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Objectives Increasingly, laboratories flag low serum alkaline phosphatase (sALP) that are age-and sex-specific in paediatrics. The aim of this study was to report clinical manifestations of paediatric patients with age-and sex-specific low sALP, thereby increasing awareness of its potential aetiologies. Methods This retrospective Canadian tertiary care paediatric hospital study assessed all sALP of ambulatory patients aged less than 18 years from 2015 to 2017. The hospital used a Beckman Coulter AU assay to measure sALP and compared values to the Canadian age-and sex-specific reference intervals from CALIPER. All children who had at least one subnormal age-and sex-specific sALP were evaluated. A review of medical charts of included patients was performed and demographic characteristics, medical history and diagnosis were collected, and categorized under groups of medical disorders. Results Of 11,874 included patients, 1,001 patients (9.2%) had low sALP. Of those, 48% (485/1,001) had transient low sALP activity and 9.6% (96/1,001) had persistently low sALP. Prolonged immobilization and inflammatory bowel disease represented the main aetiologies for persistently low sALP. Interestingly, 13.5% (13/96) of patients with persistently low sALP had no apparent aetiology. Conclusions Our results report aetiologies of low sALP in a Canadian paediatric population using age-and sex-specific Canadian reference ranges. This study highlights that healthcare providers should be aware that a low sALP may have clinical significance and should be repeated if warranted based on further clinical assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the oral health status of refugee children in comparison with that of Canadian children. In addition, we investigated the extent to which demographic factors are associated with caries experience in this population. Children with a confirmed refugee status and Canadian children (control group) matched for age and sex composed the study population. A comprehensive review of dental charts was completed to assess children's demographic data, caries experience, oral hygiene and gingival health status. The majority of refugee children had never seen a dentist before their arrival to Canada. Refugee children had significant higher dmft/DMFT scores than Canadian children (7.29 ± 5.1 and 4.47 ± 5, respectively; p < 0.0001). Furthermore, individual factors, such as refugee status (OR = 5.08; 95% CI = 2.31–11.1) and child age (OR = 2.17; 95% CI = 1.04–4.51) were significantly associated with caries experience. Access to appropriate dental care to refugee children should be a key priority for health care providers and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Sialorrhea is a common manifestation of several neurological disorders. The use of intraglandular onabotulinum toxin A (OBTXA) injection has been recognized to effectively treat sialorrhea. As OBTXA injection reduces salivary flow rate and alters salivary quality, its use may have a detrimental effect on oral health. Aim. To examine the effect of OBTXA injection on caries experience and salivary pH of neurologically impaired children with sialorrhea. Design. Twenty-five children receiving OBTXA treatment and 25 control children were enrolled in the study. Whole saliva was collected to determine salivary pH. All participants underwent an interview on their dietary habits. Dental clinical examinations were carried out to evaluate caries experience and oral hygiene level. Results. Overall, mean salivary pH value was significantly lower in the OBTXA group (6.92 ± 0.77) compared with the control group (7.36 ± 0.70). Caries activity was significantly higher in the OBTXA group (P = 0.01). The regression analyses showed a significant association between OBTXA treatment and salivary pH value (P = 0.03). Results from the logistic regression show that dental caries was significantly associated with OBTXA treatment (OR = 1.73, CI = 1.14-27.3). Conclusions. The study showed an intricate relationship between OBTXA treatment and oral findings. Hence, special dental care should be given to children receiving OBTXA treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trends of paediatric emergency visits (ED) for dental conditions have been broadly discussed; however, little has been published in the Canadian context., Aim: To describe the utilization of ED for dental conditions among children and to investigate demographic characteristics influencing its use., Design: A comprehensive review of records of all children aged 1-17 years who attended the ED service of a paediatric hospital in Montreal, Canada, for dental conditions over a 10-year period (2004-2013) was completed. Information on the child's principal dental diagnosis, sociodemographic data, and source of referral was obtained., Results: A total of 10 905 paediatric ED visits were seen during the study period. Among the children, 54.7% were male and the majority was younger than 6 years old. Dental caries constituted the most common reason for ED presentation comprising close to 43% of total visits for a dental complaint. Females, teenagers, and self-referred children were more likely to experience ED visits due to non-traumatic dental conditions., Conclusions: The utilization of ED for dental conditions has increased among pre-school children in the last decade and was mostly due to caries-related dental problems. Effective preventive strategies are needed to improve the oral health condition of children., (© 2020 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: The aim of this multicentric prospective study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of Biodentine (BD) pulpotomies on permanent teeth with complicated crown fractures., Methods: This study was carried out in 2 hospital-based dental departments in Quebec, Canada. Children seeking emergency care after trauma to anterior permanent teeth were invited to participate in this study. The treatment outcome was assessed clinically and radiographically at 1 week and 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after treatment., Results: Forty-five patients between the ages of 8 and 16 years (mean, 10.8 ± 2.4) were included in this study. Fifty-one teeth were treated with a BD pulpotomy. The study showed a survival rate of 100% and a success rate of 91%. Four failures were noted at 1-, 6-, and 15-month follow-up, and the teeth were subsequently treated with either conventional root canal therapy or regenerative endodontic procedure. Dental sensitivity to cold reported by patients reduced over time, and more teeth responded normally to pulp vitality tests during the course of this study. Slight discoloration was noted on 8 teeth (17%). Radiographic outcomes showed dentinal bridge formation in 91% of cases, and all immature teeth showed continued root formation., Conclusions: BD is a suitable material for pulpotomies on anterior permanent teeth with complicated crown fractures. It may be a good alternative to mineral trioxide aggregate pulpotomies because it does not cause significant discoloration, and it allows root maturation., (Copyright © 2020 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)