Patients' reasons for consulting a general practitioner at the time of having dental problems: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Many patients consult general practitioners instead of dentists for their oral and dental problems every year. This study aims to find the reasons why patients consult general practitioners when they have dental problems. METHODS: The sample consisted of patients visiting dentists and general practitioners in Kerman, Iran. A thematic interview guide, semi-structured questions, and a mind map that allowed for structured and open-ended questions were prepared and used for the interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim by a final-year student. Data collection, transcription, and analysis were conducted simultaneously to allow for new topics to be raised and theoretical saturation to be reached. When researchers determined that sufficient information was available for analysis and understanding of patient opinions and beliefs, the interview process was stopped. As all audio conversations were recorded with the participant's permission, no note-taking was done during the interviews, which allowed for greater focus on the participants' conversation. The obtained data was analyzed using the content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients were included in this study. The codes related to patients participating in this research, along with the number of respondent groups related to each code were as follows: patient's perceptions of general practitioner(GP) and dental practitioner's scope of work [21], flawed dental system (34), dental anxiety [28], financial considerations [25], and more accessibility to GPs (31). Dental abscesses and dental pain were reported as the most common reasons for consulting GPs. CONCLUSION: Most participants agreed that dental problems are more effectively treated by dentists. Reasons for visiting a general practitioner included lack of a specific dentist, dissatisfaction with dental treatments, lack of a dentist nearby, absence of emergency dental care, and familiarity with a physician. The most common reasons for visits were toothache and dental abscesses. Patients also sought treatment for TMJ pain, referred nerve pain, wisdom tooth pain, numbness and tingling in the jaw, gum inflammation, oral lesions, and ulcers. Furthermore, other factors such as opening hours, appointment systems and waiting time can also affect patient's consult behaviors regarding dental problems.

Antibacterial effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Zataria multiflora in comparison with chlorhexidine mouthwash on some pathogenic oral streptococci: An in vitro study.

Background: Increasing antibiotic resistance to pathogenic microorganisms (Streptococci) has led scientists around the world to turn to medicinal plants. In this study, the effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Zataria multiflora on the in vitro growth of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis have been considered and compared with 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study, the inhibitory growth zone was accessed by the disc diffusion method after 48 h of incubation at 37 C. To find out the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of treatments, colony counts of cultured bacteria on nutrient agar have been considered at serial dilution at 1/2-1/1024 dilution rates. An independent t-test was used to compare the antibacterial effects of extracts while the level of significance of was considered to be 5% (P < 0.05). Results: The inhibitory growth zones of aqueous and alcoholic extracts on S. mutans were 26.8 mm and 35.8 mm, respectively, whereas growth zones for S. sanguis were considered as 25.8 mm and 33.2 mm, sequentially. Comparisons showed better effects of alcohol compared to aqueous extract (P > 0.05). The MIC and MBC assessments showed the same results (P > 0.05). In all comparisons, the effects of 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash were significantly better than both Z. multiflora aqueous and alcoholic extracts (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The different solvents may have contributed to the better effects of an alcoholic to aqueous extract of Z. multiflora on the growth of both bacteria. These two extracts could be used for early inhibition of the growth of the planktonic phase, as well as for better oral taste after chlorhexidine applications.

Biomaterials in bone and mineralized tissue engineering using 3D printing and bioprinting technologies.

This review focuses on recently developed printable biomaterials for bone and mineralized tissue engineering. 3D printing or bioprinting is an advanced technology to design and fabricate complex functional 3D scaffolds, mimicking native tissue forin vivoapplications. We categorized the biomaterials into two main classes: 3D printing and bioprinting. Various biomaterials, including natural, synthetic biopolymers and their composites, have been studied. Biomaterial inks or bioinks used for bone and mineralized tissue regeneration include hydrogels loaded with minerals or bioceramics, cells, and growth factors. In 3D printing, the scaffold is created by acellular biomaterials (biomaterial inks), while in 3D bioprinting, cell-laden hydrogels (bioinks) are used. Two main classes of bioceramics, including bioactive and bioinert ceramics, are reviewed. Bioceramics incorporation provides osteoconductive properties and induces bone formation. Each biopolymer and mineral have its advantages and limitations. Each component of these composite biomaterials provides specific properties, and their combination can ameliorate the mechanical properties, bioactivity, or biological integration of the 3D printed scaffold. Present challenges and future approaches to address them are also discussed.