This study reports on the predisposing factors and prevalence of fractured anterior teeth among 12 and 16 years-old school children in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, West Malaysia.
The treatment of haematological malignancy is multimodal and involves chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplants. With the advancement in cancer therapy, there is an increase in the survival of many children with childhood haematological malignancy. In addition, the late effect of the oncology treatment to the orofacial and dental development becomes significant in terms of the potential clinical impact that may affect the quality of life of the survivor. The severity of the long-term effects is dependent on the age of the child at initiation of treatment and whether chemotherapy is combined with radiation or not. The dental treatment may become more complex if the patient requires advanced restorative dental care and the roots malformation may complicate orthodontic treatment. Therefore these patients may require a scheduled careful preventive programme, long-term follow up, with prophylactic treatment and intervention at appropriate time to minimize the consequences of the disease and the given therapy.
Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a hereditary disorder resulting in generalized defects in the enamel. The case reported here is of a seven-year-old male child with yellow color of all his teeth. Two of his primary molars were extracted due to dental abscess with advanced root resorption. Histologically hypoplastic enamel layer, positively birefringent, generalized pitting, roughness with irregular general cracked borders were observed. Scanning electron microscope, revealed extensive irregular, disorganized rough superficial enamel layer. The enamel was irregularly decussate with filamentous prisms accompanied by small rounded formations. The morphological and histological examination of the tooth revealed that this patient has the features of AI. For genetic study blood sample were collected from the patient and PCR analysis revealed that there is no mutation in exons 1-7 of AMELX gene on the X chromosome of the patient. Hence, it is probable that the AI of this patient is not X-linked. It is more likely to be an autosomal mutation.
To compare the cytotoxicity of conventional GIC and Resin Modified GIC (RMGIC) polymerized at 2 different times on stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED).
Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) is a condition of hypomineralized enamel of systemic origin affecting first permanent molars and frequently permanent incisors. It is considered a global problem and data from South-East Asian countries, including Malaysia are lacking. Hence the aim of this study were to investigate the distribution and severity of MIH in a group of children aged 7-12 year olds attending pediatric dental clinic at Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia.
The number of dentists in Japan may be too high. The ratio of dentists/population, in China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, is less than 1 dentist for every 10,000 people. From this data, it can be seen that there is a shortage of dentists in China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. The shortage of pediatric dentists in these Asian countries is serious, particularly in the Philippines where the number of children with dental caries is increasing. There is an urgent need to increase the number of pediatric dentists in these countries. However, one problem is that dental schools in the Philippines and Singapore, do not have a department of pediatric dentistry.
This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of pre-eruptive intracoronal dentin defects from panoramic radiographs from a group of children and young adults aged 20 years and below. The radiolucent lesions were noted with regard to which teeth were affected, the location of the defects and the size of the defects relative to the width of dentin. Out of 1007 radiographs examined, 275 (27.3%) have pre-eruptive dentin defects. The prevalence of anomaly among males was 28.4% as compared to 26.2% among females. However, the difference between genders was not significant, thus subsequent results have been combined. Of 275 subjects with dentin radiolucencies, 243 subjects (88.7%) had only one affected tooth, 30 subjects (10.9%) had two teeth affected and 2 subjects (0.7%) had three affected teeth. The tooth prevalence of the anomaly was 2.1% and most of the lesions occurred as a single occurrence on the affected tooth. Within each tooth type, the highest tooth prevalence of intracoronal dentin defect was found in the upper first premolar (5.1%). More than half of the lesions extended less than 1/3 of the width of the dentin thickness. The high prevalence of the condition indicates the need for increased awareness and recognition of this during radiographic examination of teeth in the pediatric age group in early pre-eruptive stages so that early detection and diagnosis can be made and treatment can be done at the most appropriate time.
A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine the attitudes of Malaysian dentists toward patient education and preventive dentistry and the level of preventive care adopted in Malaysian dental practice. An adjusted response rate of 73.1% was obtained. Generally the Malaysian dentists had positive attitudes towards patient education and preventive dentistry including fluoridation. However, a sizable proportion of them considered that preventive measures were no challenge for the dentist. The common preventive measures given to patients were scaling, dental health education, prophylaxis and instruction in correct brushing and flossing in as much as 40 to 50 percent of the queried dentist claimed that these preventive items were provided to most or all of their new patients. In spite of the fact that the majority of the dentists had good knowledge about the application and effects of sealants only about 41 percent of the dentists claimed to have used sealants. More dentists in the private sector reportedly having done so. Also many Malaysian dentists (18.5%) did not use leaded protection for any of their new patients when taking radiographs.
A case of non-vital infected dens invaginatus of the maxillary right lateral incisor with open apex, which presented with pain and swelling is presented. Although root growth and apical closure was achieved using calcium hydroxide, the periapical infection persisted and resolution was only achieved after apical curettage and apicectomy.
The prevalence, possible etiological factors and management of hypodontia was briefly reviewed. A report of a case of hypodontia affecting the primary and permanent lower incisors was described.
A case report showing the eruption of the left maxillary and mandibular permanent cuspids in a six-year-old boy, is presented. In addition, the dental age of all the permanent cuspids as seen by the eruption and tooth development suggested that the cuspids are comparable to those seen in a 13 to 14 year-old-boy. A search of the literature has not revealed any such reports.
Pulpal tissue changes following pulpotomies with 2% w/v buffered glutaraldehyde in primary teeth were observed. A 3 minute single application of 2% w/v buffered glutaraldehyde was able to produce effective surface fixation. Limited penetration of the medicament left the remaining pulp tissue unaffected. The zone of fixation did not proceed apically. With time, macrophages and fibroblasts appear apical to the zone of fixation indicating the onset of replacement resorption.
The study consisted of analysis of all cases of anomalies in the primary dentition that were seen or treated by the authors in the Department of Children's Dentistry and Orthodontics. A total of 79 occurrences of anomalies was seen in 65 children. The anomalies detected were double teeth, hypodontia and supernumerary teeth. Radiographic examinations of the affected children showed that over 60% of the cases with anomalies in the primary dentition are associated with anomalies of the succadeneous permanent dentition. All subjects with hypodontia of the primary dentition presented with hypodontia of the permanent dentition. However, anomalies of the permanent dentition were seen in 59% of subjects with primary double tooth and 50% of subjects with primary supernumerary tooth.
An unusual presentation of rampant caries in a child was described. Lactose from bovine milk, bad feeding habits and poor oral hygiene appear to play a major role in its aetiology.
Nine thousand and six hundred infants delivered in a maternity hospital were examined for the prevalence of natal and neonatal teeth. The prevalence among this group was noted. The teeth were the normal primary incisors that had erupted prematurely. The crown was normal in shape and size with very little root formation. The histological features were that of an immature tooth.
A case of chronic disseminated histiocytosis X (Hand-Schuller-Christian Disease) of the mandible is presented. Multi-modal approach to management is discussed.
Many children are affected by early childhood caries (ECC) with some requiring dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA). In pediatric dentistry, GA is one of the established methods of behavior management. GA data is useful for understanding the caries burden among young children. This study aimed to determine the trends, patient characteristics, and types of treatments conducted under GA among young children in a Malaysian dental hospital over a 7-year period. A retrospective study using pediatric patient records from 2013 to 2019 was conducted on children aged 2-6 years (24-71 months) having ECC. Relevant data were collected and analyzed. In total, 381 children with a mean age of 49.8 months were identified. Some of the ECC cases were associated with abscesses (32.5%) and multiple retained roots (36.7%). Over a 7-year period, there was an upward trend of preschool children receiving GA. Of the 4713 carious teeth treated, 55.1% were extracted, 29.9% were restored, 14.3% had preventive procedures, and 0.4% were pulp treated. Mean extractions were significantly higher among preschoolers compared to toddlers (p = 0.001), while preventive treatment was markedly higher among toddlers. In terms of the type of restorative materials, almost similar distribution was observed between the two age groups with 86.5% treated using composite restorations. Dental treatment under GA was more frequently used among preschoolers than in toddlers, with extractions and restoration with composite resin being the common treatment options. The findings can help decision-makers or relevant parties address the burden of ECC and enhance oral health promotion activities.
Parents play an important role in caring for their children's oral health, especially for those with craniofacial deformities. In this study, we analyzed the oral health knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among parents of children of 1 to 16 years-of-age with craniofacial syndromes (CS) at Universiti Malaya Medical Center (UMMC), Malaysia. This was a case-controlled study conducted between March and December 2021 involving 30 parents of children with CS and 30 parents of normal children as controls. A modified validated KAP questionnaire was distributed to all parents. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 26.0 and descriptive analysis was performed, with data expressed as mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage (%). Most respondents from both groups were mothers (73.3%) between 31 to 40 years-of-age. Both groups of parents had similar levels of oral health knowledge; there was no significant difference between the two groups for 10 of the KAP questions (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant different between the two groups with regards to two 2 relating to the definition of plaque and its relationship to dental caries (p = 0.035 and p = 0.032, respectively). Some parents of CS children believed that primary teeth were not important (23.33%) and were not concerned if their children showed changes in tooth color (26.67%). Despite parental acknowledgement of ideal practice, both groups of children showed irregular dental attendance and reduced toothbrushing frequency. Parents of children with CS had a similar depth of oral health knowledge and a slightly reduced positive attitude when compared to parents in the control group. However, both groups of parents had poor knowledge relating to the transmission and causes of dental caries. Healthcare providers should increase their awareness strategies for parents to be more aware of the ways to improve their children's oral health.
The effectiveness of children's oral health education (OHE) is determined by the appropriateness of the educational materials used, which can influence their attitude towards oral health. However, there is a lack of studies exploring the benefits of OHE materials from the perspective of schoolchildren. This study aimed to explore schoolchildren's opinions on the newly developed ToothPoly board game as an OHE tool. A qualitative approach using focus group discussions (FGDs) was conducted among 44 schoolchildren aged 12 years old from a public school in Malaysia. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit the schoolchildren. The ToothPoly board game was playtested and FGDs were conducted after the playtesting session ended. Data collection and analyses were performed concurrently until data saturation was reached. The data were transcribed and coded using Atlas.Ti software version 9.1.3 followed by the framework method analysis. Mixed opinions were observed among the schoolchildren with a majority expressing favourable opinions on the advantages of the ToothPoly board game as an OHE tool. Five themes emerged from the advantages aspect, i.e., fun and enjoyable, promote focus, attention and oral health-related learning, attractive board game features, and enhance peer interaction. Meanwhile, two themes emerged that were related to the disadvantages of the board game, i.e., "competition with online games and media" and "not practical for a large group activity". The findings showed that the ToothPoly board game was perceived as a useful, interactive, and enjoyable tool to learn about oral health in small groups. The findings of the study highlight the importance of tailoring OHE activities to fulfil the needs of specific target groups to ensure its acceptance and future success.
This study assessed the reliability of smartphone images of plaque-disclosed anterior teeth for evaluating plaque scores among preschool children. Additionally, the reliability of plaque scores recorded from smartphone images of anterior teeth in representing the overall clinical plaque score was also assessed. Fifteen preschool children were recruited for this pilot study. The Simplified Debris Index (DI-S), the debris component of the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, was used to record the plaque score. A plaque-disclosing tablet was used to disclose the plaque before the plaque score recording. Following that, the image of the anterior teeth (canine to canine) of both the upper and lower arch was captured using the smartphone. Each child had three different DI-S recorded. For the first recording of the overall clinical DI-S, the plaque score was recorded clinically from index teeth 55 (buccal), 51 (labial), 65 (buccal), 71 (labial), 75 (lingual) and 85 (lingual). For the second recording, anterior clinical DI-S, the plaque score was recorded clinically from the labial surfaces of six anterior teeth only (53, 51, 63, 73, 71 and 83). Two weeks later, anterior photographic DI-S (third recording) was done using the smartphone images of the same index teeth used for the second recording. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to evaluate the reliability of smartphone images in assessing plaque scores. The results showed high reliability (ICC = 0.987) between anterior clinical and anterior photographic examinations, indicating that smartphone images are highly reliable for evaluating plaque scores. Similarly, high reliability (ICC = 0.981) was also found for comparison between overall clinical DI-S and anterior photographic DI-S, indicating plaque scores recorded from smartphone images of anterior teeth alone can represent the overall clinical plaque score. This study suggests that smartphone images can be a valuable tool for remote screening and monitoring of oral hygiene in preschool children, contributing to better oral health outcomes.