In vitro effect of beer, red and white wine on the morphology and surface roughness of human enamel.

BACKGROUND: Beer, red and white wine are acidic drinks whose frequent consumption can increase the risk of dental erosion. OBJECTIVES: To establish the effect of beer, red and white wine on the morphology and surface roughness (SR) of human enamel using different exposure times in a cyclic deand remineralization model in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The experiment included 33 surgically extracted impacted human third molars from patients aged 18-25 years. Enamel samples obtained by cutting crowns (n = 132) were submitted to alternate cycles of demineralization in (1) beer, (2) red wine, (3) white wine, (PC) positive control (orange juice), and remineralization in artificial saliva, which also represented a medium for negative control (NC). The experiment included cycles with different exposure times in alcoholic beverages and orange juice of 15, 30 and 60 min. Thus, 12 groups were formed (for each drink and each exposure time) containing 10 samples each, while the NC group consisted of 12 samples. Experiments were repeated 3x/day for 10 days. Enamel surface alterations were determined by stylus profilometry (average surface roughness (Ra)) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Shapiro-Wilk test, independent samples Kruskal-Wallis test and multiple comparisons (all pairwise) were performed. RESULTS: With increasing exposure time, there was a positive correlation with Ra for white wineand orange juice-immersed samples (60 min compared to 15 min), which was also observed using SEM. There was no significant difference in the Ra between the other experimental samples for the same exposure time. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms a certain erosive potential of beer, red and white wine, and a significant relationship with pH, titratable acidity (TA) and SR, but not with the exposure time for all tested alcoholic beverages. Moreover, differences among the ultrastructural patterns caused by alcoholic beverages over the enamel surface were observed.

The Assessment of Prolonged Inferior Alveolar Nerve Blockade for Postoperative Analgesia in Mandibular Third Molar Surgery by a Perineural Addition of Dexamethasone to 0.5% Ropivacaine: A Randomized Comparison Study.

Background: Perineurally adding dexamethasone to local anesthetics could enable postoperative analgesia. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of 4 mg dexamethasone and 0.5% ropivacaine on the prolonged duration of mandibular anesthesia for postoperative analgesia during third molar surgery. Materials and method: The patients of both sexes, and in the age range of 17 to 50 yrs of age, received the Gow-Gates anesthesia. Group I received 4 mL of plain 0.5% ropivacaine, with perineurally added 1 mL/4 mg of dexamethasone; group II received 4 mL of plain 0.5% ropivacaine with perineurally added 1 mL of 0.9% saline; group III received 4 mL of plain 0.5 bupivacaine with perineurally added 1 mL of 0.9% saline. The prime anesthesia outcome was the duration of conduction anesthesia (DCA); the secondary outcome was the duration of analgesia (DAN) and analgesia before analgesic intake. Results: In 45 randomly selected subjects (mean age 27.06 ± 8.20), DCA was statistically longest in group I (n = 15) (592.50 ± 161.75 min, p = 0.001), collated with groups II (n = 15) and III (n = 15) (307.40 ± 84.71 and 367.07 ± 170.52 min, respectively). DAN was significantly the longest in group I (mean: 654.9 ± 198.4 min, p = 0.001), compared with group II (345.4 ± 88.0 min) and group III (413.7 ± 152.3 min), with insignificant adverse reactions. One-third of the operated patients absented from the use of analgesics. Conclusion: A amount 0.5% ropivacaine with dexamethasone usefully served as an analgesic with a success rate of 93.4% of the given anesthesia.

Oral Health-Related Risk Factors Among Students in Southeast Serbia.

BACKGROUND An association between insufficient or irregular oral hygiene with the occurrence of dental caries, gingival/periodontal diseases, and consequently general diseases has been established. The null hypothesis that there is no difference in the oral health status among students in a preclinical medical program and those who went through a clinical medical program was tested. The main objective of the study was to analyze oral health risk factors (oral hygiene practices, attitudes, and behavior) as well as their impact on oral health by using convenience sampling. MATERIAL AND METHODS We investigated risk factors for oral health conditions by examining oral hygiene practices, attitudes, and behaviors among the students in the medical program of the University of Nis, collecting data using questionnaires. The study included 396 students of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and vocational studies. Participants filled out the anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS In both groups, parents were mostly employed, with the representation of employed fathers significantly higher in student group 1 (P<0.05), which is also the only statistically significant difference between the groups. In terms of oral hygiene practices, students were most often trained by parents (68.69%). A very high percentage of students brushed their teeth every day (97.22%), and 54.55% did this twice a day. Of the total number of students, 78.28% thought that it was necessary to use interdental brushes/floss/toothpick. The duration of teeth cleaning was 3 minutes in 39.39%, whereas 55.30% thought that it should be longer than 3 minutes. The most common brushing movements were combined movements and were used by 60.35% of all students. Of all students, 253 (63.89%) never smoked, 182 (49.96%) regularly went to the dentist, and 141 (35.61%) visited the dentist 6 months ago. The majority of students, 265 (66.92%), obtained the greatest amount of information about oral and tooth care from their dentist, which was the case in both age groups. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights oral health risk factors among students at the University of Nis. It is essential to determine their oral health knowledge, as it is of great significance both to patients and to students. Also, these students will be the major providers of health services and will be responsible for public oral health promotion. It could help in reformation of the oral health education program. The results of this research indicate that it is necessary to educate preclinical students to solve oral health issues.