The frequent occurrence of dental caries and periodontal diseases in women during pregnancy may be due to many factors, such as salivary variables. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of pregnancy on salivary pH, flow rate, the DMFT index, and CPI sores. A total of 198 volunteers (pregnant in different trimesters and non- pregnant) were included for the present observational cross-sectional study. Data about sociodemographic characteristics and dental and systemic health conditions were recorded. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected for 5 min via the spitting method. The pH of the saliva was measured by a portable pH meter. The salivary flow rate was determined by the weight measurement method. The DMFT index and CPI were determined. The statistical evaluation was performed using Robust ve Poisson Regression analyses (p < 0.05). It was determined that there was a gradually significant decrease in the Ph value from the first trimester to the third trimester during pregnancy, which was lower than the control group. (p < 0.001) The flow rate of pregnants in their third trimester was lower than that of first trimester (p = 0.017). The CPI scores of pregnant women were significantly greater than that of non-pregnants (p = 0.042), while the DMFTs were similar among all groups. Our findings indicate that pregnancy leads to a notable reduction in unstimulated salivary pH and flow rate, which also has a detrimental impact on periodontal health. Clinical Trials-ID: NCT06343337; Registration Date: 04.01.2024.

Background: In in vitro studies, it is desirable that the storage solutions in which dental samples kept between extraction and experiment should prevent dehydration and have antimicrobial properties. However, it should be taken into consideration that these solutions may have some effects that directly change test results on physical and mechanical properties of laboratory samples. Aims: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of different storage media on dentin moisture, microhardness, and microshear bond strength of resin composite to dentin. Thirty non-carious human premolars were randomly divided into three groups: 1. 0.1% Thymol (T), 2. Distilled water (DW), 3. Dry storage (DS) (control) (n = 10). Dentin moisture was measured with a digital grain moisture meter. Dentin microhardness was measured with the Vickers test. The bond strength was measured with a microshear test. Materials and Methods: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Bonferroni test was used for statistical evaluation (p = 0.05). Results: Dentin moisture of the experimental groups was statistically higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, the dentin moisture of group DW was significantly higher than that of group T (p < 0.05). The mean microshear bond strength of resin composite to dentin was higher in group DW than in group T and group DS (p < 0.05), while there was no statistical difference between group T and group DS. The microhardness values of all groups were statistically similar. Conclusions: Storage solutions used for disinfection and to prevent dehydration may have negative effects on dentin moisture and bond strength.

The varied presentation of approximal caries in clinical practice complicates their prediction. This retrospective cross-sectional radiographic study aimed to evaluate the effects of adjacent surface status, age, sex, tooth type and dental arch on approximal caries as predictors. It was also aimed to evaluate the development patterns of approximal caries on adjacent surfaces facing each other. The radiographic database of Faculty of Dentistry at Mugla Sitki Kocman University from 2019 to 2023 was used for this study. Of a total of 456 patients (aged 18–65, 196 men, 260 women), 752 carious and 337 non-carious approximal areas obtained from standart bitewing and periapical radiographs were included. To evaluate the predictors of approximal caries adjacent surface status (as carious, restored, missing or intact), age, sex, type (as anterior, canine, premolar or molar) and dental arch (as upper/lower-rigt/left jaw) of the approximal carious teeth were recorded. To assess the development patterns of approximal caries, carious surface and its adjacent surface were evaluated in pairwise and categorized as follows: “carious-carious, carious-restored, carious-missing, carious-intact”. On the other hand non-carious approximal areas were categorized as “intact-restored, intact-missing, intact-intact”. Lesion depth (E1, D2, D1, D2 or D3) was also recorded and associated with restoration type (amalgam, composite or crown) and adjacent surface status. The Pearson chi-square and Kappa statistic tests were used to examine the relationships between categorical variables (p < 0.05). The approximal caries incidance were higher in the group aged 18–39 years, men, upper right dental arch, and anterior–canine, and posterior approximal surfaces than others (p < 0.001). The caries-intact category was remarkably in high incidance. The depth of caries lesions was significantly influenced by the adjacent surface status, but not by type of restoration. It was found that D3 caries were the least frequently observed in carious-intact category while E1 and E2 caries were found more frequent in carious-carious category (p < 0.001). Overall, these findings highlight the importance of considering a combination of demographic and dental factors in predicting, understanding and preventing approximal caries formation.

This study investigated the effects of color shade and curing time on the degree of conversion (DC) and microhardness of colored compomers. A total of 162 samples (81 for DC, 81 for microhardness) were prepared, with nine samples per color group (gold, blackberry, green, pink, orange, lemon, blue, silver) and for the control. Samples were subdivided into three polymerization subgroups (3 s/3200 mW/cm², 10 s/1000 mW/cm², 20 s/1000 mW/cm²). The DC was analyzed via fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microhardness was measured using Vickers testing. Statistical analysis included two-way ANOVA and Spearman correlation (α = 0.05). The colored compomers demonstrated a significantly lower DC compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.001). Among the tested colors, green exhibited the lowest DC (33.3%), while orange showed the highest (51.0%). A significant difference in DC was observed across curing times (p = 0.005), with the 3 s and 20 s groups exhibiting significantly higher conversion rates than the 10 s group. Microhardness values exhibited significant variation depending on the color (p < 0.001). Gold compomers demonstrated the lowest microhardness, whereas silver compomers showed comparable performance with the control group (p = 0.154). A moderate correlation between DC and microhardness was observed overall (ρ = 0.42, p = 0.003). However, the observed relationships were color-dependent: orange displayed a strong positive correlation (ρ = 0.78), whereas pink revealed no meaningful association (ρ = −0.15). Color and curing time critically influence compomer performance. High-intensity short curing is viable for lighter colors, while darker colors require extended curing. Customized protocols are essential to optimize clinical outcomes in pediatric dentistry.