Aim: To evaluate the oral health, oral hygiene, and dietary habits of pregnant women, as well as the health status and habits of their children in their first few months of life. This project, implemented through an agreement between the Pescara Local Health Authority and the "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti and Pescara, enabled these investigations to be carried out and assessed satisfaction with pre-/post-partum courses.
Study design: This is a descriptive statistical analysis conducted on a sample of participants from a maternal and child oral health education project.
Methods: The project was conducted from June 2023 to December 2024 and enabled 500 pregnant women to participate in pre- and post-partum courses. Of these participants, 105 underwent a free dental examination and agreed to complete a first questionnaire. Subsequently, 53 of these women responded to a second questionnaire regarding the post-partum period. The questionnaires aimed to collect data on general and oral health, dietary and oral hygiene habits, and information about the newborn, their birth, and their first few months of life.
Results: From the first questionnaire, it was found that 52.4% of women reported gum bleeding during pregnancy and 40% reported gum swelling. 51.4% had a dental check-up in the previous year, and 58.1% did not use interdental cleaning aids. The second questionnaire revealed that 51.9% of mothers experienced oral problems after childbirth, but of these, only 34.6% underwent a dental check-up. Regarding family habits, 51.9% of parents stated that they engaged in salivary exchange with the child, and 7.69% of newborns had a dental check-up after birth. 88.5% of mothers found the courses useful.
Conclusions: The study confirms the prevalence of gum problems during pregnancy and, at the same time, the low level of interest in oral health and, consequently, in dental check-ups. The need to increase awareness about the risks of certain habits, such as salivary exchange, is evident. However, the high satisfaction rate with the courses and the interest shown by most of the project participants-who are still in contact with the dental facilities-demonstrate the effectiveness of the courses. It is therefore hoped that the study can be expanded on a larger scale and that the role of the paediatric dentist can be included in pre-/post-partum pathways.
Aim: To study root resorption of the primary dentition in children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) medicated with bisphosphonates (BPs) and compare the results with a control group of healthy patients.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted analysing 20 panoramic radiographs belonging to children with OI with a mean age of 8.18 (±1.60), who had received BPs in a period equal to or greater than 1 year, comparing them to a control group of 367 panoramic radiographs belonging to healthy children with a mean age of 9.19 (±1.62). Children with tooth agenesis, caries or bilateral restorative treatments in the lower arch were excluded. Root resorption of primary teeth was examined with the Haavikko method and with the PixelStick® software. To indicate the presence of dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI), the radiographic characteristic of DI such as obliteration of the pulp chambers, bulbous crowns, and very narrow root walls, were taken into account. The cumulative dose of BPs was obtained by mathematically calculating the total dosage received (mg)/weight (kg) and multiplying the relative potency of the medication. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparisons, and p < 0.05 indicated statistical significance.
Conclusion: Not differences in root resorption was found between children with DI or without DI. BPs therapy was associated with delay in root resorption of the primary molars and delay in the exfoliation of primary dentition in children with OI. Delayed root resorption should be considered, particularly as it may increase the number of impacted teeth in children already suffering from dental disorders.
In the dental field, the value of early prevention is self-evident. Appropriate use of fluoride, parental and child education on correct oral hygiene practices, early detection of conditions such as molar-incisor hypomineralisation, implementation of pit and fissure sealing programmes, and dietary management aimed at reducing sugar intake are all interventions that demonstrate long-term benefits. These measures not only improve the prognosis of future treatments, but also reduce susceptibility to oral diseases in adulthood as well as systemic disorders. Dental caries, the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide, continues to increase in both primary and permanent dentition. Its early occurrence is not merely a dental problem, but also an indicator of exposure to unhealthy lifestyles and to risk factors common to other major conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This highlights oral prevention as a cornerstone of broader non-communicable disease prevention strategies, in line with WHO recommendations. Examples from daily practice clearly show that paediatric dental prevention is not a cost, but a lifelong investment: every early intervention generates benefits that persist for decades. The challenge in the coming years will be to increasingly integrate oral prevention into maternal and child health programmes, schools, and public health policies, building concrete bridges with paediatrics, nutrition, and other health disciplines, extending through to geriatrics. On the occasion of this anniversary, this special issue seeks to reaffirm a key message: paediatric dental prevention is fundamental to securing oral health and general well-being across the life-course, from childhood to old age. This statement is not a rhetorical claim, but a commitment firmly grounded in scientific evidence.
Background: The caries risk assessment (CRA) is the set of procedures that aim to determine a personalised treatment of the caries pathology in the patient. CRA establishes the probability to develop carious lesions over a certain time period or the likelihood that there will be a change in size or activity of lesions already present [Kriegler et al., 2021]. This "assessment" occurs in two phases: the first phase is to determine specific disease indicators, risk factors, and protective factors each patient has such as the presence of bacterial biofilm, the quantity and quality of saliva, the quality and quantity of the patient's diet, the presence or absence of a correct lifestyle from a hygienic point of view; the use of fluorine and calcium phosphate substances; In the second phase a risk level is assigned to the patient (low, moderate, high, or extreme) in order to allow an individualised treatment plan, which combines restorative treatments with a preventive chemical therapy [Featherstone and Chaffee, 2018; Khallaf et al., 2021]. The aim of this preliminary study is to analyse the correlation of caries with the risk factors related in young patients from 6 to 12 years old, associated to moderate and severe risk levels of caries.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study that included 64 children and adolescents aged from 6 to 12 years, considering the possible and possible samples not acceptable to the study, due to the exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria were as follows: all children visiting the pediatric dental clinic who co-operated during the oral examination who have from "moderate" to" high" risk of caries according with CAMBRA [Featherstone et al., 2007].
Results: The sample consisted of 64 subjects, of which only one with a C.R.A. score less than 11 (score 1 for the compliance factor, workable soil index, and score 3 for the fluorine factor to indicate no fluoroprophylactic measure) and was considered "low risk". This patient was excluded from the subsequent analysis, which compared subjects with a C.R.A. score of 11-15 ("high risk", n = 29) with those with a score of 16-27 ("extreme risk", n = 34).
Conclusions: The results showed that patients at extreme risk of tooth decay compared to high-risk patients, not only had all the highest rating rates, but also had more difficulty changing their habits. We can therefore conclude that both the risk of caries is directly proportional to a worsening of the clinical conditions and the delay of the intervention by the clinician is itself a risk factor.
Aim: Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) affect oral functions and influence craniofacial development, contributing to skeletal and dental malocclusions. The collaboration between orthodontists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is crucial for early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic competence of orthodontic residents in identifying OMDs, and to determine whether the application of a standardised interdisciplinary orofacial assessment protocol enhances diagnostic accuracy and interprofessional consistency.
Methods: Twenty-nine postgraduate orthodontic residents (PORs) at the University of Pavia were asked to conduct the first visit of one patient each to assign a Diagnostic Score (DS) from 1 to 10, where 1 indicated no need for intervention and 10 indicated an absolute necessity for orofacial myofunctional therapy (T0). Subsequently, an adapted version of the Interdisciplinary Orofacial Examination Protocol for Children and Adolescents (aIOEPCA) was used to improve the diagnostic ability of PORs. aIOEPCA comprised 15 clinical items, including assessment of sagittal, vertical, and transverse malocclusion patterns, lip competence, tongue mobility, breathing, swallowing, and speech articulation-each scored to quantify the severity of dysfunction. A second evaluation of the DS was conducted after the use of the protocol (T1), to assess improvements in PORs diagnostic ability. An expert SLP independently evaluated the same patients using the interdisciplinary protocol and DS were compared.
Results: Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between the PORs and the SLP evaluations across several functional parameters. Regarding DS, a significant difference was found between PORs T0 and SLP (p < 0.05), while after the use of the protocol the score improved, and PORs T1 vs SLP resulted not significant (p > 0.05). The use of the aIOEPCA improved diagnostic consistency, highlighting its potential as a standardised interdisciplinary diagnostic tool.
Conclusions: The findings highlight a deficiency in the ability of orthodontic residents to identify functional impairments requiring orofacial myofunctional therapy. Implementing interdisciplinary assessment tools could help to mitigate this deficit and foster more cohesive diagnostic pathways. Structured interprofessional education should be considered an imperative part of orthodontic education.
Aim: Prefabricated myofunctional appliances (PMAs) are widely adopted for correcting the sagittal and vertical dimensions during mixed dentition. Despite the effectiveness of the antero-posterior relationship has been recently evaluated, the effectiveness in correcting the vertical dimension is still uncertain. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of PMAs treatment in children with mixed dentition on the vertical dimension, including sagittal and transverse parameters that may affect the vertical dimension.
Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, Livivo, and Lilacs were searched from inception until November 5th, 2024. Selection criteria were: Randomized/non-randomized clinical studies (RCT/NRSI), prospective and retrospective cohort studies, before-and-after comparisons, and cross-sectional studies assessing PMAs treatment in mixed dentition children with deep-bite or open-bite malocclusion. The mean pre-treatment and post-treatment values of dental and/or skeletal variables and/or treatment changes as mean differences (MD)±SD, were extracted. Risk of bias was performed with Rob2 and the NHLBI quality assessment tools. Random-effect meta-analysis of MD and their 95% confidence intervals (ICs) were performed, followed by assessment of clinical relevance of significant results.
Conclusion: The PMAs treatment seems to be associated with a reduction of overbite in deep-bite malocclusion, whereas the vertical skeletal pattern seems to be unaffected.
Background: Odontogenic tumors in children are relatively rare, and among these, intraosseous odontogenic myxoma is particularly uncommon, making up a small proportion of paediatric odontogenic tumors, with a reported incidence ranging from 8,5% to 11,6% of all cases [Forte et al., 2025]. The histopathological confirmation for a definitive diagnosis is required in all cases.
Case report: A paediatric case of maxillary odontogenic myxoma is documented. This report highlights the clinical features, diagnostic challenges, therapeutic approach and follow-up protocol chosen for patient's treatment.
Conclusion: To provide insights into the clinical management of OM, focusing on multidisciplinary approach and timely intervention.
Aim: The aim of this paper is to propose a new concept of "biological parking" for the prevention of upper impacted canine in the early mixed dentition, illustrating the management of palatal expansion, followed by serial extraction of first deciduous molar and than deciduous canine.
Results: This approach, applied in the early mixed dentition, can obtain an important improving of the infrabony path of the canines, either in case of vestibular or palatal risk of impaction, because it promotes a guided acceleration of the eruption of the first premolar avoiding o reducing the risk of its mesial eruption and frees up space for the eruption of the canine, improving its inclination, better if associated with an open root apex. If pretreatment variables regarding the possible success of treatment on the eruption of canine are more severe, this approach can make easier the next surgical-orthodontic threrapy.
Conclusions: Early maxillary expansion followed by the extraction first of the first milk molar and then of the deciduous canine, after the initial eruption of first premolars, in this exact sequence, can be effective in treating patients in early mixed dentition with risk of impacted canines.
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