GINGIVAL SULCUS DEPTH IN VARIOUS TOOTH GROUPS DURING ERUPTION

Introduction - Periodontal pathology in children and young adults has its own peculiarities based on the age-specific dynamic changes in the oral environment during the two dentitions. Aim - Investigation of the depth of the gingival sulcus in various tooth groups during the period of tooth eruption in healthy children. Tasks: 1. Determining the maximum depth of the gingival sulcus (GS) during probing according to tooth group and degree of tooth eruption; 2. Comparative analysis of gingival sulcus depth between the average ages for each tooth group according to the degree of the eruption. Material and Methods - The object of the study were 30 children (15 girls and 15 boys) between 6 and 14 years old, without systemic disease and antibiotic treatment in the last 3 months, without gingivitis (up to 25% Papilla Bleeding index - Saxer & Mulheman) and good oral hygiene. The children were clinically tested - tooth status; stages of the permanent teeth eruption (up to 1/3 of the clinical crown, between 1/3 and 2/3, over 2/3, in occlusion contact); gingival sulcus depth. Data were processed statistically (SPSS 19). Results - At the onset of the eruption the depth of GS is 2.34 mm to 2.86 mm in various tooth groups, and upon occlusal contact, the depth of GS is 2.03 to 2.35 mm. During the various stages of the eruption, in the group of molars and premolars, the depth of GS remains relatively stable. The changes of GS depth in incisors and canines are more dynamic

Application of Contemporary Magnifying Methods in the Diagnostics of Occlusal Carious Lesions on First Permanent Molars in Children

Introduction: Dental operating microscopes (DOM) enable dentists to examine, with the aid of magnification and photodocumentation in clinical conditions, the occlusal anatomy of newly erupted permanent molars and to detect any early carious lesions more precisely.Aim: To determine the advantages of magnifying technology in detecting early occlusal carious lesions in newly erupted permanent first molars.Materials and methods: We examined 176 first molars of 44 children divided into two age groups: 7-8 and 9-10 years. The surfaces of each of the teeth were examined after they were cleaned with a brush without paste. The diagnoses were first made using only illumination and a clinical examination. These were followed by a visual examination of the occlusal surface using a DOM at ×8 magnification. A photo of the occlusal surface was then taken with a camera at the respective magnification for the purposes of photodocumentation.Results: This study demonstrated that dental operating microscopes increased by 7% the rate of successful detection of early caries lesions on the occlusal surfaces. There was also a significant increase of the number of diagnosed cavitated caries in the dentine in comparison with those detected with naked eye. Using DOMs in pediatric dentistry facilitates the more detailed and precise diagnosing of early stage carious lesions and/or cavitations in the fissures.Conclusion: The use of a DOM facilitates differential diagnosing between deep fissures and early carious lesions, which is a key point in the assessment of occlusal surfaces of newly erupted permanent molars, necessary for their preventative sealing and micro-invasive treatment