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Objective: To assess oral healthcare-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 lockdown period in eastern Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted from October 2020 to December 2020 at Dental Clinic Complex, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Three hundred and sixty patients who visited the Dental Clinic Complex after relaxation of lockdown and consented to participate were included in this study. Participants were instructed to complete a questionnaire on oral health and dental care during the lockdown period, consisting of five sections. Results: Out of 360 participants, 168 reported requiring dental help during the lockdown period; however, only 27 participants contacted a dentist to emergency advice on phone, and 102 participants visited a dentist. ​Most participants used ​toothpaste for sensitive teeth, followed by over-the-counter pain killers, and ​clove oil. In this regard, 72.8% of females used toothpaste for sensitive teeth. A considerable number of participants needed filling, followed by root canal treatment, ​denture repair, and dental extraction. Most participants were treated with pain killers, followed by antibiotics, and referral to a hospital. More than 80% of them expressed that regular visits to the dentist are beneficial. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of participants sought oral health care during the lockdown period, mainly for restorative treatment. This was mostly achieved by visiting a dentist, or via telephone consultation to a lesser extent. Analgesics were the most common prescriptions, followed by antibiotics. Dental patients should be encouraged to regularly visit dentists to mitigate the drawbacks that lockdowns may cause in the provision of oral healthcare services.

Background and Objectives: The quest for a suitable esthetic material for tooth restoration has resulted in significant advancements in both material properties and application technique. Composites and acid-etch procedures are two significant advancements in esthetic restorative dentistry. Further research has strengthened composites' overall wear resistance and strength, but the problem of polymerization shrinkage has persisted. To reduce polymerization shrinkage and microleakage, a variety of techniques and material modifications have been suggested. The marginal leakage of amalgam, packable composite, flowable composite with packable composite, and high-viscosity traditional glass ionomer cement (GIC) was compared in this analysis to test the mentioned hypothesis. Materials and Methods: We chose 60 freshly extracted teeth and divided them into four classes of 15 teeth each. Class II cavities were prepared in a standardized manner. Group I was treated with amalgam, Group II with packable composite (GC G-aenial Posterior), Group III with flowable composite (G-aenial Universal Flo) as a liner and then restored with packable composite (GC G-aenial Posterior), and Group IV with high-viscosity traditional GIC (EQUI FORTE FILL). After that, the restorations were put through a thermocycling process. The specimens were soaked in 0.5% methylene blue dye before being cut into mesiodistal sections to assess microleakage at the gingival margin. After that, the parts were examined under a stereomicroscope. The degree of dye penetration was used to determine the score. Results: There was no microleakage in the control group, and the gap between the control and experimental groups was statistically significant (P = 0.017). Conclusion: The glass hybrid restorative device had less gingival microleakage than the resin-based restorative material, indicating that it has a better sealing capacity. Clinical acceptability of glass hybrid restorative systems, on the other hand, must be confirmed with a larger sample size and in vivo trials.

This study aimed to modify an EQUIA coat (EC; GC, Japan) by incorporating 1 and 2 wt.% of zinc oxide (ZnO; EC-Z1 and EC-Z2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2; EC-T1 and EC-T2) nanoparticles, whereby structural and phase analyses were assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry, micro-hardness, and water absorption analyses were conducted, and the microstructure was studied by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy. FTIR spectra showed a reduction in peak heights of amide (1521 cm−1) and carbonyl (1716 cm−1) groups. XRD showed peaks of ZnO (2θ ~ 31.3°, 34.0°, 35.8°, 47.1°, 56.2°, 62.5°, 67.6°, and 68.7°) and TiO2 (2θ ~ 25.3°, 37.8°, 47.9, 54.5°, 62.8°, 69.5°, and 75.1°) corresponding to a hexagonal phase with a wurtzite structure and an anatase phase, respectively. Thermal stability was improved in newly modified materials in comparison to the control group. The sequence of obtained glass transitions was EC-T2 (111 °C), EC-T1 (102 °C), EC-Z2 (98 °C), EC-Z1 (92 °C), and EC-C (90 °C). EC-T2 and EC-T1 showed the highest (43.76 ± 2.78) and lowest (29.58 ± 3.2) micro-hardness values. EC showed the maximum water absorption (1.6%) at day 7 followed by EC-T1 (0.82%) and EC-Z1 (0.61%). These results suggest that EC with ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles has the potential to be used clinically as a coating material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]