Purpose: To comparatively analyze the oral health-related knowledge of mothers of children aged up to 3 years before and after the "Dental Home for Children" educational program (www.dentalendom.bg) Material/methods: The study involved a group of 90 mothers of children aged up to 3 years who visited the special educational and motivational website www.dentalendom.bg and completed our survey. We compared and processed the results of the survey using 90 control questionnaires, which were completed by parents who had visited the dental office without having attended an oral health education and motivation session in advance. Results: The results obtained from the survey completed by mothers of children aged up to 3 years show that their knowledge of the importance of fluoride prevention, the risks of nighttime bottle feeding with baby formula for a long time, mistakes in feeding, and the early transmission of cariogenic bacteria increased substantially compared to the mothers who did not visit the educational website. Conclusion: The obtained positive results give us reason to believe that e-learning health education programs are useful for both mothers and children aged up to 3 years.

Introduction: Dental operating microscopes (DOM) enable dentists to examine, with the aid of magnification and photodocumentation in clinical conditions, the occlusal anatomy of newly erupted permanent molars and to detect any early carious lesions more precisely. Aim: To determine the advantages of magnifying technology in detecting early occlusal carious lesions in newly erupted permanent first molars. Materials and methods: We examined 176 first molars of 44 children divided into two age groups: 7-8 and 9-10 years. The surfaces of each of the teeth were examined after they were cleaned with a brush without paste. The diagnoses were first made using only illumination and a clinical examination. These were followed by a visual examination of the occlusal surface using a DOM at ×8 magnification. A photo of the occlusal surface was then taken with a camera at the respective magnification for the purposes of photodocumentation. Results: This study demonstrated that dental operating microscopes increased by 7% the rate of successful detection of early caries lesions on the occlusal surfaces. There was also a significant increase of the number of diagnosed cavitated caries in the dentine in comparison with those detected with naked eye. Using DOMs in pediatric dentistry facilitates the more detailed and precise diagnosing of early stage carious lesions and/or cavitations in the fissures. Conclusion: The use of a DOM facilitates differential diagnosing between deep fissures and early carious lesions, which is a key point in the assessment of occlusal surfaces of newly erupted permanent molars, necessary for their preventative sealing and micro-invasive treatment.

Introduction: The Dental Home is the ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient, inclusive of all aspects of oral health care delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated, and family-centered way. Dental practice, working on the principles of the Dental Home, increases the possibilities for caries prevention. Aim: The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of our educational and motivational program created in the Dental Home for caries prevention for two years. Material and methods: The object of research and comparison are two groups of children - experimental and control. The experimental group includes 90 children who have two years of regular participation in our Dental Home and are theobject of our motivational and educational program. The control group are 30 childrenwho are visiting our Dental Home for the first time. We evaluated the effectiveness of preventive care led by the Dental Home by comparing the results in the two groups on the following criteria - dft – index, plaque index and level of caries risk. Our results confirmed that care in Dental Home reduces the spread of caries -85,56% of the children in our experimental group stayed caries-free, compared to 46.67% of the children in the control group.Significantly lower level of plaque accumulation was shown by the children for whom we created a Dental home. The number of children at high risk of caries development is significantly higher in the control group. Conclusion: A dental practice that works on the principles of the Dental Home has the potential to manage children's oral health.

Introduction: The American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry recognizes the concept of dental visits of children of 1 year of age. The first dental visit based on a special protocol provides for the development of preventive habits and health culture fostering the overall oral health and wellness. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes, knowledge, and competence of Bulgarian dentists regarding the work with children up to 3 years of age. Materials and methods: А web-based self-administered survey with 6 questions was distributed to 500 dentists in Bulgaria. To provide dissemination and completion of the questionnaire, we used Google Forms and online access to the questionnaire. It included questions relating to the dentists' awareness of the recommendations of the global guidelines on the examination and treatment of young children. Results: Significantly more colleagues (77.60%) were not aware of the concept of the Dental Home. Almost half of the dentists see children below the age of three. Most dentists believe that the reason for the delayed first dental visit is in the parents. Most colleagues support global trends and believe that the first dental examination should take place before the first birthday. Conclusion: Most of the dentists in Bulgaria are convinced of the need for a first dental examination before the age of 1, but the concept of the Dental Home with its philosophy, principles, and policy is not well known.