A Drop-By-Drop Self-Assembled All-Natural Hydrogel as a Desensitizer for Rapid and Enduring Management of Dentin Hypersensitivity

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a prevalent dental condition arising from the exposure of dentin tubules (DTs), leading to discomfort upon external stimuli. However, achieving swift and profound occlusion of these exposed DTs for immediate and enduring relief remains challenging due to the intricate dentin structure and oral environment. Herein, a pioneering and facile drop-by-drop strategy involving an in situ generated natural supramolecular hydrogel formed by self-assembling silk fibroin (SF) and tannic acid (TA) within the narrow DT space is proposed. When SF and TA aqueous solutions are applied successively to exposed dentin, they penetrate deeply within DTs and coassemble into compact gels, robustly adhering to DT walls. This yields a rapid and compact occlusion effect with an unprecedented depth exceeding 250 µm, maintaining stable occlusion efficacy even under rigorous in vitro and in vivo erosion and friction conditions for no less than 21 days. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and effective occlusion properties are verified through cell studies in simulated oral settings and an in vivo rabbit model. This study, for the first time, demonstrates the translational potential of hydrogel-based desensitizers in treating DH with prompt action, superior occlusion depth and enduring treatment benefits, holding promise as clinical-friendly restorative solutions for delicate-structured biosystems.

Impact of migration on oral health outcomes of children in multi-beneficial kindergartens in Nanning, Southern China: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of children's migration on their oral health outcomes in multi-beneficial kindergartens in Jiangnan District, Nanning, China, and to provide a basis for improving the oral health of migrant children.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 470 children aged 5 years in Jiangnan District, Nanning, Guangxi. A questionnaire was used to collect information on their demographic and socioeconomic background, migration experience, eating habits, oral hygiene behaviours and utilization of dental care services. Dental caries of primary teeth was examined using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) index recommended by the World Health Organization. Dental caries experience and oral health-related behaviours were compared between migrant and resident children. The impact of children's migration attributes on their oral health outcomes was examined by univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Among the examined children, 52.3% were migrant children. The prevalence of caries among the children in multi-beneficial kindergartens was 78.3%, and the mean number of dmft was 5.73 ± 5.00. The prevalence of caries was 81.7% for migrant children and 74.6% for resident children (p = 0.060). No significant difference was found in the mean numbers of DMFT between migrant children and resident children (5.96 ± 4.81 vs. 5.47 ± 5.20, p = 0.139). There were significant differences in the frequency of tooth brushing (p = 0.023) and parental help with tooth brushing (p = 0.008), typical use of fluoride (p = 0.012), regular dental check-ups (p = 0.003) and experience of dental fillings for caries (p < 0.001) between migrant and resident children. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that among the children with caries, the proportion of resident children who had regular dental check-ups was 1.720 times higher than that of migrant children (95% CI = 1.155 ~ 2.560), and resident children were more likely to have caries filled than migrant children (OR = 3.313, 95% CI = 1.585 ~ 6.927).

CONCLUSION

Oral health status and oral health behaviours were poor among children in multi-beneficial kindergartens in Nanning, China, and migration might be a significant predictive indicator for the poor utilization of dental care services by children. The government departments should make special policy to promote the children's oral health in multi-beneficial kindergartens, and invest more to cover the migrant children's utilization of oral health services.

Graphene quantum dots enhance the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs in the inflammatory microenvironment

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), a type of carbon-based nanomaterial, have remarkable biological, physical, and chemical properties. This study investigated the biological mechanisms of the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) induced by GQDs in an inflammatory microenvironment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PDLSCs were cultured in osteogenic-induced medium with various concentrations of GQDs in standard medium or medium mimicking a proinflammatory environment. The effects of GQDs on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation activity of PDLSCs were tested by CCK-8 assay, Alizarin Red S staining, and qRT‒PCR. In addition, Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related gene expression was measured by qRT‒PCR.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the mRNA expression levels of ALP, RUNX2, and OCN and the number of mineralized nodules were all increased in PDLSCs after treatment with GQDs. Moreover, during the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs, the expression levels of LRP6 and β-catenin, which are Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related genes, were upregulated.

CONCLUSION

In the inflammatory microenvironment, GQDs might promote the osteogenic differentiation ability of PDLSCs by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway.