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

Bruxism is defined as a repetitive activity of the chewing muscles characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or by striking and swinging the jaw. It is of multifactorial etiology and it is considered that there is a physiological bruxism necessary for the development of the face of children. These two aspects complicate the diagnosis that is fundamentally based on a questionnaire to the parents and on the clinical examination of the child. When the physiological wear does not differentiate in time from the parafunctional wear, it has negative consequences in the child that alter their quality of life, requiring an adequate multidisciplinary management.  Considering that it is necessary to know the fundamental characteristics of bruxism in children and adolescents, the objective of this review article is to update its circadian manifestations, classifications, prevalence, etiology, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment that will serve the dentist for the early identification and treatment.

Introduction: Measuring socioeconomic position (SEP) is central in the analysis of social inequalities in health (SIH). It requires the use of updated instruments, adapted to a particular conceptual framework, taking into account the local context and the population characteristics. This study aims to present and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement of SEP used in Costa Rica for the analysis of health inequalities.  Materials and methods: A systematic review of the existing instruments and methods used to characterize SEP in Costa Rica was carried out. Results: There is a great diversity of instruments used as proxies of SEP in Costa Rica, both at the individual, and at geographical level. These measures allow to capture specific dimensions of SEP potentially associated with different health outcomes. Being a latent concept, variables approaching SEP should refer to their specific conceptual framework, be adapted to the study design, and population’s characteristics (e.g. age), and should consider the study feasibility of data collection.  Due to the variety and different conceptual frameworks behind each SEP variable, it is not possible to establish the existence of a gold standard. Conclusion: This review of the Costa Rican health inequalities literature regarding SEP instruments, can contribute to a better use of the existing tools. It will allow researchers to better evaluate the instruments that have been previously validated, their respective theoretical frameworks and limitations, to choose the most suitable proxy of SEP for the local context analyzed.

Introduction: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common ulcerative disease that affects the non-keratinized oral mucosa. The etiology is still unknown, but several local and systemic factors have been proposed as causal agents. Case description: three patients are reported with RAS associated with nutritional deficiencies, due to dietary restriction diets. The first case, a 19-year-old woman with iron deficiency, reported taking green tea daily and consuming a small amount of carbohydrates, fats and meat. The second case, a 32-year-old man with iron deficiency and vitamin B12 associated with vegan diet, although sometimes if he consumed meat. The third case, man of 50 years, vegan and ex-smoker for a year, presented deficiency of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid. In all three cases a detailed questioning, clinical examination and complete blood analysis allowed to establish an adequate diagnosis, dental management and referral with a nutritionist, in order to treat the underlying pathology and not only provide a symptomatic treatment of the injuries. Discussion: In the setting of RAS, it is advisable to perform an analysis that includes a blood count, folic acid, iron and vitamin B12, to rule out possible systemic causes and eventually treat them. Clinical management aims to improve patient function and quality of life through topical and systemic therapies; however, it is essential to identify and control the causal factors that contribute; as well as, the exclusion or treatment of the underlying systemic disease.

Congenital hypothyroidism is a metabolic disorder that requires special health care interventions. It has influence in overall growth and oral conditions in pediatric patients, and also can affect child cooperation during dental treatment because this metabolic condition is the most common preventable cause of mental retardation. The aim of this paper is to report the dental treatment of a child with congenital hypothyroidism who is four years and five months old, with many facial and oral characteristics of the metabolic condition, including severe early childhood caries and malocclusion. At first, it was observed a lack of cooperation of the patient with speech and learning impairment, but with the help of the Pedagogy team at the Pediatric Dental Clinic Playroom, he developed confidence and diminished anxiety every appointment. We present the follow-up during 15 months, where we could observe favorable outcomes in oral health and compliance of the child.

Fissure sealants are applied to teeth to prevent caries development. The presence of the fissure sealant creates a protective barrier, which prevents plaque accumulation to the pits and fissure. They have a significant role in preventing pit and fissure caries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the time-dependent fluoride ion release of giomer- and resin-based fissure sealants. Fissure sealants were divided into 4 groups: BeautiSealant (Shofu, Japan), Clinpro Sealant (3M ESPE, USA), Helioseal F (Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein), Fissurit F (Voco, Germany). Disk shaped samples were prepared for each sealant material tested, and they were transferred into polyethylene vials containing 5 ml of deionized water. Fluoride ion diffusion was determined on days 1,2,3,7,14,21, and 28 (n=7). The fluoride concentration in these samples was analyzed using a pre-calibrated spectrophotometer in parts per million (ppm). These experiments were performed in triplicates at room temperature. ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test were used for statistical analysis. BeautiSealant was released the highest amount of fluoride on day 1 (5.33 ppm), followed by a sudden decrease on the day 2 (2.17ppm). The burst effect was observed only in this group. Clinpro Sealant, Fissurit F and HelioSeal F groups presented fluoride release of 2.69, 2.94 and 2.91 ppm on the first day, respectively, without a significant difference (p > 0.05). After the first week, a constant fluoride release level has been reached. The fluoride release for the three resin-based fissure sealants was slightly lower than that for the giomer-based. After the first week, materials exhibited no significant difference and reached a plateau. The usage of a high and prolonged fluoride-releasing fissure sealant material should be considered by clinicians, particularly in patients with caries risk.

Objective: To determine the most effective dental age estimation method, Demirjian y Ubelaker, for estimating the chronological age in patients from 4 to 13 years of the National Institute of Child Health-Lima Peru. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional design with a sample consisting of 465 panoramic radiographs, 229 of male (49.2%) and 236 of female (50.8%). The estimated age was made using the protocol established in each method. The chronological age was established through the difference between the date of radiographic capture and the date of birth. The precision and accuracy of each method was established. The inferential analysis was performed with a level of significance of 5% through the Spearman correlation tests, Wilcoxon test. Results: It was proved that the Ubelaker method had 270 erroneous or mismatched cases and 195 coincidences while the Demirjian method had 360 erroneous cases and 105 coincidences between the estimated chronological age and dental age, finding significant differences in the estimation in each of the methods p=0.001 and p <0.001 respectively. The accuracy obtained with Ubelaker was 0,112 and with Demirjian 1,039.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of thermocycling on the color change of the amine-free dual-cure resin cements. IPS e.max CAD blocs were cut into specimens of 1 mm thickness (N=28) and cemented with one of the 4 different amine-free dual-cure resin cements (NX3 Nexus [NX], Kerr Dental; Variolink Esthetic DC [VE], Ivoclar Vivadent; Panavia V5 [PV], Kuraray Dental; G-CEM Linkforce [GC], GC Corporation) (n=7). A spectrophotometer was used for color measurements. Specimens were subjected to thermocycling (5°C and 55°C; 5000 and 10000 cycles). Normality of data distribution was tested by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s multiple comparison tests at a significance level of p<0.05. ∆E values were significantly influenced by the resin cements and the cycle periods (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between NX and VE groups after 5000 thermocycling, however after 10000 thermocycling VE group showed higher ∆E1 values than NX group (p>0.05).  There were no statistically significant differences between the ∆E0 and ∆E1 values of the GC group, however the other groups were affected after 10000 thermocycling (p>0.05). Amine-free resin cements used for cementation showed color change after thermocycling except GC group. All resin cements were showed clinically acceptable color change after thermocycling (∆E < 3.5).

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. In animals, intraperitoneal administration of LPS, stimulates innate immunity and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. LPS provides an inflammatory stimulus that activates the neuroimmune and neuroendocrine systems resulting in a set of responses termed sickness behavior. The purpose of this protocol is to describe step-by-step the preparation and procedure of application of intraperitoneal injection of LPS in rats, as a guide for those researchers that want to use this assay to mount an inflammatory response. LPS intraperitoneal challenge in rats has been widely used to evaluate anti-inflammatory reagents and to address basic scientific questions.

The preservation of healthy dental structures contributes to the practice of a conservative dentistry. This concept involves the implementation of biological and mechanical principles in a more predictable manner. Minimally invasive cavity preparations are the complement to the selection of adhesive and composite resin materials. The correct application of an adhesive protocol will provide imperceptible aesthetic restorations and adequate clinical performance.

Introduction: Space maintainers play an important role in orthodontic treatments involving premolar extractions, especially in cases with bad occlusion and marked crowding. The orthodontist must know several options of anchoring and choose the best method that would fulfill the treatment objectives for that patient. Objective: To compare the effects of maximum anchors like the double transpalatal arch (double ATP) and the transpalatal arch and Nance button combination (transpalanance) as space maintainers during cuspids retraction in patients undergoing upper bicuspid extractions. Methods: A universe of 100 patients, aged 14-25 years, was selected from among the patients presenting to the Orthodontics Specialty Clinic of the posgraduate School Dr. José Apolo Pineda, Pilot School of Dentistry, University of Guayaquil during the years of 2017 and 2018. Totally, 26 patients were recruited, of whom 13 were placed on transpalanance and the other 13 on double ATP, prior to the extraction of their first upper bicuspid. Post-extraction spaces were measured and compared with post-retraction spaces of upper cuspids. Results: With an average of 4-5 mm, transpalanance maintained the greatest amount of space at the end of canine retraction. It is expected that the results obtained in this study will be useful to orthodontists, providing them with information regarding the most effective space maintainers for treatments with extractions. Conclusion: The maximum anchor that showed the greatest efficacy was transpalanance since it maintained a greater amount of space during its time of use.