Comparative evaluation of sealing ability, penetration and adaptation of a self etching pit and fissure sealant- stereomicroscopic and scanning electron microscopic analyses

Background: The efficacy of pit and fissure sealants in preventing occlusal caries is a well-established fact. Considering the difficulty in achieving strict isolation for a longer duration while treating the pediatric patients, a simplified procedure of sealant application is desirable. While, a self-etching sealant, Prevent Seal offers a quick procedure, the physical properties of this material haven?t been studied yet. Thus, this study was aimed to comparatively evaluate sealing ability, penetration and adaptation of a self-etching pit and fissure sealant and a conventional resin sealant. Material and Methods: This was an in vitro intergroup comparative study, which consisted of 2 groups- Group I (Conventional acid etch sealant, Clinpro) and Group II (Self etching sealant, Prevent Seal). Out of 32 selected teeth 16 were used to study microleakage, with the help of dye penetration test using Övrebö and Raadal criteria. Remaining 16 were used to evaluate sealant penetration and adaptation viz bubbles in the bottom of fissure, debris in the fissure, tags in the bottom of the fissure and tags at cuspal slopes and fissure entrance was done using stereomicroscope. Post stereomicroscopic evaluation 4 samples each were randomly chosen from both the groups and checked for etching pattern using Scanning electronic microscope. Results: The comparison of tested properties between the groups was done using Chi square test. There was no statistically significant difference observed when microleakage and sealant penetration / adaptation properties were compared between two groups (p=0.63 and p= 0.131, 0.131, 0.302, 0.106 respectively). No conclusive results could be withdrawn while etching patterns were compared between the groups (p=0.717). Conclusions: The self-etching sealant Prevent seal was found to have similar microleakage, sealant penetration and adaptation properties as conventional acid etch sealant

In vitro evaluation of probiotic strains for lactic acid production

The growing interest on usage of probiotic lactobacilli in maintaining oral health has posed number of questions on its probable side effects. One such consideration could be an increased acid production in dental plaque, in turn leading to dental caries. Thus, the aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the lactic acid producing ability of L. acidophilus and L. plantarum with and without dental plaque. The study consisted of five groups: 3 control groups (Supragingival plaque, L. acidophilus and L. plantarum) and 2 test groups (Supragingival plaque with L. acidophilus and Supragingival plaque with L. plantarum). 26 samples for each group were collected and their baseline spectrophotometric values were recorded. The acid production was initiated by adding 25?l fructose (10%) and stopped by centrifugation for 2 min. The concentration of the lactic acid produced was determined with the aid of COBAS INTEGRA 400 plus. On comparison of Lactic Acid estimation in mg/dl, the mean values of Plaque group was the highest followed by Plaque +L acidophilus, Plaque +L plantarum, L acidophilus and least in L plantarum. The posthoc analysis shows that the comparison of Group 1 (Plaque) and Group 2 (Plaque +L acidophilus) is statistically Significant results between all the groups except between the Plaque +L acidophilus and Plaque +L plantarum group. The lactic acid producing ability of pure suspensions of L.acidophilus and L.plantarum and the lactic acid producing efficiency becomes more when they are added to the supragingival plaque

COVID-19 and Personal Protective Equipment-Related Challenges Faced by Pediatric Dentists during patient care: A Qualitative Study

Objective: To describe the challenges pediatric dentists face while caring for their patients during the pandemic. Material and Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with purposefully sampled pediatric dentists. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews until the content of the collected data reached theoretical saturation. Data were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using content analyses. Results: Seven participants (four females and three males) between 29 and 50 years participated in the study. Three themes emerged from the analyses: Anxiety and fear; PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and its impact on care delivery; and 3) Behavior management. Conclusion: Dental care delivery was challenging for pediatric dentists. They experienced high anxiety levels and modified their services according to the recommended guidelines while making accommodations to lessen patients’ COVID-19-related anxiety. The additional mandated PPE use affected the communication between the dentists and their patients, affecting their dentist-patient bonding

Ethanolic extracts of Aloe vera and propolis as cavity disinfectants: An in vitro study

Introduction: Though a large number of agents including chlorhexidine have been used for cavity disinfection during restorative procedures, till date none has proved to be "ideal." Thus, there is a need for an alternative cavity disinfectant, which is safe, effective, and economic. Herbal extracts of Aloe vera and propolis have shown the potential to be used as cavity disinfectants but not much is known about them. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of Aloe vera and propolis against S. mutans and L. acidophilus, along with assessing the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Materials and Methods: The study included three groups: 2% chlorhexidine solution (group I), ethanolic extract of Aloe vera (group II), and ethanolic extract of propolis (group III). An MIC test was carried out using tissue culture microplates and serial dilution technique and later to MBC, an aliquot of each incubated well with concentrations higher than MIC was subcultured on brain heart infusion (BHI) medium. Antibacterial assay was carried out using agar disk diffusion technique and zones of inhibition were determined. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for intergroup comparison followed by post hoc Tukey′s test for groupwise comparison. Results: Group II and Group III showed bacteriostatic effect but no bactericidal effect against both S. mutans and L. acidophilus. There was a significant difference in the antibacterial activity against both the tested microorganisms among all the groups, the highest being in group I followed by group II and group III. Conclusions: Ethanolic extracts of Aloe vera and propolis are only bacteriostatic and their antibacterial efficacy is inferior to chlorhexidine against both S. mutans and L. acidophilus