Intrabony defect management with a bone graft (hydroxyapatite and ß-tricalcium phosphate) alone and in combination with a diode laser: A randomized control trial.

Objectives: The current research was conducted to evaluate the use of a diode laser and a bone graft (hydroxyapatite [HA] + ß-tricalcium phosphate [ß-TCP]) in healing of intrabony defects. Materials and Methods: In this split-mouth evaluation, 40 patients with bilateral intrabony defects were treated with, Group I (control) - bone graft alone (HA + ß-TCP) and Group II, (test) - bone graft with a diode laser. The clinical and radiologic parameters of all patients, such as plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), gingival index (GI), gingival recession (GR), and relative clinical attachment level (RCAL) were recorded at baseline, after 3 months and after 6 months. Results: Reductions in PI, PD, GI, GR, and RCAL were found after 6 months. Furthermore, significant differences were displayed in the intra-group comparison while those of the inter-group evaluation (P > 0.05) were insignificant. Conclusion: In both groups, considerable decrease in intrabony pockets was discovered; however, the inter-group comparison was insignificant in relation to GR and RCAL.

Carabelli Trait in Primary Tooth - A Case Report.

The Carabelli cusp (Cusp of Carabelli) is a tubercle or the extra fifth cusp found on the mesiopalatal cusp of the maxillary permanent and deciduous molars. It is nonfunctional but it can be used to distinguish populations and is also used in forensic and anthropological studies. This condition is uncommon on deciduous teeth. In this case report, we present a rare case of unilateral presence of cusp of Carabelli in deciduous dentition.

An Overview of Chitosan and Its Role in Periodontics.

Chitosan is a biopolymer with numerous biological properties such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing. Chitosan also stimulates cell proliferation and osteogenesis and thus used as a scaffold material in tissue engineering. The physical proprieties of chitosan such as biocompatibility and biodegradability give promising results in periodontal therapies. This review gives an updated explanation of the applications of chitosan in dentistry and periodontics. Furthermore, the review demonstrates the actions of chitosan in detail and its role in the regeneration of periodontal structures.

A Case of Keloid.

Keloids are unorganized proliferation of fibrous tissue, usually arising from a site of injury, due to an aberrant healing process. Clinically, it presents as an ugly scar tissue on the skin and shows genetic predilection. They cause esthetic, physical, and psychological disturbances in the affected individuals. Such patients require special precautions during the normal surgical procedures. Keloid treatment is prone to a high degree of resistance and recurrence. In this article, one such a case is reported along with a review of the literature discussing the nature of the lesion, treatment options, and the recommended precautions.

Prevalence of TMJ Disorders among Patients Attending the King Faisal University Dental Clinics, KSA.

AIM: To assess the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in a sample population of Al-Hasa by Fonseca's questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of 240 patients was randomly selected from outpatients, attending the dental clinical complex of King Faisal University. The participants were grouped based on gender and age-groups: 14 to 20, 21 to 40, 41 to 60, and 61 ≤ years. Each participant was provided with a questionnaire and points were given accordingly for each question. The sum of points was used to classify the severity of TMD. The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS 21 and the significance level of p was fixed at ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Among all participants examined, 131 participants had no TMD (54.6%), 79 had mild TMD (32.9%), 19 had moderate TMD (7.9%), and 11 had severe TMD (4.6%). TMD problem increases with age and significance level (p = 0.007) and females had more TMD problems than males (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: The Fonseca's questionnaire is an effective tool for screening the signs and symptoms of TMDs, in a short period, and classifies patients according to their severity. According to the study results, approximately 45.4% of the patients had some degree of TMD problems. The present study is cross-sectional with a limited number of participants and it should be followed by a longitudinal study in the near future to validate. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Early detection of TMD problems will help in treatment planning and prognosis.

Evaluation of Frictional Forces Generated between Three Different Ligation Methods with Four Different Sizes of Orthodontic Archwires: An In vitro Study.

AIM: This in vitro study was done to evaluate and compare the frictional forces produced by a passive self-ligating bracket (SLB) and two types of elastomeric ligatures (unconventional elastomeric ligatures [UELs] and conventional elastomeric ligatures [CELs]) on a conventional bracket used with four types of wires. MATERIALS: In this in vitro study, 8 numbers of conventional preadjusted edgewise appliance stainless steel brackets and 4 numbers of passive SLBs were tested. Four types of archwires and two types of ligatures were tested. Brackets were divided into three groups - Group I, Group II, and Group III. All the three groups were further divided into four subgroups based on different archwires. METHODS: Custom-made mounting jig was specially constructed for this study - upper member and lower member. After the samples were mounted, traction test was conducted using universal testing machine and readings were tabulated for all specimens. The variables in each group were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: All the three groups were tested for its total friction, static friction, and kinetic friction. SLBs showed a static mean little lower and had kinetic mean little greater than conventional bracket with unconventional module. CONCLUSION: UELs on conventional brackets and SLBs are able to produce lower frictional force when compared with CELs on conventional brackets.

Evaluating CagA and VacA Oncoproteins of Helicobacter pylori in Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders.

Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders such as leukoplakia, lichenplanus, Oral Submucous Fibrosis are most commonly encountered precancerous lesions in India. Although, usage of smoking tobacco has been decreased yet incidence of oral cancer seems to be in increasing trend. Apart from tobacco many non-tobacco causes are associated with the disease. Helicobacter pylori is a curved, flagellated bacterium that has been declared as group I carcinogen by WHO. They are proven causative agent for gastric carcinoma. They have been shown to harbour oral cavity by many authours. They produce onco-protein that causes DNA damage. CagA and VacA are such proteins that modulate certain oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. In this study we have identified the organism from sub gingival plaque by PCR and those who harboured the organism were further subjected for identification of oncoproteins CagA and VacA by ELISA. This study shows that presence of organism in Oral leucoplakia, oral lichenplanus and Oral Submucous Fibrosis are statistically significant in comparison to control group (p>0.05). The presence of oncoproteins was also statistically significant in comparison to control group. These proteins are shown to accelerate inflammatory pathway thereby hasten the process of tumorigenesis. H.pylori infection as well the virulent strains can be diagnosed from oral cavity in the most non-invasive way at the earliest.

Morphometric Analysis of Mandibular Foramen in Saudi Children Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the position of the mandibular foramen (MF) with regard to the occlusal plane (OP) and the anterior border (AB) of the mandibular ramus (AB) in a sample of 7-12-year-old Saudi children using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive, observational study, 155 CBCT scans were selected and analyzed for positional changes in the MF. Reconstructed panoramic and axial sections were used to measure the MF-OP and MF-AB distances, respectively, on both the right and left sides of the mandible. Data were analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey's honest significant difference post hoc tests where applicable, at a significance level of P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean distance of MF from the AB of the ramus was 14.68 mm, with no significant differences between the genders (P > 0.05). The MF moved upward from a position below the OP to above it, according to age in both males and females, and the difference between the age groups was significant (P < 0.05). No significant differences (P < 0.05) in the mean values of distances between the right and left sides of the mandible were seen. CONCLUSIONS: The location of the MF varies with respect to age and should be considered while administering inferior alveolar nerve block in children to achieve a more effective anesthesia.

Preparation of Mouthwash and Gel from Rosa damascena Mill and Evaluating Its Effectiveness-An In Vivo Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Rosa damascena Mill, commonly known as Damascus rose and garland rose, belongs to Rosaceae family, which has around 200 different types of rose species. R. damascena Mill is famous for its fragrance and beauty, and hence it is highly cultivated all over the world. In addition, this plant is also used for its medicinal properties. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to prepare mouth wash and gel from the oil of R. damacena Mill, to evaluate the effectiveness of the medicinal properties of prepared mouth wash and gel, to evaluate its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and to evaluate the adverse effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At the JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty, the oil of R. damacena Mill was converted into mouth wash and gel. To evaluate the effectiveness of the prepared rose gel and mouthwash, 24 Wister and 24 Albino rats were subjected to acetic acid induced writhing, hot plate method, and Carragennin induced paw edema test. RESULTS: Acetic acid induced writhing in mice and hot plate method were carried out. Both methods proved presence of analgesic activity, and Carragennin induced paw edema test showed the anti-inflammatory property of R. damascena mill. CONCLUSION: These two in vivo studies proved that the presence of analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties in prepared R. damascena mill mouth wash and gel.

Palatal pyogenic granulomaa.

Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a kind of inflammatory hyperplasia seen in the oral cavity. This term is a misnomer because the lesion is unrelated to infection. In reality it arises in response to various stimuli such as low-grade local irritation, traumatic injury or hormonal factors. It predominantly occurs in the second decade of life in young females possibly because of the vascular effects of female hormones. It is also called as pregnancy tumor because of its high frequency of occurrence during the early part of pregnancy. Even though, this lesion is non-neoplastic and treatment procedure is simple, it should be diagnosed correctly before proceeding with the treatment. The most common site for PGs is gingiva (75%) and rarely in the palate. In this case report, we are going to present very rare occurrence of pregnancy tumor in the hard palate.

Hypodontia and hypoplasia of mandible: A rare defect caused by combination therapy.

Hypodontia is defined as the developmental absence of one or more tooth and it can present in varying degrees of severity and severe hypodontia has been defined as the absence of six teeth, excluding third molars. Radiation plays an important role in the treatment of head and neck cancer, in spite of its benefits, radiation has several side-effects in the head and neck region. This article highlights a case report, where hypodontia, hypoplasia of mandible, stunded permanent teeth roots, microdontia, inversion of tooth bud were observed in 19 years old patient who was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis at her age of 3 years she had received a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for a period of 1 year and radiation of 50 Gy was used in the head and neck region. Radiographs were taken and it revealed abnormal changes in growth and development of bone and teeth.