Search

Background The oral health-promoting effects of green tea are attributed to its polyphenol components. Aim of this work was to systematically review the literature in search for clinical trials assessing green tea for managing periodontitis and caries. Methods Randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy of green tea versus control groups in oral hygiene and gingival health; periodontitis; caries; periodontal pathogens number; Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus spp. Meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis were performed. Literature searches were carried out using MedLine (PubMed), Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Eighteen studies (870 subjects) were included. Results Green tea treatment had medium positive effect size in reducing GI (SMD: 0.50; 95%CI: −0.02/1.01); PI (SMD: 0.54; 95%CI: 0.14/0.95); GBI (SMD: 0.58; 95%CI: −0.41/1.56) and BOP (SMD: 0.52; 95%CI: −0.57/1.60) in respect to the control group. Splitting to subgroups, green tea showed a small negative effect in the chlorhexidine control groups. Green tea treatment had medium positive effect size in reducing CAL (SMD 0.58; 95%CI: −0.49/1.65) and large positive effect size in reducing PPD (SMD:1.02; 95%CI: 0.45/1.59). Conclusion Even if the results are encouraging, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of green tea formulation as first choice treatment for gingivitis, periodontitis and caries.

Germectomy is a procedure often required in patients at developmental age. It is defined as the surgical removal of the third molar at a very specific stage of development. The aim of this study was to systematically analyze the literature in terms of clinical indications for germectomy in patients at developmental age. Literature searches were performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Scopus from 1952 to 30 June 2021. The study protocol was registered after the screening stage (PROSPERO CRD42021262949). The search strategy identified 3829 articles: 167 from PubMed, 2860 from Google Scholar, 799 from Cochrane Library and 3 from Scopus. Finally, eight full-text papers were included into the qualitative analysis. Based on the included studies, clinical indications for germectomy were mainly related to orthodontic causes, infectious and cariogenic causes and prophylaxis. Based on these results, it is not possible to present evidence-based clinical indications for germectomy in patients at developmental age. Clinical trials on this subject focused specifically on patients at developmental age are awaited.

This in-vivo clinical study provides subjective and objective documentation on colour stability of enamel after resin infiltration at a mean observation time of six years after treatment.76 teeth previously treated with ICON® due to hypomineralized lesions of enamel were recalled for a follow-up at the 1st Observation Unit of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome (Italy). Colour stability was assessed: i) subjectively by patients using FDI-colour matching criteria; ii) objectively by calculating CIEDE2000 colour differences between the affected/treated and sound enamel in each tooth at T0 (baseline), T1 (one year) and T2 (six years) based on spectrophotometric data. Analysis of correlation between FDI and CIEDE2000 data was performed.Two teeth were lost to follow-up prior to 72 months. No unwanted effects were reported by patients. Number of FDI scores 1 and 2 were 13.5%, 90.6% and 93.2% at T0, T1 and T2, respectively. ΔE00 was evaluated at 6.8 (SD3.8) at T0. ΔE00 was 5.8 (SD3.1) between T0 and T1 and 1.3 (SD0.6) between T1 and T2. ΔE00 reduction (T1-T0) was significantly but only fairly correlated with FDI scores at any follow-up.This study shows that caries infiltration satisfactorily masks aesthetically relevant lesions after longer follow-up. Subjective and objective outcomes showed a fair correlation mainly for the initial masking effect.This prospective clinical trial demonstrates the excellent subjective and objective colorimetric stability of enamel treated with ICON® 6 years after treatment.

The aim of this study is to test whether rapid palatal expansion is effective to improve nasal airway patency in a sample of pediatric patients with primary snoring.A group of 21 subjects, 11 girls (52%) and 10 boys (48%), with a mean age of 7.1 years (SD = 1.3; range 4-9 years) were treated with a rapid maxillary expansion (RME) device. Nasal airway resistance was assessed via rhinomanometric exam before (pre) and 6 months after (post) the rapid palatal expansion treatment.Data analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the mean scores of the results of the rhinomanometric exam between the "pre" and "post" measurements with a significant reduction in total inspiratory and expiratory air resistance values after rapid palatal expansion.Our results show that RME treatment is associated with an improvement in nasal airway resistance due to a substantial reduction in nasal resistance associated with the orthopedic action of the orthodontic device.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an under-recognized clinical condition and is correlated with sleepiness and impaired cognitive function. Objectives: The primary aim of this systematic review, developed within the Sleep@OSA project, was to determine the correlations of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, daytime sleepiness and sleep-disordered breathing with the risk of car accidents in adult working populations; a secondary aim was to analyze the epidemiologic data with a gender-based approach to identify differences between women and men in the data and in associated risk factors. Methods: Clinical trials and studies reporting data on the frequency of car accidents involving adult working population with daytime sleepiness and/or OSAS compared with a control group of participants were included. Literature searches of free text and MeSH terms were performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library and Scopus from 1952 to 3 May 2021. Results and Conclusions: The search strategy identified 2138 potential articles. Of these, 49 papers were included in the qualitative synthesis, and 30 were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with controls, the odds of car accidents were found to be more than double in subjects with OSAS (OR = 2.36; 95% CI 1.92–2.91; p < 0.001), with a similar risk between commercial motor vehicle drivers (OR = 2.80; 95% CI 1.82–4.31) and noncommercial motor vehicle drivers (OR = 2.32; 95% CI 1.84–2.34). No significant correlation was found between sleepiness and car crashes, but subjects with sleep-disordered breathing were at increased risk of car accidents (OR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.42–2.31; p < 0.001). To our surprise, although epidemiological studies on the risk of road accidents in the adult population with OSAS and daytime sleepiness are currently very abundant, specific data on the female population are not available.

Objectives: Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are lesions that may undergo malignant transformation to oral cancer. The early diagnosis and surveillance of OPMDs reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients. Diagnostic techniques based on medical images analysis have been developed to diagnose clinical conditions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of imaging-based techniques compared to the gold standard of histopathology to assess their ability to correctly identify the presence of OPMDs. Design: Literature searches of free text and MeSH terms were performed using MedLine (PubMed), Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library (from 2000 to 30 June 2020). The keywords used in the search strategy were: (“oral screening devices” or “autofluorescence” or “chemiluminescence” or “optical imaging” or “imaging technique”) and (“oral dysplasia” or “oral malignant lesions” or “oral precancerosis”). Results: The search strategy identified 1282 potential articles. After analyzing the results and applying the eligibility criteria, the remaining 43 papers were included in the qualitative synthesis, and 34 of these were included in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: None of the analyzed techniques based on assessing oral images can replace the biopsy. Further studies are needed to explore the role of techniques-based imaging analysis to identify an early noninvasive screening method.

(1) Background: Traumatic dental injuries are frequent in children and young adults. The facial structures involved in dental trauma may include soft tissues of the face and mouth, bone and dental structures. Dental trauma often results in augmented dental anxiety. Phototherapy can improve stress and pain control thereby improving compliance in young patients with the necessary dental treatments, after dental trauma has occurred. (2) Methods: Phototherapy was performed to enable soft tissue healing. The Tailored Brushing Method (TBM), a personalized approach for at-home oral hygiene procedures, was also utilized, with the aim of improving biofilm control in traumatized patients. (3) Results: The approach hereafter presented made it possible to obtain subjective control of anxiety and pain documented on a visual analog scale (VAS) due to the innovative use of photo-biomodulation. In addition, for the first time, the TBM was adapted to the needs of a patient with facial trauma and illustrated. (4) Conclusions: Phototherapy and TBM were found to be effective in the combined treatment of soft tissue wounds and in the oral care of the traumatized patient.

(1) Background: The purpose of the study was to comprehensively analyze the relationship between the mother’s oral microbiome, modes of delivery and feeding, and the formation of the newborn child’s oral microbiome. (2) Methods: This systematic review included a search through MEDLINE (PubMed) database (from 2010 to July 2020). Research was registered in PROSPERO under the number CRD42021241044. (3) Results: Of the 571 studies, 11 met the inclusion criteria. Included studies were classified according to (i) child’s delivery mode, (ii) maternal exposure to antibiotics and disinfectants, and (iii) feeding type. (4) Conclusions: The interpretation of these papers shows that the type of delivery, maternal exposure to disinfectants and antibiotics during delivery, maternal health classed as overweight, gestational diabetes mellitus, and feeding type are correlated to changes in the maternal and neonatal early oral microbiomes, based on the analysis provided in this systematic review. Because no evidence exists regarding the impact of maternal diet and maternal oral health on the establishment and development of the early oral newborn microbiome, more studies are needed to deepen the knowledge and understanding of the subject and develop preventive and therapeutic strategies of support to pregnant women.

Background: The definition of dental hypersensitivity is “pain derived from exposed dentin in response to chemical, thermal tactile or osmotic stimuli which cannot be explained as arising from any other dental defect or disease”. One of the treatments proposed is tubular occlusion. The aim of this in vivo split-mouth randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a in-office application of a fluoride varnish (Bifluorid 10) and a bonding resin (Futurabond U) in adults with dentin hypersensitivity. Material and methods: A total of 180 teeth were treated with Bifluorid 10 and 160 with Futurabond U. Outcome measurements were taken one or two weeks before treatment, at baseline at the application days, at 1 week and at 1–6 months after first treatment. Results: Both treatments reduced pain intensity. Bifluorid 10 and Futurabond U have similar efficacy in reducing SCHIFF-measured pain reduction, while Bifluorid 10 is significantly more efficient for VAS-measured pain reduction, mainly due to long-term pain reduction. Patient age has a significant negative influence on pain reduction, while the influence of patient gender and BEWE of the tooth is insignificant. Conclusions: Bifluorid 10 and Futurabond U are effective in the treatment of dental hypersensitivity. The RCT was registered at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) #NCT04813848.

(1) Background: In Italy, about one fourth of all schoolchildren experience a trauma to the permanent dentition. Management of avulsion trauma is challenging and requires adherence to clinical protocols. The aim of this study was to investigate the management knowledge of avulsed teeth among Italian dentists and to promote the guidelines&rsquo, dissemination through the use of new social media. (2) Methods: The survey was carried out during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy (March&ndash, May 2020). The questionnaire was sent anonymously to a total of 600 dentists. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. Part A&mdash, demographic and professional data and Part B&mdash, management of traumatic avulsion. (3) Results: The response rate was 50.6% and the mean fraction of correct responses was 0.524. Issues related to the therapeutic management of avulsed teeth were shown to be not well understood by the respondents. Professionals with qualifications in dentistry and those who declared to know the guidelines responded better, while other demographic and professional factors were insignificant. (4) Conclusions: Italian dentists&rsquo, knowledge of the management of avulsion trauma should be improved. Educational programs and campaigns must be undertaken to improve their awareness and adherence to the Italian and international guidelines.

Background: Early diagnosis of occlusal caries is of paramount importance for a minimally invasive approach in dentistry. The aim of the present in vivo clinical prospective study was to compare the diagnostic outcomes of visual subjective evaluation between the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS-II) and an intraoral fluorescence-based camera (VistaCam iX Proof, D&uuml, rr Dental, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany) for the detection of pits and fissures in early caries lesions of posterior teeth. Methods: The study included 1011 posterior teeth in 255 patients aged 13&ndash, 20 years (mean age 16 &plusmn, 2.2 years). Two blinded operators evaluated all the occlusal surfaces and the first assigned an ICDAS-II code, while the second assessed the VistaCam score: sound enamel (score 0&ndash, 1.2), initial enamel decay (score 1.2&ndash, 1.5), dentine caries (score 1.5&ndash, 3). Results: Some 283 (28%) of the assessed teeth were ICDAS-II code 0, 334 (33%) code 1, 189 (18.7%) code 2, 176 (17.4%) code 3, and 29 (2.9%) code 4. The level of agreement between the two procedures was expressed by using Cohen&rsquo, s and Fleiss&rsquo, kappa statistics and performing McNemar&rsquo, s test. VistaCam assessed in 513 (50.7%) sound enamel, in 292 (28.9%) initial enamel decay, and in 206 (20.4%) dentine caries. Conclusions: This comparative study showed a poor agreement between the two diagnostic methods, especially between ICDAS-II 0, 1 and 2 codes and fluorescence assessments.

Introduction: Severe Enamel Fluorosis is frequently found in young adolescents with aesthetic concerns. Colourimetric alterations could vary from diffuse opacities to demarcated brown and white areas. Material and methods: One young patient with a severe fluorosis was treated by a combined use of at-home bleaching and at-office resin infiltration. Results: In all the affected teeth, existing aesthetic enamel alterations, were successfully treated by the combined use of bleaching and Icon® resin application. Given the minimal substance loss due to the erosion infiltration procedure, the patient was extremely satisfied with the results. Conclusions: Our case report show the capability of treating severe fluorosis with bleaching and subsequent Icon® resin infiltration. Longer observation periods in studies with larger patients population are needed to validate the clinical significance found in this case report.