Search Results (5)

Background and Objectives: Early detection of dental caries lesions at active stages of development can facilitate their monitoring and reduce needs for restorative dental care. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and caries treatment needs in first permanent molars of pre-school children, based on a caries lesion activity assessment, and in relation to participants’ ages, dental plaque levels and toothbrushing habits. Materials and Methods: Large cross-sectional dental caries survey using multistage cluster sampling was conducted among Lithuanian 4–6-year-old children attending kindergartens. For the present study purpose, all individuals presenting erupted permanent molars were selected. Thus, only 5–6-year-olds (n = 453) took part in this study. They were examined for caries by one calibrated examiner using Nyvad clinical diagnostic criteria that differentiate between active and inactive caries lesions. Dental plaque was assessed by the Silness-Löe index, and parents’ reports about toothbrushing frequency were collected. Results: Overall, 41% of permanent molars were affected by caries; 6-year-olds had more caries lesions than 5-year-olds (p < 0.05). Mean number of decayed and filled surfaces (DF-S) of all participants was 1.79 (SD 2.93), half of lesions were noncavitated, more than one-third were cavitated and fillings comprised less than one surface per child. Majority of lesions were active; prevalence of inactive lesions (all noncavitated) was 1% and 6% in 5- and 6-year-olds, respectively. Prevalence of active lesions increased with age; it correlated with plaque levels and with toothbrushing frequency (<0.001). Likelihood to detect active lesions was up to nine times higher in teeth with abundant plaque (odds ratio (OR) 8.73; confidence interval (CI) 5.35–14.25), and up to seven times higher in individuals brushing teeth irregularly (OR 6.88; CI 2.21–21.41). Conclusions: The obtained data indicate high treatment needs in the erupted permanent molars of the Lithuanian pre-school population and imply that caries management should primarily focus on improved biofilm removal, accompanied with regular use of fluoridated toothpaste. Full article

Background and objectives. Many previous studies showed clear gender differences in the percentages of adults reporting toothbrushing more than once a day. This study evaluated the factors determining gender differences in toothbrushing among Lithuanian middle-aged university employees.
Material and Methods. A questionnaire survey was anonymously conducted among 35- to 44-year-old employees (n=862) of four universities in Lithuania in 2005. The response rate was 64% (n=553). Data covered toothbrushing frequency, habitual dental attendance, dental health attitudes and knowledge, and subject’s background information.
Results. Of all respondents, 68% reported brushing their teeth more than once a day (73% of women and 49% of men, P<0.001) and 51% indicated checkup-based habitual dental attendance (54% of women and 41% of men, P=0.012). The majority reported good dental status as being important to them and poor oral health as injurious to general health. Of all respondents, 44% indicated that “Lack of time is the main reason for incomplete oral self-care” (61% of men and 40% of women, P<0.001). Logistic regression models showed that the strongest factor affecting toothbrushing frequency was the importance of good dental health to them (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1–2.4; P=0.02) among women and statement that “Poor oral health can be injurious to general health” (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2–5.5; P=0.01) and checkup-based habitual dental attendance (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.0–5.9; P=0.06) among men.
Conclusions. Due to different determinants affecting toothbrushing frequency among men and women, different oral health motivation programs by gender should be developed. Full article

Objective. To describe a pattern of antibiotic prescription during root canal treatment procedures based on the reports of Lithuanian general dental practitioners.
Materials and methods. Questionnaires concerning endodontic treatment were sent to all 2850 Lithuanian dental practitioners registered on the database of the Lithuanian Dental Chamber. Only the questions containing general information and individual decisions about antibiotic prescription for endodontic treatment were selected for the analysis.
Results. The response rate was 53.8%. Of the 1532 responses, 1431 questionnaires received from licensed general dental practitioners were analyzed. More than 60% of the respondents reported prescribing antibiotics in cases of symptomatic apical periodontitis. Majority of the respondents (83.9%) reported symptomatic apical periodontitis with periostitis being a clear indication for the prescription of antibiotics. Nearly 2% of the respondents reported prescribing antibiotics in cases of symptomatic pulpitis. With an increasing duration of professional activity, an increase in the proportion of the respondents reporting prescription of antibiotics was observed. Amoxicillin was the most preferable antibiotic during endodontic treatment, followed by amoxicillin with clavulanic acid. An increase in reporting penicillin prescription and decline in prescribing amoxicillin and amoxicillin with clavulanic acid with regard to the increasing age of respondents was observed.
Conclusions. Lithuanian dentists, particularly those with longer duration of professional activity, tended to exceed general recommendations for the antibiotics prescription in cases of endodontic infections. However, a trend toward prescription of broader spectrum antibiotics by younger dentists, compared with those with longer professional activity, was observed. Full article

Objective. This study aimed to evaluate and describe the dental attendance patterns and to characterize the factors that encourage preventive dental visits among 35- to 44-year-old university employees in Lithuania.
Material and methods. A questionnaire survey was conducted anonymously among the 35- to 44-year-old employees (n=862) of four universities in Lithuania in 2005. The response rate was 64% (n=553). Data on their most recent dental visit, habitual dental attendance, and self-reported dental health were collected. Gender, marital status, education, and income levels served as background factors. Of the respondents, 79% were women, and 82% held a university degree.
Results. Of all the respondents, 75% reported having their most recent dental visit within the previous 12 months; 19% indicated a preventive check-up as the reason for it (15% – self-decided visit and 4% – dentist’s recall). The most common treatments received were fillings (75%), scaling and cleaning (28%), and endodontic treatment (22%). Analysis of the data about habitual dental attendance showed that preventive check-up as the main reason for attendance was more commonly reported by women (OR=1.7), among those who indicated having lost fewer teeth (OR=1.5), reported higher incomes (OR=1.4), and who indicated a shorter time interval since their most recent dental visit (OR=1.3).
Conclusion. Dental problem seems to be a dominant reason for dental attendance in Lithuania where both dentists’ and patients’ behavior weakly reflects preventive orientation. Full article

Apical periodontitis is an inflammation of dental periapical tissues developed as a response to colonization of microorganisms in root canal system. Etiology of periapical pathology is associated with different species of microorganisms that are not fully defined yet. The changes in the composition of root canal microbiota as well as other factors, such as host resistance to various infections and concomitant viral infection, etc., can influence development of the symptomatic apical periodontitis. Etiology of disease is reviewed in this article. The purpose of treatment of symptomatic apical periodontitis is to eliminate the infection in root canal system and to obtain relief of symptoms. It can be done by conventional root canal therapy, which can be combined with anti-inflammatory medication. Indications for antibiotic therapy in such cases are limited to particular occasions, which are considered in article. Nevertheless, findings show that usually dentists prescribe antibiotics improperly in clinical practice. It can render drugs ineffective against diseases of dental origin as well as against potentially fatal infectious diseases. Selection of antibiotics for the treatment of root canal infections is reviewed in this article. Importance of antimicrobial susceptibility testing is emphasized. There is a need for more research on microbial causes and interactions in different forms of apical periodontitis to improve diagnosis and treatment. Full article