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Objective: Enterococcus faecalis, Gram-positive facultative anaerobe capable of invading the dentinal tubules, is resistant to several irrigating solutionsand intracanal medications. Motivated by the antibacterial effect exhibited by garlic extract against a wide variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negativebacteria, as well as anaerobic bacteria such as Lactobacillus and E. faecalis, we aimed in this study to analyze the efficacy of garlic extract against theviability of E. faecalis from clinical isolates of nonvital primary root canals.Methods: We used MTT assay to determine the viability of E. faecalis after exposure to increasing concentrations of garlic extract (10%, 25%, 50%,and 100%) and chlorhexidine (CHX) 2% as a positive control.Results: We performed the analysis using the Kruskal–Wallis test and the post hoc test for multiple comparisons at a 0.05 significance level. At allconcentrations, garlic extracts decreased the viability of E. faecalis. We found no significant differences between the viability values for 25%, 50%,and 100% garlic extracts (p>0.05); however, they were significantly different from the 10% extract and CHX 2% (p

Objective: To determine the frequency distribution of dental anomalies in people with Down syndrome. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was developed in Jakarta, Indonesia, and evaluated 174 individuals with Down syndrome aged 14-53 years. Were collected information regarding the tooth number, tooth size, shape, and structure. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the absolute and relative frequencies. The Pearson chi-square test was used in bivariate analysis. The significance threshold was set at 5%. Results: There were 70 female subjects (40.2%) and 104 male subjects (59.8%) with an average age of 19.2 years. In terms of anomalies of tooth number, hypodontia (80.9%), supernumerary teeth (12.4%), and combined hypodontia and supernumerary teeth (12.4%) were identified. In terms of anomalies of tooth size, microdontia (98.8%) is the most common anomaly. Anomalies of tooth shape included fusion (66.67%) and talon's cusp (33.3%), whereas anomalies of tooth structure included enamel hypoplasia (70.8%), enamel hypocalcification (4.2%), combined enamel hypoplasia and hypocalcification (12.5%), and tooth discoloration (12.5%). Conclusion: Individuals with Down syndrome in Jakarta showed a high prevalence of dental anomalies, with hypodontia and microdontia being the most common anomalies showing a tendency to occur predominantly in males.

Objective: To evaluate the oral hygiene status of children with Down syndrome using the busy book Ayo Sikat Gigi as an educational toy. Material and Methods: We ran an experimental study involving 25 educable and trainable children with Down syndrome, comprising 17 males and 8 females aged 7–12 years, who were free from other disabilities and did not use orthodontic or prosthodontic appliances. Parents were instructed to educate their children using the busy book Ayo Sikat Gigi and also to guide their children in brushing their teeth effectively at home. We evaluated the OHI-S score over two visits, one before and the other after education using the busy book Ayo Sikat Gigi over a 7 day period. The Wilcoxon test with the p-value set at 0.05 was used. Results: It was noted a statistically significant decrease in the OHI-S scores of children with Down syndrome (p

Objective: Patients generally experience some level of anxiety during dental treatments. Salivary alpha amylase (SAA) can be used as a biomarker for anxiety. This study aimed to compare SAA levels between children who had never and had undergone tooth extraction procedures with a local anesthetic injection.Methods: Thirty-seven participants aged 6–11 years who were to undergo the extraction of primary teeth at the Dental and Oral Educational Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia, were enrolled. The subjects were divided into two groups: One group consists of 20 children who had never undergone a tooth extraction, and the other group consists of 17 children who had undergone tooth extraction. From all children, one saliva sample was collected using a portable saliva strip 10 min before (t0), shortly after (t1), and 10 min after (t2) local anesthetic injection, and the SAA activity was determined using a portable Nipro Cocoro Meter device. The SAA levels of both groups were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.Results: There were significant differences in SAA levels at t0 (p=0.001), t1 (p=0.018), and t2 (p=0.021) in both groups. Anxiety is a combination of behavioral and physiological reactions. SAA release is regulated by autonomic innervation, and the SAA level increases owing to acute stress.Conclusion: Dentists should note patients’ negative dental experiences to provide more effective and less traumatic treatment.

Objective: Several studies have tried to objectively assess pain measurements. The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale (WBFPS) is an instrument that is commonly used to assess pain intensity in children. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between the WBFPS and salivary alpha-amylase (SAA) level during a tooth extraction procedure with a local anesthetic injection in children aged 6–11 years.Methods: Twenty-five children aged 6–11 years who were to undergo the extraction of a primary tooth at the Dental and Oral Educational Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia, were enrolled in this study. From all children, saliva was collected using a disposable saliva strip shortly after local anesthetic injection, and the SAA activity was then determined using a portable Nipro Cocoro Meter device. The WBFPS was measured at the same time. The correlation between the WBFPS and the SAA level was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation test. The statistically significant level was set at p≤0.05.Results: There was a significant correlation between the WBFPS and SAA level (p=0.002, r=0.581).Conclusion: Our data suggest that the SAA level might be a good index for objective pain intensity assessment.