Internet of Things—A Novel Innovation in Dentistry

We are living in an era where medicine and dentistry are evolving. Dental caries, tooth malalignment and periodontal diseases are being encountered by dental specialists in their daily practices. New digital technologies are emerging in dentistry for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Digitization enhances our efficiency and saves time. One of the recent smart technological innovation in healthcare field is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT consists of a network of physical gadgets embedded with instrumentation electronics, mounted chips and sensors. Through cloud web technology and internet connectivity, the required data collection is enabled. Acquired data is then exchanged to the doctors and analysis is done. This review article deals about the concept of IoT and its futuristic role in dentistry. The review article is based on the electronic searching and analysis of various international and national publications on the IoT concept in dentistry, medicine and biomedical engineering. A bench marking analysis was made on various applications, pros and cons of IoT in dentistry. IoT will play a paramount role in the clinical advancement aspects of diagnosis and management of various oral diseases in the forthcoming decades.

Knowledge and awareness about uses of fluoride among adults - a survey

Fluoride has been used for years to prevent dental caries. Tooth brushing reduces bacteria, hence reduces dental caries. Fluoride content in toothpaste helps to prevent dental caries. Dental caries are controlled in children who drink fluoridated water. The most effective way to prevent dental caries by topical fluoride application is through fluoridated toothpaste. The main aim of the study is to know and be aware of the uses of fluoride among adults. An online survey was conducted with a self-structured questionnaire comprising 15 questions related to the use of fluoride. The questionnaire was designed using the online survey platform "google forms". Descriptive analysis was carried out using the statistical software "SPSS software version 20". The results of the survey were represented in the form of pie charts and bar charts. Around 85% of the population know and are aware of the use of fluoride. Awareness of the uses of fluoride is adequate among the adult population. So it is evident from this study that people are aware of the positive and negative impacts due to appropriate or inappropriate levels of fluoride in their daily consumption.

School-based caries prevention and longitudinal trends in untreated decay: an updated analysis with Markov chains

Objective Dental caries (tooth decay) is the most prevalent childhood disease in the world. A school-based program for the prevention of dental caries providing bi-annual sealants, interim therapeutic restorations, and fluoride varnish to children aged 5–12 years was previously associated with a significant reduction in the prevalence of untreated tooth decay over time. The objective of this study was to explore potential nonlinear change in the risk of untreated decay in children receiving caries prevention. Results Across all study participants, there was a significant increase in the odds of untreated tooth decay over time (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.51, 2.39), but the rate of this risk rapidly decreased with each observational visit (OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.93, 0.91). Overall effects substantially depended on the oral health status of participants at baseline: for children with untreated decay at their first observation, the odds of untreated decay over time was 0.39 (95% CI 0.27, 0.55). A quadratic change for this subpopulation showed that the per-visit decrease in decay was attenuated with each subsequent observation (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.04, 1.20).

Cariogenic Streptococcus mutans produces strain-specific antibiotics that impair commensal colonization

Streptococcus mutans is a common constituent of dental plaque and an etiologic agent of dental caries (tooth decay). Here we elucidate a biosynthetic pathway, encoded by globally distributed strains of S. mutans, which produces a series of bioactive small molecules including reutericyclin and two N-acyl tetramic acid analogues active against oral commensal bacteria. This pathway may provide S. mutans with a competitive advantage, promoting dysbiosis and caries pathogenesis.

Principles of management of the badly broken down tooth

This textbook has covered the common causes of broken down teeth: dental caries, tooth wear, and trauma. In addition, long-term failure of parts, or all, of the existing tooth–restoration complex can be significant and may require further operative intervention for its successful management (see Chapter 9). Many intra-coronal defects can be repaired with direct adhesive restorations, as discussed in Chapters 5 and 9. However, the situation can be complicated by the loss of significant portions of existing restoration or tooth structure (e.g. cusps, buccal/lingual walls), which influence the restorative procedures used in an attempt to maintain the tooth longevity, as well as pulp viability, for as long as possible. For direct restorations to succeed clinically, they require healthy dental tissues to aid support, retention, and ideally provide an element of protection from excessive occlusal loads. With diminishing amounts of tooth structure to work with, greater thought and care are required to manage and prepare the remaining viable hard tissues to support and retain the larger restoration. The core restoration describes the often large direct plastic restoration used to build up the clinically broken down crown. It is retained and supported by remaining tooth structure wherever possible (sometimes including the pulp chamber and posts in root canals of endodontically treated teeth). These large restorations often benefit from further overlying protection to secure their clinical longevity, by means of indirect onlays, and partial or full coverage crowns. Before carrying out a detailed clinical examination of the individual tooth and the related oral cavity, it is always important to justify your clinical decisions, for both operative and non-operative preventive interventions. The five key reasons for minimally invasive (MI) operative intervention are:… • to repair hard tissue damage/cavitation caused by the active, progressing caries/tooth-wear process (where non-operative prevention has failed repeatedly) • to remove plaque stagnation areas within cavities/defects which will increase the risk of caries activity due to the lack of effective plaque removal by the patient • to help to manage acute pulpitic pain caused by active caries by removing the bacterial biomass and sealing the defect, thereby protecting the pulp • to restore the tooth to maintain structure and function in the dental arch • aesthetics.