Quality of Reporting Randomized Controlled Trials Published in Three of the Most Citable Periodontal Journals from 2018 to 2022.

This study aimed to evaluate the reporting quality of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in periodontology. Three leading periodontology journals, the Journal of Periodontology (JOP), the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JOCP), and the Journal of Periodontal Research (JOPR), were selected for this investigation. The RCTs were identified by manually searching for human trial articles published in these three journals. Two authors independently conducted the literature search, and a pre-piloted extraction sheet was used to screen the potential RCTs. The CONSORT checklist guidelines were employed to calculate the score value. Intra-examiner reliability was assessed by scoring a random sample of 10% of the papers in a second round conducted by the first examiner three months after the initial data collection. A search of abstracts published over a five-year period yielded 176 articles that reported RCTs, accounting for 11.7% of all articles published in the three journals. The highest number of RCTs was published in 2020, and more than half of the included RCTs (51%) originated from Europe. Many of the analyzed RCTs inadequately reported almost half of the items on the CONSORT checklist. Furthermore, univariate analysis revealed significant associations between certain factors and the overall CONSORT score, such as publication in JOP (p = 0.048), publication year of 2019 (p = 0.041) and 2021 (p = 0.042), first author from North America (p = 0.016), and RCTs with more than six authors (p = 0.042). Clinical trial research in periodontics has made significant progress in the past five years. However, there is room for improvement in adhering to the CONSORT guidelines.

Ozone Therapy as an Adjuvant in the Treatment of Periodontitis.

The current study aimed to assess the efficacy of ozone therapy in the treatment of stage II and stage III periodontitis. This prospective split-mouth study selected patients who were diagnosed with either stage II or stage III periodontitis. All patients were treated with scaling and root-planing (SRP) on the control side and SRP with ozone therapy on the test side. Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), O'Leary plaque index (PI), and bleeding on probing (BOP) scores were recorded at baseline and six weeks after the SRP treatment. A total of 46 patients were selected for this study, including 31 males and 15 females. All periodontal variables (PD, CAL, PI, and BOP) showed significant changes (p < 0.0001) from baseline to six weeks. Moreover, significant changes (PD = 0.0001, CAL = 0.0001, PI = 0.042 and BOP = 0.0001) were also observed between the control and test sides. Gender showed no significance on periodontal variables (p > 0.05) except PD on the test side (p = 0.030). In addition, periodontal stages and grades showed no significant changes (p > 0.05) in any periodontal variables on both sides. Ozone therapy significantly improves the periodontal condition compared to SRP treatment alone. However, the stages and grades of periodontitis do not influence the outcome of ozone therapy.

Pre-Treatment and Post-Treatment Dental Anxiety in Patients Visiting Intern Dental Clinic.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the dental anxiety of patients using the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) questionnaire along with examining the possible relationship between dental anxiety and sociodemographic factors. Materials and Methods: The MDAS questionnaire was used to assess the anxiety level of the patients which included a total of five questions and five options to respond to each question. MDAS questionnaire was filled out by all the patients before the dental treatment. After finishing the treatment, all the patients were given a post-treatment questionnaire to assess their anxiety levels after treatment. Descriptive statistics were performed for measuring the frequency of responses. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the anxiety between the gender. The chi-square test was used to identify the distribution of pre-treatment with gender and post-treatment questionnaire with gender and treatment modalities. Linear regression was used to identify the association between clinical variables and different levels of anxiety. Results: A total of 115 patients including 59 males and 56 females with a mean age of 35 ± 11.34 years were included in the current study. Female patients were significantly more anxious about dental treatment compared to male patients. Linear regression showed that age and gender have a significant association with the pre-treatment anxiety level; however, types of treatment is not associated with the MDAS. Anxiety levels decreased for the majority of the patients after the treatment and types of treatment did not show any differences with the post-treatment anxiety level. Conclusions: Age and gender play an important role in dental anxiety; however, types of treatment are not associated with pre-treatment and post-treatment dental anxiety.

Oral Healthcare Practices and Awareness among the Parents of Autism Spectrum Disorder Children: A Multi-Center Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of the parents of autistic children toward oral health and the practice of oral hygiene habits. A questionnaire was constructed, validated, and distributed to the parents of autistic children at different autistic centers. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: demographic information on the parents of autistic children, the knowledge and attitudes of parents toward oral health, and the practice of oral hygiene habits in the current population. A total of 206 responses were collected. Irrespective of the parents' educational and employment statuses, most second children were diagnosed with autism, and most of the parents have four or more children. In terms of knowledge and attitudes toward oral health, a total of 90.30% of the patients were aware of the oral healthcare of their child, and 55.80% of parents take them to the dentist for checkups. Moreover, the response to the practice of oral hygiene habits from the parents was positive, and most of the parents assist in the oral hygiene practices of their autistic children. This study showed that most of the parents appeared to have satisfactory knowledge about oral health practices for autistic children. However, additional studies should also be conducted.

Association between Periodontitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis Involving Maxillary Sinus Measured by Lund Mackay Staging System.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between periodontitis and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) via cone-beam-computed tomography (CBCT) using the Lund-Mackay staging system. CBCT images from different departments of the school of dentistry, at Prince Sattam University were evaluated for the presence of rhinosinusitis. All the CBCT scans were exposed for multiple indications, and no patients had a scan exposed solely for this study. The Lund-Mackay staging system was used to measure the CRS in the CBCT. Descriptive statistics for the frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between periodontitis and CRS. Each variable was assessed individually by using multivariable analysis. Collinearity issues among the variables were solved to select a limited set of factors using a stepwise variable selection procedure. A total of 399 CBCT images were included in the current research. Logistic regression showed that only gender was significantly associated (p = 0.0001) with the presence of CRS. However, a stepwise variable selection procedure included gender and bone loss as significantly associated with CRS. No significant difference was observed between unilateral vs. bilateral CRS in gender, bone loss, medical status, and periodontitis. However, only gender showed a significant difference in both bilateral vs. no CRS and unilateral vs. no CRS. Periodontitis is not associated with CRS. However, gender has a significant influence on CRS.

A Prospective Clinical Study Evaluating the Efficacy of Intra-Ligamentary Anesthetic Solutions in Mandibular Molars Diagnosed as Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis with Symptomatic Apical Periodontitis.

Accomplishing painless endodontic treatment, especially in the mandibular molar region, is challenging. Hence, the aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of 2% lidocaine and 4% articaine when used as supplemental intra-ligamentary (IL) anesthesia in mandibular molars having symptomatic irreversible pulpitis with symptomatic apical periodontitis after failed Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block (IANB) injection. In this prospective study, one-hundred and forty-seven adult patients diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis in a mandibular tooth were included who received IANB with 1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. Patients who experienced pain were recorded using the Heft-Parker visual analog scale (HP-VAS score ≥ 55 mm) and received supplement intra-ligament injection with either4% articaine or 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. Supplementary intra-ligament injections resulted in 82.6% and 91.3% of profound anesthesia in the first molar region for 2% lidocaine and 4% articaine, respectively. Similarly, an additional IL injection of articaine success percent (78.9%) in the second molar region was higher than lidocaine (63.1%). The overall success ratio revealed no significant difference in achieving profound anesthesia of either solution. In this study population, there was no difference in the success ratio of anesthesia between 2% lidocaine and 4% articaine when used as supplemental IL injection.

Variation in Hemodynamic Characteristics during Periodontal Crown-Lengthening Surgical Procedure: An Uncontrolled Cohort Study.

(1) Background: The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the changes in primary hemodynamic parameters and oxygen saturation in systemically healthy patients during the surgical procedure involving crown lengthening. (2) Methods: A total of 44 patients who required a crown-lengthening procedure in a single tooth in the maxillary arch were included in this study. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured in all the subjects at three different intervals: before injecting the anesthetic (T1), after the anesthetic injection (T2) and after the procedure (T3). Descriptive statistics were computed, and observations were recorded as mean and standard deviation (SD). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the mean observation within parameters at different time intervals. (3) Results: All primary hemodynamic parameters were increased in the T2 phase over T1 and decreased in the T3 phase over T2. However, SpO2 decreased in both the T2 and T3 phases compared to the initial T1 phase. No significant differences were observed among the primary hemodynamic variables. However, SpO2 showed a significant difference (p = 0.013) among the T1, T2 and T3 phases. (4) Conclusions: Further study with larger sample size is required in order to analyze the accurate hemodynamic alterations.

Accuracy and Reliability of CBCT Compared to Clinical Probing in Detection of Trifurcation Defects: An In Vivo Study.

Background: Furcation defects are areas of pathological bone resorption in multirooted teeth. The aim of the study was to compare the measurements of trifurcation bone loss, measured using CBCT, versus clinical measurements in order to evaluate the efficacy of CBCT as an adjunctive diagnostic tool. Material and Methods. The included patients had both CBCT scans for maxillary molars and completed periodontal charts. Clinical examination consisted of probing and detection of vertical and horizontal furcation defects. These were measured and recorded. CBCT measurements were then evaluated using the linear measuring tool in Carestream imaging software (Carestream, Rochester, USA) and iCAT (Imaging Sciences, Hatfield, USA). These measurements of the CBCT images were then documented and compared to clinical findings. The two examiners were blinded to each other's measurements. Results: The most common tooth with a detected furcation defect was tooth #2 (31.7%), followed by tooth #15 (26.8%) and #3 (21.9%). The least common tooth with a detected furcation defect was #14 (19.5%). The mean values of buccal furcation for clinical and CBCT measurements were 3.01 mm and 2.6 mm, respectively. The measurements of mesial furcation were 2.5 mm and 2.2 mm for CBCT. The distal measurement of clinical examination was 2.7 mm and for CBCT was 2.44 mm. Conclusion: CBCT can be used as an adjunct to clinical furcation measurements and adds useful diagnostic information to assess trifurcation defects. In addition, CBCT limited field of view (FOV) can provide relatively high-resolution images at a reduced dose that is comparable to two-dimensional imaging.

Association between intracranial carotid artery calcifications and periodontitis: A cone-beam computed tomography study.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial carotid artery calcifications (ICACs) are one type of calcification that may be detected as incidental findings in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). This retrospective study aimed to examine the prevalence of ICACs on CBCT images and their associations among age, gender, chronic periodontitis, and patient-reported cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). METHODS: A total of 303 CBCT scans were reviewed and a total of 208 patients met the inclusion criteria. The presence or absence of ICACs was evaluated in the ophthalmic and cavernous segments of each scan. Patient demographic data, including age, gender, and medical history, specifically focused on CVDs were recorded. The presence or absence of periodontitis was recorded from each subject with full mouth radiographs and clinical measurements. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated as part of the logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, ICACs were found in 93 subjects (45%). The bilateral ICACs were found in 43 subjects (21% of the total subjects, 46% of the subjects with ICACs). There were statistically significant associations between presence of ICACs and periodontitis (OR = 4.55), hypertension (OR = 3.02), hyperlipidemia (OR = 2.87), increasing age (OR = 2.24), and the male gender (OR = 1.85). Smoking status was not significantly correlated with ICACs. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that nearly half (45%) of the subjects displayed ICACs on the CBCT images. ICACs are significantly related to the status of chronic periodontitis, age, gender, and CVDs. A more careful review of CBCT scans is highly recommended to detect these calcifications and refer patients for further medical evaluation.