The definition of "Oral Health and Relationship between Oral Health and Quality of Life" was recently reviewed by Patrick Hescot, president of the FDI World Dental Federation, in 2017, addressing oral health as a determinant of general and psychophysics health on quality of life. Since oral health includes a series of skills (speaking, smiling, tasting, chewing, swallowing and facial expressions), conditions such as oral pain, discomfort and/or diseases can affect quality of life at varying degree of severity. 1,2 As example, caries may determine excessive suffering, growth

Dental development is relatively independent from other systems maturation. Recent studies have reported changes in the timing of tooth development for contemporary children comparing to children that lived more than 30 years ago (secular trend). Detectable variations in the tempo of tooth mineralization and duration of tooth maturation between children from different geographical regions were reported. Dental age is important not only for dental specialists, but also for pediatricians (in the evaluation of growth and development of healthy children, in pediatric endocrinology, in children with different diseases or syndromes) and forensic doctors (in order to estimate the age or to identify the child). The aim of our study was to investigate the regional characteristics of dental maturation in actual Romanian children. We conducted a cross-sectional study on a final sample of 441 radiographs of patients aged between 5.5 and 14.5 years (218 girls and 223 boys). The dental panoramic radiographs were scored by two examiners and intra-and inter-examiner calibration was made. We used a dedicated software for easy scoring, automatic dental age determination and as a database. On average, the Romanian girls showed an overestimation of 0.36 years, meaning 132 days, p=0.129, α = 0.05 and boys an underestimation of 0.04 years, meaning 15 days, p = 0.852, α = 0.05. New tables were developed in order to convert dental maturity calculated according to Demirjian method into dental age of contemporary Romanian children.

Plastic materials are widely used today in Paedodontics and Orthodontics for manufacturing preventive and therapeutic devices. Since these are worn for long times in the oral cavity biofilm forms on the smooth acrylic surfaces of those appliances. The biofilm must be removed not to destroy the oral microbiology. The aim of this study was to research the possibility of removing the microbial biofilm and disinfecting retainers using the photodynamic effect of toluidine blue O, Fotosan System (CMS Dental, Copenhagen, Denmark) in comparison to two products available on the market Corega Denture Cleanser Tablets (GlaxoSmithKline) and the Retainer Brite� Cleaning Tablets (DENTSPLY International Raintree Essix, FL, USA). The plastic material used in this experiment was the cold-cure acrylic Palapress� vario (Heraeus-Kulzer GmbH, Hanau, Germany). Images of the biofilm formed by Streptococcus pyogenes were obtained using a confocal laser scanning m icroscope. The images were analyzed using Comstat 2 software. The results showed that all the three investigated methods had a disinfectant effect. Corega Denture Cleanser Tablets reduced most of the biofilm formed on the plastic substrate.

Background: Dental age assessment is very useful in the pediatric dentist's and orthodontist's everyday practice. The eventual lack of correlation between dental age, skeletal maturation and chronological age can infl uence treatment procedures regarding mostly their application time. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between dental age based on the calcifi cation stages of the fi rst lower premolar (PM1i) and skeletal maturity stages using cervical vertebrae (C2, C3, C4) among Romanian individuals and to determine the clinical value of the fi rst premolar as a growth evaluation index. Material and methods: In a sample of 30 patients (13 males, 17 females) ranging in age from 9 to 15 years (mean age 11.2 years) we examined the orthopantomography radiographs (OPT) and lateral cephalometric radiographs of each case. Results: The biological development of girls is about 1.5 years more advanced than in boys. When the Demirjian Index was at stage F, then CVS was at stage 3.4, which means that in developmental stage "F" (according to Demirjian index) premolars are indicators of the optimal time for orthodontic treatment. We found a signifi cant correlation (R = 0.871, p <0.001) between CVM and Demirjian's index. Conclusions:The correlation shown in this study will allow clinicians to use mandibular fi rst premolar as an adjunctive tool to assess adolescent growth spurt, combined with the evaluation of the cervical vertebrae. The results also show the usefulness of the assessment of the development of dental status as a simple diagnostic test to determine the biological age of the population.

In the Romanian population, during the fixed orthodontic treatment, sometimes appear white spot lesions (WSLs). These are areas of demineralized enamel witch untreated lead to the formation of cavited carious lesions. Until now the therapy of choice for such lesions was fluoridation that proved itself inadequate in terms of aesthetics. The innovative solution of the German Firma DMG (Icon®) proposes the filling and reinforcing of the pore system of a WSL with a light-curable resin (Icon-Infiltrant). The purpose of this study was to assess whether the optical coherence tomography (OCT) can evaluate, in vitro, by en face scans the penetration of this advanced new material into natural enamel caries. We applied the classic therapeutic procedures proposed by the German company. After infiltration of the WSL we observed a deep resin penetration. Clinically there was a significant improvement in the aesthetics of the affected tooth surfaces and their evolution was stopped demonstrating that this technique is effective in the therapy of WSLs at patients with fixed orthodontic therapy. Also OCT proved to be a reliable technique for acquiring images of resin infiltrated WSLs recommending this technology for further fundamental studies in the field.

No abstract

Over the last decades, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) proved to be invaluable for ultrastructural investigation, allowing imaging of the overall appearance and/or specific features of oral biofilms, e.g., microbial colonies and individual cells, glycocalyx, the presence of inorganic products. The aim of this study was the observation and evaluation of the morphology of the biofilm of endodontic-periodontal lesions (EPL) with a modified protocol involving a simplified histologic sample preparation and a low-vacuum SEM examination method. Twenty-one teeth with endodontic-periodontal involvement, extracted for periodontal reasons, were carefully washed with saline, underwent fixation in modified Karnovsky solution and were dehydrated in alcohol series. Samples were examined under low-vacuum SEM. Radicular surfaces were evaluated qualitatively and semiquantitatively for several characteristics, including the presence of bacterial types, the biofilm morphology and the content of root resorptions. Radicular surfaces were divided in four conventional zones Surfaces were evaluated for several characteristics: Presence of bacterial types, biofilm morphology, presence of root resorptions. High-quality images, relevant for endodontic-periodontal biofilms were collected. Continuous, established biofilm was found on all examined surfaces, its detection varying from 19% of the samples on the wall of cemental cone to 52.3% on the radicular surface of the periodontal pocket. Observed microorganisms included cocci, rods an filaments. Spirils and motile bacteria were only accidentally found. SEM investigation of surfaces involved in EPL revealed less surfaces covered by mature biofilm (in only 28.5% of the samples in the ‘transition zone’), especially rods and filaments associated with cemental resorptions and calculus. Biofilm elements were better represented in periodontal pockets than in other zones of EPL (detected in up to 81% of the samples). A strong correlation between mature biofilm and the presence of cocci appears on all investigated zones ( P<0.01). Microbiota appeared to be morphologically similar in apical and periodontal areas, especially in old EPL.

Applying orthodontic braces makes oral hygiene difficult and increases plaque accumulation, frequently resulting in gingival inflammation. In patients with previous severe periodontitis, this inflammation overlaps with the pre-existing inflammatory challenge and can lead to further progression of periodontal attachment loss. The aim of this study was to assess longitudinal site-level changes as mirrored by clinical and microbiological parameters during the initial remodeling of alveolar bone and the periodontal ligament, produced as an effect of light orthodontic forces in adult patients with severe periodontal disease that underwent standard (non-surgical and conventional surgical) periodontal therapy. Thirteen patients with previously treated severe generalized periodontitis were given fixed orthodontic appliances for re-alignment of teeth misaligned or displaced during the course of periodontitis. Before insertion of orthodontic appliances and at 2, 4, and 6 months of treatment, periodontal clinical parameters were recorded in the same deepest residual pocket of at least 3 mm in each patient. The same pocket was sampled at baseline and after 6 months of orthodontic treatment for the frequency of positive detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Tanerella forsythia (Tf), Treponema denticola (Td). An average reduction in Pocket Depth by 0.2 mm at the end of the assessment period was identified. The only clinical parameter with statistically significant improvement was bleeding on probing. The frequency of detection of Aa, Pg, Pi , and Tf was not significantly different between baseline and 6 months of treatment, while a marginally significant increase of Td was found. There were no significant differences in the clinical parameters or microflora in the initial phase of orthodontic treatment in patients with reduced periodontal support. By correlating clinical and microbiological data, we concluded that the presence of periopathogens do not negatively influence periodontal health during orthodontic treatment in adult patients treated for severe periodontitis.