The completion of root development and closure of the apex occurs up to 3 years after the eruption of the tooth. The treatment of pulpal injury during this period provides a significant challenge for the clinician. The importance of careful case assessment and accurate pulpal diagnosis in the treatment of immature teeth with pulpal injury cannot be overemphasized. The treatment of choice for necrotic teeth is apexification, which is induction of apical closure to produce more favorable conditions for conventional root canal filling. The most commonly advocated medicament is calcium hydroxide, although recently considerable interest has been expressed in the use of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). We report a case series wherein calcium hydroxide and MTA were used successfully for one step apexification in teeth with open apex.

Background: The dental needs of cerebral palsy children are an area of study much in need of attention. The neglect of this aspect should be rectified, and simpler diagnostic methodologies should be established and used to serve this purpose. Aim: This study aimed to determine oral health status and salivary biomarkers (salivary flow rate, pH, buffering capacity) among children with cerebral palsy (CP), to compare their data with that of their healthy siblings, and to evaluate the relationship between salivary biomarkers and dental caries. Methods: A total of 30 CP children (study group) and 30 normal healthy siblings (controls) were selected between the ages of 5 and 12 years. Salivary biomarkers were assessed, and oral health status was examined. Statistical Analysis: Chi-square test was used for comparison of oral health status. “Unpaired t test was used to compare caries indexes (decay/filled teeth–primary dentition [dft] and decay/missing/filled teeth–permanent dentition [DMFT]) and salivary biomarkers between the groups. Pearson correlation was used to find the correlation between salivary biomarkers and caries. Results: The dft scores were significantly higher in the study group (P<0.05). The pH values and salivary flow rates were significantly lower in the study group (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively). There was a significant correlation between DMFT scores and salivary flow rate in the study group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Low pH and low salivary flow rate might be risk factors for dental caries in CP populations; moreover, the significant correlation between DMFT score and salivary flow rate suggests that salivary flow rate could be used as a screening tool for assessing at-risk subjects in such populations.

A syndrome is a medical condition that is characterized by a particular group of signs and symptoms, involving several organ systems. Oligodontia is defined as the developmental absence of six teeth or more, excluding third molars. Oligodontia can be classified as syndromic or nonsyndromic. Nonsyndrome oligodontia is a developmental dental anomaly without involvement of other organs. The consequences of missing teeth include abnormal occlusion or altered facial appearance, which can cause psychological distress in some patients. The management of oligodontia usually requires a multidisciplinary approach. The present article reports a case of oligodontia in siblings of the same family with no apparent systemic abnormalities.

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