Apical periodontitis after intense bruxism

Background: Bruxism is known to cause masticatory muscle pain, temporomandibular joint pain, headaches, mechanical tooth wear, prosthodontic complications and cracked teeth. Less known to the practitioner, and described only experimentally in literature, is that bruxism can also damage the pulp. To our knowledge, this is the frst known clinical case of a patient developing apical periodontitis due to bruxism. Case presentation: This article presents the case and successful treatment of a 28-year-old healthy male patient with apical periodontitis on teeth 36 and 46 requiring root canal treatment after an intense phase of bruxism. Due to an unclear diagnosis, treatment had been delayed. Conclusions: Incomprehensible tooth pain can be the result of bruxism. Practitioners need to be informed that intense bruxism can possibly lead to apical periodontitis. It is important, therefore, that a thorough anamnesis is col‑ lected and taken into account during diagnostics

Nutritional and Oral Hygiene Knowledge versus Reported Behavior of Children and Adolescents : A Cross-Sectional Interview-Based Study

Despite the fact that healthy, sugar-reduced nutrition has been propagated by the media and in schools for years, dental caries in children remains a major health problem worldwide, caused primarily by an unhealthy diet. The objective of this study is to compare statements on nutrition and hygienic knowledge with those on children’s actual dietary and hygienic behavior. A random sample of 554 children and adolescents aged 3–19 years was enrolled. Designed as a cross-sectional interviewbased community survey, this study was conducted consecutively during three one-day public science-promoting events at the Saarland University’s Medical Faculty. Participants’ oral hygiene and nutritional knowledge was profound; however, the reported translation into practice showed deficiencies. Boys and younger children (3–10 years) often showed better oral hygiene knowledge than girls and older children (over 11 years) but had problems implementing it into their daily life practice. In contrast, girls and older children often showed less oral hygiene knowledge but reported more favorable behavior. Finally, children up to the mixed dentition phase preferred drinking sweets more often than older children, posing a risk to the developing permanent dentition. Intensifying well-known controlled motivation training approaches to encourage children and adolescents is recommended to put their knowledge into practice

Oral hygiene knowledge versus behavior in children: A questionnaire-based, interview-style analysis and on-site assessment of toothbrushing practices

Objectives: Oral hygiene plays an important role in eliminating biofilms and preventing dental caries. However, the implementation of oral health knowledge that children learn from their parents and through school dental health programmes remains poorly studied. This study aimed to investigate oral hygiene knowledge and its practical utilization in children and young adolescents (CYAs) aged 2–15 years. Material and methods: This was a questionnaire‐based, interview‐style community survey and on‐site practical assessment of CYAs' toothbrushing skills conducted during two 1‐day public science‐promoting events held at a major German university hospital in consecutive years. CYAs first answered questions on toothbrushing frequency, dental aids used, and dental care. They subsequently underwent diagnostic staining and demonstrated their brushing technique and method. CYAs' responses (percentages) to questionnaire items addressing oral hygiene knowledge and practice, and on‐site assessment of toothbrushing skills served as the main outcome measures. Results: Of 244 participating CYAs, 178 (73%) CYAs had no caries experience, the percentage increasing with age from 5% in 2–5‐year‐olds to 40% in those aged > 10 years. Of 117/244 (48%) indicating that teeth should be brushed three times daily, 80/ 117 (68%) self‐reported twice‐daily brushing, 32/117 (27%) reported brushing three times, and 4/117 (3%) stated doing so only once. Although 131/244 (54%) considered that teeth should be brushed for 3 min, 77/131 (59%) self‐reported actually doing so and 41/131 (31%) reported brushing for 2min. Seventeen of 42 (40%) participants aged > 10 years showed no systematic brushing method, with 21/42 (50%) failing to clean their teeth completely. Participants aged 6–10 years exhibited the highest proportion (97/134, 72%) of complete cleaning. One hundred and forty‐six of 244 (60%) of CYAs knew about floss; 63/134 (43%) reported using it. Good adherence to oral health recommendations (i.e., brushing ≥ 2/day for ≥2min) was observed in 212/ 244 (87%) CYAs, the remaining 32/244 (13%) exhibiting poor adherence. Conclusion: CYAs knew about the importance of oral hygiene and cleaned their teeth frequently. However, translation of their knowledge into practice showed deficiencies. Repeated encouragement to put oral health knowledge into practice is important

Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Pre-Treatment of Titanium on the Biological Activity of Primary Human Gingival Fibroblasts

Cold atmospheric plasma treatment (CAP) enables the contactless modification of titanium. This study aimed to investigate the attachment of primary human gingival fibroblasts on titanium. Machined and microstructured titanium discs were exposed to cold atmospheric plasma, followed by the application of primary human gingival fibroblasts onto the disc. The fibroblast cultures were analyzed by fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and cell-biological tests. The treated titanium displayed a more homogeneous and denser fibroblast coverage, while its biological behavior was not altered. This study demonstrated for the first time the beneficial effect of CAP treatment on the initial attachment of primary human gingival fibroblasts on titanium. The results support the application of CAP in the context of pre-implantation conditioning, as well as of peri-implant disease treatment

Cold atmospheric plasma does not affect the regenerative potential of the pulp in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment combined with adhesive filling therapy on rat dental pulps. Cavities were prepared in the first maxillary molars of 20 Sprague Dawley rats. The first molar and the unprepared second molar of one randomly selected maxillary quadrant were treated with CAP. The prepared cavities were filled with composite. After 24 h and 28 days, 10 rats each were killed. Teeth were demineralized and embedded in paraffin and histological sections were stained with hematoxylin–eosin and chloracetatesterase. None of the pulps displayed necrosis. Plasma treatment caused no additional alteration to the dental pulp in combination with adhesive filling therapy. These findings indicate that plasma treatment is compatible with the regenerative potential of the pulp

Nutritional and Oral Hygiene Knowledge versus Reported Behavior of Children and Adolescents—A Cross-Sectional Interview-Based Study

Despite the fact that healthy, sugar-reduced nutrition has been propagated by the media and in schools for years, dental caries in children remains a major health problem worldwide, caused primarily by an unhealthy diet. The objective of this study is to compare statements on nutrition and hygienic knowledge with those on children’s actual dietary and hygienic behavior. A random sample of 554 children and adolescents aged 3–19 years was enrolled. Designed as a cross-sectional interview-based community survey, this study was conducted consecutively during three one-day public science-promoting events at the Saarland University’s Medical Faculty. Participants’ oral hygiene and nutritional knowledge was profound; however, the reported translation into practice showed deficiencies. Boys and younger children (3–10 years) often showed better oral hygiene knowledge than girls and older children (over 11 years) but had problems implementing it into their daily life practice. In contrast, girls and older children often showed less oral hygiene knowledge but reported more favorable behavior. Finally, children up to the mixed dentition phase preferred drinking sweets more often than older children, posing a risk to the developing permanent dentition. Intensifying well-known controlled motivation training approaches to encourage children and adolescents is recommended to put their knowledge into practice

<i>L. reuteri</i> in Supportive Periodontal Therapy—Are There Already Clinical Effects after 3 Months with One Lozenge a Day? A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a clinical effect of Lactobacillus reuteri in supportive periodontal therapy can already be detected with a minimum dose of one tablet a day and a minimum observation and intake period of 3 months. Materials and Methods: 28 patients with stage III and IV periodontitis undergoing periodontal follow-up were randomly divided into two groups receiving a lozenge containing L. reuteri or a placebo preparation daily for 90 days. After 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, the parameters bleeding on probing (BoP), plaque control record (PCR), periodontal probing depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded in the test and control groups. Results: The results sed a different effect of L. reuteri on the respective patients. In certain patients, clinical parameters worsened or remained largely unchanged. However, in other patients, there were positive effects on the clinical parameters. In the overall analysis, BoP was the only clinical parameter that was statistically significantly reduced. Conclusions: The oral administration of one lozenge per day for 3 months with L. reuteri in supportive periodontal therapy might have a positive influence on clinical parameters in supportive periodontal therapy, depending on the individual

L. reuteri in Supportive Periodontal Therapy—Are There Already Clinical Effects after 3 Months with One Lozenge a Day? A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a clinical effect of Lactobacillus reuteri in supportive periodontal therapy can already be detected with a minimum dose of one tablet a day and a minimum observation and intake period of 3 months. Materials and Methods: 28 patients with stage III and IV periodontitis undergoing periodontal follow-up were randomly divided into two groups receiving a lozenge containing L. reuteri or a placebo preparation daily for 90 days. After 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, the parameters bleeding on probing (BoP), plaque control record (PCR), periodontal probing depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded in the test and control groups. Results: The results sed a different effect of L. reuteri on the respective patients. In certain patients, clinical parameters worsened or remained largely unchanged. However, in other patients, there were positive effects on the clinical parameters. In the overall analysis, BoP was the only clinical parameter that was statistically significantly reduced. Conclusions: The oral administration of one lozenge per day for 3 months with L. reuteri in supportive periodontal therapy might have a positive influence on clinical parameters in supportive periodontal therapy, depending on the individual

Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Pre-Treatment of Titanium on the Biological Activity of Primary Human Gingival Fibroblasts

Cold atmospheric plasma treatment (CAP) enables the contactless modification of titanium. This study aimed to investigate the attachment of primary human gingival fibroblasts on titanium. Machined and microstructured titanium discs were exposed to cold atmospheric plasma, followed by the application of primary human gingival fibroblasts onto the disc. The fibroblast cultures were analyzed by fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and cell-biological tests. The treated titanium displayed a more homogeneous and denser fibroblast coverage, while its biological behavior was not altered. This study demonstrated for the first time the beneficial effect of CAP treatment on the initial attachment of primary human gingival fibroblasts on titanium. The results support the application of CAP in the context of pre-implantation conditioning, as well as of peri-implant disease treatment

Cold Atmospheric Plasma Improves the Colonization of Titanium with Primary Human Osteoblasts: An In Vitro Study

Several studies have shown that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment can favourably modify titanium surfaces to promote osteoblast colonization. The aim of this study was to investigate the initial attachment of primary human osteoblasts to plasma-treated titanium. Micro-structured titanium discs were treated with cold atmospheric plasma followed by the application of primary human osteoblasts. The microwave plasma source used in this study uses helium as a carrier gas and was developed at the Leibniz Institute for Surface Modification in Leipzig, Germany. Primary human osteoblasts were analyzed by fluorescence and cell biological tests (alkaline phosphatase activity and cell proliferation using WST-1 assay). The tests were performed after 4, 12, and 24 h and showed statistically significant increased levels of cell activity after plasma treatment. The results of this study indicate that plasma treatment improves the initial attachment of primary human osteoblasts to titanium. For the first time, the positive effect of cold atmospheric plasma treatment of micro-structured titanium on the initial colonization with primary human osteoblasts has been demonstrated. Overall, this study demonstrates the excellent biocompatibility of micro-structured titanium. The results of this study support efforts to use cold atmospheric plasmas in implantology, both for preimplantation conditioning and for regeneration of lost attachment due to peri-implantitis