Ozone Therapy in Prevention and Treatment of in Caries in Permanent Teeth. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

Caries is one of the most common oral diseases. Ozone therapy is one of the latest techniques in dentistry which is applied for caries prevention and treatment. Ozone destroys cariogenic bacteria, thus eliminating one of the main caries aetiological factors. It is believed that ozone therapy can prevent or stop progression of caries, which usually leads to drilling and filling of teeth. Caries prevention and treatment using ozone is a new method in Latvia. Several studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of ozone on treatment of root caries both in vitro and in vivo. However, data on the role of ozone in prevention and treatment of fissure and pit caries, which is one of the most frequently occurring types of caries in children and adolescents, is still very controversial. Given the fact that caries incidence in Latvia is high, it is important to pay close attention to prevention of early enamel caries. The aim of the study was to determine the efficiency of ozone in caries prevention in premolars and treatment of initial enamel caries treatment in permanent molars in children by assessment of changes in mineralization of dental tissues. The main objective of the study was to assess changes in dental tissues after ozone therapy in the period of 24 months. The study included ten-year-old children. At this age, it is important to protect teeth from occlusal surface caries, because it is difficult to provide good cleaning of dental surfaces and self-cleaning by means of chewing. During the study, the incidence of caries, oral hygiene and periodontal status of children was determined and assessed, and analysis of dietary behaviour was performed. Active dental change takes place during early adolescence which we were able to follow up during the study. In addition, there are very few studies worldwide, which include children of this age group. Many different caries prevention methods are available world-wide, our task was to assess the efficiency of application of ozone, fluoride varnish and sealants on development of caries in newly erupted premolars. This study is unique for it is the first time in Latvia when ozone therapy was studied in pediatric dentistry. By using laser infused fluorescence device DIAGNOdent which is not very popular in Latvia, but is well-known abroad, efficacy of ozone and fluoride varnish in therapy of initial occlusal enamel caries in permanent molars was determined. Our study is the only study in Latvia, in which this early caries diagnostic and monitoring instrument was applied. Caries in premolars developed equally often in ozone, in fluoride varnish, and in sealants groups. Therefore it is not important what preventive measures we use. We concluded that ozone is an effective way of treatment of initial enamel caries in permanent molars. This indicates the need for the earliest possible commencement of preventive treatment of initial enamel caries.