Objectives: To assess pattern of toothpaste usage among young children under 6 years old.
Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Parents of children below 6 years old were involved. 200 questionnaires were distributed and 136 (68%) were returned for analysis. The questionnaire covered the following parameters: type, frequency, and quantity of toothpaste usage among children, level of parental knowledge of fluoride concentration in toothpaste and selection criteria of suitable toothpaste for their children.
Results: Majority of the respondents (83.1%) said they used children’s toothpaste to brush their child’s teeth and 62.5 % of them knew that the toothpaste used had fluoride in it. Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.7%) said they started brushing their child’s teeth one year after eruption of the first tooth. Almost an equal proportion of the respondents reported using toothpaste twice daily (50.7%) and only 44.1% of them supervised their children’s brushing. Respondents generally used more than a pea-sized toothpaste quantity (53.6%). Taste, fluoride concentration and brand of the toothpaste appeared to be the main criteria that influenced the selection of the toothpaste (55.9%). Income and educational levels of the respondents did not influence the type of toothpaste used.
Conclusion: These findings indicated that although parents were brushing their childrens’ teeth with children toothpaste, they were still unaware of the proper usage and importance of fluoridated toothpaste.
Oligodontia, although rare, may have significant impact on the quality of life of those affected with it. Provision of restorative treatment for these patients can be very challenging and demanding for clinicians, especially during the active growth phase. Nevertheless, the dental needs of these patients are real and should be addressed appropriately. The present case report described a restorative rehabilitative plan and execution of different restorative treatment modalities in a 14-year-old patient with oligodontia. The challenges faced in the provision of dental care were highlighted. The treatment outcome showed a positive psychological impact on the well-being of the patient based on parental observations.
This in-vitro study aimed to evaluate and compare the marginal leakage and penetration ability of
a moisture-tolerant (Embrace WetBondTM) and a conventional (ClinproTM) resin-based sealants under three
different enamel surface preparations (acid etched, acid etched and saliva contaminated and bur
preparation and acid etched). One hundred and twenty extracted caries free human premolars teeth were
cleaned and randomly divided into six groups of equal numbers, according to the type of sealants used and
surface preparations. All the sealed teeth were subjected to thermocycling and immersed in a methylene
blue dye. Each tooth was then embedded into acrylic resin before it was sectioned into four sections per
tooth. Marginal leakage and unfilled surface area (indicating penetration depth of resin) were then
measured using an optical 3D measurement device (Alicona Infinite Focus®). Both sealants exhibited
comparable proportion of marginal leakage on acid etched only surfaces. Moisture-tolerant sealant showed
the least proportion of marginal leakage on bur prepared and etched surfaces. Presence of saliva has
detrimental effect on adhesion of both sealants. Nevertheless, depth of penetration of sealant into the
fissures is comparable with both sealant types irrespective of the surface preparations.