Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Objective: Bruxism is a jaw muscle activity disorder characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth and can be seen in both children and adults. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the parental knowledge about bruxism in children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 265 parents whose children were attended at University of Mersin pediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics. Children’s ages varied from 6 months to 16 years old. A 20-questioned questionnaire was used to collect the data. IBM SPSS Statistics 22 for statistical analysis (SPSS IBM, Turkey) program was used for the analysis. Results: A total of 265 parents (159 were female and 106 were male) participated in the study. The majority of the parents were between the ages of 31-40 (60.8%). The rate of clenching and grinding of teeth during sleep (21.5%) was higher than the rate when they were awake (7.2%). The ratio of the parents seeking treatment for their children because of this harmful habit was very low (3.8%). The majortiy of parents  (37.7%) reported that they seek help from dentists. The participants believed that bruxism was associated with dental problems (33.6%) and emotional factors (32.8%). A significant difference was found between the educational background of the parents and the ability to define bruxism. Conclusion: Parents had inadequate knowledge about bruxism in children and this was mostly related to the educational background of the parents.

Introduction: The prevalence of pathological conditions that appear as radiopacities at the level of the soft tissues in panoramic radiographs is a problem that occurs worldwide in the population, being this radiographic finding the initial diagnosis of other systemic affections. Objectives: the aim of this research was to identify the frequency of mineralized radiopacities that are found at the soft tissue level in panoramic radiographs. Material and methods: it was analyzed 347 radiographs of patients over 20 years of age, treated in the “Clínica Docente Odontológica” of the Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Sede Azogues, Ecuador from December 2017 to may 2018. Results: a prevalence of 0% of tonsillolith and atheroma was found, 1% of calcified lymph nodes and of electrolytes, 2% of sialolith, 4% of unilateral stylohyoid ligament calcification, 23% of calcification of bilateral stylohyoid ligament and 65% did not present calcifications of the soft tissues. Conclusion: it was possible to identify that the most frequent radiopacity at soft tissue level is the calcified bilateral stylohyoid process.

Understanding the possible effects that a patient’s psycho-neurobiological processes (such as the nocebo effect) may have on the every-day dental treatments, could assist the clinicians in preventing the onset of adverse events not related directly with the clinical procedure. At the same time, employing pathways to trigger plausible placebo effects could aid the clinician to enhance the outcome of ordinary clinical procedures and the patient’s perspective. Identified factors, which could lead both to positive or negative effects, may be present in different ways. Prior personal experiences, second-hand information, alternative medicine, catastrophizing or patient motivation; all could have an indirect effect in the treatment outcome. A well-informed clinician should use such factors to individualize each patient treatment.

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Social health inequalities (or inequities) continue to represent a great challenge for public health research worldwide. Since 1991, the World Health Organization established that the study and analysis of health inequalities represented a priority for all countries. To better guide methodological and practical implications of health inequalities, research on this topic should present a solid theoretical model, able to impact future public health policies.  Previous studies of health inequalities in Latin America are often inspired from abroad experiences, encouraging the reproduction of mainly European theoretical positions and methodologies. However, especially when it comes to  this topic, it is known the important role of the social context and culture, playing an important role in promoting differences in health outcomes. From this perspective, to operationalize the different social determinants in health, a critical perspective and thoughtful analysis of the context is mandatory.  In order to provide a critical analysis and useful tools for both research and health decision making, we recommend that the theoretical and methodological approaches used in social health inequalities research must be well adapted to the specific contexts; that health social stratification must be assessed as a priority; that individual and the wider health determinants must be well characterized; and that the theoretical justification of the methodological decisions made in the studies and the selected measures must be explicit and should answer specific hypotheses.  This research provides a brief historical background, to share the basis for the conceptual evolution of social health inequalities; the main underlying concepts related to the definition of health inequalities (social determinants, equity, justice, stratification and social gradient in health); and some recommendations for the future perspectives of health inequalities research in Latin America.

The use of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as an intracanal medication triggers a biomineralization process within mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) apical plugs during the apexification process in teeth with incomplete rhizogenesis. However, no consensus is available in the literature regarding a restorative protocol for this type of treatment. Thus, the objective of this study was to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the processes of biomineralization and adhesion in a restorative protocol for teeth with simulated incomplete rhizogenesis. Methodology: Root sections with a thickness of 2mm and cavities with a diameter of 2mm were used. The sections were randomly prepared and filled with the following materials: Group 1 (n=12), ProRoot MTA; and Group 2 (n=12): MTA Exp. Subsequently, the samples were immersed in PBS for 35 days. Every 5 days, the PBS was replaced, and the precipitates were collected, dried, and weighed. Two samples from each group were analyzed by SEM. Moreover, 24 single-rooted teeth were standardized, incomplete rhizogenesis was simulated, and 5-mm-long apical plugs were created with Pro Root MTA. As an intracanal medication, PBS was used for different periods of time: Group 1:48 h; Group 2:7 days; and Group 3:15 days. Then, fiberglass posts were cemented with the REBILDA® Post System. The samples were prepared and analyzed by SEM. Results: ProRoot MTA and MTA Exp effectively promoted the formation of carbonated apatite precipitates and biomineralization with dentin. ProRoot MTA yielded more carbonated apatite precipitates compared to MTA Exp (p=0.0536). The use of PBS as an intracanal medication for 7 and 15 days promoted intratubular mineralization (MIT), and treatment for 15 days was more effective (p < 0.05). The REBILDA® Post System effectively promoted the microimbrication of the adhesive system and the formation of resinous tags with lateral adhesive branches. Conclusion: Apexification with MTA associated with the use of PBS as an intracanal medication for 15 days, in addition to the use of the REBILDA® Post System, seems to be a feasible restorative protocol.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the pH levels of three in-office bleaching gels on the surface roughness of bovine enamel, after the bleaching protocol. Materials and methods: 36 samples of bovine enamel were obtained, which were cut and divided into three groups (n=12): 40%hydrogen peroxide (Opalescence Boost40%), 35% hydrogen peroxide (Whiteness HP AutoMixx) and 35% hydrogen peroxide (Whiteness HP Blue), receiving a 40-minute application of bleaching. The average pH values were determined using a pH meter during the initial and final application of the gel. A roughness meter was used to assess surface roughness (Ra) before and after bleaching. Data were analyzed with the Friedmann and wilcoxon test (difference between groups); the Kruskall Wallis and U Mann test (difference in each group), as well as Pearson or Spearman test for correlation. Results: There is an increase in pH values from the beginning to the end of bleaching in all groups, except for the 35% hydrogen peroxide group (Whiteness HP Automixx). For surface roughness results there is an increase in all groups. No correlation was found between pH values of the bleaching gels and the surface roughness of the enamel after bleaching. Conclusions: Hydrogen peroxide bleaching gels with high concentrations that have a high or low pH could cause alterations in the surface of the tooth enamel, such as increase in surface roughness.

Secondary caries is an important factor in the replacement of the restorations, and it is thought that fluoride-releasing materials may prevent this problem. Furthermore, the fluoride release of the materials may be increased by polishing process. Available knowledge about the effect of polishing systems (PS) on the fluoride release of materials is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of PS on the fluoride release of fluoride-containing materials. Restorative materials were divided into 6 groups: Fuji IX GP, Fuji II, Dyract XP, Beautifil II, Beautifil-Bulk, and Filtek Ultimate. Each group was also divided into four subgroups: Mylar strip, Sof-Lex Discs, Sof-Lex Diamond, and OneGloss. Fluoride release was determined using a fluoride ion-selective electrode. Surface roughness was evaluated with a profilometer. Two-way repeated measure and one-way ANOVA tests were used for statistical analysis. The initial rapid fluoride release was observed only in Fuji IX. The PS increased the fluoride release of Fuji IX and Fuji II and Dyract XP materials while reducing the fluoride release of resin-based materials. The highest surface roughness values were obtained with OneGloss. Further, a significant relationship between fluoride release and surface roughness was found. The polishing provides an increase in fluoride release, especially in glass-ionomer-based materials. This article revealed that there is a relationship between fluoride release and surface roughness. Proper PS must be chosen according to the material to provide the best clinical benefits in terms of fluoride release and surface roughness.

The present study analyzed the utilitary arch of Ricketts made with TMA and Elgiloy alloys, evaluating the forces that each one presented at different activation lengths. METHODS: A total of 30 arches (15 per alloy) 17x25 caliber were assessed. An acrylic model that simulated the jaw was used with tubes welded to the bands located on the first molars where the arches were attached and brackets were bonded to the lower incisors. The Ricketts arches had a total length of 100 mm and were activated in their distal branch, obtaining the lengths of 5, 10 and 15 mm measured from the slot of the anterior brackets in the midline. A Digital Universal Testing Machine CMT-5L was used to measure the bending force and the statistical analysis was carried out with the Student's T and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The TMA alloys had a significantly lower strength in each of the activations 5, 10, 15 mm (13,53; 31,61 and 42,01grams respectively) compared to Elgiloy (31.41; 62,61 y 93,00 grams respectively). While increasing the activation length, the flexural forces increased significantly for both alloys. CONCLUSION: The suggested forces for the intrusion of lower incisors were reached by the Elgiloy arches.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) of two universal adhesives (Universal Single Bond and All Bond Universal) and a two-step self-etch adhesive system (Clearfil SE Bond) to dentine at various temperatures. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty dentin specimens were divided randomly to 12 groups, according to adhesive systems (Universal Single Bond and All Bond Universal, Clearfil SE Bond)  and temperature  ( 4ºC, 20 ºC, 36ºC, 55ºC) used. Dentin specimens were prepared (n :10, adhesives were applied, and composite cylinders were polymerized. Statistical analysis of the SBS data was performed using Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s Honestly Significant Differences post-hoc test. Results: The Clearfil SE Bond was shown to have higher SBS than the universal adhesives at all temperatures; however, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). In both groups, the lowest SBS values were observed in the samples at 4°C while the highest SBS values were observed in the samples at 55°C. In this case, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that the effectiveness of an adhesive may increase if it is preheated at 36°C or above before use instead of being used immediately after removal from the refrigerator or at room temperature.