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Background/Aim. Dental caries represents a health problem of all ages, but it is especially significant in the earliest age of children. Early childhood caries can develop immediately after the eruption of deciduous teeth, resulting in many complications, such as tooth extraction, which is reflected in the quality of life and health. Early childhood caries is influenced by a large number of predictors. Considering that the data on predictors for the development of deciduous teeth caries are scarce, the aim of this paper was to determine the prevalence of deciduous teeth caries and detect the predictors for the development of early childhood caries. Methods. Our survey included 117 children of both genders, aged 3 to 6 years, from the territory of Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvecan. All respondents, including children and parents, were surveyed, and thus general data was obtained. A dental examination was performed on all children. The current state of dental health was inserted into special research cards that were in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization. Those predictors of dental health level that were statistically significant in models of univariate ordinal logistic regression at the significance level of 0.05 were included in the model of multivariate ordinal logistic regression. Results. According to the full structure, there were 49.6% of boys and 50.4% of girls. Healthy teeth were present in 25 (21.4%) children, 19 had reversible changes (16.2%), while 73 (62.4%) children had irreversible carious changes on teeth. The most important detected predictors were sweets consummation, sleeping with a baby bottle, 6 and more meals per day, frequent usage of medical syrups, child?s daily tooth-brushing frequency, child?s independent toothbrushing frequency, usage of non-fluoride toothpaste, a lack of professional fluoride application, and mouth breathing. Conclusion. This research contributed to the detection of a large number of predictors that are most important for the development of early childhood caries. In order to reduce the risk of caries development, it is necessary to act in more spheres. This certainly requires planning and implementing preventive dental programs.

Background/Aim. Identification of caries risk indicators involved in the disease development is of great importance. The aim of this study was to assess the association between distinctive risk indicators and different stages of caries disease process in children. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample (n = 327) of school children ages 7?11. A questionnaire submitted to parents was used to record the data regarding demographic characteristics, children's dietary habits, oral hygiene habits and oral health behaviors. Caries was assessed using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) II and subjects were stratified according to the highest and most prevalent caries lesion stage. The data obtained were analyzed using the ?2 or Fisher`s exact test and multinomial logistic regression. Results. Caries lesions were detected in 56.6% of examinees observed in the study. Compared to caries-free subjects, appearance of initial caries lesions was statistically significantly influenced by maternal education level (p = 0.021), paternal occupational status (p = 0.023), toothbrushing frequency (p < 0.001), and caries status of deciduous teeth (p = 0.027). Maternal educational level (p = 0.026), paternal occupational status (p = 0.003), sweets and snacks taking frequency (p = 0.005), toothbrushing frequency (p < 0.001), and fluoridate dentifrice usage (p = 0.027) were associated with moderate caries lesions. Maternal educational level (p < 0.001), sweets and snacks taking frequency (p = 0.022) and toothbrushing frequen-cy (p < 0.001) were associated with extensive caries lesions. Maternal educational level (p = 0.02) and brushing frequency (p < 0.001) were statistically significantly associated with the highest prevalence of initial caries lesions. Maternal educational level (p = 0.025), toothbrushing frequency (p < 0.001) and frequency of dental check-ups (p = 0.016) were statistically significantly associated with the highest prevalence of moderate caries lesions. Conclusion. Parental socioeconomic indicators and children's behavior related to oral health were involved in the changes from caries-free status to different caries stages.

Background/Aim. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease that occur in the tissues surrounding the teeth in response to bacterial biofilm accumulation (dental plaque). Among others, Tannerela forsythia (Tf) was recognized as one of the most significant and specific bacterial species in periodontal pocket (?red complex? bacteria). Atherosclerosis is a progressive narrowing of arteries that may lead to occlusion, as a consequence of lipid deposition. It underlies coronary heart disease (80%), as well as myocardial and cerebral infarctions. Increasing evidence over the past decade suggests a link between periodontal disease and atherosclerosis, where Tf can enter the systemic circulation directly or indirectly, and be present in atherosclerotic blood vessels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect the presence of Tf in atheromatous plaques obtained from different blood vessels in patients with chronic periodontitis. Methods. Ninety patients (male 61, female 29) with periodontal disease and atherosclerosis [recruited for either carotid artery stenosis requiring endartectomy or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)] were included in this study. Clinical periodontal examinations consisted of plaque index (PI) (according to Silness L?u), gingival index (GI) (according to L?e Silnes), sulcus bleeding index (according to M?hleman-Son) and periodontal probing depth (PPD). Presence of Tf in periodontal pockets and atherosclerotic vessels was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method with positive control Tf ATCC 43037. Results. Tf was present in subgingival plaques of 68 (75.6%) of the patients, while its presence in atheromatous plaques were registered in 42 (53.3%) of the patients. It was significantly present in coronary blood vessels (41.7%), followed by carotid arteries (35.4%) and a. abdominalis aneurism (12.5%), a. mamaria (8.5%) and a. femoralis (2.1%) while in a. iliaca Tf was not detected at all. Conclusion. The present study suggests strong relationship between periodontal inflammation and atherogenesis; therefore, it should be considered as potential risk factor for atherosclerosis. Accordingly, it would be necessary to control periodontal disease in order to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with atherosclerosis.

Introduction: Dental caries is the most common oral disease in all age groups. Being more and more frequent in preschool and school-age children, it has become one of the most important problems in oral pathology. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of dental caries in schoolchildren aged 12 and 15 years in the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as to inform them about the importance of oral health. Materials and Methods: The study included 626 schoolchildren of both sexes from five schools from the municipalities of Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvecan and Leposavic. Klein-Palmer DMFT system (D-Decayed, M-Missing, F-filled) was used to estimate the prevalence of dental caries the following indices were also used: Person Caries Index, Teeth Caries Index, Average Caries Index and DMFT structure. All the selected children were examined using standard dental diagnostic agents. Tooth surfaces were examined dry under artificial lighting. Results: The average value of DMFT index for children aged 12 and 15 years was 4.2. On average, 92.3% of the examined children had caries. The mean value of caries index was 15.11%.Conclusion: After these new epidemiological studies, it can be concluded that the state of children's oral health, considering the high levels of untreated caries and all other features of DMFT index, is not satisfactory. This situation points to the necessity of applying modern preventive and prophylactic measures to preserve and improve the population oral health.

Frequent occurrence of dental caries and periodontal diseases, especially gingivitis, in school-aged children, is becoming one of the most important problems in oral pathology, although they all can be brought under control through health education and implementation of preventive and prophylactic measures. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of dental caries and gingivitis in children, aged 12 years, attending primary schools in Kosovska Mitrovica, as an urban area, and schools in Gračanica and Laplje Selo, as rural areas. The study included 227 schoolchildren, aged 12 years, divided into two groups. One group, 129 of them, consisted of children from primary schools in Kosovska Mitrovica, as urban areas. The other group, 98 of them, consisted of children from primary schools in Gračanica and Laplje Selo, as rural areas. Klein-Palmer DMFT system (D-Decayed, M-Missing, F-filled) was used to estimate the prevalence of dental caries, while Silness-Löe plaque index, Löe-Silness gingival index and Muhlemann sulcus bleeding index were used to estimate the level of oral hygiene, gingival status and severity of gingival inflammation. The average number of permanent teeth with caries per respondent (DMFT) was 4.6 in total, for all children. The average value of DMFT in children from urban areas was 3.8, and 5.3 in children from rural areas. SiC Index was 7.9. The average value of the plaque index (PI) was 1.53±0.61, of the gingival index (GI)1.05±0.58 and of the bleeding index (BI) 0.64±0.59. The established state of oral health and periodontium in examined children points to the necessity of applying modern preventive and prophylactic measures in order to improve the oral health and increase the motivation for the overall health care.

Parodontopathy is a complex disease of periodontal tissues. The patological changes that occure here are destructive and lead to gradual or progressive periodontium disease and its anatomical and functional desintegration. The aim of the research was to use the PCR method (Polimerase Chain Reaction) to identify the presence and spreading of the oral pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque in patients suffering from the aggressive parodontopathy and then compare it to qualitative-quantitative structure of dental plaque in patients suffering from chronic parodontopathy. The study included 70 patients, average age of 45. The identification of microorganisms in subgingival plaque was determined by PCR method. In order to confirm the diagnosis and determine the extent of destruction of periodontal tissue the standard epidemiological criteria were used: plaque index (Silness-Lӧe), gingival index (Lӧe-Silness), SBI index (Mühleman-Son) and DPP. Extremely high statictical significance of presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans was obtained in patients with aggressive parodontopathy. The presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis showed the difference in distribution in patients with chronic as well as in patients with aggressive pardontopathy. In our sample A.a was detected in a high percentage of younger patients with the diagnosis of aggressive parodontopathy. Higher rate of A. actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque has a direct impact on the course of parodontopathy. Its detection may be a useful marker for identifying the increased risk for developing aggressive parodontopathy in patients of younger population.

Background/Aim. Hypomineralization of molars and incisors (molar-incisor hypomineralization - MIH) is defined as enamel hypomineralization of systemic origin of one or more of the four first permanent molars, which may be associated with changes in the maxillary, and less frequently in the permanent mandibular incisors. The aim of this study was to investigate the mineral content in hypomineralized teeth as a contribution to under-standing the origin of these changes, which will be important for effective restorative approach. Methods. A total of 10 extracted first permanent molars diagnosed with MIH were used in the study as the experimental group, and intact first premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were used as the control group. A certain surface of hypomineralized аnd healthy enamel and dentin was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energydispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS). Results. By conducting quantitative chemical analysis of the distribution of the basic chemical elements, it was found that the concentration of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) was significantly higher in healthy enamel (Ca = 28.80 wt%, and P = 15.05 wt%) compared to hypomineralized enamel (Ca = 27.60 wt% and P = 14.32 wt%). Carbon (C) concentration was statistically significantly higher in hypomineralized enamel (C = 11.70 wt%) compared to healthy enamel (C = 10.94 wt%). Hypomineralized and healthy enamel did not differ significantly regarding the ratio of calcium and phosphorus concentrations whereas the ratio of calcium and carbon concentrations was statistically significantly higher in healthy enamel compared to hypomineralized enamel. Conclusion. Concentration of the main chemical elements, primarily calcium and phosphorus, is significantly reduced in hypomineralized enamel whereas carbon concentration is increased compared to healthy enamel.

Herpetic stomatitis as well as many other infections of the orofacial region in everyday practice represent an important percentage of pathology. These diseases can be a major problem for therapists in terms of early diagnosis and, consequently, in determining the correct treatment. The disease belongs to a group of droplet infection, caused by the herpes simplex virus, with characteristic changes in the skin and mucous membrane in children and adults. A relatively small percentage, 10-15% of primary infections are manifested with clinically distinct symptoms. At the oral mucosa occurs triad of symptoms: generalized catarrhal gingivitis, coated tongue and erosions dispersed all over oral epithelium of the oral cavity.