Tenuta LMA, van der Veen MH, Machiulskiene V. Prevention and control of dental caries and periodontal diseases at individual and population level: consensus report of group 3 of joint EFP/ORCA workshop on the boundaries between caries and periodontal diseases. J Clin Periodontol 2017; 44 (Suppl. 18): S85-S93. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.12687. AbstractBackground: The non-communicable diseases dental caries and periodontal diseases pose an enormous burden on mankind. The dental biofilm is a major biological determinant common to the development of both diseases, and they share common risk factors and social determinants, important for their prevention and control. The remit of this working group was to review the current state of knowledge on epidemiology, socio-behavioural aspects as well as plaque control with regard to dental caries and periodontal diseases. Methods: Discussions were informed by three systematic reviews on (i) the global burden of dental caries and periodontitis; (ii) socio-behavioural aspects in the prevention and control of dental caries and periodontal diseases at an individual and population level; and (iii) mechanical and chemical plaque control in the simultaneous management of gingivitis and dental caries. This consensus report is based on the outcomes of these systematic reviews and on expert opinion of the participants.

Caries prevalence on the buccal surfaces of teeth in orthodontic patients was determined with QLF and visual examination immediately after removal of fixed appliances. The number of lesions found by QLF far outnumbered that found by visual examination, but the distribution pattern was similar. 97% of all subjects and on average 30% of the buccal surfaces in a person were affected. On average, in males 40% of surfaces and in females 22% showed white spots (p < 0.01). Caries prevalence was lower (p < 0.01) in incisors and cuspids than in molars and premolars. A positive correlation with caries prevalence was found for the bleeding scores 6 weeks after debonding and lactobacillus counts before debonding. Mutans streptococci counts, age, treatment duration, socioeconomic status and dietary habits showed no correlation with caries prevalence.

Quantitative light induced fluorescence (QLF) is a nondestructive diagnostic method for the longitudinal assessment of early caries lesions in time. When a tooth becomes carious the fluorescence radiance at the location of the caries lesion decreases. The fluorescence image of enamel with incipient lesions can be digitized and then the fluorescence loss in the lesion can be quantified in comparison to the fluorescence radiance level of sound enamel. Changes in fluorescence radiance and lesion area can be followed in time to measure lesion development. The amount of fluorescence radiance loss is related to the mineral loss in the lesion. The technique can be used in vitro, in situ and in vivo to monitor mineral changes in lesions. Applications of QLF are found in the testing of products designed to inhibit demineralization and promote remineralization of caries. The method has been successfully applied to smooth surfaces as well as occlusal surfaces, but application on approximal lesions is not yet possible.

The effects of casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium fluoride phosphate (CPP-ACFP) paste vs. control paste on the remineralization of white spot caries lesions and on plaque composition were tested in a double-blind prospective randomized clinical trial. Fifty-four orthodontic patients, with multiple white spot lesions observed upon the removal of fixed appliances, were followed up for 3 months. Subjects were included and randomly assigned to either CPP-ACFP paste or control paste, for use supplementary to their normal oral hygiene. Caries regression was assessed on quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) images captured directly after debonding and 6 and 12 wk thereafter. The total counts and proportions of aciduric bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, and Lactobacillus spp. were measured in plaque samples obtained just before debonding, and 6 and 12 wk afterwards. A significant decrease in fluorescence loss was found with respect to baseline for both groups and no difference was found between groups. The size of the lesion area did not change significantly over time or between the groups. The percentages of aciduric bacteria and of S. mutans decreased from 47.4 to 38.1% and from 9.6 to 6.6%, respectively. No differences were found between groups. We observed no clinical advantage for use of the CPP-ACFP paste supplementary to normal oral hygiene over the time span of 12 wk.

The aim of this study was to monitor, by means of quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF), the natural behaviour of white spot lesions detected immediately after orthodontic treatment and 2 years post-treatment. The buccal tooth surfaces of 51 subjects (>or=12 years), 24 males and 27 females, were examined with QLF for the presence of caries immediately after debonding (T0), and 6 weeks (T1), 6 months (T2), and 2 years (T3) thereafter. The fluorescence loss [Delta F (per cent)] and area [A (mm(2))] of any lesions were determined using dedicated software. The lesion development and influence of gender were determined by a general linear model (Friedman repeated-measures analysis and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance). Using QLF, 370 carious surfaces were recorded at T0. During the study, 19 lesions were lost from QLF analysis of which 16 lesions (Delta F(0)=7.6-39.2 per cent) in two subjects were restored and three teeth with lesions were extracted or crowned. This resulted in 351 lesions that were included in this study with a median Delta F at T0 of 8.5 per cent (quartiles 6.6 per cent; 11.9 per cent). The lesions varied from incipient (Delta F<10 per cent, n=227) to advanced (Delta F>25 per cent, n=6). Overall, the lesions showed improvement between T0 and T2 (P<0.01) but no further significant improvement at T3. Thirty-five lesions became significantly worse after 2 years. The majority of lesions (n=171) were considered to be stable, and 145 lesions improved significantly of which only 10 lesions improved to such an extent that they disappeared. White spot lesions developed during orthodontic treatment have very limited ability to improve after appliance removal. Further research to investigate the potential of preventive measures to enhance lesion improvement is necessary.

While the aesthetic effect of orthodontic treatment is clear, the knowledge on how it influences the oral microbiota and the consequential effects on oral health are limited. In this randomized controlled clinical trial we investigated the changes introduced in the oral ecosystem, during and after orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances in combination with or without a fluoride mouthwash, of 10–16.8 year old individuals (N = 91). We followed several clinical parameters in time, in combination with microbiome changes using next-generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. During the course of our study, the oral microbial community displayed remarkable resilience towards the disturbances it was presented with. The effects of the fluoride mouthwash on the microbial composition were trivial. More pronounced microbial changes were related to gingival health status, orthodontic treatment and time. Periodontal pathogens (e.g. Selenomonas and Porphyromonas) were highest in abundance during the orthodontic treatment, while the health associated Streptococcus, Rothia and Haemophilus gained abundance towards the end and after the orthodontic treatment. Only minor compositional changes remained in the oral microbiome after the end of treatment. We conclude that, provided proper oral hygiene is maintained, changes in the oral microbiome composition resulting from orthodontic treatment are minimal and do not negatively affect oral health.

Red autofluorescence of plaque and its relation to fluorescence of a single species in the biofilm was studied. Fluorescence images of non-disclosed and disclosed plaque of 28 first-year students were captured. The plaque samples were assessed by culture methods and studied for red autofluorescence. Species capable of producing red autofluorescence were cultivated from subjects with and without red plaque autofluorescence. Red autofluorescence was observed from Actinomyces odontolyticus, Prevotella intermedia and from Porphyromonas gingivalis and Peptostreptococcus micros grown together. The microbial findings indicated that the intrinsic characteristics of the mature biofilm itself are more responsible for the red autofluorescence than the characteristics of the single species.

Caries is a disease that affects both deciduous and permanent dentitions. Caries progresses more rapidly in deciduous enamel than in permanent enamel. Therefore, new caries diagnostic methods need to be tested on the deciduous teeth as well. Quantitative laser–induced fluorescence (QLF I) as well as the quantitative light–induced fluorescence (QLF II) seem promising for the quantification of mineral loss from dental caries but have only been tested on the permanent dentition. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the ability of QLF I and QLF II to quantify mineral loss from carious lesions in both deciduous and permanent teeth. Thirty sound deciduous and 30 sound permanent teeth were cleaned and divided into three groups each containing 10 deciduous and 10 permanent teeth. Windows on the buccal or labial enamel surfaces were demineralized for 48, 72, or 96 h. Images of demineralized enamel were captured using QLF I and QLF II. The images were analyzed to determine the mean change in fluorescence radiance (ΔF, %). The teeth were then sectioned for assessment of lesion depth (µm) and integrated mineral loss (IML, vol% ×µm) using transverse microradiography (TMR), as the ‘gold standard’ for lesion analysis. The results indicated a good correlation for ΔF between QLF I and QLF II in both deciduous (r = 0.96) and permanent teeth (r = 0.98). There was a good correlation between ΔF and TMR (lesion depth and IML) in deciduous teeth (r = 0.76 and 0.84 with QLF I, r = 0.81 and 0.88 with QLF II). In permanent teeth, the correlation between ΔF and TMR (lesion depth and IML) was lower than in deciduous teeth (r = 0.07 and 0.53 with QLF I, r = 0.15 and 0.62 with QLF II). From these results it can be concluded that either QLF method is capable of quantifying mineral loss in early carious lesions in deciduous teeth. Moreover, under the conditions of this study, the use of either QLF method to quantify mineral loss in early carious lesions in deciduous teeth is slightly more accurate than in permanent teeth.