The method used was not appropriate either for investigating the crowns' fracture load and pattern or for stating the role of the cements within the crown-cement-tooth interaction.

The present work seeks to evaluate the biocompatibility of experimental glass ionomer cements (GIC) prepared from niobium-calcium fl uoro-alumino-silicate glass powder and two commercial GICs. The GICs were implanted into the subcutaneous connective tissue of sixty rats. The rats were sacrifi ced during four varying time periods: 7, 15, 30, and 60 days and histopathological examinations were then performed. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to evaluate any signifi cant differences between the materials. Additionally, multiple comparisons of the mean rank were also carried out using the Dunn test (p<0.05). No signifi cant differences were observed that one GIC was superior to the other. The tissue response for all of the GICs tested was similar in all the periods examined.

This study demonstrated that aPDT has promising potential to be used as an additional method to control oral cariogenic biofilms.

Hidden caries is a type of lesion visualized in dentin, mainly by means of bitewing radiographs, in which, clinically, the occlusal enamel appears healthy or minimally demineralized and radiographically presents progressive demineralization in dentin, which may progress and compromise the pulp-dentin complex. Although the etiology of hidden caries is unknown, many theories have been studied, including structural and anatomical defects of enamel, their specific microbiota and the use of fluoride, which is most accepted theory. Considering the clinical concern, since these lesions have a silent progression and often are not detected on routine clinical examinations, this study aims to conduct a critical discussion of the etiology, prevalence, diagnostic methods and treatment decision for lesions of hidden caries, alerting professionals about the importance of routine use of bitewing radiographs even in patients considered "cariesfree" or low risk of caries, for more effective diagnosis.