PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess Maryland dental hygienists' knowledge, practices and opinions regarding dental caries prevention and early detection. METHODS A 30 item survey was mailed to 1,258 Maryland dental hygienists. Two follow-up mailings and email reminders were sent. RESULTS The response rate was 43% (n=540). Nearly all respondents were female (98%), and 58% practi...

A good enamel cleaning before acid etching is necessary to prepare esthetic and functional direct and indirect restorations and fissure sealants [1,2]. Plaque and discolorations are removed by dental prophylaxis technique with pumice powder or paste and rotating brush or small rubber cup [3], there are other techniques like air-flow and bicarbonate jet polisher, which are as operative as the ot...

UNLABELLED The occlusal surface is the most affected area by dental caries and the sealing of the pits and of the fissures has been found, in time, the preventive method most effective trying to counteract the onset. Currently, the WHO considers it as a primary preventive measure, in other words one of the most effective and least invasive available to ensure the complete protection and the tot...

ISSUE BRIEF, July 2015 Even though Medicaid coverage includes dental benefits for enrolled children, ensuring that children use that benefit has proved to be a challenge for states. To reduce barriers to oral health care for low-income children and to increase utilization, CMS launched a national Oral Health Initiative (OHI) in 2010. Through the OHI, CMS has asked states to increase the proport...

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between sociodemographic characteristics, health care indicators, work process characteristics, and the performance of preventive dental procedures by oral health care teams (OHCTs) assessed during the first phase of the PMAQ in Brazil. A census of 10 334 primary OHCTs was conducted. The outcome included topical application of fluorid...

The past seventy-five years have witnessed an extraordinary growth of scientific knowledge related to oral health and the development of evidence-based dentistry. The centrality of prevention to the control of oral diseases and the maintenance of good oral health has become increasingly recognized by the scientific community, dental educators, dental practitioners, and the public at large. Yet,...

OBJECTIVE This clinical study compared the retention rates of a nanofilled occlusal fissure sealant placed with the use of an etch-and-rinse or a self-etch adhesive over 24 months. METHODS Two-hundred and forty-four sealants were placed on the permanent premolars and molars of 16 subjects who had no restorations or sealants present on the fissures and no detectable caries. The sealants were p...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Few studies have been published that evaluate the usefulness of different caries- diagnostic modalities in general dental practice. The goal of this study was to compare the results of screening for coronal dental caries in a general dental practice using clinical observations, radiographs, laser fluorescence (DIAGNOdent™) (LF), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). ...

Sealants were introduced 30 as a years ago preventive material for minimizing dental caries. 1 The high susceptibility of pit and fissures to carious attack and the rapid onset of the disease at these sites soon after tooth eruption is reported by several researchers. 2-~ Water fluoridation and topically applied fluoride reduce the incidence of proximal caries by about 75% while reducing occlus...