Preventive Sealing of Dental Fissures with Heliosil: A Two-year Follow-up

Due to their shape and configuration of dental crown, especially its biting surface with numerous pits and fissures permanent molars are suitable sites for retaining food remnants and bacteria. For this reason, preventive efforts and early prophylactic procedures should prevent the development of caries at these critical sites. Deciduous and permanent teeth of 300 children aged 6–7 years with healthy parallel teeth were included in the study. Fissure sealing was performed on one side, whereas contralateral teeth served as controls. During a two-year period, control examinations with finding recordings were performed every six months. During the two-year follow-up period, the sealed teeth remained free of caries as long as the coating persisted. In deciduous teeth, the sealant was first observed to be missing at 18 months in 5%, and at 24 months in 8% of the teeth. None of these teeth was affected by caries, suggesting that a part of the sealant was retained in the fissures. In permanent teeth, caries developed in 18% of the sealed teeth at 24 months

Trends in Dental Caries in 12-Year Old Children in Croatia

In this epidemiological study the caries status of 12-year-old children was compared over time for the years 1968, 1973, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1991 and 1999. The mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) decreased from 7.0 in 1968 to 2.6 in 1991. From 1991 to 1999 and increase of DMFT 2.6 in 1991, to 3.5 in 1999) has been seen which is result of war in Croatia and reorganisation of health care delivery system. With the expected continuing decline in the prevalence and severity of oral diseases, one of the main problems in the future seems to be the transition of the oral health care delivery system from a disease-oriented system to a health-oriented one

Interferometry in the Assessment of Biomechanical Features of the Masticatory System Hard Segments

Biomechanical studies have found wide application and solved many problems in dental medicine. An interdisciplinary approach has allowed an ever-faster progress in the field. The aim of this study was to point out the advantages of holographic interferometry. With the use of this method, the study object is observed as a whole rather than as a substrate, thus providing a three-dimensional holographic image visualizing the load transmission from one jaw to another, tooth pressure against the alveolus, and strain of Sharpey\u27s fibers, and yielding precise data on deformities, dislocations and force distribution

Interferometry in the Assessment of Biomechanical Features of the Masticatory System Hard Segments

Biomechanical studies have found wide application and solved many problems in dental medicine. An interdisciplinary approach has allowed an ever-faster progress in the field. The aim of this study was to point out the advantages of holographic interferometry. With the use of this method, the study object is observed as a whole rather than as a substrate, thus providing a three-dimensional holographic image visualizing the load transmission from one jaw to another, tooth pressure against the alveolus, and strain of Sharpey\u27s fibers, and yielding precise data on deformities, dislocations and force distribution

Mandibular Border Positions in Eugnathic Subjects during the Second Bite Lifting

This research was aimed at performing a clinical functional analysis during the second bite lifting, in order to define mandibular border positions and possible differences by sex and/or age. Out of a total of 9680 examined children from the region of Me|imurje, Croatia, 103 were found to be eugnathic, with dentition in occlusion during the phase of the second bite lifting. All the eugnathic patients belonged to the class I by Angle, without any caries, fillings or extracted teeth. They were divided into three predefined groups for the sake of comparison. The obtained values of mandibular border positions in eugnathic subjects during the second bite-lifting phase vary with age and with the number of present permanent teeth in occlusion. Generally, all the values are higher in girls than in boys, which speaks in favour of the assumption that mandibular border positions are determined by sex, hormonal activity, growth and intercuspidation. Also, girls show a higher TMJ flexibility as well as a higher mandibular mobility. The knowledge of these facts will contribute to a more precise treatment in child prosthetics and pedodontics

Chronology, Dynamics and Period of Permanent Tooth Eruption in Zagreb Children (Part II)

The aim of the present paper is to determine the beginning, order, median time, termination, dynamics, continuity and intensity of the permanent tooth eruption, as well as its calendar, in a sample of Zagreb children. The study included 2768 children (1398 boys and 1370 girls). All subjects were classified in one-year age groups. The continuity of tooth eruption occurs from 5.1 years to 14.97 years, i.e., for a period of 9.87 years. Each particular tooth has its own dynamics of eruption (V5–V95) which on the average amounts to 4.25 years. The continuity of eruption is 10.1 years in boys and 9.8 years in girls. The dynamics of eruption is 4.15 years in boys and 4.35 years in girls. A certain asymmetry in eruption has been described

Synthesis and Characterization of Amorphous Nickel(II) Aluminosilicate

Amorphous aluminosilicates containing about 12 wto °/0 nickel have been synthesized bycation exchange. Approximately 40°/0 of the nickel content is present in the form of octahedral [NiH20)6]2+ ions while the bulk of NF+ is coordinated both by I-hO molecules and by oxygen atoms of the aluminosilicate framework. When the materials are heated in air at 350 -c, a change in the nickel coordination environment/geornetry and possibly also a partial oxidation take place

Evaluation of Craniometric Methods for Determination of Vertical Dimension of Occlusion

In clinical practice, fully precise method for exact determination of vertical relation of occlusion still does not exist. This study examines the relationship between different craniofacial distances and the distance subnasale– gnathion (Sn–Gn), which represents the lower third of the face in vertical relation determination. The highest coefficient of correlation was (r = 0.8678, p < 0.05) between the distance eye–ear (E–E = lateral border of the ocular orbit–medial opening of the meatus of the external auditory canal) and Sn–Gn. The prediction of the distance Sn–Gn could be determined through the formula: Sn–Gn = E–E / 1.08 or through the regression analysis: Sn–Gn = 1.9197 + 0.6449 x E–E. None of the calculated coefficients of correlation was 1, but was < 1, so that the prediction of the distance Sn–Gn by craniometric distances is not absolutely reliable, although it is considerably helpful. Our results point at the variations of craniofacial distances in the Croatian population. Yet, craniometry could still be recommended in everyday clinical practice for prediction of vertical relation of occlusion, as it is a simple, economic and non-invasive method, however in combination with some other methods, which have proved to be helpful

The Patient’s and the Therapist’s Evaluation of Bridges of Different Materials and Age

The aim of this study was to find out patients\u27 satisfaction with their bridges made of different materials (metal-ceramics, Au/resin, Ag-Pd/resin). One hundred and sixty four patients were examined at the Dental School, University of Zagreb, Croatia. They assessed their bridges – the overall quality, aesthetics, speech, chewing and the health of the gingiva by the scale from 1–5. The same categories were also assessed by a trained prosthodontist. The majority of the patients was really satisfied and gave the highest grades (quality, aesthetics, speech, etc.) and therefore the results were skewed and asymmetrical towards the biggest scores (biggest grades). The best gingival health was evaluated by the group of patients with ceramic crowns and bridges (p < 0.05) and the worst by the patients with Ag-Pd bridges. Speech was scored higher for the lateral than for the frontal bridges. Patients evaluated the health of the tissue surrounding their bridges, overall quality of fixed prosthodontic appliance and aesthetics with significantly higher scores than the prosthodontist (p < 0.01). The results point at a difference between the patient’s and the therapist\u27s evaluations and to the patient\u27s insufficient care about the gingiva around the bridge abutments