Studies of the Chronological Course of Wisdom Tooth Eruption in a Black African Population

The importance of forensic age estimation in living subjects has grown over the last few years. In dental age estimation, tooth eruption is a parameter of developmental morphology that can be analyzed by either clinical examination or by evaluation of dental X-rays. In the present study, we determined the stage of wisdom tooth eruption in 410 male and 106 female black South African subjects of known age (12–26 years) based on radiological evidence from 516 conventional orthopantomograms. Four eruption stages were determined (no emergence, alveolar emergence, gingival emergence, complete emergence). Statistical scores were determined for the individual stages separately for both sexes. The data presented here can be utilized for forensic estimation of the minimum and most probable ages of investigated persons. The international and interdisciplinary Study Group on Forensic Age Diagnostics (http://rechtsmedizin.klinikum.uni-muenster.de/agfad/index.htm) published recommendations for forensic age assessment in living subjects undergoing criminal investigation. The reason for the increasing importance of age assessment in living subjects is the growing number of foreign nationals without valid identification papers and, consequently, the growing number of subjects of unconfirmed age whose chronological age is relevant in legal proceedings. In Germany, the ages of 14, 16, 18, and 21 are of legal relevance (1). In many other European countries, the age of legal majority also ranges from 14 to 18 (2). Tooth eruption is a parameter of developmental morphology which, unlike tooth mineralization, can be determined in two ways: by clinical examination and/or by evaluation of dental X-rays. In the cases of teeth 1 to 7, there is sufficient data on the emergence sequences of the permanent dentition to obtain reliable forensic age estimations in children and early adolescents (3). In the present study, the chronological course of third molar eruption will be analyzed based on evidence from conventional orthopantomograms obtained in a black South African population. Based on these findings, the suitability of the age of third molar eruption as a parameter for forensic age assessment in living subjects will be assessed.The study was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SCHM 1609/1-1

Remediation of adult black dental stains by phototherapy

Abstract Introduction and aims This study investigates the effects of the application of antimicrobial phototherapy on black-stained tooth surfaces. Key variables were area, color and time taken to reappearance of black stain following dental prophylaxis with and without antimicrobial phototherapy. Differences in bacterial composition of black stain (specifically Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythia, and Porphyromonas gingivalis) were analyzed. Material and methods The phototherapy device used was GLO™ Science LLC, New York, America, emitting light at 475 nm and a power of 3 W. Light was applied in 2 cycles of 8 min on 31 volunteers. Microbial identification was carried out on DNA extracted from black plaque. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03309748. Results Following antimicrobial phototherapy, 64.5% of patients displayed reduced pigmentation area. Plaque color was lighter in 48.4% of subjects. Pigmentation area and depth of color returned to normal levels during the course of the study. Colonization by the three bacterial species decreased, although the changes were not statistically significant. We report a key novel finding showing elevated levels of colonization by Tannerella forsythia (83.9%) in adult black stain. Conclusions Application of phototherapy results in a reduction in area, color and bacterial colonization of black plaque in adults. The changes were not found to be statistically significant, perhaps owing to the low illumination power of the home-whitening device. For the first time, we document the elevated presence of Tannerella forsythia in adult black stain. We also demonstrate the potential application of a commercially available home-whitening device for black plaque treatment