Safety protocols at the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Oral Clinical Examination during COVID-19.

Background: There are continued concerns about holding large group gatherings with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) made the decision to cancel the Oral Clinical Examination (OCE) in 2020 with a goal to host the exam in 2021. This cancellation postponed the board certification of over 400 pediatric dentists.

Child Life Interventions for Pediatric Dental Patients: A Pilot Study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess whether child life intervention can be an effective alternative to pharmacologic behavior management in uncooperative pediatric dental patients. Thirty uncooperative four- to eight-year-old patients with no history of a negative invasive dental experience were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental (E) and control (C). Group E was given two 30- minute child life interventions (CLIs) by a certified child life specialist.

Dental Impacts on Health-related Quality of Life of Children with Orofacial Clefts.

Purpose: Children with orofacial clefts experience risks for psychosocial and behavioral problems, making it important to evaluate for negative impacts on health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and surgical history to determine if these measures correlated with caries and/or behavior during dental treatment.

Methods: Data for this retrospective study were obtained for children encountered between March 2011 and August 2013.

Relative value of oral health in well-child care: a survey of pediatricians in Texas and Ohio.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, penetration, and support of the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) 2003 oral health policy statement among pediatricians and compare the perceived relative value of oral health among health topics.

Methods: A 33-question survey was sent to 1,320 randomly selected pediatricians in Texas and Ohio. The survey queried practice patterns, perceived importance of oral health, and familiarity/implementation of the AAP policy.

Multi-surface composite vs stainless steel crown restorations after mineral trioxide aggregate pulpotomy: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Parents increasingly request esthetic restorations for their children's teeth. This split mouth, randomized controlled trial compared primary molars treated with white MTA pulpotomies and restored with either multi-surface composites (MSC) or stainless steel crowns (SSC).

Methods: Forty matched, contra-lateral pairs of molars received MTA pulpotomies and were randomly assigned to MSC or SSC restorations and evaluated clinically and radiographically at 6 and 12 months.

Pulpotomy versus pulpectomy for carious vital primary incisors: randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this prospective, randomized, split-mouth investigation was to compare the success rates of formocresol pulpotomies (FC) and Vitapex(®) pulpectomies (RCT) in asymptomatic carious vital primary incisors.

Methods: Matched contralateral pairs of asymptomatic, carious, vital primary incisors were randomized to receive FC or RCT by 2 standardized operators and restored with stainless steel crowns. Seventy-four incisors were followed clinically and radiographically for up to 23 months.

Misdiagnosis of erythema multiforme: a literature review and case report.

Erythema multiforme is primarily considered a disease of the skin. Diagnosis tends to be centered on dermatologic lesions of the extremities, with mouth ulcers regarded as a secondary finding. The purpose of this paper was to report a case of an 8-year-old male diagnosed with erythema multiforme limited to the oral cavity.

A preliminary analysis of the US dental health care system's capacity to treat children with special health care needs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use existing data to determine capacity of the US dental care system to treat children with special health care needs (CSHCN).

Methods: A deductive analysis using recent existing data was used to determine the: possible available appointments for CSHCN in hospitals and educational programs/institutions; and the ratio of CSHCN to potential available and able providers in the United States sorted by 6 American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) districts.

Results: Using existing data sets, this analysis found 57 dental schools, 61 advanced education in general dentistry programs, 174 general practice residencies, and 87 children's hospital dental clinics in the United States.

Characteristics of dental clinics in US children's hospitals.

Purpose: This study's purpose was to describe the workforce, patient, and service characteristics of dental clinics affiliated with US children's hospitals belonging to the National Association of Children's Hospital and Related Institutions (NACHRI).

Methods: A 2-stage survey mechanism using ad hoc questionnaires sought responses from hospital administrators and dental clinic administrators. Questionnaires asked about: (1) clinic purpose; (2) workforce; (3) patient population; (4) dental services provided; (5) community professional relations; and (5) relationships with medical services.

Measuring persistent temporomandibular joint nociception in rats and two mice strains.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain has been reported to last for prolonged periods in humans. In rodents a variety of methods have been used to measure TMJ nociception, but for most of these methods the period of measurement has been minutes to a couple of hours. In addition, most measurement protocols required restraint or training of the animal.

Pediatric obesity curriculum in pediatric dental residency programs.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to survey pediotric dental residents to determine the level of their formal education and clinical experiences involving the obese/overweight pediatric dental patient.

Methods: A 17-question survey was mailed to 195 residents in 41 randomly selected pediatric dentistry educational programs. Questions inquired about various aspects of residents' educational experiences, including formal curriculum-based courses and clinical experiences, with overweight patients and their parents.

Preventive resin restorations: practice and billing patterns of pediatric dentists.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine practice patterns of pediatric dentists for preventive resin restorations (PRRs) and if they believe a code should be added to the American Dental Association's current dental terminology (CDT) for the PRR.

Methods: A 16-question survey sent to 475 pediatric dentists randomly selected from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry database, addressed demographics, treatment planning, techniques in preparation and restoration, billing practices, and perceptions about the need for a CDT code for PRRs.

Results: Two hundred thirty-eight (50%) surveys were returned, revealing that 72% of respondents perform PRRs and 64% feel that a PRR code should be added to the CDT Fifty-two percent believe not having a CDT code could cause dentists to perform more invasive dentistry to comply with billing requirements that Class I restorations be in dentin.

Caries risk assessment practices among Texas pediatric dentists.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine current caries risk assessment (CRA) practices of Texas pediatric dentists.

Methods: A 20-question survey was sent to all 204 active members of the Texas Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. The mailing list was obtained from the Texas Academy of Pediatric Dentistry roster.

The critical incident technique and pediatric dentistry: a worked example.

Evaluating dental students' experiences in pediatric dentistry may help dental educators better prepare graduates to treat the children in their communities. This qualitative investigation aimed to collect and analyze data using the critical incident technique (CIT). Sixty dental students at one southwestern dental school participated in 103 recorded interviews.

The critical incident technique: a useful tool for conducting qualitative research.

The critical incident technique (CIT) is a well-established qualitative research tool used in many areas of the health sciences, including nursing, medicine, and dentistry, and their respective education systems. It is a flexible set of principles that can be modified and adapted to meet the specific situation at hand. By gathering factual reports made by observers, researchers can build a picture of the situation under study.

Pharmacologic behavior management of pediatric dental patients diagnosed with attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey of Texas pediatric dentists to determine: (1) the percentage of patients they treat with attention deficit disorder (ADD)/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); (2) the behavior management techniques that are utilized to treat their patients who suffer from ADD/ADHD; and (3) the relative success rates of these techniques in their practices.

Methods: A 17-question, single-answer, multiple choice survey was mailed to 343 Texas pediatric dentists. The mailing list was obtained from American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and Texas Academy of Pediatric Dentistry member rosters.

Capsaicin sensitive neurons role in the inflamed TMJ acute nociceptive response of female and male rats.

Computerized meal pattern analysis, and more specifically meal duration, has recently been used as a non-invasive biological marker of nociception in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Cells responsible for the nociceptive response in the inflamed TMJ may include capsaicin (CAP) sensitive neurons. To test the role of CAP sensitive neurons in acute nociceptive responses first, male and female rats were treated neonatally with vehicle or CAP, an agent known to destroy a majority of C fibers.

Estrogenic effect on swelling and monocytic receptor expression in an arthritic temporomandibular joint model.

Clinical presentation of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are more common in women and changes in the female hormone estrogen affect the level of swelling, pro-inflammatory cytokine release and pain in animal models of TMJ arthritis. Estrogen also modulates the expression of the CD16 receptor in vitro. This alters pro-inflammatory cytokine release in monocytes/macrophages when auto-antigens and arthritic factors bind the CD16 receptor.

A role for cyclooxygenase II inhibitors in modulating temporomandibular joint inflammation from a meal pattern analysis perspective.

Purpose: Developing a valid noninvasive animal model to study temporomandibular joint (TMJ) inflammation/pain has proved difficult. However, its has been recently demonstrated that meal pattern analysis, and in particular meal duration, can be used as a biologic marker for TMJ inflammation/pain induced by bilateral injections of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The present study was undertaken to confirm previous findings and extend them by using rofecoxib (VIOXX; Merck and Co, West Point, PA), a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (COX-2-I).