Unveiling the Influence of the Curve of Spee on Bite Force and Chewing Ability: A Comparative Study.

Aim: To investigate the impact of the curve of Spee (CS) accentuation on bite force, chewing ability, and additionally, other factors that influence chewing ability and bite force such as restorations, caries, gender, habits, and TMJ problems. Materials and Methods: 231 participants (118 male and 113 female, mean age = ±27.96 years) were recruited for this cross-section study. Participants completed a data collection sheet in which age, gender, Angle's classification of malocclusion, overjet, overbite, TMJ problems, habits, restorations, and caries experience were recorded. Two examiners made a lower impression, chewing ability test and measured the bite force for each participant. Measurement of the CS was obtained digitally from the poured dental cast, and the categorization was as follows: flat (<1 mm), normal (1-2 mm), or deep (>2 mm). Results: The mean maximum bite force (MBF) was 468.722 N for participants with flat CS, 389.822 N for normal CS, 647.08 N for deep CS, and 384.667 N for reverse CS. The average MBF was higher for participants with deep CS (p < 0.05). MBF force was higher in males. However, BMI was not significantly related to MBF values. Participants with normal and flat CS have comparable chewing capacity (p > 0.05). Also, a significant difference in bite force and chewing ability was found between the three categories of CS (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Bite force variations across various CS types were linked to gender and habits. Chewing ability showed no differences concerning gender, habits, TMJ problems, caries, or restorations, emphasizing CS's significant impact on bite force while showcasing the unchanged nature of chewing ability amidst diverse factors.

Awareness about emergency management of avulsed tooth among intern dentists-a cross-sectional observational study.

Tooth avulsion is a frequently encountered dental emergency. Children are commonly reported group due to frequent sports activities, trauma, accidents and falls. Prompt emergency management is vital for long term success and to avoid morbidity. The study was aimed to assess the understanding of intern dentists about the emergency handling of avulsed teeth cases as mostly they are first responders among health care personnel. In this study a fourteen-item questionnaire with predefined responses was shared as online Google survey form with intern dentists of 5 different dental teaching hospitals of Islamabad, Pakistan. The duration of the study was 6 months (01 March 2022 to 31 August 2022). The questions were intended to collect personal information and to check level of knowledge and awareness about the management of avulsed tooth among the dental interns. The data was analyzed by statistical methods and is presented through tables and descriptive methods. In total, 152 participants completed the shared questionnaire. The vast majority (71%) of them were aware of the initial management of avulsed teeth, 49% were aware of the ideal transport medium for an avulsed tooth, (43%) were aware of the critical time for successful replantation, while (62%) had knowledge of the multiple factors responsible for the outcome of the tooth replantation. For majority of the statements, female participants had better knowledge as compared to their male counterparts. Statistically significant difference was noted for the statement "If you found the knocked-out tooth and it is dirty what will be your initial approach?" with female participants having better knowledge as compared to the male (p value = 0.005). Based on our study results, generally dental interns are well-informed but still lack expected level of awareness regarding the proper management protocol for avulsed tooth. Hence, improvement is needed regarding the effective handling of avulsed teeth cases.

Guided Endodontic Surgery: A Narrative Review.

Background and objectives: Endodontic surgery has evolved over the last two decades. The use of state-of-the-art guided endodontic surgical procedures produces a predictable outcome in the healing of lesions of endodontic origin. The main objective of this review paper is to define and characterize guided surgical endodontics as well as its benefits and drawbacks by reviewing the most recent relevant scientific literature. Methods: A literature search was conducted using multiple databases comprising of MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and Web of Science. The terms used for the search were 'guided endodontics', 'surgical endodontics', and 'endodontic microsurgery'. Results: In total, 1152 articles were obtained from the analysis of the databases. Unrelated articles from the available full text of 388 articles were excluded. A total of 45 studies were finally included in the review. Conclusions: Surgical-guided endodontics is a relatively new area of study that is still maturing. It has many applications such as root canal access and localization, microsurgical endodontics, endodontic retreatment, and glass fiber post removal. Additionally, it does not matter how experienced the operator is; the procedure can be completed for the patient in less time and provides greater accuracy and safety than conventional endodontics.

Exploring the properties of formocresol in dentistry-a comprehensive review.

Due to concerns about formocresol's mutagenic and genotoxic potential, its use as a pulpotomy medication is currently debatable. The current paper aimed to review the properties of formocresol and concerns regarding its safety as a pulpotomy medicament for primary teeth. With reference to the context of the recently published literature, the alternatives to formocresol are discussed, together with their benefits and drawbacks. A literature search was conducted using multiple databases comprising of MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and Web of Science. The terms used for the search were "formocresol", "pulpotomy", and "primary teeth". In total, 364 articles were obtained from the analysis of the databases. Unrelated articles from the available full text of 174 articles were excluded. The main reasons for excluding the articles were: they were usage and precautionary guidelines. A total of 68 studies were finally included in the review. The literature review in this paper supports the notion that formocresol continues to be the most often utilized pulp dressing agent in primary teeth pulpotomies despite offering no advantages over other pulp dressing chemicals that are currently on the market.

Assessment of parental acceptance towards different non-pharmacological behaviour management techniques in pediatric dental care-a cross-sectional study.

It is imperative to manage children with empathy and concern for their well-being in order to carry out any dental procedure smoothly. Owing to the inherent fear of dental operatory, behaviour management of children is an important aspect of pediatric dental care. Many techniques are available to help manage the behaviour of children. It is, however important to educate parents about these techniques and to get their cooperation for these techniques to be used on their children.This study aimed to familiarize the parents with non-pharmacological behavior management techniques and to determine the parental acceptance of such techniques in children seeking dental treatment in specialty care dental units. A total of 303 parents were evaluated through online questionnaires in this research. They were shown videos of randomly selected non-pharmacologic behaviour management techniques including tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, modelling and voice control. Parents were asked to watch the videos and give their response on seven-items inquiring about their acceptance levels regarding the respective techniques. The responses were recorded on a Likert scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. According to parental acceptance score (PAS), positive reinforcement was the most accepted technique whereas voice control was the least acceptable technique. Majority of the parents were more receptive towards those techniques that involved a healthy and friendly communication between a dentist and the pediatric patient such as, positive reinforcement, tell show do and modelling. Most significantly the people having low socio-economic status (SES) in Pakistan were more acceptable of voice control than people with high SES.

Barriers and challenges faced by orthodontists in providing orthodontic care and implementing new innovative technologies in the field of orthodontics among children and adults: a qualitative study.

Orthodontic treatment requires the cooperation of patients as well as orthodontists. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate and address the challenges and barriers orthodontists have in achieving the desired orthodontic results, as well as make recommendations for ways to address the stated problems and introduce new innovative technologies to the area of orthodontics. This qualitative study wasbased on the grounded theory. Twelve orthodontists participated in face-to-face interviews, which were primarily comprised of open-ended questions. Data analysis was carried out manually using the "by hand" method. Orthodontists between the age group of 29-42 were interviewed. The answers varied depending on the years of experience of the interviewees. Teenagers and boys were found to be most non-compliant with the treatment. The average treatment span ranged between 6 months for mild cases up to 3 years for severe orthodontic cases occurring most commonly in government hospitals. Patient compliance plays a major role in orthodontics. Poor oral hygiene maintenance, brackets breakage by patients, and missed appointments were the major concerns mentioned by participants and hindered getting the desired results. Patients' main worries were related to the cost of therapy, premolar extractions, the length of treatment, and the possibility of relapse. Patient counseling and reinforcement at the start of the treatment can help to overcome the challenges and barriers in orthodontics since patient motivation is a very important factor in obtaining the desired results. It is recommended to conduct more training sessions for the orthodontists in order to introduce them to new technological paradigms.

A Comparative Study on Alvogyl and a Mixture of Black Seed Oil and Powder for Alveolar Osteitis: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Alveolar osteitis (AO) is the most common complication faced by exodontia patients and is usually seen 24-74 hours after tooth extraction, heralded by severe throbbing pain. Nigella sativa is commonly known as black seed known to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties along with other reparative properties that enhance bone formation. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of Alvogyl and a mixture of Nigella sativa powder and oil in the treatment of dry sockets. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients above the age of 18 and below 70 years, from both genders, who underwent extraction of teeth and were clinically diagnosed with a dry socket at the clinic of the College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia, were included in this study. Pain scores were assessed after placement of the dressing at the following intervals: 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 2nd day, 4th day, and 7th day. Patients were randomly allocated to three groups, namely, Group 1 (Alvogyl), Group 2 (mixture of Nigella sativa's powder and oil), and Group 3 (control). Pain relief and healing of the socket were compared between the three groups. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis through Spearman's correlation test, independent t-test, ANOVA, and post hoc test. Results: A mixture of Nigella sativa powder and oil showed a statistically significant difference in relieving pain compared to the Alvogyl group. A mixture of Nigella sativa's powder and oil required fewer dressings when compared to the Alvogyl group. Conclusion: A mixture of Nigella sativa powder and oil is the more efficacious dressing material for the management of dry sockets compared to Alvogyl. It provides immediate and complete pain relief and fewer numbers of repeated visits.

Evaluation of root canal morphology in permanent maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth in Saudi subpopulation using two classification systems: a CBCT study.

BACKGROUND: Adequate knowledge of root canal morphology and possible variations is essential to achieve perfect root canal treatment and overcome treatment failure. Appropriate knowledge on root and canal morphology, communication, and documentation amongst dentists will be challenging from a diagnostic and successful treatment point of view. METHODS: A total of 3420 samples were included in this study from 285 cone-beam computed tomography images of the Saudi residents, including 171 males and 114 females aged 15 to 68 years from retrospective data dated from January 2018 to April 2021. The images were examined in sagittal, axial and coronal views using a 3D version software 1.0.10.6388. The number of canal and canal morphology was recorded using Vertucci and the new classification system. The SPSS 26 was used to conduct the statistical analysis as descriptive statistics such as mean; standard deviation and frequency were calculated. The Chi-square test analysed the data with the significance level set at 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 285 subjects participated in the study. Majority of the participants were Saudi nationals (80.7%), followed by Indian (7.4%), Pakistani (4.2%) and other nationalities. According to Vertucci and the new classification system, Type I and 1TN1 were the most common types, followed by Type III and Type IV, and then 1TN1-2-1 and 1TN1-2 in mandibular anteriors. The prevalence of canal variations in mandibular canine was higher in females than in males (P = 0.002). Maxillary laterals and mandibular anteriors showed the significant difference in the prevalence of root canal variation in relation to the ethnicity (P = 0.001) and age of the patients. Younger patients showed more variations than the older patients (P = 0.012, P = 0.023, P = 0.001, P = 0.001) in terms of maxillary laterals, mandibular central, laterals and canines, respectively. CONCLUSION: Mandibular permanent anteriors showed a wide range of canal variations and canal complexity. Males and females did not demonstrate a wide range of variation in the root canal morphology except for the canines in relation to the gender of the patients.

Assessment of changing patterns of Le fort fracture lines using computed tomography scan: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the changing mid-face fracture patterns using a computed tomography scan. METHODOLOGY: Fifty patients with mid-face trauma requiring open reduction and fixation were studied using 1.6 mm axial, sagittal, coronal and 3D images. Images were evaluated clinically, intra-operatively and finally were compared with standard Le Fort lines. Results. The male population dominated the female at a ratio of 11.5:1. The majority of the mid-face fractures were seen in the age group of 21-30 years. Road traffic accident (78%) was the major etiological factor followed by work-related accidents (12%) and assaults (10%). The CT scan analysis included categorizing the patients into three groups: (1) Fracture patterns resembling Le Fort lines (24%); (2) Fracture patterns partially resembling Le Fort lines (56%); and (3) Fracture patterns that do not resemble Le Fort lines (20%). CONCLUSION: With the change in the velocity of wounding object, there is a change in the mid-face fracture patterns. The majority of the cases present as a variant of classical Le Fort fractures. Computed tomography is a valuable diagnostic tool in assessing the fractures of the mid-face. 2D images are more sensitive than 3D images. However, both the images are required in delivery of an optimal treatment plan.

Exploring the aspirations, expectations and impediments of 'dental anaesthesiology' as a medical and dental speciality: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Local anaesthesia is the anaesthetic technique most frequently used in dentistry. Advanced anaesthetic treatments like conscious sedation and/or general anaesthesia are required for major dental surgical procedures. Although general dentists are capable of administering local anaesthesia, additional training is needed for advanced anaesthetic procedures. It is generally disputed whether advanced anaesthetic techniques should be related to one or two dental specialties or whether they should receive a separate degree. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims at introducing the field of 'dental anaesthesiology' in routine dental practice as applicable within laws laid down for dental and medical specialities. METHODS: Publications, articles and mouthpieces relevant to the topic of dental anaesthesiology were identified using various search engines like MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and Web of Science. The terms used for the search were 'Dental anaesthesiology', 'General anaesthesia', and 'Dental care'. Articles about dental treatment done under anaesthesia were only considered describing various anaesthesia techniques. Additionally, the authors being regular caregivers of dentistry including oral and maxillofacial surgeon have shared their personal experiences and information on the said theme. RESULTS: In total, 127 articles were found of which 33 were available as full texts. Unrelated articles from the available full text were excluded. Finally, 17 studies were incorporated into the review. Majority of dental anaesthesiologist has a positive and favourable attitude towards the profession. Pediatric dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and special needs dentistry are the fields with the highest service demand. Also, the field is lucrative if the practitioner is refined and provides sophisticated services. It is easier and time saving to train the dentists, especially the ones with oral and maxillofacial surgery background. CONCLUSION: A degree of dental anaesthesiologist will open new doors to the budding dentist seeking for jobs or wanting to provide the best outcome.

Analysis of Gender Dimorphism and Assessment of Racial Variation Through Odontometric Technique: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: When conducting a forensic investigation, one of the most important steps is establishing the biological profile of a victim who cannot be positively recognized or is just a skeleton. It has been shown that, among the other clinical indicators, the diameters of dental crowns are a good and dependable source for determining gender in a particular population sample. However, the literature is sparse regarding their assessment as a viable marker for the determination of a particular race. In addition, the need for population-specific data has also been advocated while determining gender dimorphism based on tooth size. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To study the bisexual variation in the permanent dentition of individuals from three different sets of populations: Arabian, South Asian, and East Asian. The other objective is to explore the role of this odontometric analysis in predicting the racial identity of the subjects belonging to the aforementioned population. METHODOLOGY: The research was conducted at the College of Dentistry, AlJouf University in Sakaka. Measurements of mesiodistal and buccolingual (BL) distances were taken using a digital vernier caliper on a total of 75 pairs of research models or casts. Statistical tests were run on the information gathered. RESULTS: Of the 75 casts, 38 (50.7%) were of male and 37 (49.3%) were of female. Our analysis showed between genders, a significant difference in maxillary central incisor (P = 0.001), first premolar (P = 0.01), and first molar (P = 0.02) while for a mandibular arch, a significant difference was noted for incisors (P = 0.002) with greater tooth dimension in male than in the female. Concerning the BL dimensions, only the mandibular canine showed a significant difference between males and females (P = 0.001). Comparisons of the crown dimensions between population groups showed that the Arabian population consistently exhibits larger tooth dimensions than the other two populations in both arches. CONCLUSION: A few crown dimensions can be used as an adjunctive tool for the identification of the gender and race of an individual.

Understanding the awareness of health and safety signs amongst health care workers in Pakistan - A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Safety signs are very important communication tools for accident prevention, fire safety, health hazard information, and emergency evacuation. However, they are helpful only when properly designed and understood by employees. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to assess the awareness of health and safety signs amongst health care workers including doctors, dentists and paramedics in different health care sectors across Pakistan. METHODS: Data was collected via Google forms circulated through WhatsApp social media to predetermined groups of health care professionals to assess their understanding of safety signs across different health sectors. The survey included questions pertaining to awareness of 19 different health and safety signs complied with International Organization for Standardization 1710 and the Safety Signs and Signal Regulations 1996 chosen randomly. RESULTS: A total of 987 people participated in our study and were asked to comprehend the meaning of nineteen health and safety signs. The mean comprehension score for 19 signs was 42.2%. The mean score for warning signs was the lowest and fire safety signs was highest. The lowest comprehension scores were for oxygen cylinder sign (W029) 7.5% and highest for first aid sign (E003) 75.9%. Only two signs, that are first aid (E003) and mandatory gloves (M009) had acceptable comprehensive score of 75.9% and 73.7% respectively as per ISO 7010 i.e. >67%. Statistically significant differences were found only for trip hazard sign (W007) with respect to education and for risks of bomb explosion (W002), ionising radiation (W009), evacuation assembly point (E007), location of automated external heart defibrillator (E010) and mandatory gloves (M009) with work experience. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we conclude that there is dire need of special and frequent training to better recognize the safety signs amongst health care employees since these kinds of interventions promote early detection of hazards and their associated risks. Thus, we propose that health care safety sign training must be included in every health care profession curriculum.

Applications of artificial intelligence in the utilisation of imaging modalities in dentistry: A systematic review and meta-analysis of in-vitro studies.

Background: In the past, dentistry heavily relied on manual image analysis and diagnostic procedures, which could be time-consuming and prone to human error. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought transformative potential to the field, promising enhanced accuracy and efficiency in various dental imaging tasks. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively evaluate the applications of AI in dental imaging modalities, focusing on in-vitro studies. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The following databases were systematically searched: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Cochrane Library, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Google Scholar. The meta-analysis employed fixed-effects models to assess AI accuracy, calculating odds ratios (OR) for true positive rate (TPR), true negative rate (TNR), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity and overall effect tests were applied to ensure the reliability of the findings. Results: 9 studies were selected that encompassed various objectives, such as tooth segmentation and classification, caries detection, maxillofacial bone segmentation, and 3D surface model creation. AI techniques included convolutional neural networks (CNNs), deep learning algorithms, and AI-driven tools. Imaging parameters assessed in these studies were specific to the respective dental tasks. The analysis of combined ORs indicated higher odds of accurate dental image assessments, highlighting the potential for AI to improve TPR, TNR, PPV, and NPV. The studies collectively revealed a statistically significant overall effect in favor of AI in dental imaging applications. Conclusion: In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis underscore the transformative impact of AI on dental imaging. AI has the potential to revolutionize the field by enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and time savings in various dental tasks. While further research in clinical settings is needed to validate these findings and address study limitations, the future implications of integrating AI into dental practice hold great promise for advancing patient care and the field of dentistry.

Tissue Regeneration on Rise: Dental Hard Tissue Regeneration and Challenges-A Narrative Review.

Background: As people live longer, there is an increasing need for hard tissue regeneration and whole-tooth regeneration. Despite the advancements in the field of medicine, the field of regenerative dentistry is still challenging due to the complexity of dental hard tissues. Cross-disciplinary collaboration among material scientists, cellular biologists, and odontologists aimed at developing strategies and uncovering solutions related to dental tissue regeneration. Methodology. A search of the literature was done for pertinent research. Consistent with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 Statement, the electronic databases looked at were PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar, with the keyword search "hard dental tissue regeneration." Results: Database analysis yielded a total of 476 articles. 222 duplicate articles have been removed in total. Articles that have no connection to the directed regeneration of hard dental tissue were disregarded. The review concluded with the inclusion of four studies that were relevant to our research objective. Conclusion: Current molecular signaling network investigations and novel viewpoints on cellular heterogeneity have made advancements in understanding of the kinetics of dental hard tissue regeneration possible. Here, we outline the fundamentals of stem hard dental tissue maintenance, regeneration, and repair, as well as recent advancements in the field of hard tissue regeneration. These intriguing findings help establish a framework that will eventually enable basic research findings to be utilized towards oral health-improving medicines.

Effectiveness of Chitosan versus Natural Aloe Vera on Candida Adherence in Denture Soft Lining Material.

Background: Soft denture lining materials act as a cushion between the denture base and tissues. Alongside having many advantages, its main problem is candida growth due to its rubbery and porous texture. Many interventions have been performed to halt the growth of candida within soft lining materials such as the use of antifungal therapy and strict oral and denture hygiene but there are consequences such as recurrence, drug resistance, and toxicity related to these interventions. Since natural agents such as aloe vera and chitosan have been proven to have antibacterial and antifungal properties with minimum adverse effects, this study aimed to study the effectiveness of chitosan and aloe vera powders incorporated within denture soft lining materials against candida adherence. Methodology. A total of 60 soft-lining material samples were prepared that were equally divided into three groups, viz., group 1 (chitosan incorporation), group 2 (aloe vera incorporation), and group 3 (control). Candida was obtained from the microbiology lab to form a candidal suspension, diluted in 0.9% NaCl to match the McFarland standard bacteriologic solution. Samples were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours in test tubes containing 100 mL of the candidal suspension and 9.9 mL of the previously prepared Sabouraud dextrose agar. Crystal violet stain was used to stain the adhering cells by fixing them with methanol 80%. For each sample, the adhering candida cells were counted on three standard fields by using an inverted light microscope, and the mean of those fields was recorded. Results: The mean value for samples containing aloe vera was 41.15, while the mean values for samples containing chitosan and the control group were 16.05 and 79.1, respectively. Of all the three groups, aloe vera powder had a significant efficacy against candida growth as compared to the chitosan and control groups (P value = 0.001). Conclusion: Both herbal agents were effective against candida growth. In comparison, aloe vera was more effective against candida growth compared to chitosan.

Exploring the Oral Manifestations and Hazards to Dental Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has inundated the whole world by causing severe acute respiratory syndrome in humans, thus posing serious public health concerns. The oral and olfactory systems are significantly impacted by the COVID-19 condition, in addition to the respiratory and digestive systems. Oral symptoms of COVID-19 can be caused by a loss in oral hygiene, immune system suppression, a decline in general health, and candidiasis due to prolonged antibiotic use. Because many aerosols and droplets are produced during various dental operations, dental professionals and dentists are at a significant risk of contracting the COVID-19 infection. Few precautionary measures include performing a pre-appointment health screening for all patients, performing aerosol-producing procedures in a designated space or operatory, using proper personal protective equipment and disinfecting the operatory between patients, and limiting the number of dental procedures at one time. Against this background, the purposes of this article are to explore the oral presentations of COVID-19 infection and to emphasize the hazards to dental professionals during COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, few preventive measures are also highlighted.

Evaluation of effect on stability of implants with and without platelet rich fibrin using a resonance frequency analyzer - An in-vivo study.

Background: Although the conventional replacement for lost teeth has been partial or full dentures, the need for a fixed, esthetic, and functional restoration makes dental implants a reliable alternative. Aim: To evaluate the initial and final stability of platelet rich fibrin coated implants using resonance frequency analyzer. Method: ology: Thirteen patients with two or more missing teeth were informed about the procedure, and a consent form was obtained after cone beam computer tomography evaluation. Blood was drawn from the anticubital area of the patient, which was centrifuged to obtain platelet-rich fibrin. In all, 26 implants were placed, among which 13 were platelet-rich fibrin-coated (test group) and 13 were without platelet-rich fibrin (control group), and implant stability quotient values were recorded. Results: The mean age of the patients was 34.4 (SD = 4.28). Majority of the patients were males (9; 69.2%) whereas there were only four (30.8%) female patients. When comparison between overall primary implant stability with and without PRF was done, the mean difference was 5.12 and this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.221) whereas a statistically significant difference (p = 0.019) was found when comparison between overall secondary implant stability was done with and without PRF. The primary and secondary stability values for the control group were 69.18 ± 7.45 and 73.84 ± 8.21 respectively, and the primary and secondary stability values for the test group were 64.06 ± 12.66 and 81.49 ± 7.61 respectively, which showed statistically significant differences among the groups. The difference in these values signify that primary stability is more in control group whereas secondary stability is more in case group. This signifies that PRF enhances the stability of implant. Conclusion: Implants coated with platelet-rich fibrin exhibited better osseointegration than implants without platelet-rich fibrin.

Current trends in managing TMJ ankylosis in children-summing it up with a case report.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis involves fusion of the mandibular condyle to the base of the skull. The treatment of TMJ ankylosis poses a significant challenge because of technical difficulties and a high incidence of recurrence. The experience of managing one such case is reported in light of a review of the literature on this condition. This report describes a case of a 7-year-old girl with inability to open her mouth, diagnosed with unilateral right bony TMJ ankylosis. Key management principles included adequate removal of the ankylotic mass, gap arthroplasty with interpositional temporalis myofascial grafting and post-operative physiotherapy. The patient maintains a satisfactory maximal incisal opening till the present day. A detailed history, clinical and functional examination, radiographic examination facilitating correct diagnosis followed by immediate surgical intervention, and physiotherapy might be beneficial to restore physical, psychological and emotional health of the child patient with TMJ ankylosis.

Evaluation of two different approaches of health education (Tailored leaflet vs Video) on referral compliance for prosthetic replacement of missing teeth among the patients at a university dental care center.

BACKGROUND: Prosthodontic replacement of missing teeth is necessary to maintain function, aesthetics and prevent further oral complications. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether health education 'video' increased prosthodontics treatment demand for replacing missing teeth compared to traditional health education (IEC) 'leaflet' among patients visiting a university dental care centre, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A non-randomized educational intervention was conducted among the patients who had missing teeth. 350 participants were divided equally into two interventions groups- health education leaflet group and health education video group. Two major variants were ascertained; demand for prosthodontic dental care and awareness (knowledge) about importance of replacement of missing teeth. These two variants were studied for the difference in the scores between base line and at the end of the program i.e. after 3 months. Bivariate analysis was done with Chi square test, Mc Nemar Chi-square test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests and finally binary logistic regression analysis was done. RESULTS: Final analysis included 324 participants. There was improvement in both knowledge and demand for prosthodontic care in both the groups after health education, but statistically significant improvement in demand for dental care was observed in the health education video group compared to leaflet group (42.9% vs 63.2%). Logistic regression analysis identified that having missing teeth in anterior region of jaw and being into video group were two significant factors associated with increased demand for care. CONCLUSION: Health education video method was found to be effective method compared to leaflets in improving knowledge and demand for replacing missing teeth.

Salivary Biomarkers in Periodontitis: A Scoping Review.

Periodontal disease is a prevalent and potentially impactful oral health condition, ranging from gingivitis to severe periodontitis. Early detection and precise management are crucial in modern dentistry due to its prevalence and potential systemic health implications. Traditional clinical assessments and radiographic imaging have been the primary diagnostic tools. However, recent advances in oral diagnostics have introduced the concept of non-invasive, easily accessible salivary biomarkers. This review explores the evolving landscape of salivary biomarkers associated with periodontal disease, offering a comprehensive analysis of recent studies. It delves into the key findings, clinical significance, and potential impact of these biomarkers in revolutionizing periodontal disease diagnostics and treatment monitoring. The study emphasizes their diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, including their ability to assess disease severity, correlate with clinical parameters, aid in early detection, and enhance personalized treatment planning. As the field of oral diagnostics continues to advance, understanding the role of salivary biomarkers in periodontal disease management holds the promise of improving precision and effectiveness in oral healthcare. This review underscores the potential for salivary biomarkers to become integral components of routine periodontal care, offering a minimally invasive and patient-centered approach to oral health management.