Defence of doctoral thesis on ozone therapy in prevention and treatment of dental caries in children

On 1 March at 14:30 in an open meeting of the Medical Promotion Council of RSU to be held in the Hippocrates Lecture Theatre (16 Dzirciema Street, Riga) Jūlija Kalniņa will defend her doctoral thesis “Ozone therapy in prevention and treatment of caries in permanent teeth”.

Dental caries is a major oral health problem, affecting 60–90 % of school children. Contemporary dental caries treatment and prevention methods allow the detection of caries at an early stage which accounts for a considerable reduction in the intensity of tooth decay. Ozone therapy is a novelty in dentistry and is applied both for the prevention and also for treatment of dental caries. Ozone destroys cariogenic bacteria – one of the main causes of dental decay. It is a painless and fast treatment solution, which is a vital aspect of the therapy, knowing that many children have certain fears associated with visiting a dentist.

The main scope of the research was to determine the efficiency of ozone therapy in children, by analysing the changes in mineralisation of dental tissues during caries prevention and treatment in permanent teeth.

Changes in dental tissues following application of ozone and various conventional means of prevention (fluoride varnish and sealants) were observed for two years.

The thesis comprises three parts – the first is devoted to determining and assessing dental caries incidence rate in the target group, oral hygiene and the condition of periodontium, likewise oral care and eating habits. The second part determines the impact of ozone on dental tissue mineralisation in caries prevention in premolar teeth, whereas the third part deals with ozone impact on dental tissue mineralisation for early stage caries treatment in permanent molars.

The research has proven that ozone therapy may be applied in dental caries prevention and treatment in permanent premolars and molars. Introduction of ozone therapy would improve dental decay prevention and treatment quality; reduce the time of treatment and would be of great benefit for patients and dentists.