Search

The two-dimensional (2D) lingual bracket system represents a valuable treatment option for adult patients seeking a completely invisible orthodontic appliance. The ease of direct or simplified indirect bonding of 2D lingual brackets in combination with low friction mechanics makes it possible to achieve a good functional and aesthetic occlusion, even in the presence of a severe malocclusion. The use of a self-ligating bracket significantly reduces chair-side time for the orthodontist, and the low-profile bracket design greatly improves patient comfort.

To test the possible association between enamel colour alteration and resin tag depth.In vitro laboratory study.Department of Orthodontics, Alexandria University, Egypt.Fifty freshly extracted human premolar teeth were equally divided randomly into a control and four experimental groups. Teeth in group I received only enamel prophylaxis. Teeth in groups II and III were etched with 35% phosphoric acid for 15 and 60 seconds, respectively. Teeth in group IV were conditioned with Prompt L-pop self-etching primer and in group V with Xeno III self-etching primer, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the teeth in all experimental groups using Transbond XT composite. Following bracket debonding, finishing and polishing were performed. Enamel colour was evaluated spectrophotometrically at baseline and then after debonding, with the corresponding colour differences ΔE calculated. Resin tags lengths were measured on sectioned teeth in each experimental group under scanning electron microscope.All experimental groups showed clinically perceivable colour change after debonding and finishing as all values were exceeded the clinical colour detection threshold of ΔE = 3.7 units. Significant differences (P0.05) in resin tag length were found in all experimental groups. Significant moderate correlation was found between colour change and resin tags length when all teeth were combined and tested, irrespective of group.Moderate evidence exists that shorter resin tag penetration produces less change in enamel colour following clean-up and polishing. Self-etch primers produce less resin penetration and these systems may produce less iatrogenic colour change in enamel following orthodontic treatment.

The aims were: (1) to examine the construct and reliability of the modified Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) among children of different ages and (2) to compare the correlations between fear measured with the modified CFSS-DS, the "peak value for dental fear" (PV), and "fear of dental treatment in general" (GF).The study sample consisted of 302, 299, 314, and 297 children aged 6, 9, 12, and 15 years, respectively. Each child received a questionnaire to be filled out at home. An explorative factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed for eight items taken from the CFSS-DS and questions on fear of pain and suction used in the mouth. For further age-specific analyses, mean values were calculated for the sum of items that loaded0.5 on each factor. The correlations between these values and PV and GF were studied.The questionnaire was reliable. Two factors were revealed for each age: "treatment of dental decay" (TDD), which included fears related to invasive treatment, and "attending the dentist" (AD), which included fears related to dental visits in general. TDD explained over 50% of the variance, except among 9-year-olds. TDD mean values were higher among older children than among younger ones and correlated more strongly with PV than with GF. AD mean values were higher among younger children than among older ones and correlated more strongly with GF than with PV.The factor structures were fairly similar but the correlations between fear measures differed among children of different ages.

A long-term study in adults at a public dental clinic in Sweden was initiated to evaluate the relative effectiveness of prophylactic treatments on the progression of dental caries and periodontal discase. With treatments scheduled every 3rd, 6th, 12th or 18th month, this report presents results on caries for the 3-month, 6-month and 18-month groups, and evaluates the impact of various caries-related risk factors. Caries increment over approximately 5 years was determined by adding clinical and radiographic findings of manifest primary and secondary caries during the study. Overall caries activity among all 105 participating individuals was low to moderate. No significant differences for caries on any of the various tooth surfaces or for total caries were observed among the three groups. Multiple regression analysis with 5-year caries increment as dependent variable showed that the following factors had a statistically significant association with caries increment: percentage filled surfaces at baseline examination, dietary score, plaque score, and number of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in saliva. Non-significant factors included number of preventive treatments provided during the 5-year interval. The results of this long-term trial suggest that preventive treatments as often as every 3 6 months may not be justified in the case of patients with low to moderate caries activity.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of professional flossing with NaF and SnF2 gels on caries development on approximal tooth surfaces. Two-hundred-and-eighty 13-year-old schoolchildren were divided into 3 groups: (1) NaF (n = 97), (2) SnF2 (n = 85), and (3) placebo gel group (n = 98). The investigation was carried out double-blind. The children were treated 4 times a year for 3 years with 1% NaF gel, 1% SnF2 gel, or placebo gel. The treatment was carried out by dental nurses and the time required per visit was approximately 10 min. After 3 years, the mean approximal caries increment, including initial caries lesions, was 2.8 in the NaF, 2.4 in the SnF2, and 4.0 in the placebo gel group (P< 0.05 for SnF2 vs placebo); a reduction compared to the placebo of 30% and 39% in the NaF and SnF2 groups, respectively. Thus, professional flossing with NaF or SnF2 gel carried out 4 times a year may be considered as an interesting caries-preventing method for large-scale application in schoolchildren.

We evaluated the outcome of public oral health services in relation to the treatment mix in the city of Helsinki, in which 7 independent districts provided dental care to 98,000 patients in 1989. Outcome was defined as the increase in numbers of DMF teeth over the 2 years from 1989 to 1991 in 16,000 patients 8, 10, 12, and 13 years of age. The share of each type of treatment in the treatment mix was calculated on the basis of the market price of the items of service. The greater the share of prevention, the more positive the outcome (p < 0.01)– that is, the lower the increase in numbers of DMF teeth. In a regression model the share of prevention alone accounted for 53% of the variation in the outcome by district. Addition of the share of checkups to the model increased its explanatory power markedly (R2 = 0.74). A positive outcome was seen both in districts with poor and in those with good educational structures. □ Children; dental health; effectiveness; evaluation; prevention

Utilization of dental services by 30 diabetic and 30 nondiabetic subjects was assessed by longitudinal monitoring over a period of 3 years. All subjects were examined clinically three times, and their treatment consisted mainly of cariologic and periodontal treatment. The treatment was delivered by a dentist and an expanded-duty dental hygienist. The study groups were similar with regard to the total number of dental visits needed. However, the treatment of diabetic subjects was more demanding in that more dentist's workload was needed for the diabetic group. They also missed more appointments without cancellation and therefore more office time had to be reserved for them.

The present study aimed to evaluate the periodontal awareness and the amount of information and periodontal treatment received previously in a group of randomly selected patients scheduled for periodontal treatment in a dental school. A group of 124 patients were interviewed by a dental hygienist before the treatment started. Age, sex, and regularity of dental visits were used as predictors. Around 68% of the patients were not aware of the existing periodontal disease, and 74% had never received any information about the treatment possibilities. Ninety per cent claimed that they had never received any periodontal treatment at all. The modality of periodontal treatment and the extent to which the patients had been instructed in toothbrushing were almost equal in patients who visited the dentist yearly and in emergency patients.

A total of 278 children aged 13 years in 1980, who lived in an area where preventive programs and professional attitudes towards restorative treatment had changed over a 10-year period, were dentally examined in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Different preventive treatments were given to the children, to decrease the variation in dental caries. The development of new lesions and the rate of progression of existing lesions were studied by means of bitewing radiographs. Ninety-four per cent of the surfaces remained unchanged. Of the surfaces diagnosed as carious at 13 years of age no progression had occurred in 63%, and 86% of enamel lesions remained within the enamel. Although caries progression was slow in this population, the variation in dental caries was only slightly altered.

It is important to remove organic material before sealing fissures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cleansing effect of an air-polishing instrument (Prophy Unit, 2000 Satelec). Nine pairs of newly erupted premolars were treated. One of the teeth was randomly selected for air-polishing; the contralateral one was cleaned with a rubber cup and a standardized solution of pumice. The teeth were immediately extracted and later photographed in a scanning electron microscope. The photos were mounted together, forming one large picture of each fissure. These pictures were split into pairs of contralateral sections, 22 pairs altogether. Three independent observers gave a score to the cleanest section within each pair. This evaluation was repeated after 7 weeks. The air-polished sections obtained 126.5 of 132 possible scores, whereas pumice was given only 5.5 (P = 0.0039). It is concluded that air-polishing is an effective pretreatment for fissure sealing of newly erupted teeth.

(1966). Periodontal Disease in Pregnancy: III. Response to Local Treatment. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica: Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 747-759.

The time used in performing scaling and elimination of overhangs (Sc) and periodontal surgery (Su) was analysed. Twenty-two quadrants with subgingival calculus and/or restorations with overhanging margins and with pocket depth of 5 mm or less were selected for Sc therapy. Fifty-two quadrants were selected for Su therapy (gingivectomy and/or flap operation). Prescaling had been performed in 38 of them. Six dentists took part in the Sc and 12 in the Su procedures. The mean Sc time per quadrant was 24 minutes (s.d. 7.87) and the mean Su time per quadrant was 52 minutes (s.d. 14.79). Gingivectomy tended to require less time than flap. Prescaling did not seem to reduce the Su time significantly. The averages obtained in this study and in other studies were compared and discussed to evaluate the guidelines suggested in the Periodontal Treatment Need System (PTNS). The PTNS time calculations allowed slight overestimations, mainly for Su time.