Sweet taste is a powerful factor influencing food acceptance. The peripheral taste response to sugar is mediated by the TAS1R2/TAS1R3 taste receptors. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between TAS1R2 (rs35874116 or rs9701796) and/or TAS1R3 (rs307355) single nucleotide polymorphisms with dental caries experience in schoolchildren. A total of 184 schoolchildren aged between 7 and 12 years (101 girls, 83 boys) were included in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from saliva samples and the genotypes were identified by qPCR. The genotype frequencies were as follows: 6.6% for homozygous wild type, 41.8% for heterozygous and 51.6% for homozygous polymorphic genotype carriers of TAS1R2 gene rs35874116; 27.8% for heterozygous and 72.2% for homozygous polymorphic genotype carriers of TAS1R2 gene rs9701796, and 83.1% for homozygous wild type and 16.9% for heterozygous genotype carriers of TAS1R3 gene rs307355 polymorphism. A significant association was observed between total caries experience (dft + DMFT - decayed filled primary teeth + decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth) and TAS1R2 rs35874116 (p = 0.008) and TAS1R3 rs307355 (p = 0.04) gene polymorphisms but not for TAS1R2 gene rs9701796 polymorphism. TAS1R3 gene rs307355 polymorphism has been found to be an independent risk factor for dental caries experience by logistic regression analysis and to have increased the risk of caries. Moderate caries experience (4-7 caries) was found to be associated with TAS1R3 rs307355 heterozygous genotype, whereas high-risk caries experience (>8 caries) was found to be associated with TAS1R2 rs35874116 homozygous polymorphic genotype.

The aim of this study was to compare the caries prevention effectiveness, retention rates and the level of fluoride of saliva of a glassionomer sealant (GIS) with that of a resin-based sealant (RS). Eighty GIS and 80RS were placed on the first permanent molars in 40 children aged 7-10 years. Children were re-examined at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months after the procedure. Saliva samples were collected before the sealant was applied and again at each appointment, and fluoride levels were measured. After 48 months, occlusal caries were seen in 4 and 12 teeth in GIS and RS groups respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the fluoride levels of saliva between baseline and up to 12th month in GIS group. GISs presented effective prevention of caries development, even though the failure rate is higher when compared to the RSs. An increased salivary fluoride level due to GISs might be an additive effect on the prevention of dental caries.

This study evaluated dental fluorosis of the incisors and immunoreactivity in the brain tissues of rats given chronic fluoride doses pre- and postnatally. Female rats were given drinking water with 0, 30 or 100 ppm fluoride ad libitum throughout gestation and the nursing period. In addition, 63 male offspring were treated with the same water regimens as the mothers after weaning and were followed for 1, 3 or 5 months. The upper and lower incisors were collected, and all teeth were examined under a stereomicroscope and scored by two blinded examiners using a modified rodent enamel fluorosis index. Cortical, hippocampal and cerebellar brain samples were evaluated morphologically and immunohistochemically. All fluoride-treated pups were born with low body weight (p = 0.001). All animals from the fluoride groups had enamel fluorosis with defects of various degrees. The increase in the dental fluorosis scores in the fluoride treatment groups was significant (p < 0.01). The catalase immunoreactivity in the 30- and 100-ppm fluoride groups was significantly higher than that in the controls after 1, 3 and 5 months (p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study showed that rats with dental fluorosis had catalase immunoreactivity in the brain tissues, which may reflect the neurobehavioral toxicity of fluoride.

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OBJECTIVES:Parents are increasingly searching the Internet to gather information about their children’s health care. This study compared infant teething information obtained from publically employed pediatricians in Istanbul with that obtained from different Turkish websites (parenting, health, professional, news and commercial).METHODS:This study had two parts. The first part used a descriptive design, with two checklists to assess the quality and comprehensiveness of the teething-specific content on 62 parenting or health websites. The second part was a cross-sectional study of 75 pediatricians at public hospitals who completed a structured self-administered questionnaire.RESULTS:In total, 54 websites (87.1%) described infant teething as a normal developmental process. The lists that were found on the websites identified the most frequent signs of infant teething as fever and drooling/perioral rash. The most frequent management strategies were chewing non-chilled and chilled objects. For teething problems, some pediatricians recommended teething rings and oral benzocaine, while 23 pediatricians recommended nothing.CONCLUSIONS:Parents should be informed by health professionals, especially regarding specific treatment strategies.

Dental anxiety develops in the early years of life and may persist into adulthood that can lead to avoidance of dental treatment. 1 Dental anxiety refers to all different types of dental fears and phobias, and to differentiate between these terms is complicated. 2 The source of a child's anxiety may vary; some children show signs of fears or phobias regarding specific stimuli (eg, needle or drill), whereas other children present more generalized anxiety where the source of the threat is ambivalent, uncertain or not immediately present. 3 However, children's emotional response shows similarities in both situations. 4 Distress, children experience during treatment, may evoke dental anxiety which is being maintained over time that leads to avoidance behaviour throughout adulthood. 1 It is important to clarify emotions that generate behaviours during dental treatment. 5 There are many tools to assess dental anxiety. 6 These methods are the clinical observation of

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Çalışmamızda Edirne'nin 3 ilçesinde içme sularındaki fluor seviyeleri belirlenerek bölgede yaşayan çocuklarda dental fluorozis ve diş çürüğü görülme sıklığı değerlendirilmiştir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Edirne ilinde, Kuzey Havsa, Süloğlu ve Lalapaşa ilçe merkezleri ve köylerinden içme suyu örnekleri toplanmıştır. İçme sularındaki fluor miktarları iyon spesifik F elektrodu (Orion 960900 Fluoride Combination Electrode, Thermo Scientific) kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Bu bölgedeki çocuklarda diş çürükleri DMFT/dft indeksi kullanılarak dental fluorozis ise Thylstrup-Fejerskov (TF) indeksi kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Bölge, içme sularındaki fluor oranlarına göre grup 1: <0,5 ppm (F1), grup 2: 0,5-1,2 ppm (F2) ve grup 3: 2,39 ppm (F3) şeklinde gruplandırılmıştır. Toplanan tüm veriler SPSS 21v istatistik programı kullanılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular: Araştırmaya toplam 237 çocuk (129 erkek 108 kız; yaş ortalaması 9,85±1,68) dahil edilmiştir. F1 grubunda 143 (%60,3); F2 grubunda 60 (%25,3); F3 grubunda 34 (%14,4) çocuk bulunmaktadır. İçme suyundaki fluor miktarı ile dental fluorozis ilişkisine bakıldığında F1, F2, F3 gruplarının TF ortalamaları 0,26±0,62; 0,75±1,34; 3,59±2,55 olarak tespit edilmiş olup F1, F2, F3 grupları arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark bulunmuştur (p=0,000). İçme suyundaki fluor ile diş çürüğü ilişkisine bakıldığında F1, F2, F3 gruplarında DMFT/dft ortalamaları 5,47±3,51; 2,17±3,21; 2,97±2,61 olarak bulunmuş olup gruplar arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark izlenmiştir (p=0,000). Sonuç: İçme suyundaki fluor seviyesini artması ile çocuklarda dental fluorozis şiddetinin arttığı gözlenmiştir. Çürük prevalansının yüksek bulunduğu bölgelerde sistemik fluorun çürükten korunmada bir miktar etkili olduğu ancak özellikle süt dentisyonda beklenen etkisinin olmadığı görülmüştür. Çalışmamız bir kez daha sistemik fluorun çürükten korunmada tek başına yetersiz olabileceğini göstermiştir. Anahtar kelimeler: Dental fluorozis, diş çürüğü, fluor. SUMMARY Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate fluoride levels in drinking water in 3 districts of Edirne and evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and dental fluorosis in children. Material and Methods: Drinking water samples were collected from villages of north Havsa, Süloğlu and Lalapaşa districts in Edirne province. Fluorine levels in drinking water were measured using ion-specific F electrode (Orion 960900 Fluoride Combination Electrode, Thermo Scientific). Children in this region were screened for dental caries by using DMFT/dft index and dental fluorosis was evaluated by Thylstrup-Fejerskov (TF) Index. According to the fluoride levels in drinking water the region was divided into, group 1: <0.5ppm (F1), group 2: 0.5-1.2ppm (F2) and group 3 = 2.39 ppm (F3). All collected data were evaluated by using SPSS 21v statistics program. Results: A total of 237 children 129 male, 108 female, mean age 9.85 ±1.68) were included in the study. There were 143 (60.3%) children in the F1 group, 60 (25.3%) in F2 and 34