Comparative evaluation of the combined application of titanium implants and calcium phosphate bone substitutes in a rabbit model.

OBJECTIVES: To study the healing of defects around titanium implants filled with biphasic calcium phosphates (BCP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty custom-made, titanium implants (Ti) with a diameter of 5 mm, and length of 8 mm, with two-sided gaps, were fabricated and installed in the femoral condyle of 20 rabbits. Following a randomization protocol, implants were alternately installed in one condyle without BCP bone substitute material (Ti) in the gaps and in the contralateral condyle gaps were filled with BCP bone substitute material (Ti+BCP). The implants were retrieved after 4 and 12 weeks of healing, after which histological and histomorphometrical analyses were done to assess the percentage of bone implant contact (BIC), the percentage of bone area (BA) and the percentage of particle area (PA) within the region of interest (ROI); the rectangular area joining the two arms of the L-shaped implant was considered as the ROI. RESULTS: After 4 and 12 weeks of healing, Ti+BCP showed significantly higher BIC and BA values compared to Ti. Further, the BCP particles showed a significant decrease from 4 to 12 weeks of healing. The BCP particles (PA) showed a significant reduction from 31.6 ± 11.0% at 4 weeks to 21.0 ± 7.2% at 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The addition of BCP bone substitute to fill peri-implant gaps significantly enhanced both bone formation (~2.5-fold) and bone to implant contact (>2-fold) for the custom-made titanium implants with two-sided gaps.

Evidence based recommendations to improve the children oral health in Saudi Arabia.

Aim: Identify the existing evidence base with regards to interventions that address high levels of dental caries. A discussion of the applicability of the evidence to possible replication in Saudi Arabia is presented, alongside recommendations to help reduce dental caries rates in children in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review following PRISMA methods was conducted using three databases: MEDLINE via OVID; EMBASE via OVID and Cochrane Library. Studies were included according to inclusion criteria. AMSTAR2 was used to assess the quality of the included studies, while GRADE was used to assess the quality of evidence. Results: Ten studies were included in this review. The quality of these were 'high' (in two review), moderate (in two studies), low (in one study) and to 'critically low' (5 reviews). The quality of the evidence presented by the reviews ranged from 'moderate' to 'very low'. The interventions methods included MI, one-to-one nutrition advice, educational interventions and dental screening. The applicability of the findings in relation to dental care in Saudi Arabia is discussed and summarized in a narrative. Conclusion: No strong evidence that supported interventions to improve the child oral health in Saudi Arabia was found. None of the included reviews included studies conducted in Saudi Arabia or evaluated interventions among the local community. As for different culture values, norms, beliefs and attitude to those demographics explored in the reviews, it is unclear if interventions with improve oral health among Saudi children. Further research is needed to explore the efficacy of these interventions in a Saudi context.

Immediate Implants in the Aesthetic Zone: Is Socket Shield Technique a Predictable Treatment Option? A Narrative Review.

(1) Background. Dental implant placement in the anterior region requires extreme precision due to relatively high aesthetic demand. This narrative review aimed to analyse some of the available clinical studies of the socket-shield technique and determine its viability for dental implant survival/success and complication rates. (2) Methods. An electronic search for publications was performed using the Cochrane, PubMed-MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. All electronic searches included human clinical and animal studies and were performed by three independent examiners. (3) Results. A total of 1383 records were identified with the initial search strategies, but only 25 full texts + five abstracts clinical studies were kept after the recruitment criteria screening. The technical details, advantages, and limitations of the techniques were illustrated. (4) Conclusion. Within the limitations of the present review, it would be merely justified that immediate dental implant placement in conjunction with the socket-shield technique can be a promising strategy for dental implant therapy.