Review of Professionally Applied Fluorides for Preventing Dental Caries in Children and Adolescents

This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of professional topical fluoride application on the prevention of dental caries in primary and permanent dentition. A web search was conducted for English papers published from 2000 to 2020, using various digital resources (Pubmed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and ResearchGate). The keywords were “professionally applied fluoride”, “fluoride gel”, “fluoride varnish”, “fluoride foam”, “fluoride mouthrinses”, and “non-cavitated caries lesions”. Inclusion criteria: (a) participants: children and adolescents, treated in a dental care setting; (b) intervention: professionally applied fluorides (gel, varnish, foam, mouthrinse); (c) comparator: no professional treatment or other preventive treatments; (d) outcomes: clinical effectiveness (e.g., caries reduction, tooth remineralization); (e) study design: randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses; (f) publication period: 1 January 2000–31 December 2021. Clinical studies about home-use fluoride products, discussion papers, in-vitro studies, case reports, non-English articles, and studies with unclear methodology were excluded. Topical fluoride applications are indicated for patients with active smooth surface caries and for patients in high caries risk groups. Both APF gel and fluoride varnish are effective and can be recommended for caries prevention in primary and permanent teeth. For children under the age of 6, only 2.26% fluoride varnish is recommended

TRAUMATIC INJURIES OF THE PRIMARY DENTITION PRESENTED IN AN UNIVERSITARY EMERGENCY SERVICE

Objective. To asses the frequency and distribution of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in primary teeth (PT) in patients treated at a pediatric dental emergency service. Material and method. Retrospective study on 425 patients (229 boys) aged 1-6 years, referred to Pedododntics Department, Carol Davila University Bucharest, over a year. The prevalence and distribution of TDI according to age, sex, number of affected teeth, topography and type of trauma, time to presentation were evaluated. Results. Prevalence of TDI was 8.1%, boys (60%) being SS more affected (p <0.05). Children under the age of 3 were the most affected (40.5%) followed by children aged 4 (24.5%). 54% of patients had periodontal injuries (54%), most patients having affected at least 2 PT. Maxillary front teeth were most affected (SS, p <0.05). Almost 1/3 were luxations, followed by subluxations (¼). 40% of patients presented during 12 hours after the trauma. Conclusions. TDI in PT represent a pediatric emergency, therefore the persons concerned (parents, educators, pediatricians) must be correctly informed about the necessity of early treatment

Caries Experience In Children With Severe Early Childhood Caries

ntroduction Caries experience indexes in children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) reported in literature are lower in the general population than in children referred to paediatric dental clinics. The aim of the study was to compare different samples of children (two samples from dental clinics and one from general population) from this point of view. Methods Retrospective analysis upon 3 samples of children 5 years old or under: sample A – 685 children (392 boys, 293 girls) referred to Pedodontics Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Carol Davila University, Bucharest, sample B – 233 children (124 boys, 109 girls) examined in a private dental clinic and sample C – 552 children (284 boys, 268 girls) from 12 kindergartens from Bucharest. Prevalence index (IpS-ECC) and caries experience indexes (dmft, dmfs and SiC) from S-ECC children were evaluated. Caries topography was also noted. Data were analyzed using a chi-square tes

Rare Case of First Permanent Molar Primary Failure of Eruption with Agenesis of Premolars

Primary failure of eruption (PFE) is a rare non-syndromic condition involving total or partial non-eruption of posterior teeth in the absence of mechanical obstruction. This paper presents the case of a healthy girl referred at age 4 for asymmetry of the upper arch. Clinical examination confirmed a slight shift of the upper midline to the left, with no erupted teeth distal to the upper left canine and a left posterior open bite. Panoramic X-rays showed delayed intraosseous development of the lateral left upper teeth compared to the right side. Clinic and radiographic follow-up during the next 9 years showed that 26 had not erupted by almost 13 years of age, 27 had delayed development and an unusual shape, and there was an agenesis in 24 and 25. Genetic analysis using the PTH1R single-gene sequencing method did not detect any known disease-causing or rare pathogenic variants that could explain the patient’s phenotype. Even when detected early, PFE raises difficult problems with regard to diagnosis and ortho-surgical treatment planning due to the impossibility of accurately predicting its evolution. Tooth agenesis on the same arch worsens the prognosis and adds challenges to planning the treatment. Close long-term follow-up and timely adjustment of the treatment plan in accordance with the evolution of the case are needed

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY CONCERNING THE EXTENT OF KORKHAUS AREA DAMAGE IN A SAMPLE OF PATIENTS TREATED IN A SPECIALIZED UNIVERSITARY DEPARTMENT

The aim of the study was to asses the primary teeth integrity from the Korkhaus zone in a sample of patients aged between 6 and 9 years old (72-108 months, mean age 88.43), attending the Paedodontics Department from Carol Davila University, Bucharest. Material and methods. The retrospective study was conducted on 140 patients (70 girls). Dental status of the Korkhaus teeth was evaluated: sound, decayed, filled, physiological rizalise and early extraction. The carious experience indices were also calculated for each sex: dmft, dmfs, DMFT, DMFS. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel 2010 software. Results. Korkhaus zone. Sounds (58.81%): c- 28.21%; m1-15.11%; m2-15.48%. Decayed (34.23%): c-3.33%; m1- 15%; m2-16%. Filled (2.26%): c-0%; m1-1.07%; m2- 1.2%. Physiological rizalise (2.32%): c-0.65%; m1- 1.37%; m2-0.3%. Early extraction (2.38%): c-1%; m1-0.77%; m2-0.5%. Carious experience. Girls: dmft 5.28±3.72; dmfs 11.62±10.64; DMFT 0.9±1.49; DMFS 1.07±1.76. Boys: dmft 4.98±3.92; dmfs 11.49±12.82; DMFT 0.67 ±1.13; DMFS 0.74±1.3. Conclusions. Only 60% from the Korkhaus teeth were sound. Girls were more affected by caries than boys. Immediate preventive local methods and the treatment of incipient carious lesions are important goals for the primary teeth from the Korkhaus zon

Sports Related Dental Trauma in Mixed Dentition in Bucharest

Children and adolescents present a high risk of dental injury during sports activities. The aim of the study was to gather epidemiological data about dental trauma in mixed dentition children who practice organized sport activities. Material and methods The study group consisted of 348 children (76.43 boys, 23.57% girls) aged 6-13 years, examined in the period January-July 2011 at the Sportsmen Ambulatory in Bucharest. Consent for the examination was obtained from the coaches/parents. Data was statistically analysed using SPSS 10 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA

Ecological Study on the Oral Health of Romanian Intellectually Challenged Athletes

This study aimed to give an image of the oral health status and treatment needs of intellectually challenged athletes taking part in Special Olympics&mdash;Special Smiles (SO-SS) events organized in Romania during 2011&ndash;2019 and to find potential associations with socio-economic factors. An observational ecological retrospective study was conducted, and 1860 oral examinations were performed on participants aged 8 to 30 years in nine SS-SO events. Oral examination was performed under field conditions. Percentage of caries-free subjects, mean DMF-T index and its components (D = decayed; M = missing; F = filled; T = teeth), restoration index RI = [F/(F + D) &times; 100]%, and Plaque Index were calculated for each of the nine groups. Caries-free subjects ranged between 5.90% and 21.70%. DMF-T ranged from 4.27 to 7.71. Higher values for &ldquo;F&rdquo; component (range 0.66&ndash;1.69) and RI (range 13.02&ndash;27.74%) were found in events held in cities from regions with higher reported Gross Domestic Product. Sealants were present in 0 to 8.4% of the subjects. In areas with lower numbers of inhabitants per dentist, more sealants were found (p &lt; 0.001). Romanian SO athletes exhibited relatively poor oral health, limited access to dental treatment, and low level of prevention. Targeted prevention and treatment programs adjusted to specific conditions in each geo-economic region are needed

The Effect of Dental Treatments in Caries Management on Stress and Salivary Protein Levels

A great burden is put on healthcare systems by dental caries and understanding patients’ treatment needs is of utmost importance. The aim of this pre–post study was to assess dental anxiety and the psychological stress induced by two different types of dental treatment (prophylaxis and cavity preparation), by combining psychometric evaluations with salivary biomarkers, in a group of 28 schoolchildren presenting in a university clinic. Pre- and post-treatment unstimulated whole saliva was collected and levels of cortisol, alpha-amylase (sAA) and total protein content were measured. The State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale (FBRS) were applied. Statistical analysis was performed using the Stata/IC 16 (StataCorp) programme. All salivary parameters showed strong positive correlations between pre- and post-treatment levels. Post-treatment, salivary cortisol decreased (p = 0.008, paired t-test), sAA did not change significantly (p = 0.572, sign test), while the sAA/cortisol ratio (AOC) increased (p = 0.036, sign test). There were no correlations between state and trait anxiety levels. State anxiety scores registered significantly higher values for children with an FBRS score of 3 compared with a score of 4 (p < 0.001, unpaired t-test). The post-treatment decrease in the salivary cortisol level was higher for prophylaxis compared with the cavity preparation group (p = 0.024, t-test). These results demonstrate that sAA and cortisol levels are altered differently by psychological stress induced by two different types of dental treatment