Restored Primary Molars in a Group of Children Presenting to the Pediatric Department of College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad in 2014-2015

Objectives This study aimed to assess the distribution and classification of restored primary molars according to the tooth type, gender, jaw, quadrant, filling material and G.V. Black classification in children presenting to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dentistry, and University of Baghdad.Methods In this retrospective study, 1,341 patient records were retrieved from the archives of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and reviewed for the presence of restored primary molars. If present, they were classified according to the tooth type, gender, jaw, quadrant, filling material, and G.V. Black classification. Data were statistically analyzed by SPSS version 24 using z-statistic, with 0.05 level of significance.Results The frequency of filled primary second molars was significantly higher than that of primary first molars. The frequency of filled primary molars was the same in males and females. The frequency of restored primary molars in the mandible was significantly higher than that in the maxilla. Also, the frequency of restored primary molars in the right side was higher than that in the left side; however, this difference was not significant. According to the type of filling material used, amalgam was the most frequently used filling material followed by composite with no significant difference. According to the G.V. Black classification, class II had the highest percentage, followed by class I but the difference was not significant. Class V had the lowest percentage.Conclusion The current findings regarding the filled primary molars provided baseline data for future achievements in the respective department and comparison

Whitening Effect of Juglans regia Dry Husk Extract on Primary and Permanent Teeth

Walnut is a common member of the family Juglandaceae. Recently, the evaluation of the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the parts of walnut has received increased interest. Many reasons are responsible for teeth discolouration because teeth can absorb ingredients from tea, coffee, and food. Stains from these ingredients could stay in the porous enamel layer. Traditional whitening chemicals have some side effects, the most common of which is tooth sensitivity and mild or moderate gingival irritation. The aims of this comparative experimental study were to evaluate the whitening effect of Juglans regia dry husk extract and compare it with that of traditional prophylactic pumice. Forty human teeth were collected. Amongst these teeth, 20 were permanent, and the other 20 were primary. Each group was randomly divided into a study group (treated with dry husk extract) and a control group (treated with traditional pumice). Tooth colour was measured with Easy VitaShade Advanced 4.0, and the readings of lightness, chroma, and hue (a∗ represents the green to red axis and b∗ represents the blue to yellow axis) were documented for each tooth before and after polishing. A statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (version 22; Chicago, Illinois, USA). Data were analysed using Shapiro–Wilk, Wilcoxon sum rank, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests, and the level of significance was set to 0.05. A normality test was conducted using the Shapiro–Wilk test, and it showed that the colour variables were not normally distributed. With regard to tooth lightness, significant differences were observed in the primary and permanent teeth and Juglans regia exerted a much better whitening effect than pumice at p<0.05. This study supports the use of Juglans regia dry husk extract in dentistry as a natural product with a whitening effect. It has utilisation potential in dentistry due to its beneficial properties and highly active components

Antibacterial Activity of Juglans regia L. Dry Husk Extract against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the anti-bacterial effect of the Juglans regia dry husk ethanolic extract against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus. Methods: A quantity of 200 g of dry husk was ground into powder and sieved until no large particles were found, then mixed with 1 L of 70% ethanol, yielding 20 g of J. regia paste after ethanol exclusion by vacuum evaporator and lyophilization. The Agar well diffusion method was used to detect the antibacterial activity. Statistical analysis was carried out using Welch’s t-test (unequal variances t-test) via R software. Results: The J. regia dry husk extract showed statistically significant higher bacterial growth inhibition in comparison with prophylaxis pumice paste for both S. mutans and Lactobacillus. Conclusion: Ethanolic dry husk extract has antibacterial activity against both S. mutans and Lactobacillus

Antimicrobial Effect of Eucalyptus Oil as a Root Canal Filling Material for Primary Teeth in Comparison with other Filling Materials against C. albicans and Streptococcus spp.

Microbial invasion is the most common cause of pulpal necrosis. Therefore, irrigation and obturation of primary teeth with antimicrobial materials is quite necessary to increase the success of endodontic treatment. To compare the antimicrobial effect of mixture of zinc oxide eucalyptus oil with zinc oxide eugenol, and Metapex. An in vitro antimicrobial activity was estimated using agar diffusion method. C. albicans and Streptococcus spp. were isolated and identified from necrotic pulp of primary root, then they were spread on Muller Hinton agar. Holes of 6 mm were punched into the agar plates and filled with the selected materials. The diameter of inhibition zones was measured after overnight incubation at 37°C. The statistical analysis was done using One Way ANOVA test with Tukey or Dunnett’s T3 as a post hoc tests at level of significant 0.05. The inhibition zones of zinc oxide eucalyptus mixture and zinc oxide eugenol against C. albicans and Streptococci were almost near to each other with statistically non-significant differences. While Metapex showed lowest inhibition zones with highly significant difference when compared to zinc oxide eucalyptus mixture and zinc oxide eugenol against both microorganisms. Zinc oxide eucalyptus mixture showed almost similar antimicrobial effect to zinc oxide eugenol, while Metapex revealed lowest antimicrobial effect