Dental biofilm control represents a basic procedure to prevent caries and the occurrence of periodontal diseases. Currently, toothbrushes and dentifrices are used almost universally, and the employment of good oral hygiene allows for appropriate biofilm removal by both mechanical and chemical control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adding vegetable or mineral oil to a commercially available dentifrice in dental biofilm control. A comparison using the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S) was performed in 30 individuals who were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (G1) received a commercially available dentifrice; the composition of this dentifrice was modified by addition of mineral oil (Nujol®) for group 2 (G2) or a vegetable oil (Alpha Care®) for group 3 (G3) at 10% of the total volume, respectively. The two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (two-way ANOVA) was used to test the effect of group (G1, G2 and G3) or time (baseline, 45 days and 90 days) on the OHI-S index scores. Statistical analysis revealed a significant reduction in the OHI-S at day 90 in G2 (p < 0.05) and G3 (p < 0.0001) in comparison to G1. Therefore, the addition of a vegetable or a mineral oil to a commercially available dentifrice improved dental biofilm control, suggesting that these oils may aid in the prevention and/or control of caries and periodontal disease.

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the superficial dentin pattern of primary teeth after applying different phosphoric acid concentrations and conditioning times. Twenty-four dentin surfaces were divided in 4 groups with 10 teeth each: GI -no treatment; GII to GIV -phosphoric acid at 37%, 32%, and 10% respectively. The samples were divided into two halves: one treated for 7 seconds (T1) and the other one for 15 seconds (T2). They were submitted to scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). A reticule was superimposed upon the images to randomly select dentinal tubules measured in µm². The conditioning times did not cause significant differences in the mean diameter values of the dentin tubules within each test group: GII (T1= 4.86; T2= 4.70); GIII (T1 = 3.83; T2= 3.08); GIV (T1= 5.04; T2= 5.23). Comparing different groups, there were no differences in T1. The same results were observed in T2, except for GIV which presented higher mean diameter values than GIII. The extent of acid conditioning did not influence tubule opening within groups. When different types of acids where compared, only the 10% phosphoric acid showed upper tubule opening than 32% phosphoric acid. The dentin pattern varied according to the type of acid used for conditioning.

INTRODUÇÃO: foram indicados, recentemente, gabaritos para analisar se a dentadura decídua encontra-se normal ou alterada. OBJETIVO: o presente estudo propôs aplicar os gabaritos desenvolvidos por Long em 59 modelos de dentaduras decíduas normais (grupo A) e 139 alteradas (grupo B), para avaliar sua eficiência clínica, à luz dos critérios clínicos conhecidos, que caracterizam uma oclusão normal e uma má oclusão. METODOLOGIA: o grupo A, com 118 modelos de estudo de pacientes com oclusão normal, foi estratificado em 42 modelos de arcos superiores e 36 inferiores tipo I de Baume, e 17 modelos superiores e 23 inferiores de arcos tipo II. O grupo B, com 278 modelos de estudo com más oclusões diversas, foi composto por 78 arcos superiores e 75 inferiores tipo I, e 61 arcos superiores e 64 inferiores do tipo II. Examinou-se um total de 396 modelos. RESULTADOS: os resultados do teste de Kappa entre as variáveis gabarito e critérios clínicos revelaram baixa concordância entre diagnóstico de normalidade e anormalidade da dentadura, independentemente do tipo de arco avaliado. Os gabaritos discordaram em 78% dos casos diagnosticados clinicamente como normais e em 20% dos diagnosticados com erros morfológicos. CONCLUSÃO: os gabaritos propostos não se aplicam à avaliação da dentadura decídua.

INTRODUCTION: Recently, diagrams have been developed in order to analyze normality and malocclusion in the deciduous dentition. AIM: The aim of this study is to apply the diagrams developed by Long in 59 cast models of normal dentitions (group A) and 139 abnormal (group B), in order to evaluate its clinical efficiency before the known clinical criteria, which characterizes normal occlusion and malocclusion. METHODS: Group A, with 118 casts of patients with normal occlusion, was stratified in 42 models of superior arches and 36 of inferior ones of type I of Baume; 17 superior casts and 23 inferior ones of arches of type II. Group B, with 278 casts with different types of malocclusions, was composed of 78 superior arches and 75 inferior ones of type I; 61 superior arches and 64 inferior ones of type II. A total of 396 casts were examined. RESULTS: The Kappa test between diagrams and clinical criteria demonstrated low concordance between diagnosis of normality and abnormality of the dentition, regardless of the type of arch evaluated. The diagrams disagree in 78% of the cases clinically diagnosed as normal and in 20% of those with morphological errors. CONCLUSION: the proposed diagrams don't apply to the primary dentition evaluation.

Um dos maiores problemas enfrentados na clínica ortodôntica é a dificuldade de higienização em função da presença do aparelho fixo e seus componentes. Associado muitas vezes à pouca colaboração do paciente, o tratamento ortodôntico pode criar condições para a perda de estrutura mineral do esmalte, refletida por manchas brancas e até cavitações nos casos mais severos. Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a aplicabilidade do verniz fluoretado como método preventivo na clínica ortodôntica. Assim, procurou-se investigar o aspecto do esmalte dental adjacente aos acessórios ortodônticos, bem como determinar o conteúdo dos elementos cálcio, fósforo e flúor nas superfícies tratadas com o verniz em comparação com um controle. Os resultados mostraram, por meio de microscopia eletrônica de varredura, o produto reacional (semelhante ao fluoreto de cálcio) decorrente da aplicação local. A espectrometria de raios X por dispersão de energia mostrou ainda ter havido maior teor de cálcio e flúor no esmalte tratado. Conclui-se que o verniz fluoretado pode efetivamente conferir proteção ao esmalte dental, durante os desafios cariogênicos, tendo indicação para o emprego nos pacientes em tratamento ortodôntico.

Poor oral hygiene has been considered one of the main problems routinely faced in the orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic appliance creates an environment that provides mineral loss from the dental enamel. Such condition is clinically seen as white spot lesions and cavitations in the most severe cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a fluoride varnish application as a caries prevention method for clinical orthodontics. The experiment analyzed dental enamel adjacent to orthodontics accessories after treatment. In addition, it was observed the calcium, phosphorus and fluoride contents on enamel treated with a fluoride varnish. The results showed that fluoride varnish application is a simple and fast technique that could be useful in preventing enamel demineralization associated to orthodontic treatment. Scanning electron microscopy revealed significant amount of calcium fluoride-like material deposited on enamel and energy dispersive x-ray analysis demonstrated a large incorporation of calcium and fluoride to the enamel of the treated specimens. It was concluded that fluoride varnish could indeed be considered an efficient preventive method to enhance enamel resistance against the cariogenic challenges during orthodontic therapy.