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Background: The occurrence of dental caries is influenced by the interplay of host factors, microbial factors, and environment factors collectively forming the epidemiological triad of dental caries. Modification of the caries epidemiological triad limits the caries progression by shifting the equilibrium toward re-mineralization. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary sugar intake modification, plaque control measures, and fluoride toothpaste on the mineralization of enamel using DIAGNOdent™ pen scores. Methodology: 108 children aged 13–15 years, qualified the preset inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly allocated into one among the three interventional groups such as Group 1: Diet counseling; Group 2: Educational intervention of toothbrushing and oral rinsing; and Group 3: Fluoride toothpaste. The sugar scores from 1 week's diet history, plaque index scores, the weight of the fluoride toothpaste, and DIAGNOdent™ pen scores were recorded at the baseline visit and subsequently at 6- and 12-week intervals. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square, repeated measure analysis of variance, and Tukey's post hoc tests to determine the relationship between the variables. Results: The percentage reduction in DIAGNOdent pen score at 12-week time interval in Group 1 was 25.37%, Group 2 was 6.77%, and Group 3 was 13.37%. Intergroup comparison revealed that Group 1 showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) as compared to Group 2 and Group 3, but Group 2 was as effective as Group 3 in teeth remineralization. Conclusion: the results suggest that among the abovementioned interventions, the dietary sugar restriction group is related to improved mineralization when compared to the instructed toothbrushing, oral rinsing, and fluoride toothpaste groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: People with hearing impairment (HI) prefer visual learning strategies in daily activities owing to their reliance on vision. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of visual learning as a communication strategy in improving oral hygiene and dental care of children and adolescents with HI. Methods and Results: Four electronic databases were searched and complemented by hand searching for original intervention studies published till December 2021. Eligible studies were screened, data was extracted as per priori data collection form and analyzed by thematic content analysis. The quality of studies was assessed as per the validated tools appropriate for study designs including ROB2, ROBINS‐I, and NIH quality assessment tool. Out of 4159 records identified and 1302 duplicates removed, 24 original studies were identified and the visual learning strategies were classified into sign language, visual aids with or without sign language, customized educational demonstrations and the interim role of training the teachers. These strategies helped in improving oral hygiene status, oral health‐related knowledge and attitude as well as dental anxiety during treatment. Participants were found to be satisfied with these strategies, however, significant heterogeneity in the included studies precluded meaningful meta‐analysis. ROB2 and ROBINS were rated as high and serious in all included trials, respectively, and NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Pre‐Post Studies With No Control as fair in five studies and poor in three. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the significance of visual learning, however, long‐term rigorously designed trials are needed to better understand effective and patient‐centered communication methods for people with HI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to assess the impact of raising the price of sugar and/or sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) on caries incidence in the Indian population. Methods: A tooth‐level decision‐analytic model was developed to evaluate a change in caries increment after increasing the price of Sugar and SSBs. The transition of a tooth from a caries‐free state to the state of tooth loss in both scenarios was modelled with the help of a Markov model for a time horizon of 63 years, ranging from 2021 to 2083 for the 12‐year‐old population cohort of India. A conceptual framework was designed to implicate the possible effects of an increase in sugar prices on the reduction of caries incidence. Health effects were estimated in terms of the number of carious lesions and tooth‐loss in both the scenarios and modelled as a product of the dose‐response relationship between sugar intake and caries incidence. The model was thus used to establish the number of caries lesions prevented, and tooth‐loss avoided. Uncertainties in the parameters were assessed using probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The Monte Carlo method was used for simulating the results 999 times. Results: A 20% rise in the price of sugar is expected to result in the prevention of an average of 1.32 teeth in a lifetime of an individual and prevent 27.96 million tooth‐loss incidents among the population cohort of India that will eventually lead to a saving of INR (₹) 3116.32 billion (US$ 42.69 billion) on account of dental caries treatment. Similarly, increasing‐price of SSBs by 20% will lead to a 0.86% reduction in carious teeth incidence in an individual's lifetime. Conclusion: Increasing the cost of sugar and/or SSBs will reduce the daily intake of sugar, which will reduce caries incidence and subsequent progression, thereby preventing caries‐attributed tooth‐loss and saving treatment costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Combined use of povidone iodine (PI) along with topical fluorides (TF) has been suggested as a promising strategy to reduce dental caries incidence and cariogenic bacterial load. However, the available literature presents mixed evidence regarding its effectiveness as compared to TF application alone., Aim and Objective: 'TF + PI' vs TF alone in the prevention of dental caries among 1-12-year-old children assessed through caries increment and mean S. mutans and Lactobacillus counts., Materials and Methods: Five databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EBSCOhost, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched for relevant literature. Out of 72 studies that were screened, 7 eligible studies were included out of which 4 studies were subjected to meta-analysis. The generic inverse variance test was used to assess the primary outcome reported as mean ± SD/events occurred (caries incidence), whereas for mean post-intervention S. mutans colony count, inverse variance function was used. The Cochrane's Collaboration tool and Modified Downs and Black scoring criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the included articles. Heterogeneity across the studies was assessed using the I 2 statistic. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05., Results: Overall, for primary and permanent dentition combined, the dental caries incidence was found to be significantly lower in the 'TF + PI' combined therapy group as compared to TF alone [SMD -0.4 (-0.78 to -0.03), p = 0.04]. The two groups showed no significant difference with respect to post-intervention S. mutans count [SMD -0.1 (-0.57 to +0.37), p = 0.69]. No study was found that compared post-intervention Lactobacillus count between the two groups., Conclusion: Based on the pooled analysis from the limited literature available, there is a very low quality of evidence that 'TF + PI' combined therapy is more effective in the prevention of new caries lesions among 1-12-year-old children as compared to TF use alone. Future clinical trials with robust methodologies are recommended to generate conclusive evidence., Clinical Significance: PI application might exert an added benefit with TF in preventing the occurrence of new carious lesions among 1-12-year-old children., How to Cite This Article: Gupta A, Nishant, Sharda S, et al. Comparing the Effectiveness of Topical Fluoride and Povidone Iodine with Topical Fluoride Alone for the Prevention of Dental Caries among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(5):559-565., Competing Interests: Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None, (Copyright © 2020; Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd.)