Comparative evaluation of two cetylpyridinium chloride-based mouthwashes on the mechanical properties and strength loss of elastomeric chains used in dentistry: An vitro study.

Objectives: Evaluate the strength degradation of polymeric ligature chains after their immersion in cetylpyridinium chloride-based mouthwashes. Methods: 240 elastomeric samples from four different manufacturers (Rocky Mountain®, Ormco®, Morelli® and Dentaurum®) in two types of configurations (with and without intermodular links) and divided in 3 groups (distilled water, Vitis CPC Protect® and PERIO·AID® 0.05%) at 5 follow-up periods (0-24 h, 7-14 -21 days) were immersed twice a day for 60 s, following the manufacturers' protocols. A universal traction machine was used to perform the measurements and a post hoc multiple comparisons were based on the Bonferroni test and extended to a 3-way ANOVA test (α = 0.05). Results: There was a drop in strength up to 35.9% at 24 h. After a week, the short chains (52%) degraded less than the long ones (57.3%) with significant differences (p < 0.001) and the same pattern was observed until 21 days (p < 0.001). At 24 h, the degradation of the chains exposed in distilled water was 25.8%, in VITIS CPC Protect® 28.6% and in PERIO· AID® 0.05%, 27% with significant differences (p < 0.001). At 21 days, the VITIS CPC Protect® group obtained a much greater loss of strength, being this drop statistically significant (p < 0.001). The chains from Ormco® and RMO® experienced the least loss of force when immersed in the control group or PERIO AID® 0 0.05% (48% and 51%), while Dentaurum's in VITIS CPC Protect® lost more than 75%. Conclusions: The orthodontic elastomeric chains suffer a sharp drop in strength during the first days of treatment. When comparing the mouthwashes, there were statistically significant differences in terms of strength degradation. Clinical significance: Based on the results, some types of chains, such as the ones without intermodular links from Ormco® showed better properties throughout the study. When immersed in PERIO·AID®0.05%, all showed significantly better results over time. Thus, PERIO·AID®0.05% can be recommended as a complementary oral hygiene element in dental treatments when elastomeric chains are used.

Three-dimensional quantification of mandibular asymmetries in Caucasian adult patients with different sagittal and vertical skeletal patterns. A cone beam study using 3D segmentation and mirroring procedures.

INTRODUCTION: An accurate identification of mandibular asymmetries is required by modern orthodontics and orthognathic surgery to improve diagnosis and treatment planning of such deformities. Although craniofacial deformities are very frequent pathologies, some types of asymmetries can be very difficult to assess without the proper diagnostic tools. The purpose of this study was to implement the usage of three-dimensional (3D) segmentation procedures to identify asymmetries at the mandibular level in adult patients with different vertical and sagittal patterns where the asymmetries could go unnoticed at the observational level. METHODS: The study sample comprised 60 adult patients (33 women and 27 men, aged between 18 and 60 years). Subjects were divided into 3 sagittal and vertical skeletal groups. CBCT images were segmented, mirrored and voxel-based registered with reference landmarks using ITK-SNAP® and 3DSlicer® software's. 3D surface models were constructed to evaluate the degree of asymmetry at different anatomical levels. RESULTS: There was a degree of asymmetry, with the left hemimandible tending to contain the right one (0.123 ± 0.270 mm (CI95% 0.036-0.222; p < 0.001). Although the subjects under study did not present significant differences between mandibular asymmetries and their sagittal or vertical skeletal pattern (p = 0.809 and p = 0.453, respectively), a statistically significant difference has been found depending on the anatomical region (p < 0.001; CI95%=1.020-1.021), being higher in the condyle, followed by the ramus and the corpus. CONCLUSIONS: Although mandibular asymmetries cannot be correlated with vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns in symmetric patients, knowledge about 3D segmentation procedures and color maps can provide valuable information to identify mandibular asymmetries.

Effect of mouthwashes on the force decay of polymeric ligature chains used for dental purposes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: External factors such as the daily use of antimicrobial mouthwashes to maintain oral hygiene and to reduce the microbial activity can contribute to alter the mechanical properties of the elastomeric chains used during orthodontic treatments, causing loss of effectiveness. This systematic review and a meta-analysis assessed the rate of force decay and degradation of the polymeric chains depending on the type of mouthwash. METHODS: A systematic search of the literature were there was an exposure of orthodontic elastomeric chains to certain mouthwashes was conducted in the electronic databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), Scopus, EMBASE and Web of Science, as well as grey literature (Opengrey). No limit was placed on publication year and research was done up to June 2022. Based on inclusion/ exclusion criteria, data were extracted by two independent reviewers. For the quantitative analysis, studies were analysed with a mixed-effect (random effect) meta-regression model, with beta coefficients and R [2] values. I [2] index and Q and Egger tests were used to find heterogeneity among studies. RESULTS: A total of 178 potentially eligible studies were identified, of which 14 were eventually included in the qualitative analysis and 14 in the quantitative meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that all the mouthwashes were associated with a greater force decay than the control groups. After 7 days (p = 0.005) significant differences were found among the different mouthwashes, with those containing alcohol having significantly higher impact on the force decay than those containing chlorhexidine 0.2%, sodium fluoride or Persica. However, at 24 h (p = 0.200), 14 days (p = 0.076), 21 days (p = 0.120) and 28 days (p = 0.778) no statistically significant differences among the different mouthwashes were found, although those containing alcohol presented a strong tendency. CONCLUSION: Although mouthwashes tend to increase the speed of force decay of elastomeric chains, especially those containing alcohol, clorhexidine 0.2% can be a good alternative due to its low impact on the force decay and its ability to maintain low microbial activity. More in vitro and in vivo studies comparing different manufacturers and other agents should be performed.

Open science practices in general and internal medicine journals, an observational study.

BACKGROUND: As part of the Open Science movement, this study aims to analyze the current state of open access and open data policies concerning the availability of articles and raw data of the journals belonging to the category "Medicine, General & Internal" of the Science Citation Index Expanded. METHODS: Journal data sharing policies were evaluated through the following variables: possibility of manuscript storage in repositories; reuse policy; publication on a website; and statement regarding complementary material. Subsequently, an analysis of the supplementary material associated with each article was performed through the PubMed Central repository. The study reported was assessed following the STROBE guidelines for observational studies. RESULTS: This study shows that only one-third of the journals included in the category "Medicine, General & Internal" allow the depositing of their documents in repositories and its reuse, while approximately half of the journals agree to publish the document on a website as well as to deposit supplementary material along with the publication. However, the reality about this last variable is that only 9.5% of the articles analyzed contained supplementary material being the main journals involved, BMJ Open, JAMA Network Open, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet and Plos Medicine. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the opening policies of the journals concerning data availability in medical research reveals the unequal positioning of publishers towards the sharing of open data, the ambiguity regarding government policies about the obligation to deposit data and the need for ethical and standardization requirements in the typology/format of the data deposited without forgetting the important role that the researcher plays. Further studies based on journals indexed in medical databases other than Science Citation Index Expanded are needed.

Comparative Study of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQL) between Different Types of Orthodontic Treatment.

Background and objectives: Although the main objective of any orthodontic treatment is to correct malocclusion, a range of psychosocial and/or esthetic factors drive patients to undergo orthodontic treatment. The aim of the present study was to analyze variations in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQL) levels in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment by means of four types of appliances: fixed buccal metal brackets, fixed buccal esthetic/ceramic brackets, fixed lingual brackets, and clear aligners. Material and Methods: The study sample comprised 120 patients aged 18 to 68 years who attended the Orthodontic department at the Dental Clinic of the University of Valencia. The Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) was used to measure orthodontic treatment need. Each patient completed three different intervals of the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14): before treatment (T0); six months after placing the orthodontic appliances (T1) and at the end of orthodontic treatment (T2). Results: All groups suffered a reduction in quality of life from T0 to T1 except the metal bracket group which presented the same level for the functional limitation domain (p = 1.000), the lingual bracket group for the psychological discomfort domain (p = 1.000) and clear aligner group for the physical disability domain (p = 0.118) and psychological disability domain (p = 1.000). Nevertheless, quality of life for most domains was similar in all groups at the end of treatment (T2). Conclusions: Patients underwent a significant reduction in quality of life during treatment in comparison with their pre-treatment condition but showed significant improvements at the end of treatment.