Provisional restorations represent an important phase during the rehabilitation process, knowledge of the mechanical properties of the available materials allows us to predict their clinical performance. At present, there is no systematic review, which supports the clinicians’ criteria, in the selection of a specific material over another for a particular clinical situation. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess and compare the mechanical properties of dimethacrylates and monomethacrylates used in fabricating direct provisional restorations, in terms of flexural strength, fracture toughness and hardness. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines. The searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, the New York Academy of Medicine Grey Literature Report and were complemented by hand-searching, with no limitation of time or language up to January 10, 2017. Studies that assess and compare the mechanical properties of dimethacrylate- and monomethacrylate-based provisional restoration materials were selected. A quality assessment of full-text articles were performed according to modified ARRIVE and CONSORT criteria and modified Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for in vitro studies. Initially, 256 articles were identified. After removing the duplicates and applying the selection criteria, 24 articles were included in the qualitative synthesis and 7 were included in the quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). It may be concluded that dimethacrylate-based provisional restorations presented better mechanical behavior than monomethacrylate-based ones in terms of flexural strength and hardness. Fracture toughness showed no significant differences. Within the monomethacrylate group, polymethylmethacrylate showed greater flexural strength than polyethylmethacrylate.

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the methodological quality and the risk of bias of systematic reviews with regard to the literature on therapies for sleep bruxism (SB) in dentistry, applying the AMSTAR 2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) qualitative guide, as well as the effectiveness of various kinds of treatment of SB. Initially, a total of 1,499 articles were obtained from 4 databases and 2 websites. Relevant articles were obtained from the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Embase databases as well as from Google Scholar and OpenGrey. Six systematic reviews that met the eligibility criteria were included. The methodological quality of all systematic reviews, assessed with the AMSTAR 2 tool, was critically low. Regarding treatment effectiveness, 5 systematic reviews reported on pharmacological management (botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A), clonazepam and clonidine), 2 reported on oral appliances (OAs) (stabilizing splints and mandibular advancement devices (MADs)) and 1 study addressed the effects of biofeedback (BF). The results of the therapies were diverse and confusing. The available research is not conclusive, and does not show clear evidence or a consensus on the part of researchers on the most effective treatment for the management of SB. More research of better methodological quality is needed in this area.

Developmental defects of enamel (DDEs) are widely observed in children and are related to the appearance of dental caries, malocclusion, tooth sensitivity, and unfavorable esthetic conditions. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and distribution of enamel defects present in children aged 6 to 12 years in the provinces located in southern Ecuador. A total of 1606 schoolchildren were examined under the World Health Organization criteria for diagnosis of DDEs. The results are presented using percentage frequency measures and chi-square associations. Some types of DDEs were presented by 50% of the schoolchildren, mainly diffuse opacity, with no statistical differences according to place of residence and/or environment, sex, and age (p > 0.05). In Ecuador, it is necessary to carry out studies on the factors that trigger enamel defects, since they may be associated with the high prevalence of caries already reported in other studies in the country.