Preventive
Compendium has compiled Abstracts from key recently published articles in the dental literature on preventive dentistry. These PubMed-indexed articles offer clinical relevance to the dental practitioner and can be applied to a range of situations.
Antibacterial activity and tensile strength of provisional cements modified with fluoride-containing varnish
ABSTRACT:
The objective was to test three noneugenol provisional cements (TempBond NE, RelyX Temp NE, and Freegenol) for their antibacterial properties and to test the hypothesis that addition of fluoride varnish confers antibacterial properties on these provisional cements without compromising their tensile strength. A total of 576 cylindrical samples were prepared (96 of each of six types) from three noneugenol provisional cements, both unmodified and modified by the addition of 5% w/w Duraphat fluoride varnish. After being aged in saline, samples were assessed for antibacterial properties against Streptococcus mutans by using an agar diffusion test (n = 12) and tensile strength by using a diametral tensile strength test (n = 12). Data were subjected to one- and three-way ANOVA, the Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) test, and t-test at a significance level of .002 (P < .002). The authors concluded that antibacterial activity was observed for the unmodified form of Freegenol and TempBond NE after the addition of the fluoride varnish. The addition of the fluoride varnish reduced the tensile strength of both TempBond NE and Freegenol.
Tooth-surface-specific effects of xylitol: randomized trial results
ABSTRACT:
The Xylitol for Adult Caries Trial was a 3-year, double-blind, multi-center, randomized clinical trial that evaluated the effectiveness of xylitol versus placebo lozenges in the prevention of dental caries in caries-active adults. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to investigate whether xylitol lozenges had a differential effect on cumulative caries increments on different tooth surfaces. Participants (ages 21-80 yrs.) with at least one follow-up visit (n = 620) were examined at baseline, 12, 24, and 33 months. Negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) for xylitol’s differential effect on cumulative caries increments on root and coronal surfaces and, among coronal surfaces, on smooth (buccal and lingual), occlusal, and proximal surfaces. Participants in the xylitol arm developed 40% fewer root caries lesions (0.23 D2FS/year) than those in the placebo arm (0.38 D2FS/year; IRR = 0.60; 95% CI [0.44, 0.81]; p < .001). There was no statistically significant difference between xylitol and control participants in the incidence of smooth-surface caries (p = .100), occlusal-surface caries (p = .408), or proximal-surface caries (p = .159). Among these caries-active adults, xylitol appears to have a caries-preventive effect on root surfaces.
