Lateral Pterygoid Muscle Location in Relation to Preauricular Skin Measured from CT Scans among a Sample of Yemeni Adults.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) in relation to preauricular skin measured from computed tomography (CT) scan measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT scans of 160 patients aged between 18 and 75 years were retrospectively collected and analyzed, and the distances were measured to determine the location of the LPM center in relation to the preauricular skin. On axial CT crossing the maximum muscle width, two lines [the first line is below the center of the zygomatic arch (first position), while the second line was 5 mm posterior to the first one (second position)] were drawn from the preauricular skin to the medial border and then extended to the lateral border of the muscle. These measurements were used to calculate the distance to the center of the muscle mathematically. Data were statistically analyzed, and the differences between both genders and both sides were investigated. The level of significance was set at p-value <0.05. RESULTS: Males displayed larger mean values in two positions (36.6 ± 2.25 and 35.97 ± 4.19, respectively) than females (33.66 ± 4.46 and 32.80 ± 3.21, respectively). The difference between both genders was found to be statistically significant. Measurements on the right side were also larger than those on the left side, but with no significant difference. CONCLUSION: LPM center can be approached safely in males by inserting the needle about 36 mm at the first position and 33 mm at the second position. However, in females, these distances are located 3 mm shorter in both positions. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The outcome of this study will provide the clinicians with measurements that can help in directing the needle or electromyography (EMG) electrode during the extraoral injection technique of the LPM. How to cite this article: Al-Tairi NH, Al-Sharaee YA, Alhajj MN. Lateral Pterygoid Muscle Location in Relation to Preauricular Skin Measured from CT Scans among a Sample of Yemeni Adults. J Contemp Dent Pract 2021;22(5):522-526.

The association between Epstein-Barr virus and oral lichen planus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common inflammatory disease, with unclear etiology. A number of studies have linked Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with OLP. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the available evidence regarding the potential association between EBV and OLP. METHODS: Online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar) were searched from date of inception till May 2020. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: 1) observational studies that assessed the relationship between EBV and OLP, 2) the study comprised OLP patients and control subjects, 3) diagnosis of OLP was confirmed histopathologically, and 4) articles were in English. Studies without control groups, experimental studies, case reports, and reviews were excluded. The fixed-effects model was performed for meta-analyses using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies comprising 386 OLP cases and 304 controls were included. Of these, only 8 studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. The results of the quality assessment showed that only 2 studies were of high quality, while the remaining studies were of moderate quality. The results of the pooled eight studies revealed a significant positive association between EBV and OLP (OR = 4.41, 95% CI: [2.74, 7.11], P < .0001). CONCLUSION: The results of the present systematic review suggest that EBV infection is statistically associated with increased risk of OLP. However, these results are preliminary, and high-quality, large-scale studies are warranted to further explore the potential role of EBV in the pathogenesis of OLP.

Quality and Readability of Web-based Arabic Health Information on Denture Hygiene: An Infodemiology Study.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the quality and readability of the available health information on the net regarding denture hygiene. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three search engines (Google, Yahoo!, and Bing) were searched. The first 20 consecutive websites from each engine were obtained and checked for eligibility. For the quality of the websites, the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the DISCERN tool, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmarks, and Google PageRank were used for the assessment of the included websites. For readability, an online web tool was used, including well-known analyzing indices [Flesch Kincaid grade level (FKGL), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE)]. The acceptable readability level was set to be ≥80.0 for the FRE and <7 for the FKGL and SMOG. The data were presented in frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: Out of the 60 screened websites, 14 websites were eligible for analysis. There was only one (7.1%) website that had the HONcode seal. The mean score of all websites based on the DISCERN tool was 29.6 ± 12.1, with no website achieved the high score (≥65). Only one (7.1%) website scored >5 based on Google PageRank. Regarding JAMA benchmarks, all websites achieved a mean score of 2.57 ± 1.1. The mean grade level based on the FKGL was 8.4 ± 6.3. All websites had a score of <7 according to the SMOG index. The mean score of the readability ease index was 90.5 ± 16.4. CONCLUSION: Most of the dental health information on denture hygiene available on the Arabic websites did not have the required level of quality, regardless of being readable and comprehensible by most of the general people. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Directing the patients to the appropriate websites related to their cases is the responsibility of the dentists.

Efficacy of aloe vera mouthwash versus chlorhexidine on plaque and gingivitis: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The present systematic review assessed the efficacy of aloe vera mouthrinse on plaque and gingival inflammation. METHODS: A comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science was conducted in February 2018 to identify all relevant studies using the following keywords: aloe vera, gingivitis, gingival inflammation, plaque-induced gingivitis, periodontal health and plaque control. The eligibility criteria were all randomized clinical trials that assessed the efficacy of aloe vera mouthrinse in comparison to chlorhexidine on plaque and gingivitis. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. RESULTS: Six randomized clinical trials comprising 1358 subjects were included in this systematic review. All included studies showed that aloe vera was effective in reducing plaque and gingival inflammation. Four studies found aloe vera as effective as chlorhexidine in reducing plaque scores, while two studies found chlorhexidine significantly more effective than aloe vera. With regard to gingival inflammation, three studies showed comparable results between aloe vera and chlorhexidine, while one study showed better results with chlorhexidine. Moreover, the results showed that aloe vera had no or very minimal side effects compared to chlorhexidine, which showed significant side effects including stains and altered taste sensation. CONCLUSION: The available evidence remains inconclusive but suggests that aloe vera mouthwash is comparable to chlorhexidine in reducing gingival inflammation but inferior to chlorhexidine in reducing plaque. These findings are preliminary and further high-quality studies with adequate sample sizes are highly recommended.

Evaluation of Gingival Health Status among 6- and 12-years-old Children in Dhamar City, Yemen: A Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological data on gingivitis in children are important for understanding the natural course of the disease, identifying its risk factors, and predicting its time trends. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of gingivitis among 6- and 12-year-old school children in Dhamar city, Yemen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 663 children (310 children of 6 years old and 353 children of 12 years old) were examined from 10 public primary schools. Gingival health status was assessed using the plaque index (PI), calculus index (CI), and gingival index (GI) on the six Ramfjord teeth. The latter index was used to categorize gingivitis severity at the subject level. Data were analyzed using independent f-test, chi-squared test, and Spearman's correlation. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Both age groups had high mean of PI and GI with nonsignificant difference. The 12-year-old children had calculus deposits much higher than the 6-year-old group with significant difference. There was a significant correlation between age and gender of the whole sample with CI [(odds ratio, OR = 1.65, p = 0.003) and (OR = 0.74, p = 0.05) respectively]. Most of the participants presented with gingival inflammation, which was less in 12-year-old females. CONCLUSION: Poor oral hygiene and mild gingivitis were highly prevalent among Yemeni school children. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The early assessment and intervention of gingivitis and periodontitis will minimize the chance of tooth loss. It has been reported that marginal gingivitis begins early in childhood, increases in prevalence and severity at puberty, and then subsides slightly to the remainder of the second decade of life.

Three-dimensional Analysis of Alveolar Bone With and Without Periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the alveolar bone density and thickness in Chinese participants with and without periodontitis. METHODOLOGY: This study was retrospective and cross-sectional in nature and used cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to evaluate alveolar bone loss, bone density, and bone thickness around 668 mandibular molars (344 periodontally healthy teeth and 324 teeth with periodontitis). Comparative statistical tests were done related to the age, sex, tooth type, tooth side, and degree of bone loss. The significance level was set to be P < .05. RESULTS: The alveolar bone density significantly differed between the healthy and periodontitis groups (mean difference = 24.4 Hounsfield units; P = .007). Similarly, the alveolar bone thickness of the healthy group was significantly higher than that of the periodontitis group (4.6 ± 1.8 mm compared to 4.2 ± 1.1 mm). Teeth in females demonstrated a significantly (P ˂ .001) higher bone density compared with males in both healthy and compromised groups. However, males showed a significantly (P ˂ .05) thicker bone of the teeth than females in relation to the healthy group. The alveolar bone density and thickness in both healthy and periodontitis groups significantly differed between the first and the second molars (P < .001). The alveolar bone thickness had a highly significant difference (P < .001) between the different degrees of bone loss. CONCLUSIONS: Alveolar bone thickness and density were reduced at periodontally diseased teeth.

Effect of Commonly Consumed Beverages on Color Stability of Polymethyl Methacrylate Denture Base Material.

Color change of prosthodontic materials may result in patient dissatisfaction and additional expenses for replacement. This study aimed to determine the effect of daily-consumed beverages (tea, coffee, and Pepsi®) on the color stability of two types of heat-cured acrylic resin denture base materials (Hiflex-H and DPI® Heat Cure). A total of 136 disc samples were prepared as per manufacturer instructions and divided into two main groups of 68 discs of each type (20 mm ± 0.1 mm in diameter and 3 mm ± 0.1 mm in thickness), according to the acrylic resins, and stored in distilled water for 24 hours. Each group was subdivided into four groups according to the three beverages types and distilled water (as a control). Specimens were scanned (computer analysis) three times after consumption of the beverage: 0 day (T0), 15 days (T1), and 30 days (T2). The International Commission on Illumination was used to determine the mean color change (ΔE). The most color change was apparent with tea after 30 days (ΔE = 39.21) when compared to specimens stored in distilled water (ΔE = 1.43). DPI Heat Cure acrylic resin showed more color change compared to Hiflex-H acrylic resin. When computing color change (ΔE) to NBS (National Bureau of Standards), appreciable to very much change in color was apparent with the three staining beverages compared to slight and noticeable color change with distilled water. By increasing the time of the experiment, significant increase in the mean color was observed. Tea immersion showed the greatest color changes (very much change in color, per NBS), followed by Pepsi and coffee. Increasing the immersion period increased the staining result.

Evaluation of a New Surgical Technique for Closing Oroantral Fistula Using Auto-transplanted Upper Third Molar: A 1-Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: Oroantral fistula (OAF) is considered a frequent complication in dental practice. Many surgical techniques/methods have been proposed to close it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the auto-transplantation of upper third molar for closing OAF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients participated in this study aged between 20 and 40 years old. The OAF was closed by auto-transplantation of upper third molar placed directly in the socket of the extracted tooth. Results were evaluated clinically and radiographically through the period of observation which lasted for 1 year. RESULTS: Final results showed that the success rate of closing OAF was 95% while the success rate of upper third molar auto-transplantation was 90%. CONCLUSION: This technique is simple, applicable, provides immediate replacement of the missing tooth, and does not require complicated instruments or procedures.