Two-year survival of glass ionomer sealants placed as part of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment restorations

Objective: To evaluate after two years, the survival rate of glass ionomer cement (GIC) sealants placed in primary molars of six to eight year-olds and as part of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restoration.Design: A longitudinal clinical study.Setting: Matungulu/Kangundo rural divisions, Machakos district, Kenya.Subject: A total of 804 six to eight year-olds from rural Kenya received a sealant as part of a proximal restoration placed in a primary molar using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach.Results: The two-year cumulative survival of the sealants was 10.9%, and the survival of the sealants was not significantly affected by the GIC material brand and the toothisolation method used. However, slightly more sealants survived when Fuji IX and rubber dam tooth- isolation method were used.Conclusion: The two-year survival rate of the sealants was poor and was not significantly influenced by the GIC material or the tooth-isolation method used

Malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need among 12-15-year-old children in nairobi

Objective: To describe the pattern of occurrence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need.Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey.Setting: Six public primary schools in Nairobi, Kenya.Subjects: A randomly selected sample of 1382 children aged 12 to 15 years. Clinical examination for malocclusion was conducted using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). Orthodontic treatment need was derived using the regression equation stated in the DAI.Results: Among the 1382 (672 males and 710 females) children examined, 70 children (5.1%) had missing teeth. Crowding and spacing in the incisal segments occurred in 652 (47.2%) and 644 (46.6%) children respectively. Anterior irregularities were found in 533 (38.6%) of the subjects in the maxilla and 430 (31.1%) in the mandible. Anterior crossbite was found in 86 (6.2%) of the children. The anterior open-bite occurred in 194 (14%) of the children with significantly more open-bite in females than males (p=0007). The maxillary median diastema and antero-posterior molar relation discrepancies were found in 289 (20.2%) and 344 (24.9%) of the sample respectively. The sample mean DAI score was 26.6 (SD 7.8). Seven hundred and thirty two (53.0%) of the children examined had either no need or slight need for treatment whereas 650 (47%) were found with orthodontic treatment needs ranging from elective 318 (23%), highly desireable 176 (12.7%) to mandatory 156 (11.3%).Conclusion: There was an overall high prevalence of malocclusion with 11.3% of the sample exhibiting handicapping malocclusion. Notably, there were no significant gender differences for most of the traits except for anterior open-bite which was found to occur more in females than males

Traumatic dental injuries to permanent anterior teeth in 12 - 15 year old children in Nairobi

Objective: To determine the prevalence and pattern of occurrence of traumatic injuries to permanent anterior teeth.Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey.Setting: Public primary schools in the City of Nairobi.Subjects: A sample of 1382 children (672 males and 710 females) were interviewed and examined.Results: Among the 1382 children examined, 222(16.1%) had experienced traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). Males had experienced a significantly higher prevalence of trauma 126(18.8%) than females 96(13.5%) p=0.008. Falls were the leading cause of TDIs as reported by 78(35.1%) children. Amongst the, male children, falls were the leading cause of traumatic injuries to the permanent anterior teeth 47(37.3%). Approximately half 43(44.8%) of the females did not remember the cause of injury while 31 (36.5%) had sustained TDIs due to falls. One hundred and seventy two (77.5%) children who had experienced TDIs had no symptoms associated with the traumatised teeth. Ninety six (43.2%) of the children were injured while in the home environment. The maxillary central incisors were the most commonly traumatised teeth accounting for 220(73.5%) out of 299 injured teeth. The most frequently observed type of dental trauma was enamel fracture 206(68.9%) followed by enamel-dentin fracture 71(23.8%). Two hundred (90%) children had not sought treatment for TDIs.Conclusion: Overall traumatised permanent incisors were found to occur fairly frequently with males having experienced significantly more TDIs than females. The prevalence of TDIs was 16.1%; enamel fractures were the most frequently observed injury and falls were the leading cause of trauma