Oral health is fundamental to overall well-being, especially in childhood, when dental structures and lifelong habits are established. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of children’s dental development, common oral health challenges, and evidence-based preventive strategies. Key topics include the mechanisms of tooth development, the eruption processes of primary and permanent dentition, and the management of developmental abnormalities. The prevalence, risk factors, and health impacts of dental caries in children are examined, underscoring the need for early intervention and targeted prevention. This review evaluates the effectiveness of preventive measures such as dental sealants, fluoride varnishes, and fluoride mouth rinses while highlighting the influence of dietary habits, toothbrush selection, and parental involvement on oral health outcomes. Additionally, it explores the synergistic benefits of combining preventive approaches, such as the concurrent use of dental sealants and fluoride applications, which have demonstrated superior caries prevention compared to either method alone. The effectiveness of these strategies is analyzed across different age groups, from early childhood to adolescence, with tailored recommendations for each developmental stage. Furthermore, the role of education, policy interventions, and community-based programs in addressing oral health disparities is discussed. By integrating developmental insights with epidemiological data and clinical evidence, this review provides a comprehensive framework for advancing pediatric dentistry, informing best practices, and enhancing preventive strategies to reduce the burden of oral diseases in diverse pediatric populations.

Amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation in the brain is one of the major pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease. The active form of vitamin D (1,25(OH)₂D₃), which acts via its nuclear hormone receptor, vitamin D receptor (VDR), has been implicated in the treatment of Aβ pathology, and is thus considered as a neuroprotective agent. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms of action are not yet fully understood. Here, we aim to investigate whether the molecular mechanisms of 1,25(OH)₂D₃ in ameliorating Aβ toxicity involve an interplay of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-signaling in SH-SY5Y cells. Cells were treated with Aβ(25-35) as the source of toxicity, followed by the addition of 1,25(OH)₂D₃ with or without the GDNF inhibitor, heparinase III. The results show that 1,25(OH)₂D₃ modulated Aβ-induced reactive oxygen species, apoptosis, and tau protein hyperphosphorylation in SH-SY5Y cells. Additionally, 1,25(OH)₂D₃ restored the decreasing GDNF and the inhibited phosphorylation of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) protein expressions. In the presence of heparinase III, these damaging effects evoked by Aβ were not abolished by 1,25(OH)₂D_3. It appears 1,25(OH)₂D₃ is beneficial for the alleviation of Aβ neurotoxicity, and it might elicit its neuroprotection against Aβ neurotoxicity through an interplay with GDNF-signaling.

Introduction: Due to the enhanced awareness of consumers concerning healthy foods, homemade expeller-pressed oils have become popular worldwide. However, an extended storage period may lead to oxidization of the oil and exposure to hazardous byproducts by consumers.Methods: In this study, 10 pressed oil samples prepared from common oilseeds using a small-scale expeller oil press were analyzed by OXITEST with a sample amount of 5 g of oil and an oxygen pressure of 800 kPa under accelerated conditions for shelf-life projections. The oil properties were investigated, including the recovery, smoke point, acid value, iodine value, “fatty acid composition, and contents of pigments and tocopherols”.Results: The autoxidation reaction of various expeller-pressed oils under an accelerated testing system followed zero-order Arrhenius kinetics (R² > 0.99). Shelf-lives of the pressed oils at 25°C were estimated by extrapolation to range 105~1,089 days. The obtained shelf-lives were significantly correlated with log induction period (IP) values (r > 0.81, p < 0.05) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) (r < −0.69, p < 0.05), but not with the iodine value, acid value, or smoke point. Scatter diagrams between shelf-lives and UFAs suggested that these pressed oils could be grouped by two linear regression curves (r > 0.98, p < 0.05). The predictive equations using multiple linear regression are presented herein, with predictor variables of UFAs and an unspecified item involving potential influencing factors such as tocopherol contents (r > 0.88, p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our findings first revealed that the UFA portion was partially correlated with the shelf-lives of selected expeller-pressed seed oils as estimated by the OXITEST. The derived equations can be applied for shelf-life predictions of expeller-pressed oils stored under dark ambient conditions based on the fatty acid profile.