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AIM This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate whether orthodontic appliances removal (OAR) combined with caries-preventive strategies and fluoride varnishes alters salivary physicochemical properties, changes the activity of carbonic anhydrase VI (CA VIACT ) and α-amylase (α-AMLACT ), and favors the regression of active carious lesions (ACL). DESIGN Twenty-two individuals aged between 13 and 24 years old were assessed for the presence of visible biofilm, daily sugar exposure, caries activity, salivary flow rate (SFR), pH, buffering capacity (BC), and CA VIACT and α-AMLACT activity at baseline, and 1, 5 and 13 weeks after OAR. Variables were assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance, Cochran's Q and McNemar's test, and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS We verified a significant decrease in the number of ACL at the 5-week (29% reduction) and at the 13-week follow-up (58% reduction). At the 5 and 13-week follow-up, the percentage of visible biofilm and sugar exposure decreased, whereas the salivary pH and α-AMLACT activity significantly increased. BC and CA VIACT remained unchanged throughout the follow-up. CONCLUSION OAR combined with caries-preventive strategies and fluoride varnishes favored the regression of active carious lesions and increased salivary pH and α-AMLACT activity, whereas buffering capacity and CA VIACT remained stable.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to examine physician and dentist fluoride prescription patterns and identify factors associated with fluoride prescriptions for Medicaid-enrolled children. The hypothesis is that dentists will be the primary prescribers of fluoride and that caries risk factors will be associated with fluoride prescriptions. METHODS: Data were analyzed for Oregon children aged 0–17 years enrolled in Medicaid for ≥300 days in both 2016 and 2017. The outcome variable was receiving a fluoride prescription in 2017. A 2-tailed chi-square test was used to assess fluoride prescribing differences between physicians and dentists. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the likelihood of receiving a fluoride prescription in 2017 and generate ORs. Model covariates included child’s age, sex, race, ethnicity, Medicaid plan type, previous fluoride prescription, previous restorative dental treatment, and water fluoridation status. RESULTS: Of 200,169 Medicaid-enrolled children, 6.7% (n=13,337) received fluoride prescriptions. Physicians were >3 times as likely to prescribe fluoride than dentists (73.4% vs 23.0%, p

Fluoride has been shown to be shown to be an effective agent in the prevention of caries during orthodontic treatment. Resin modified glass ionomer cements possess therapeutic anticariogenic properties acting as a fluoride reservoir and releasing fluoride into the environment, particularly at low pH where there is a threat of enamel demineralisation and white spot lesions (WSL's). Patient compliance to instructions in standard oral hygiene measures limits the success of caries prevention and the routine use of glass-ionomer cements can mitigate the lack of compliance, although RMGIC's are not a panacea against WSL's. The adhesion of GIC's to the enamel surface is a physico-chemical bond rather than a mechanical bond which reduces the risk of iatrogenic damage to the enamel when bonding and debonding attachments. RMGIC's can be recommended as a bonding adhesive for all attachments but one needs to be selective when bonding molar attachments to avoid occlusal interferences as masticatory forces can be high in these areas.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) had more caregiver-reported preventive dental care visits (PDCVs) and preventive dental services (PDS) than nonparticipating children. METHODS A secondary data analysis was performed utilizing the National Survey of Children's Health 2017 and 2018 combined datasets. The analytic sample included 10,356 children aged 1-4 years. It was further stratified into three groups by WIC eligibility and participation to include WIC participation, income-eligible nonparticipants, and higher-income nonparticipants. The independent variables included child-level characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, and insurance) and caregiver-level characteristics (age of mother and the highest level of education in the household). The dependent variable was the report of PDCV and PDS (dental cleaning, toothbrushing instructions, and fluoride treatment) in the past 12 months. RESULTS Of the 10,356 children aged 1-4 years, 3025 were eligible for WIC and nearly half of those eligible (49.5%) reported participating in the WIC program. Caregivers of WIC-participating children had a higher reported prevalence of PDCV for their children than those of income-eligible nonparticipants (57.6% vs. 49.6%, respectively) (p

Summary Drinking water is the primary source of fluoride intake for humans around the world. In southern Algeria, dental fluorosis is considered an epidemic that is spreading among the population by health professionals. Thus, the consumption of bottled water is important because it is considered safer for health. Objectives This study aims to determine the fluoride concentrations of bottled water commercially available in southern Algeria and report the non-carcinogenic health risk via daily human intake. Material and methods By 2021, 28 commercial brands were obtained from different supermarkets in Ouargla, Algeria. Fluoride was measured using a validated spectrophotometric method. The fluoride risk quotient (HQ) and the estimated daily intake (EDI) were calculated. Results All the brands did not mention the fluoride content on the label. The mean level was 0.40 ± 0.42 mg/L, and a wide range was found [0.00 to 1.65 mg/L]. The average was below the WHO standard. Most samples (75%, n=21) contained less than 0.50 mg/L, which can cause dental caries. The HQ values average ​​were less than 1, suggesting no health risk associated with drinking bottled water. Conclusion With the increasing consumption of bottled water, this work is important for primary prevention programs for dental caries. The main contribution is the constitution of a database concerning the fluoride levels in bottled water marketed in southern Algeria. Labelling of fluoride concentrations by manufacturers should be mandatory.

Achieving bright photon upconversion under low irradiance is of great significance and finds many stimulating applications from photovoltaics to biophotonics. However, it remains a daunting challenge to significantly intensify upconversion luminescence in small nanoparticles with a simple structure. Herein, we report the amplification of photon upconversion through engineering interfacial density of states between the core and the shell layer in sub-10 nm colloidal rare-earth ions doped fluoride nanocrystals. Through tuning of the metal cations in the shell layer of alkaline-earth-based core/shell nanoparticles, both the interfacial phonon frequency and the density of state are evidently decreased, resulting in the luminescence intensification of up to 8224 times. The generality of this upconversion enhancement strategy has been verified through expansion of this approach to alkali-based core/shell nanoparticles. The engineering of photon density of state in such core/shell nanoparticles enables dynamic display and high-level security information storage.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to present a comparative evaluation of the long-term efficacy of fluoride varnish and pastes containing CPP-ACP and CPP-ACP with fluoride (CPP-ACFP) in the remineralization of creamy-white and yellow-brown defects in permanent first molars with MIH. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 120 teeth with yellow-brown or creamy-white defects in 67 children (37 girls, 30 boys) aged 6-9 years (mean, 7.2) who were newly diagnosed with MIH with no substance loss or caries or prior restorative treatment. The patients were randomly divided into the experiment groups; control (oral hygiene motivation only), fluoride varnish, and pastes containing CPP-ACP and CPP-ACPF, and followed up for 24 months. The evaluations were made based on the ICDAS criteria and the measurements which were performed using the laser fluorescence method (DIAGNOdent, KaVo, Biberach, Germany) in the follow-ups. RESULTS The research was completed with 49 patients (23 females, 26 males; mean age, 7.7) and 90 teeth. All remineralization agents increased remineralization rates in both creamy-white and yellow-brown colored defects without presenting any statistically significant difference at the end of the follow-up period (p > 0.05). However, the effects of fluoride varnishes were late to observe when compared to pastes containing CPP-ACP and CPP-ACPF. CONCLUSIONS Pastes containing calcium and phosphate may be recommended for the longer-term preservation of teeth with yellow-brown defects which showed a post-eruptive breakdown in a shorter time. CLINICAL RELEVANCE There is a lack of studies investigating MIH treatments in which lesion appearance was recorded. This study evaluated creamy-white and yellow-brown MIH defects separately and reported long-term results of different remineralization agents.

OBJECTIVE To identify regional differences in, and determinants of dental caries among children in western Norway. MATERIAL AND METHODS We studied dental caries in 705 children aged 12 years and 18 years living in the southern region (n = 403) and other parts of Hordaland County (n = 302) in Norway. Information on oral hygiene, fluoride intake, and sugar consumption was collected using questionnaires. We also collected information from the Public Dental Service (PDS) on the history of decayed, missing, or filled teeth; professional fluoride application; recall and regular check-up intervals and treatment visits. Residence (southern region versus the rest of Hordaland, the reference) was the independent variable. We analysed regional differences in (i) caries prevalence and severity, (ii) potential contributors to caries, and (iii) procedures and routines in PDS. RESULTS Caries prevalence and severity were higher in the southern region (67% and 24%, respectively). Self-reported brushing habits, fluoride use, and sugar consumption patterns were similar between regions. We observed more frequent application of professional fluoride (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 3.05, 95% CI: 1.99-4.66], fewer check-ups [IRR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81-0.95], and fewer treatment visits [IRR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-0.98] among participants in the southern region, compared to the rest of Hordaland. The recall intervals in the southern region were 10% longer among 12-year-olds and 10% shorter among 18-year-olds, compared to their respective counterparts in Hordaland. CONCLUSIONS The observed regional gradients in caries experience mirrored regional differences in dental routines and procedures. Caries-related risk behaviours did not explain the observed differences in caries experience.

This study aimed to analyze the enamel remineralization efficacy of a novel fluoridated bioactive glass (F-BG) toothpaste compared to a standard fluoride toothpaste. Seventy-two enamel blocks (N = 72) were divided into groups of twenty-four blocks according to the toothpaste exposure—group 1: brushed with distilled water, group 2: brushed with fluoride toothpaste (ColgateTM), and group 3: brushed with F-BG toothpaste (BioMinFTM). Pre-brushing, enamel blocks were demineralized using 6 wt.% citric acid (pH = 2.4). Tooth brushing was performed using a mixture of respective toothpaste and artificial saliva (AS), and each enamel block received 5000 linear strokes. The samples were assessed for surface micro-hardness (to estimate Vickers hardness number, VHN), surface roughness (Ra), and volume loss/gain using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The highest increase in the VHN was noticed for group 3 (117.81) followed by group 2 (61.13), and all the intragroup comparisons were statistically significant (p &lt, 0.05). Demineralization increased the Ra values, and a decrease was observed post-remineralization for all the groups. The maximum Ra decrease was observed for group 3 (−223.2 nm) followed by group 2 (−55.6 nm), and all the intragroup comparisons were again statistically significant (p &lt, 0.05). Micro-CT investigation revealed that the enamel volume decreased after demineralization and increased after remineralization among all groups. The F-BG toothpaste showed greater enamel surface micro-hardness (increased VHN), smoother surface (low roughness), and better volume restoration (remineralization) in comparison to the fluoride toothpaste.

Objectives To compare the efficacy of casein phosphopeptide (CPP)-amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) MI Varnish (GC America, Inc, Alsip, IL) and ProSeal (Reliance Orthodontic Products, Itasca, IL) sealant in preventing the development of white spot lesions (WSLs) in orthodontic patients. Materials and Methods This prospective randomized clinical trial included 40 orthodontic patients 12–17 years of age. One group had sealants placed on their anterior maxillary teeth, with reapplications every 3 months. The other group had MI Varnish applied every 4–6 weeks. WSL formation and oral hygiene were evaluated at the initial appointment before bonding (T1) and 12 months later (T2). Standardized digital photographs were analyzed using the enamel decalcification index (EDI). Statistical comparisons were made using independent and paired-sample t-tests as well as chi-square tests. Results In this trial, 43% of patients and 15% of teeth developed new WSLs. Lateral incisors showed the highest incidence of decalcification and WSL formation. WSL formation and EDI score increases during treatment were significantly greater in the gingival region than in the mesial, distal, or incisal regions. Of the EDI scores at T2, 93.8% were 0 and 5.5% were 1. Poor oral hygiene at T2 showed a high positive predictive value (76%) for the development of WSLs. There were no statistically significant between-group differences for the development of WSLs. Conclusions MI Varnish and ProSeal sealant provided similar levels of protection during the first 12 months of fixed orthodontic treatment. The severity of the WSLs that developed was minimal. WSLs were most likely to develop on lateral incisors and in the gingival regions of teeth, especially among patients with poorer oral hygiene.