Using a model core curriculum devised in 2016 and 2022, basic training in pediatric dentistry with the goal of practical clinical competence was performed. It is considered necessary to raise the abilities of dental students regarding problem-solving as well as maintaining personal relationships, with the goal of extending those factors leading to improved dental education. Therefore, conversion to an education centered on active learning was considered to be required. Techniques related to problem-based learning, specifically regarding the basic practice of pediatric dentistry, were adopted from 2018. In 2022 and 2023, the results of questionnaires, as well as pretest and post-test results for attending students, were examined.The questionnaire results suggested that experience with basic practice led to increased interest in and motivation toward clinical practice. Many of the students noted feelings of anxiety before practice, which were relieved by communication with the teacher and gaining proficiency with necessary skills. It was also found that by incorporating simulation practice and problem-based learning type exercises, the level of comprehension increased. Based on the results of this study, a more comprehensive teaching method is being developed to help students improve their knowledge, skills, and clinical behavior.

The Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Outpatient Clinic provides support for children with delays or abnormalities in feeding and swallowing during their growth period. In this study, 45 children (28 boys and 17 girls) who attended our pediatric dental clinic in the last 7 years and 4 months (from 1 April 2015 to 31 July 2022) were examined at their first visit and the results were tabulated.

The mean age at first visit was 3 years and 8 months, ranging from 6 months to 11 years and 5 months. Children aged 1 to 3 years accounted for 67% of the total. Twenty-two children were full-term births and 16 were preterm births (including 6 very preterm and 7 extremely preterm). At birth, 25 weighed more than 2,500 g and 19 weighed less than 2,500 g (including 4 less than 1,500 g and 8 less than 1,000 g). Motor development was delayed in 14 children with gross motor development. The most common condition was Down syndrome (11 patients), followed by autism spectrum disorder (7 patients). Fifteen patients were referred from the pediatric department of this hospital. The chief complaints were lack of mastication (14 patients), difficulty in swallowing (8 patients) and difficulty in eating solid food (7 patients). The most common method of feeding was oral intake only (27 patients), followed by oral intake and milk feeding (10 patients), and tube feeding was required in 5 patients. In the future, it is important to continue to provide support for children with feeding and swallowing problems in collaboration with medical, dental and community services, while conveying the importance of attending a medical facility that can provide feeding and swallowing support from an early age.

With the spread of the corona virus in December 2019, online dental consultations have been relaxed and commenced. While many dental procedures, such as caries treatment, are performed directly on patients at dental clinics, there is a growing need for guidance and management by dentists for children with insufficiently developed oral function.

The aim of this study was to clarify the usefulness of online dental medical treatment in the future by providing online myofunctional therapy (MFT) for patients with incompetent lip seal (ILS), which is one of the developmental deficiencies of oral function.

The subjects were parents or guardians of children with ILS who agreed to complete the questionnaire.The children and their parents/guardians were considered to have undergone at least one MFT session in the dental clinic. The questionnaires were completed anonymously and were submitted via Google Forms.

Parents had few comments about the online MFT session, and dentists offered many suggestions for improvement. It is considered that the patients tended to be passive and did not express negative opinions because the patients were the providers and the dentists were the instructors in the online clinic. The online treatment was also well received by patients. It is considered that the online treatment is effective for MFT.

Background: Ectodermal dysplasia has intraoral symptoms of missing teeth or teeth with an abnormal morphology.

Case Presentation: We experienced a case of pulpal infection caused by a pulpal morphological defect with an abnormal morphology in the left maxillary central incisor of a 10-year-old boy with ectodermal dysplasia. We report this case since CBCT was effective in detecting the cause of infection and for developing a therapeutic strategy.

Conclusion: CBCT revealed two prominent pulp cavities extending to the incisal margin of the left maxillary central incisor, and the patient was thus diagnosed with chronic suppurative apical periodontitis with apical lesions. The apical lesion in this case could be eliminated at an early phase because all tooth pulps including the two prominent parts could be removed.

Four months after covering with an apical barrier, root canal obturation was performed using a bioactive glass based sealer and gutta-percha points. Restoration of the resin jacket crown was then performed for both maxillary central incisors.

Since the timing of occlusal contact development and fistulation was close, the infection may have developed due to tooth pulp exposure when thinning enamel was exfoliated. This case also shows that abnormal tooth pulp morphology can be confirmed together with abnormal tooth morphology, and that pulp exposure caused by abnormal pulp morphology can be prevented and sensitivity can be improved by composite resin jacket crown restoration. For patients with ectodermal dysplasia with a prominent region for which future occlusal contact may occur, it is useful to confirm abnormal pulp morphology based on dental cone beam CT in addition to intraoral findings and dental/panoramic X-ray images.