20 seconds (n = 27) and 40 seconds (n = 27) and in Xtra power mode (plasma arc) for 3 seconds (n = 27). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the amount of monomers released over 1, 3 and 7 days. Results: Plasma arc groups showed the highest release of monomers at 1, 3 and 7 days in the 3 fissure sealant groups (p<0.001). The greatest release of bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (bis-GMA) determined for R&D Series Fissured Nova both with LED 20 seconds and LED 40 seconds and for Control Seal was with the plasma arc. With time, release of the monomer was reduced for all polymerization systems. Conclusions: Efficiency of the polymerization system and applying the recommended curing time for light-activated resin-based dental materials are very important to protect the patient from potential hazards of residual monomers.

Comparison of shear bond strength of self-adhering flowable composite with different flowable composites to dentin

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the shear bond strength of a self-adhering flowable resin composite with different flowable composites to dentin. Materials and Methods: A total of 48 extracted teeth were divided randomly into four groups, and dentin surfaces were exposed. Following materials were applied to dentin surfaces; Group I: VF (self-adhering flowable composite), Group II: CSE Bond (two-step self-etch adhesive) + CMF (conventional flowable composite), Group III: AB SE (one-step self-etch adhesive) + AF (conventional flowable composite), Group IV: AEO (one-step self-etch adhesive) + FUF (conventional flowable composite). The specimens were subjected to shear loading using a universal testing machine. The type of failure was detected with an illuminated microscope. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey multiple comparison test were used to determine statistical significance differences between groups. Results: Mean shear bond strength values were ranked as follows; Group II > Group IV > Group III > Group I. Statistically significant differences were found among all groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Group I; the self-adhering flowable resin composite had the lowest shear bond strength values while Group II; showed the highest shear bond strength among the materials tested.

Comparison of chemomechanical caries removal using Papacárie versus conventional method in children

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of chemomechanical caries removal (Papacárie), compared with the conventional method. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of 50 primary molars selected from 25 healthy children (mean age 7.6 ± 1.1). Each patient had at least two primary molars with approximately equal-size caries lesions. Both treatments were carried out in the same session. Before and after treatment, fluorescence values were obtained using DIAGNOdent Pen and time needed for caries removal was recorded. Each patient was asked whether he/she felt any pain, requested for local anesthesia, which treatment he/she preferred, and behavior of the patient during caries removal was assessed. Data were analyzed using McNemar, Wilcoxon signed rank, and Mann–Whitney U-test. Results: The clinical evaluation revealed that all the cavities were caries free after both techniques. Comparison of the difference in fluorescence values showed that readings were lower after conventional method (P < 0.05). The time taken for chemomechanical caries removal was approximately 2 times longer (t-test). There was no difference between two methods in terms of pain and patient behavior (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Chemomechanical caries removal and conventional method exhibited similar efficacy in caries removal.

Contents Vol. 18, 2009

493 Abstracts of Award-Winning Posters, 14th Annual Health Sciences Poster Conference, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Kuwait, April 21–23, 2009 498 Abstracts of Theses Approved for the MSc and PhD Degrees at the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Kuwait 504 Announcement 505 List of Reviewers 507 Author Index Vol. 18, 2009 510 Subject Index Vol. 18, 2009