Can Binaural Beat Music Be Useful as a Method to Reduce Dental Patients' Anxiety?

BACKGROUND: One of the main issues in dentistry and a barrier to offering dental treatment is anxiety. The usage of music is one of the nonmedical ways to reduce anxiety. Binaural beat technology is used as a music treatment technique. The goal of this study wasto determine whether employing binaural beat technology during and after dental appointments can help patients feel less anxiety and pain. METHODS: In this clinical trial, 80 patients who were candidates for mandibular wisdom tooth surgery (in 2 test and control groups) were examined. In the control group, after the injection of anaesthesia and before surgery, they waited for 10 minutes and during this time no intervention was done. In the test group, thought, after the injection of anaesthesia, the patients were asked to listen to binaural beat music with headphones for 10 minutes. The level of anxiety of the patients before and after the intervention was checked with the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and finally the data were entered into SPSS version 21 software. RESULTS: The score of overt anxiety (P = .524) and covert anxiety (P = .118) before the start of the study was not significant between the 2 groups, but overt anxiety (P = .001) and covert anxiety (P = .000) after the intervention in the test group decreased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The research showed that the use of binaural beat music has significantly reduced the level of overt and covert anxiety in patients and can be used as an alternative nonpharmacologic method to reduce anxiety.

Gingivectomy with Diode Laser Versus the Conventional Scalpel Surgery and Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy in Treatment of Orthodontic Treatment-Induced Gingival Enlargement: A Systematic Review.

Background and objective: Some studies support the superiority of diode laser gingivectomy to scalpel surgery and nonsurgical treatments. However, a systematic review on this topic is lacking. This study aimed to compare gingivectomy with diode laser versus the conventional scalpel surgery and nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) in the treatment of orthodontic treatment-induced gingival enlargement (GE). Materials and methods: In this systematic review, an electronic search of the relevant literature was conducted in Web of Science, Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ProQuest with no language restriction. Randomized clinical trials published between 1985 and 2020 on comparative treatment of orthodontic treatment-induced GE by diode laser gingivectomy and scalpel surgery or NSPT regarding intraoperative and postoperative bleeding and/or pain were included. Risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane 1 tool. Results: Of the initially retrieved 288 articles, 40 were duplicates and excluded; 236 articles were excluded following title and abstract screening, and 5 others were excluded following full-text assessment. Finally, 7 studies underwent systematic review. In the risk-of-bias assessment, 5 studies scored 2, and 2 studies scored 3 out of 6. Intraoperative and postoperative bleeding and pain were found to be significantly lower in the laser group. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this systematic review and with respect to the quality of evidence, the present results revealed lower level of pain and bleeding in diode laser gingivectomy compared with the conventional scalpel surgery and NSPT for treatment of orthodontic treatment-induced GE.

Comparison of periodontal indices, DMFT, xerostomia, hyposalivation and oral health-related quality of life in Sjögren's syndrome patients versus healthy individuals: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a common systemic autoimmune disease that affects oral health, and consequently oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) due to the involvement of exocrine glands. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life and oral health indicators in patients with SS in comparison with healthy individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the case and control groups (45 patients and 45 healthy individuals), questions about demographic data, other systemic disorders, medications, the years of infection, xerostomia, as well as inquiries about the quality of life (Oral Health Impact Profile-14 - OHIP-14) were asked. The patients were evaluated clinically, and oral health indicators, including the plaque index (PI), the gingival index (GI), the sulcus bleeding index (SBI), and the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) were assessed on the Ramfjord teeth. Unstimulated saliva samples from both groups were obtained and weighed. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, v. 24.0. Quantitative variables were compared between the case and control groups with the use of the independent t test or their nonparametric equivalent (the Mann-Whitney test). RESULTS: The comparison of the quantitative variables between the study groups showed a statistically significant difference in the OHRQoL scores (p = 0.037) and the unstimulated saliva flow rate (p = 0.002) between the case and control groups. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in the DMFT index between patients with primary and secondary SS in the case group (p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The lower OHRQoL of patients with SS requires more attention and follow-up to solve periodontal and dental problems in this group of patients.

Viral contamination of acrylic resin removable denture bases in patients with COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Salivary gland ducts are one of the primary targets of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Moreover, saliva contains minor and major salivary gland secretions and a combination of nasopharyngeal and lung secretions. The acrylic resin bases of complete or partial removable dentures have pores and provide a favorable environment for the growth of microorganisms. PURPOSE: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the presence of viral contamination of acrylic resin removable denture bases in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The acrylic resin denture bases (partial and complete) of 29 patients with COVID-19 who underwent treatment in the Infectious Diseases Department of Razi Hospital in Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran, Iran, were evaluated. Samples were collected from the intaglio surface of the prostheses by direct swabbing and coding and were evaluated in a laboratory for the presence or absence of coronavirus. The relationship between hospital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denture PCR and the relationship between denture type and denture PCR were evaluated with the Fisher exact test (α=.05). RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients, age range 55 to 85 years, 18 women, 3 with partial dentures and 26 with complete dentures, were evaluated. The hospital PCR test was positive in 28 patients, while the denture PCR test was positive in 4 patients. No significant relationship was observed between the results of hospital PCR and denture PCR in patients with COVID-19 (P=.138). All 4 patients who tested positive for denture PCR had complete dentures. No significant relationship was found between denture type and denture PCR test results in patients with COVID-19 (P>999). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the microporous structure of the acrylic resin base, no statistically significant viral contamination was observed.

Evaluation of cinnamaldehyde mucoadhesive patches on minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The use of herbal medicines to treat common oral diseases increases rapidly. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is one of the most common oral mucosal diseases, which has an unclear etiology and could lead to severe pain and dysfunction. Cinnamaldehyde is a major component of cinnamon bark oil. Biological properties of cinnamaldehyde, such as antioxidant, antitumor, antifungal, cytotoxic, and anti-mutational characteristics, have been identified. Considering the prevalence of recurrent aphthous stomatitis and the importance of using herbal resources for treatment, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of mucosal adhesive patches containing Cinnamaldehyde on minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis lesions. MATERIAL & METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind clinical trial, patients were divided into two groups. The intervention group received three daily mucosal adhesive patches to be used in the morning, afternoon, and night. The control group also did the same with a placebo. To evaluate the healing and determine the diameter of the lesions, patients were clinically examined on days zero, 3, 5, and 7. The VAS scale evaluated pain at baseline and after each meal for seven days. The Fisher's exact test, t-test, Shapiro Wilk test, Friedman test, and the Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data using the SPSS 20 software. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the mean diameter of the inflammatory lesion and pain intensity in the two groups in the baseline (p > 0.05). However, the ulcer size was significantly reduced in the cinnamaldehyde group on the third, fifth, and seventh days of the study. Except for baseline, the mean pain intensity significantly decreased in the cinnamaldehyde group compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Cinnamaldehyde mucoadhesive patches effectively reduced and improved aphthous lesions and pain intensity in patients and can be considered a treatment for RAS. REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20180312039060N2-First registration date: 20/07/2018. The present study was registered as a retrospective study.

Diode laser chairside frenectomy in orthodontics: A case series (DIODE LASER FRENECTOMY: CASE SERIES).

Offering the whole orthodontic and surgical treatment to the patient as a single package in a one office can save them considerable time and the trouble. Diode laser enables orthodontists to do so while enjoying its benefits over the scalpel.