The results showed a strong relationship between examination with the DIAGNOdent and visual inspection. DIAGNOdent's sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 52%, respectively, indicating that the laser fluorescence DIAGNOdent pen is a reproducible and accurate diagnostic tool that may be very helpful in conjunction with visual examination in the detection of occlusal caries in permanent molars in children.

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Background The Syrian crisis has started eight years ago and has, directly and indirectly, affected all the aspects of the Syrians lives. A lot of new war-related factors contributed to change the socio-economic status, the demographical distribution and the ability to access the public health services. Moreover, the crisis created the biggest displacement crisis both inside and outside Syria. Therefore, it is important to study the prevalence of dental caries and oral health in these specific circumstances in order to build a database to assess and compare future results of preventive programs and to assess health and social needs of the communities affected by war or crisis. The aim of this research is to Study the level of oral health among children during the Syrian crisis, as well as the relation between oral health and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods A cross-sectional study to assess the oral health of children in Damascus city by using DMFT index and other dental indices. The data were collected from ten randomly selected schools covering all the areas of Damascus city, and the final sample size was 811 children. Results DMFT index was used to assess the oral health of the children. The average number was (3.36) among all children; 14% of the sample size had a good oral health, while 86% had at least one decayed, missed, or filled tooth. There was also a strong association between SES of the child and the oral health represented as DMFT Index ( P = 0.03), Pearson’s correlation test displayed an inverse association between the SES and oral health ( P = − 0.074). Conclusion This study highlights the impact of the Syrian crisis on the SES of the Syrian children and their oral health. Bad oral health has been recorded and it has a significant relation with the SES of the children.

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This study aimed to evaluate the radiological and clinical outcomes of Biodentine apical plugs compared to mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in treating immature molars with apical lesions in children. Materials and Methods: Thirty immature roots of 24 permanent lower first molars with apical lesions were randomly divided into two groups: group 1 (15 roots) treated with MTA apical plugs and group 2 (15 roots) treated with Biodentine apical plugs. Treatment radiological outcomes were assessed using the periapical index (PAI) scale after 6 and 12 months of treatment. The presence or absence of apical calcified barrier (ACB) was assessed after 12 months of treatment. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to compare the postoperative pain between the two groups after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days of treatment. PAI scores between the two groups were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test, the presence or absence of the ACB was compared using the chi-square test, and the VAS scores were compared using the t-test. The statistical significance threshold was set at 0.05. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the PAI between the two groups at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. After 12 months, four cases in the Biodentine group showed ACB formation, whereas ACB was not found in any case treated with MTA. The VAS scores were statistically lower in the MTA group on the first day after treatment. Nevertheless, these scores were not statistically significantly different after 3, 7, and 14 days of treatment between the two groups. Conclusions: Biodentine can be used as an apical plug to treat immature permanent molars with apical lesions in a single visit in children. Biodentine showed favorable outcomes in apical lesions healing, which was comparable to MTA but with a decreased treatment time associated with its use.

Background. One of the factors that most negatively affect the endodontic instrumentation process in primary teeth is the presence of extruded debris in the periapical region. Therefore, different techniques have been evaluated to reach an answer to the question regarding which root canal preparation method produces the least amount of debris extrusion. Objectives. The main objective of this study was to assess the amount of debris extrusion as well as irrigation associated with 3 different instrumentation techniques: a rotary system (PROTAPER NEXT ®-PTN), a reciprocating system (WaveOne ®-WO) and hand K-files. Material and methods. Forty-eight primary mandibular molars with a single distal canal were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 16). Three different techniques were used for the canal instrumentation of each group, comprising PTN, WO and hand K-files. Pre-weighed Eppendorf tubes were used for the collection of debris extrusion, then stored in an incubator at 70°C for 5 days. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used for data analysis, followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Results. Statistically significant differences were found while comparing the PTN and WO systems with the hand files. Both PTN and WO showed less debris extrusion toward the periapical tissues than the hand files. Still, no statistically significant differences were seen between the PTN and WO groups. Conclusions. Generally, debris extrusion occurred in all of the 3 experimental groups. The PTN and WO systems showed the least debris extrusion as compared to the hand files during the root canal instrumentation of the primary teeth, and for these reasons along with the shorter operating time, it may be concluded that using rotary and reciprocating systems rather than manual files is highly advisable. However, a clinical assessment is suggested.

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