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Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of families having some Down syndrome patient about problems related to oral cavity and dental health issues., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Marmara University, Faculty of Dentistry in July 2017. Families of individuals with Down Syndrome, who are members of the Turkish Down Syndrome Association, were included in the study. A self-generated questionnaire was used to collect information in 3 different sections through 43 questions related to patient's socio-demographic and medical information, data on dental visit(s) and tooth-brushing. The questionnaire was sent to the families via the Internet. They were asked to return the completed questionnaires within a month. SPSS 22 was used to analyse data., Results: Of the 103 families, 25(24.27%) had never taken their children to a dentist; 12(11.65 %) thought their children were too young, 6(5.82%) thought they would have difficulty in the dental environment, and 2(1.94%) could not find a suitable dentist. There was a statistically significant relationship between the oral and dental health and the tooth-brushing frequency (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the frequency of helping the children brush their teeth and the mean age (p<0.05)., Conclusions: Parents of individuals with Down syndrome needed high-level information and guidance to take proper care of affected individuals.

Background and Aim: This study aimed to examine the microleakage of class V cavities of primary molars prepared by either a conventional dental bur or Er:YAG laser and one of two different adhesive systems., Methods: A total of 50 tooth samples from primary molars were used in this study. They were randomly assigned into five experimental groups of 10 samples each, according to the cavity preparation technique and the type of adhesive system applied to the cavities. Following cavity preparation, etching, bonding, and filling steps, samples were dyed using basic fuchsine and were sectioned longitudinally in buccolingual direction. Percentages of dye penetration at gingival and occlusal margins were calculated for each group., Results: Overall, microleakage scores of gingival margins were significantly higher than those of occlusal margins (P < 0.001). The group that underwent laser preparation, laser etch, and self-etch bonding procedures had worse microleakage scores for gingival margins. However, all groups had similar occlusal scores (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Self-etch bonding systems and cavity preparation with Er:YAG laser may be an alternative to conventional restoration of primary molars with compomers. Further studies are warranted to fully elucidate the effect of laser-based etching techniques in cavities prepared by laser., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.