The prevalence of smoking among Croatian adolescents is alarmingly high, but no previous study has prospectively examined the sport- and academic-factors associated with smoking and smoking initiation. This study aimed to prospectively examine the associations between scholastic (educational) achievement and sport factors and smoking in 16- to 18-year-old adolescents. This two-year prospective cohort study included 644 adolescents who were 16 years of age at baseline (46% females). Baseline testing was implemented at the beginning of the 3rd year of high school (September 2014) when participants were 16 years old. Follow-up testing was completed at the end of the fourth year of high school, which occurred 20 months later. The evaluated predictor variables were educational-achievement- and sport-related-factors. The outcome variables were (i) smoking at baseline; (ii) smoking at follow-up; and (iii) smoking initiation over the course of the study. We assessed the associations between predictors and outcomes using logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and conflict with parents. The educational variables were consistently associated with smoking, with lower grade-point-average (Baseline: odd ratio (OR): 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.61–2.55; Follow-up: 1.59, 1.31–1.94), more frequent absence from school (Baseline: OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.19–1.69; Follow-up: 1.30, 1.08–1.58), and lower behavioral grades (Baseline: OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.10–2.89; Follow-up: 1.57, 1.03–2.41) in children who smoke. Adolescents who reported quitting sports were at greater odds of being smokers (Baseline: 2.07, 1.31–3.32; Follow-up: 1.66, 1.09–2.56). Sport competitive achievement at baseline was protective against smoking initiation during following two-year period (0.45, 0.21–0.91). While the influence of the educational variables on smoking initiation has been found to be established earlier; sport achievement was identified as a significant protective factor against initiating smoking in older adolescents. Results should be used in development of an anti-smoking preventive campaign in older adolescents.

The aim of the study was to determine attitudes towards and habits in oral health of adolescents in Herzegovina, as well as to evaluate the possible differences in habits among individuals of different adolescent categories. The study...

The results of orthodontic therapy largely depend, among other factors, on the preparation of the tooth enamel itself and the choice of material used to bond orthodontic brackets. The aim of this in vitro study was to determine the shear bond strength (SBS) and adhesive remnant index (ARI) score of thermo-cured glass–ionomers on different pretreated enamel, in comparison with the commonly used composite cement. Three commercially available nano-ionomer or highly viscous glass–ionomer cements (EQUIA Forte^® Fil, EQUIA Fil, Ketac Universal) and two types of compo-sites (Heliosit Orthodontic, ConTec Go!) were investigated in this study. The research involved two hundred human premolars. The teeth were cleaned and polished, then randomly divided into five groups according to the enamel preparation method and the type of material. The enamel was treated in three different ways: polyacrylic acid, phosphoric acid, 5% NaOCl + etching with phosphoric acid, and a control group without treatment. Glass–ionomer cement was thermo-cured with heat from a polymerization unit during setting. Statistical analysis was performed using a Chi-square test and one-way ANOVA for independent samples. Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship. Regardless of the material type, the results indicated that the weakest bond between the bracket and tooth enamel was found in samples without enamel pretreatment. The majority of the materials stayed on the brackets in samples without enamel preparation, according to ARI scores. The study’s findings demonstrated that the strength of the adhesion between the bracket and enamel is greatly influenced by enamel etching and glass–ionomer thermo-curing. Clinical investigations would be required to validate the outcomes.