Background. Illness, social isolation and loneliness may cause different psychological problems in the geriatric population, including depression and anxiety. Factors such as anxiety and fear can negatively affect dental treatment processes and prognoses. Thus, in terms of dental approach to geriatric individuals, it is important to be aware of the emotional processes the elderly may have experienced during the pandemic.Objectives. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the geriatric anxiety levels and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) anxiety and fear levels in the geriatric population. Material and methods.In this correlational study, 129 geriatric individuals were selected through the convenience sampling method. To gather the data, the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS), the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS), the COVID-19 Fear Scale (CFS), and a questionnaire assessing demographic variables were used. Simple linear regression and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the relationships between the variables.Results. The sample consisted of 70.5% males and 29.5% females aged ≥65 years. The GAS total score (15.64 ±9.34) and its 3 subscale scores were strongly correlated with the CAS and CFS scores. The GAS total score and its subscale scores had a significant linear regression with both the CAS and CFS scores (p < 0.001).Conclusions. An increase in the anxiety and fear levels associated with the pandemic was observed in geriatric individuals. Thus, it should be considered that geriatric individuals may encounter some difficulties during dental treatment and prosthetic rehabilitation after the pandemic. Therefore, it is important to normalize the anxiety levels with the help of professionals, and to implement interventions such as socialization, physical activity and meditation to help balance the anxiety levels.

Background. Aesthetic expectations have increased the use of aesthetic materials in dentistry. Lithium disilicates are frequently used materials for these expectations. Bleaching is another method used to provide aesthetics. Bleaching processes on restorative materials are not fully known. This study investigated the effect of at-home and in-office bleaching methods on the color change, surface roughness, and topography of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic materials produced with two different techniques and subjected to different polishing procedures. Methods. A total of 144 disc-shaped pressed and computer-aided design (CAD) lithium disilicate glass-ceramic specimens were randomly divided into four groups. Glazing and three different chair-side polishing procedures were performed. The specimens in each group were randomly divided into two groups and subjected to at-home and in-office bleaching processes (n=9). The home bleaching process was repeated with 16% carbamide peroxide agent for six hours for seven days, while the in-office bleaching process was applied with 40% hydrogen peroxide agent for two sessions of 20 minutes. After the bleaching processes, the final color and surface roughness experiments of the specimens were carried out, and the results were recorded. ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison tests were used FOR the statistical analysis of the data (α=0.05). Results. The material*polish*bleaching, polish*bleaching, material*bleaching, and material*polishing interactions were not statistically significant regarding color and roughness changes of both specimens (P>0.05). Conclusion. Both bleaching processes can be safely applied to lithium disilicate glass-ceramic materials.