Role of mandibular anatomical structures in sexual dimorphism in Turkish population: a radiomorphometric CBCT study.

Sex determination is one of the primary concerns of forensic science. The cranial bones, pelvis, and mandible have been used for determining the sex of specimens. Because the mandible is robust and sexually dimorphic, studies have evaluated its metric and morphological traits. This study was designed as a retrospective study involving cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images to assess sexual dimorphism of the mandible in the Turkish population. Total sample group consisted of 176 bimaxillary CBCT scans (71 males and 102 females; ages 19-67 years). Sixteen mandibular parameters were measured using two different software programmes. Measurements were recorded in various planes of three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the scans. All parameters aside from SIMaCD were found to be statistically significant. The highest diagnostic accuracy rate was associated with IMaF, and the overall accuracy rate of the fourteen parameters was found to be 80%.

Assessment of hygiene habits and attitudes among removable partial denture wearers in a university hospital.

AIMS: The aim of this study was conducting a survey of hygiene habits and use of removable partial dentures (RPDs) and correlate them with the social conditions of the interviewees. METHODS: A total of 145 RPD wearers were interviewed by experienced clinical staff using a structured questionnaire. A Chi-squared test was performed to evaluate statistical significance between the variables, and the level of significance was P<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 72 (49%) patients reported that they had not been well informed by the dentists. Brushing was the most frequent cleaning method (57.6%). 77 (53.1%) patients did not take off their dentures at night. The frequency of cleaning dentures and using cleansing tablet was significantly higher in females than in males (P<0.05). The frequency of denture cleaning, cleaned parts of denture, use of cleansing tablet, removal of dentures at night, frequency of tooth brushing, does not show any significant difference according to age, educational status or duration of denture usage (P>0.05). RPD wearers did not clean their dentures and natural teeth satisfactorily and had limited knowledge of denture cleansing and oral hygiene maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: Hygiene habits and attitudes may be affected by gender, but education level and hygiene attitudes may not always present positive correlation. Dentists should thoroughly inform patients about the harmful effects of overnight wearing and motivate to clean metal parts of RPD's and cleansing tablet use in order to minimize the abrasive effect of widely preferred cleaning method of brushing with toothpaste.

Stafne bone defect: report of two cases.

Stafne bone defects are asymptomatic lingual bone depressions of the lower jaw. In 1942, Stafne described for the first time 35 asymptomatic, radiolucent cavities, unilaterally located in the posterior region of the mandible, between the mandibular angle and the third molar, below the inferior dental canal and slightly above the basis mandibulae. In this study, the clinical and radiological characteristics of 2 cases of Stafne bone defects were described. Orthopantomograph and CBCT were used for diagnosing the defects. The bone defects of two patients in this study were asymptomatic and any other bone lesions, such as cysts and tumors, were excluded because no signs of inflammatory or tumoral changes were evident Therefore, surgery was not considered and the patients were followed for 1 year. Stafne bone defect was an incidental finding, presenting no evolutionary changes, and as such conservatory therapy based on periodic controls was indicated. Currently, complementary techniques such as CT are sufficient to establish a certain diagnosis.