ABSTRACT
Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP), an immune mediated disorder, has been recognized since 1869 and is presented as any one of the six variants. Reticular and erosive are the most frequently encountered. Its proliferative capacity can give some information regarding its progression. We adopted the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) method because of its simplicity to use and dependable results. We evaluated AgNORs in basal, suprabasal, and squamous cell layers. We also compared these three layers within two variants, reticular, and erosive. Materials and Methods: Thirty clinically diagnosed patients of OLP were included in the study. Reticular and erosive variants were included in our study. This was followed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and later by the AgNOR method. The mean number of AgNORs per nucleus was calculated. Results: Thirteen males and 17 females were the gender distribution. Twenty-three (76.67%) had reticular pattern and seven (23.33%) had erosive pattern. The basal cell layer had the highest mean AgNOR compared to suprabasal and squamous layers. Even among, erosive and reticular variants, the former had higher mean AgNOR counts. Discussion: Our results suggest that the inflammatory infiltrate close to the epithelial cells can alter the proliferation index for the pattern of protein synthesis of these cells. Moreover, the high proliferative index in OLP can be related to a specific immunologic response. Conclusion: We conclude that AgNOR can be used as a proliferative marker in earlier lesions to detect the severity.
ABSTRACT
Maxillary defects, whether congenital or acquired, make a patient encounter an array of physical and psychological difficulties, leading to an extremely poor quality of life. Rehabilitation of such a patient is often challenging due to the extent of the defect area coupled with the absence of adequate retention caused by the size and weight of the prosthesis. Further, providing a proper seal of the oronasal communication is of utmost importance to restore function. Taking the above factors into consideration, a combination of hollow-bulb obturator consisting of a titanium framework and a flexible, snap-on silicone cap is an effective prosthesis providing a long-term treatment, increased retention, and a happy patient. The fabrication protocol included the use of computer-aided design, titanium along with laser welding, and an intraoral trial before final fabrication, hence, reconfirming the success of the prosthetic design. The maxillary obturator presented in this article eliminates several disadvantages associated with a conventional hollow-bulb obturator, thereby providing a novel, viable option for a maxillofacial prosthodontist.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: All-ceramic crowns with different core materials of different strength and aesthetics are available in recent years. The aesthetics of the crown depends mainly on the shade and translucency. Clinician should be aware of the quality and characteristics of these materials so that they will be able to opt for good material for successful clinical use. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the translucency of crowns fabricated with three different commercially available all-ceramic materials viz. Alumina - CAD-CAM Procera, Lithium disilicate - Pressable IPS e.max Press, Zirconia - CAD-CAM Lava. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All-ceramic crowns (5 per each group and total of 15 samples) were made of Alumina - CAD-CAM Procera (Group I), Lithium disilicate - Pressable IPS e.max Press (Group II), Zirconia - CAD-CAM Lava (Group III) and veneered with their respective layering ceramic. Evaluation for the Translucency (CR=Yb/Yw) over the White (Yw) and Black (Yb) backgrounds at the Incisal, Middle, Cervical, Mesial and Distal thirds of each crown were done using the Spectrophotometer. The results obtained were statistically analyzed by Paired t-test (p<0.05) and Analysis of Variance (p<0.05) for the test of significance among the groups. RESULTS: Significant differences in the contrast ratios were obtained among the three Groups (p<0.001). In this study, Group II Lithium disilicate-Pressable IPS e.max Press showed higher translucency (0.54). Group III Zirconia - CAD-CAM Lava showed the least translucency (0.75) and the translucency of Group I Alumina - CAD-CAM Procera (0.7) was in between both the groups. CONCLUSION: Translucency of material gives fair idea to clinician for the choice of material in different zones during replacement and suitability for restoration in aesthetic zone. Selection of all ceramic system depends on the translucency needed for successful prosthesis of artificial tooth so that it mimics patient's natural dentition. The qualitative measurement of translucency will give the evidence for the clinicians during selection of high or low value translucent tooth for successful replacement. Lithium disilicate - Pressable IPS e.max Press is having better translucency in comparison with other two materials in our study.
