Direct composite veneers can be used to mask tooth discolorations and/or to correct unaesthetic tooth forms and/or positions. However, these type of restorations are often regarded as one of the most challenging in aesthetic dentistry presumably due to the extent of natural tooth structure that must be recreated. This paper discusses easy application techniques and tips for Ceram.X Duo™, a nano ceramic composite restorative material. Its natural shading system allows the restoration of tooth with both dentine and enamel shade and transforms it into a final direct veneer restoration that mimics a natural tooth.

Introduction: The role of diet in the aetiology of dental caries occurrence has been questioned recently. Aim: This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the relationship between dietary habits and dental caries among 105 children aged 2 to 5 years old in Kuala Lumpur. Methodology: Subjects were selected using convenient sampling method. Their body weight and height were measured and their dental check-up was performed by qualified dental nurses. A Structured questionnaire and 3-day food diaries were distributed to their parents/caretakers to obtain socio-demographic data, oral health practice and dietary habits of the subjects. The dft (decayed, filled teeth) score was used to describe dental caries incidence. Results: Caries was found in 36.6% subjects with mean dft score of 1.95±3.59 (range: 0-16). Energy (r=-0.334, p=0.008), carbohydrate (r=-0.353, p=0.005), fat (r=-0.325, p=0.01), protein (r=-0.264, p=0.038), and calcium (r=-0.470, p<0.001) intake were significantly correlated with dft score. The negative association between frequency of milk consumption and dental caries was lost after other confounding factors were considered. Dental caries incidence was associated with age of subjects started brushing their teeth (Adjusted OR=5.46, 95% CI=1.74 – 17.17). There was no relationship between frequency of daily meals (p=0.800) and sugary food/drinks consumption (p=0.489) with dental caries occurrence. Conclusion: Dental caries is prevalent among young children and related with dietary factors and oral health practices. Therefore, healthy dietary habits and oral health practice should be integrated in the oral health promotion targeted to parents/caregivers and young children in order to improve their dental health status.

The study aimed to evaluate the quality of the hybridlayer form by three different adhesive systems. Class Vcavities were prepared on the buccal surface of fourtyextracted human premolars. The prepared teeth wererandomly assigned into four groups according to theadhesive system and application mode. The systemswere: Optibond S (OS, total-etch); Optibond Versa (OV,two-bottles, self-etch); Single Bond Universal (SBU,one-bottle, self-etch) and Single Bond Universal withetchant (SBU + etchant). All cavities were restored withcomposite (Filtek Z350XT). The samples were sectioned,polished and pretreated to remove minerals, proteinand water prior to SEM evaluation. From the images,thickness of the hybrid layers was measured. Present ofresin tags and adaptation failure were also recorded. Thedata obtained were analyzed using ANOVA, Dunnett’sT3, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. OS groupshowed the highest average hybrid layer thickness (4.34µm), followed by SBU + etchant (3.06 µm), OV (1.91 µm)and SBU (0.95 µm). Both adhesive and cohesive failureswere observed in SBU group. Present of prominent resintags were seen in both OS and OV groups. In conclusion,all the investigated adhesive systems were able to performdistinguishable actions as shown in micro-morphologicalalteration and hybrid layer thickness. Two-bottles, selfetchadhesive (OV) was proven to produce negligibleadaptation failure compared to other adhesive systems inthe present study. Combined all-in-one adhesive (SBU)was found to render a superior bonding performance intotal-etch mode comparing to self-etch mode.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of several beverages on the physical properties of SonicFill (Kerr Corp.,USA), a new bulk-fill dental composite, over a period of time. Methods: A total of 28 discs (10 mm x 2mm) were prepared and randomly assigned into 4 groups (n=7) according to the beverages they wouldbe immersed in. The beverages chosen were Coca-Cola?, Nescafe? coffee, Lipton tea? and distilledwater (control). Surface roughness, microhardness and colour stability were evaluated using 3D opticalsurface texture analyser, Vickers microhardness tester and spectrophotometer respectively. Readingswere recorded at the time intervals of 24 hours, 1 week and 1 moth after immersion. The data obtainedwere analysed using one-way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA and MANOVA. Results: There weresignificant differences in surface roughness for only two pairs of groups (distilled water and Coca-Cola,distilled water and coffee). However, there was no significant difference between the groups within thechosen time. Statistical analysis showed significant difference in microhardness between time only forCoca-Cola, with significant differences between 24 hours and 1 week; and 24 hours and 1 month. Forthe colour evaluation, there was significant difference between the groups within time. Conclusions:All the beverages chosen were able to affect the physical properties of the SonicFill. However, noparticular beverage had a higher or lower impact on the surface roughness than the other beverages.Microhardness was affected by distilled water and Coca-Cola, in ascending order. Colour was affectedmost by coffee, followed by tea and Coca-Cola.

The objectives of this study were to compare the microhardness, flexural strength and compressivestrength of a new bulk-fill composite (SonicFill™) to a conventional nanohybrid composite (HerculitePrecis) and an established bulk-fill composite (Tetric N Ceram). In addition, the depth of cure of thetwo bulk-fill resin composites was also investigated. The materials were prepared and tested for themechanical properties following ISO 4049:2009. Microhardness and depth of cure were measured usingVickers hardness tester. Compressive and flexural strength were tested using a universal testing machine.To determine the depth of cure, microhardness of the bulk-fill composites were measured as a functionof selected depth of materials at 0.5 mm, 2.0 mm and 4.0 mm. Data were analyzed by either one-wayANOVA or Friedman test. Analysis demonstrated that SonicFill™ gave the highest microhardness value(101.8 + 4.6 VHN) compared to the other two groups. There were no significant differences among allgroups in flexural and compressive strength. The depth of cure decreased as the thickness of both bulkfillcomposites increased. In conclusion, SonicFill™ showed favorable mechanical properties comparedto other composites tested. In both bulk-filled groups, microhardness value decreased as the thicknessof the composite increased. The polymerization of the bulk-filled composites was effective only at 2 mmor less.