These findings suggest that Er:YAG laser by PIPS-activated irrigation can be considered as an effective irrigant agitation technique in pediatric endodontics.

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Objective Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is regarded a severe neuropsychiatric disorder. The objective of this study was to compare the status of the oral health between children with and without ASDs. Materials and Methods A total of 95 children (44 with ASD and 51 without ASD) were included. dmft/DMFT (d/D: decay; m/M: missing; f/F: filling; t/T: teeth) scores and plaque data of all participants were recorded. Saliva Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli load were determined using CRT bacteria. Results Streptococcus mutans load was >105 CFU in 54.5% of the ASD group and 43.1% in the non-ASD group. Lactobacilli load was >105 CFU in 47.70% of the ASD group and 49.0% in the non-ASD group. There was no statistically significant difference in the S. mutans or lactobacilli loads between the ASD and non-ASD groups. A total of 83.1% of the ASD group had caries, with dmft = 3.25 and DMFT = 5.10. In the non-ASD group, 81.10% of patients had caries, with dmft = 3.10 and DMFT = 4.90; 38.6% of the ASD group and 29.4% of the non-ASD group had no clinical signs of periodontal disease. Conclusion The examination of the amount of saliva S. mutans and lactobacilli at intervals with these patients will provide quantitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health care.

OBJECTIVE: Fear and anxiety is a major problem in the treatment of pediatric patients. The pain that occurs during the use of caries removal instruments has a strong potential of triggering dental anxiety and fear in most children and adults. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the pain perceptions of children who underwent caries removal via an Er:YAG laser and traditional rotary instruments. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Occlusal caries was removed from the permanent molar teeth of 120 pediatric patients who referred to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Necmettin Erbakan University, using an Er:YAG laser and high-and low-speed rotary instruments. All restorative procedures were performed by one clinician. The participant children were asked to choose a value or figure from the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, and the data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test (α=0.05). RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found between the groups (p<0.05). In the Er:YAG laser group, 20.83% of the participants, and in the conventional group, 6.66% of the participants selected the option 'no hurt'. The option 'hurts worst' was selected in neither of the groups. CONCLUSION: The use of Er:YAG laser for caries removal causes less or no pain during the operations, compared to traditional rotary instruments. Therefore, it can be argued that Er:YAG laser is a more comfortable and acceptable alternative for pediatric patients.

Polymerization of resin-based materials leads to temperature rise, caused by the exothermic nature of the reaction and energy absorbed during polymerization. This temperature rise is influenced by intensity of light, composition of resins, and type of light source. This study evaluated thermal insulating properties of four photo-polymerizing pulp-capping agents in primary and permanent teeth. Roots of 80 primary and permanent teeth were removed. Class-I cavities were prepared on the occlusal surfaces of teeth. Materials used were TheraCal LC, Biner LC, ACTIVA BioACTIVE, and Calciplus LC and light sources were 3 M-Elipar and VALO LED. Temperature rise was measured using a J-type thermocouple. Data were statistically evaluated using ANOVA and Tukey's tests (p = 0.05). VALO LED exhibited significantly lower temperature rise in all groups and temperature rise in primary teeth was significantly higher with all experimental materials (p < 0.05). The highest temperature change was observed in the Biner LC group (3.82 ± 0.58) and the lowest change in the Activa-BioACTIVE group (1.78 ± 0.34). The VALO LED light source caused a significantly lower increase in pulpal temperature compared with the 3 M-Elipar source. All tested materials and light sources maintained pulpal temperature under safe limits, with temperature increases not exceeding 5.5°C.