A Web-Based Rendering Application for Communicating Dental Conditions.

The importance of visual aids in communicating clinical examination findings or proposed treatments in dentistry cannot be overstated. Similarly, communicating dental research results with tooth surface-level precision is impractical without visual representations. Here, we present the development, deployment, and two real-life applications of a web-based data visualization informatics pipeline that converts tooth surface-level information to colorized, three-dimensional renderings.

Clinical Instructions for Using Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) in Dental Caries Management.

Unlabelled: Manufacturer instructions for 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) are limited to current FDA clearance for tooth desensitization. There is a need for instructions to provide best-practice recommendations for off-label use of SDF for caries prevention and arrest.

Methods: The authors considered existing clinical approaches to the use of 38% SDF at pH 10 for the prevention and arrest of active dental caries, in light of the best current evidence.

Child Nutrition Patterns Are Associated with Primary Dentition Dental Caries.

Diet is a well-established, modifiable factor influencing dental caries risk. However, evidence regarding its association with distinct clinical patterns of dental caries is lacking. The purpose of this study was to identify the association of child nutrition patterns with two distinct clinical presentations (subtypes) of childhood dental caries.

Children's oral health-related behaviours and early childhood caries: A latent class analysis.

Objective: In this cross-sectional study in a large community-based sample of preschool-age children, we sought to identify distinct clusters of modifiable early childhood oral health-related behaviours (OHBs) and quantify their association with clinical and parent-reported measures of early childhood oral health.

Methods: We relied upon a questionnaire (n = 8033; 11% in Spanish) and clinical oral health data (n = 6404; early childhood caries [ECC] prevalence = 54%] collected in the context of an epidemiologic study of early childhood oral health among 3- to 5-year-old children in North Carolina. Latent class analysis was used to identify clusters of modifiable OHBs based on parents' responses to 6 questionnaire items pertaining to their children's oral hygiene, diet and dental home.

Cohort Profile: ZOE 2.0-A Community-Based Genetic Epidemiologic Study of Early Childhood Oral Health.

Early childhood caries (ECC) is an aggressive form of dental caries occurring in the first five years of life. Despite its prevalence and consequences, little progress has been made in its prevention and even less is known about individuals' susceptibility or genomic risk factors. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) of ECC ("ZOE 2.

How to Intervene in the Caries Process: Dentin Caries in Primary Teeth.

For an ORCA/EFCD consensus, this review systematically assessed available evidence regarding interventions performed and materials used to manage dentin carious lesions in primary teeth. A search for systematic reviews (SRs) and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with a follow-up of at least 12 months after intervention was performed in PubMed, LILACS, BBO, and the Cochrane Library. The risk of bias tool from the Cochrane Collaboration and the PRISMA Statement were used for assessment of the included studies.

Surgical Management of Caries Lesions: Selective Removal of Carious Tissues.

Traditionally, before placing a restoration, excavation of tissues affected by caries was recommended. The goal was to have all walls of the cavity on sound, hard dentin, even when at risk of pulpal exposure. Current understanding of the caries process indicates that preserving tooth structure can lead to better long-term outcomes.

The Supragingival Biofilm in Early Childhood Caries: Clinical and Laboratory Protocols and Bioinformatics Pipelines Supporting Metagenomics, Metatranscriptomics, and Metabolomics Studies of the Oral Microbiome.

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a biofilm-mediated disease. Social, environmental, and behavioral determinants as well as innate susceptibility are major influences on its incidence; however, from a pathogenetic standpoint, the disease is defined and driven by oral dysbiosis. In other words, the disease occurs when the natural equilibrium between the host and its oral microbiome shifts toward states that promote demineralization at the biofilm-tooth surface interface.

Measurement of Early Childhood Oral Health for Research Purposes: Dental Caries Experience and Developmental Defects of the Enamel in the Primary Dentition.

Epidemiological investigations of early childhood oral health rely upon the collection of high-quality clinical measures of health and disease. However, ascertainment of valid and accurate clinical measures presents unique challenges among young, preschool-age children. The paper presents a clinical research protocol for the conduct of oral epidemiological examinations among children, implemented in ZOE 2.

Protocols, Methods, and Tools for Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) of Dental Traits.

Oral health and disease are known to be influenced by complex interactions between environmental (e.g., social and behavioral) factors and innate susceptibility.

Teaching Silver Diamine Fluoride in U.S. Dental Schools' Predoctoral Curricula.

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF), a low-cost topical agent used in many countries to arrest dental caries, was cleared as a desensitizing agent by the Food & Drug Administration for the U.S. market in 2014.

Exploring the genomic basis of early childhood caries: a pilot study.

Objective: A genetic component in early childhood caries (ECC) is theorized, but no genome-wide investigations of ECC have been conducted. This pilot study is part of a long-term research program aimed to: (1) determine the proportion of ECC variance attributable to the human genome and (2) identify ECC-associated genetic loci.

Methods: The study's community-based sample comprised 212 children (mean age=39 months; range = 30-52 months; males = 55%; Hispanic/Latino = 35%, African-American = 32%; American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry definition of ECC prevalence = 38%).

Pilot clinical study to assess caries lesion activity using quantitative light-induced fluorescence during dehydration.

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) to assess caries lesion activity using visual examination (VE) as the gold standard. Twenty-four visible white spot lesions on buccal surfaces were examined from 23 children, ages 9 to 14 years. At baseline, the surface was hydrated with water, and thereafter, it was dehydrated with continuous compressed air during image acquisition.

Photo Inactivation of Streptococcus mutans Biofilm by Violet-Blue light.

Among various preventive approaches, non-invasive phototherapy/photodynamic therapy is one of the methods used to control oral biofilm. Studies indicate that light at specific wavelengths has a potent antibacterial effect. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of violet-blue light at 380-440 nm to inhibit biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans or kill S.

Caries Detection around Restorations Using ICDAS and Optical Devices.

Purpose: Secondary caries is the major reason for replacement of restorations in operative dentistry. New detection methods and technology have the potential to improve the accuracy for diagnosis of secondary carious lesions. This in vitro study evaluated the performance of the ICDAS (International Caries Detection and Assessment System) visual criteria and optical devices for detecting secondary caries around amalgam and composite resin restorations in permanent teeth.

In vitro evaluation of ICDAS and radiographic examination of occlusal surfaces and their association with treatment decisions.

This in vitro study evaluated the performance of visual (International Caries Detection and Assessment System [ICDAS]) and radiographic (bitewing [BW]) examinations for occlusal caries detection and their associations with treatment decision (TD). Permanent teeth (n=104) with occlusal surfaces varying from sound to cavitated were selected. Sites were identified from 10× occlusal surface photographs.

Influence of the ICDAS e-learning program for occlusal caries detection on dental students.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of ICDAS training in a group of dental students for occlusal caries detection in permanent teeth. Premolars and molars (N=104) with occlusal surfaces varying from ICDAS scores 0 to 6 were cleaned, one occlusal site per tooth was selected, and a photograph taken to identify the site. Eight senior dental students examined the teeth twice with a one-week interval between examinations during each of two phases: before and after the ICDAS e-learning program.

Student versus faculty performance using a new visual criteria for the detection of caries on occlusal surfaces: an in vitro examination with histological validation.

The current study compared three groups of participants with different levels of clinical experience in using the International Caries and Detection System (ICDAS) on occlusal surfaces. Thirty participants (faculty, graduate and undergraduate students), after a lecture and hands-on training session on two occasions, examined 60 occlusal surfaces previously examined by two criteria expert examiners. There were no significant differences between the groups for intra- and inter-examiner agreement for ICDAS severity or activity on occlusal surfaces as measured by kappa.