Effectiveness of mobile phone applications in improving oral hygiene care and outcomes in orthodontic patients

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of mobile phone applications in improving oral hygiene care and oral health outcomes in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Materials and methods: PUBMED/MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, COCHRANE, PROQUEST, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were systematically searched for original studies published between January 2000 and March 2020. The eligibility criteria being: (i) observational study [cross-sectional, case-control, cohort study, or RCTs] that reported mobile phone application as an intervention or exposure for oral hygiene care. Standard Protocol Items Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) statement was used for quality assessment of interventional studies. The comprehensive search strategy yielded 154 studies after the removal of duplicates. Based on eligibility criteria only 5 studies were included in the data extraction phase. Results: This review finds that smartphone applications have a significant short term effect in the improvement of oral hygiene when measured using plaque index and gingival index scores. The mean plaque index and gingival index reduced significantly in three out of five studies. The intervention groups [62%] had a lower level of plaque at a 12-week interval as compared to the control group [72%]. Short term follow-ups showed greater improvement in oral hygiene following smartphone application administration. Conclusion: Within the available evidence, a recommendation can be made for the use of mobile applications in the orthodontic process [oral hygiene] care. Clinical relevance: Further research for the development of patient-centered applications for patient safety, clinical decision making, and increasing their effectiveness in the treatment of orthodontic patients are required

Current trends and future prospects of chemical management of oral biofilms

Oral biofilm, a tribulation encountered on a general basis is known to associate and contribute to many oral and systemic diseases. Eradication of these biofilms is a primary step in treatment of the underlying malady. Management of a biofilm is governed by various factors: the microenvironment within a biofilm, bond between the adhered surface and the biofilm, location of the biofilm, access to the biofilm for removal. Though annihilation is the priority, the mode of approach to achieve the same is equally important, because biofilm's heterogenic nature and location govern the strategical treatment required. Literature supports that the consequences of oral biofilms is not restricted to its home ground, but disseminated to other systems of the body. This contemplates us to procure knowledge on its development, structure and progression to aim its eradication. Therefore, this review attempts to recognize the type of biofilm based on location and enumerate all the possible chemical modes of management for the specific type of oral biofilms encountered. In addition, to the traditional strategies prescribed or administered, newer approaches which are gaining popularity due to their ease and efficiency are also addressed. Frontiers in the above field, under investigation and promising in near future are also compiled. Thus, the present review aims to provide a comprehensive elucidation of chemical management of oral biofilms, both the conventional and novel approaches under investigation

Antibiotics for Periodontal Infections:Biological and Clinical Perspectives

AIM: The review is to highlight the use of antibiotics in periodontal infections and prevent indiscriminate use of antibiotics. BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is the most common disease of the periodontal attachment apparatus, and its etiological factor can be related to the existence of virulent microorganisms in the dental plaque biofilm which harbors millions of microorganisms. In addition, the pathogenesis of this disease is greatly influenced by the host immune response that leads to the cyclic destruction and healing pattern. REVIEW RESULTS: Periodontitis is mostly treated through mechanical debridement using surgical and nonsurgical therapy. However, many times, this treatment does not render desired results due to poor patient compliance, altered immune response, or other host-related factors. This leads to the administration of antibiotics as an adjunct to mechanical debridement. Antibiotics are useful in eliminating periodontopathic microbes, but these agents should be cautiously used and prescribed only if indicated. CONCLUSION: Indiscriminate use of antibiotics can lead to unforeseen adverse effects as well as the development of resistant strains of microorganisms. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Hence, it is crucial for the dentists to know the indications, contraindications, undesirable effects, correct choice, and dosage of the antimicrobial agent before prescribing it to their patients thereby ensuring the success of periodontal therapy. Thus, the clinician should keep in mind that the antibiotics are merely adjuncts to mechanical therapy and not its replacement

Knowledge and Role of Paediatricians/Paediatric Residents in Infant Oral Healthcare and Dental Home across Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

The prevention of oral diseases in children is highly achievable through providing early exposure to oral healthcare habits, which would make children more receptive towards dental services. A cross-sectional study used a structured, self-explanatory questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge and role of 190 paediatricians and paediatric residents towards infant oral healthcare and the dental home across Saudi Arabia. The authors sent a link to the questionnaire, comprising 36 questions, by email, as a Google e-form. The response rate obtained was 87.36%. A major proportion (95.8%) of the respondents considered that paediatricians play an important role in promoting oral health. Around 45.8% of the practitioners recommended tooth brushing after the eruption of the first tooth. About 38% of the practitioners were unaware of the children’s first dental visit. The majority (95.2%) agreed that there should be an increased awareness regarding home dental habits. Most of them (78.3%) examined the oral cavity for dental problems as a part of routine childcare, and the majority (75.3%) admitted that they did not evaluate fluoride needs. A statistically significant higher mean knowledge score was observed for practitioners with more than 30 years of experience (9.35 ± 2.29), and there was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.486) between the knowledge score and mean score for the role of paediatric practitioners. Overall, the study concluded that the knowledge of paediatricians and paediatric residents in SA towards infant oral healthcare and the dental home was inadequate, and their role in maintaining oral health was found to be moderately satisfactory

Comparative analysis of cytokines and growth factors in the conditioned media of stem cells from the pulp of deciduous, young, and old permanent tooth

Objectives: To compare and analyze the secretome profile of stem cells obtained from the deciduous tooth (SHEDs), young (yDPSCs), and old permanent tooth (oDPSCs). Methods: All the stem cells were assessed for mesenchymal stem cell markers. The stem cells were differentiated into osteoblasts and chondrocytes using lineage-specific differentiation media. Conditioned media was collected from growing stem cells, and a cytometric bead array was performed to estimate secreted cytokines and growth factor levels by flow cytometry. Gene expresseion levels were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Age did not affect the mesenchymal characteristics of dental stem cells from various age groups. The secretomes of SHEDs and young yDPSCs exhibit more growth factors and lesser pro-inflammatory cytokines than oDPSCs. Osteo and chondrogenic differentiation potential were higher in SHEDs and young yDPSCs than in the oDPSCs. TLR1, TLR2, TLR3 show decreased expression levels with age and TLR5, TLR6 show increased expression with age. Conclusion: The superior regenerative potential of SHEDs and yDPSCs may be due to the higher growth factors and lower pro-inflammatory cytokine profile