Dental implant treatment can restore oral function to edentulous patients. Recently, mini implants have been shown to be successful in minimally invasive treatment. There are initial reports of mini implants retaining removable prostheses and supporting fixed partial and complete dentures. This article reviews the treatment of edentulous patients with prostheses and mini implants and offers guidelines for successful outcomes.

Background/Aims: Traditionally, tobacco is considered as part of the military culture. A cross-sectional survey was designed to clarify if smoking habit increases the caries risk in a sample of Italian adults attending a Military Academy. Methods: Clinical examinations including dental caries and presence of bleeding at probing were carried out following WHO criteria. Related socio-behavioural factors were collected. Four calibrated examiners observed 763 subjects (men = 722; 94.6% and women = 41; 5.4%). Results: One of the 763 subjects did not declare the smoking status and was excluded from the analysis. Hundred twenty-six (16.5%) subjects claimed to have never smoked, 200 (26.3%) were coded as light smokers and 436 (57.2%) as heavy tobacco users. Statistically significant linear trend across the educational level (p = 0.03), self-satisfaction with the appearance of teeth and gums (p = 0.04) and dental check-up in the past 6 months (p = 0.02) was found among the 3 subgroups. Almost the entire sample showed caries experience (84.1%). Mean DS ranged from 0.6 in the nonsmokers subgroup to 1.1 in the heavy smokers. Differences among means were statistically significant for DS, DMFS and Significant Caries Index (p = 0.01, 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). The zero-inflated regression model showed that caries severity was significantly associated with smoking habit (p = 0.02), dental check-up in the past 6 months (p = 0.01), self-satisfaction with the appearance of teeth and gums (p < 0.01) and healthy gums (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Heavy smokers attending a Military Academy showed a higher prevalence of caries, confirming a correlation between the disease and tobacco use.

Ectodermal dysplasia (EDD) is a developmental disorder that affects the skin, hair, and teeth among other organs generated in the ectoderm. Dental implants have been used to successfully treat partial edentulism in EDD patients, but the success rate is much lower for these patients. The report herein is a successful case of a single mini, small diameter, implant used to support a single crown of a mandibular right second premolar. A review of implant treatment in EDD patients is included.

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Dental fluorosis is an irreversible defect in dental enamel caused by long-term undesired fluoride intake during tooth formation. The clinical manifestations may range from white spots to dark brown areas, which can initially represent only an aesthetic problem, but they can also lead to functional problems—in severe cases, pitting and fractures can occur. The aim of this cross-sectional study in a cluster of 215 Kenyan adolescents was to evaluate oral health status—especially with respect to fluorosis and dental caries risk factors—in the Nairobi suburbs. Clinical data were recorded using DMFT and TF indices in accordance with the WHO standards. A multivariate model with logistic regression was carried out. In total, 36.7% of individuals presented carious lesions. The DMFT index was 0.87 in the total sample. Around 78.6% were affected by mild-to-severe forms of fluorosis. Statistically significant associations were found between the presence of caries and consuming sweets during (OR = 3.9) and between meals (OR = 3.6), consuming soft drinks during (OR = 2.8) and between meals (OR = 4.3), tooth-brushing frequency (OR = 2.8), use of toothbrush and toothpaste (OR = 3.8), presence of bleeding (OR = 10.2), and calculus (OR = 12.1). It is critical to give people sufficient knowledge and to educate the communities to mobilize the implementation of preventive measures, such as reducing fluoride ingestion and paying attention to the dangers of drinking untreated water, in order to develop strategies to ensure equitable access to medical services and promote oral prevention programs to significantly reduce the impact of oral diseases.