Aim. To compare acceptance of behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry by Spanish and Portuguese parents. Study design. cross-sectional study. A survey of 8 behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry was administered to parents whose children were being treated at the Universitat Internacional de Cataluña (Barcelona, Spain) or at the Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal). The techniques evaluated were: tell–show–do (TSD), nitrous oxide sedation, passive restraint using a papoose board, voice control, hand-over-mouth, oral premedication, active restraint and general anaesthesia. The questionnaire also included information on parents’ sex, number and sex of children receiving treatment, parents’ previous dental experience (positive or negative), children’s previous dental experience (positive or negative), and the socioeconomic status of the families. Results. TSD and voice control were rated the most acceptable techniques in both Spain and Portugal, whereas the least accepted techniques in both countries were active and passive restraint. There were no significant differences in the acceptance of each of the techniques, in relation to parents’ sex or their previous dental experience, children’s sex or age, children’s previous dental experience, or families’ socioeconomic status. Conclusion. TSD was the most widely accepted behavior-management technique by Spanish and Portuguese parents, even with the passage of time. Both groups of parents had a low opinion of active and passive restraint techniques.

Bioactive materials have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional restorative materials as part of more conservative dentistry. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the shear bond strength (SBS) and microleakage of a new bioactive restorative material, two bulk-fill restorative composites, and a conventional composite at 24 h, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Three hundred and sixty molars and premolars were divided into four groups: ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE Restorative™, Filtek™ Bulk-Fill Restorative Composite, Tetric^® N-Ceram Bulk-Fill Composite, and G-aenial^® Composite. The normality of the data was determined with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, then the two-way ANOVA and Fisher’s test were used for analyzing SBS data, and the Kruskal-Wallis and DSCF tests were conducted to analyze the microleakage. In the SBS test, there were no statistically significant differences between materials (p = 0.587), and the relation between material and time (p = 0.467), time points showed statistically significant differences (p = 0.016). As for the microleakage, statistically significant differences were found for all three time periods (p < 0.05), showing the conventional composite to have the lowest microleakage, followed by the bioactive material, and lastly the two bulk-fill composites. In conclusion, the new bioactive material has similar evaluated properties to bulk-fill composites (bond strength) and conventional composites (bond strength and microleakage) and can be used as an alternative restorative material.

This study aimed to assess and compare the impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns on the oral health attitudes, dietary habits and access to dental care of Portuguese and Spanish children. A cross-sectional observational study involving caregivers of 3–17-year-old children who had cohabited during a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Spain and Portugal was conducted. Caregivers completed an online anonymous questionnaire. Aiming groups comparison, chi-square test was used for qualitative variables. 770 surveys were obtained. Significant changes in the children’s routine were higher in Portugal (p < 0.001). Both countries showed a large percentage of children who had between 2–3 snacks between meals (p < 0.001) and a higher consumption of snacks was particularly noticed among Spanish children with untreated dental caries during the lockdown (p = 0.003). Most caregivers reported children’s oral hygiene habits did not suffer noteworthy alterations (p = 0.417), although parental supervision of toothbrushing was associated with dental attendance during the lockdown. The majority of the sample had no dental attendance during confinement. Confinement appears to have not markedly affected the oral health status and habits of the majority of these children, although an important impact of some demographic and behavioral factors upon dietary and oral care/habits was detected.

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry (JOCPD) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal, which is currently indexed in SCIE, etc., aming to provide clinically relevant information to enable the practicing dentist to have access to the state of the art in pediatric dentistry.