Anatomical landscape of oral squamous cell carcinoma: A single cancer center study in UAE.

Objectives: This study aimed to present demographic and clinicopathological aspects of OSCC identified in Pathology service in the UAE over a 13-year period and compare these findings to a cohort of 523 cases of Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using the Cancer Genome Atlas's cBioPortal database (http://cbioportal.org). Material and methods: Histological examination of all hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides and assessment of all demographic and clinical information from laboratory records were performed on all OSCC diagnosed between 2005 and 2018. Results: Males made up 71.4% of the sample of 231 OSCCs that were evaluated. The patients' average age was 55.38 years. The two most prevalent afflicted sites were the anterior two-thirds of the tongue (57.6%) and the cheek (28.1%). The most prevalent site among smokers were the floor of mouth, cheek, and jaw bones. There was a link between tumor size and numerous anatomical subsites that was shown to be highly significant. OSCC in the FOM was associated with a 25% mortality rate. Patients with OSCC of the anterior tongue and cheek had the best prognosis, with only 15.7% and 15.3% of patients dying during follow-up. Conclusion: The present investigation found a correlation between the diverse clinicopathological characteristics of the various anatomical subsites in OSCC. Different anatomical subsites also displayed varying degrees of gene mutation.

Comparative Analysis of Manual Dexterity of Dental Students at Ajman University following One Academic Year of Preclinical Training Sessions: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Dental students must complete two stages of training, namely, preclinical training on phantom head models and clinical training on actual patients to acquire the practical skills required by their Bachelor of Dental Surgery program.Our objectives are to evaluate the level of improvement of the manual skills obtained by third-year dental students after one full academic year of preclinical training courses using dexterity tests under direct and indirect vision and to compare the improvement among male and female dental students under the same conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 72 preclinical students participated in our cohort trial, each of whom was assigned a random identification number that was only known to the researchers. After the beginning of the academic year, the experiment was performed under identical conditions for both the O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity Test and the Purdue Pegboard Test. The examinations were conducted at two distinct times: T0 before phantom laboratory training (the beginning of preclinical sessions) and T1 after phantom laboratory training (9 months after T0). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Signed-rank test of Wilcoxon over two separate periods (T0 and T1), comparisons were made between the direct and indirect visual dexterity test scores. In addition, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare results across gender. The statistical significance (p-value) was set at below 0.05 with a confidence level of 95%. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was detected between the T0 and T1 assessments on the Purdue Pegboard Test and the O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity Test for all selected dentistry students in both direct and indirect conditions (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Further investigation in other dental departments or schools, particularly those with different entry standards, is required prior to making a definitive conclusion about the use of these dexterity assessments as predictors of prospective dental students' performance.

Characteristics of Suture Materials Used in Oral Surgery: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this review was to evaluate the most used suture materials with regards to their inflammatory response, their bacterial adhesion, and their physical properties when used to close oral wounds. METHODS: Four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Dentistry & Oral Sciences, and OVID) were searched to retrieve relevant studies from January 1, 2000, to January 31, 2020. RESULTS: Out of the 269 articles, only 13 studies were selected as they were relevant and met the systematic review's protocol. These studies showed that almost all suture materials studies (catgut, polyglycolic acid [PGA] sutures, nylon, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, and silk sutures) caused bacterial adherence and tissue reaction. In nylon and chromic catgut, the number of bacteria accumulated was lowest. Silk and nylon were found to be more impacted than catgut and PGA in terms of physical characteristics such as tensile strength. PGA, on the other hand, was said to be the most susceptible to knot unwinding. CONCLUSIONS: Following an oral surgical operation, all sutures revealed varied degrees of irritation and microbial accumulation. Nonresorbable monofilament synthetic sutures, however, exhibited less tissue response and less microbial accumulation.

Concha bullosa, nasal septal deviation, and their impacts on maxillary sinus volume among Emirati people: A cone-beam computed tomography study.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of concha bullosa (CB) and nasal septal deviation (NSD) and their impact on maxillary sinus volume (MSV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images of 106 Emirati people were used in this study. The direction and angle of septal deviation were calculated. The presence of CB, which could be unilateral, contralateral, or bilateral in relation to the direction of NSD, was also recorded. MSV was measured using reconstructed Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine images on Dolphin 3D imaging software version 11.8 premium (Dolphin Imaging, Chatsworth, CA, USA). P values <0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. RESULTS: CB was detected in 37.7% of the sample; 20.7% of the sample showed single unilateral CB and 16.6% had single bilateral CB. NSD was seen in 74.5% of the sample. In the participants with CB, 45.5% showed mild deviation, 34.4% showed moderate deviation, and only 12.5% showed severe septal deviation. CB, but not NSD, was associated with significantly higher MSV on the affected side (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Although NSD was observed in more than two-thirds of the sample and CB was present in more than one-third of the sample, only CB had a significant impact on MSV.

Shisha Smoking Habit among Dental School Students in the United Arab Emirates: Enabling Factors and Barriers.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to assess shisha smoking among dental school students in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). In addition, the role of suggested barriers and enabling factors in shisha smoking was also evaluated. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted at the College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, between February and May 2016. The questions were adapted from previously published water pipe smoking studies. The collected data were analyzed to identify the relationship between shisha smoking and sociodemographic characteristics. Relevant questions were further categorized as enabling factors and barriers for shisha smoking. RESULTS: Three enabling questionnaire items related to social environment were significantly associated with an increased risk of being a current smoker. The most powerful is peer pressure ("friends smoke shisha"), which increased the odds ratio of shisha smoking 11.3 times, followed by smoker sibling with increase in odd ratio by 4.52 times, then the belief of social acceptance with increase in odd ratio by 4.31 times. CONCLUSION: Shisha smoking is a serious problem among university students. Any intervention program in the university curricula should consider teaching students that shisha is no less risky than cigarettes and is addictive.

Evaluation of maxillary sinus dimensions in gender determination using helical CT scanning.

Gender determination is an important step in identification in forensic medicine. CT measurements of maxillary sinuses may be useful to support gender identification. This study was undertaken to study the accuracy and reliability of maxillary sinus dimensions measurement in gender classification through the use of reconstructed helical CT images. Eighty-eight patients (43 men and 45 women) with age range from 20 to 49 years were selected in this study. The width, length, and height of the maxillary sinuses in addition to the total distance across both sinuses were measured. Data were subjected to discriminant analysis for gender using multiple regression analysis. Maxillary sinus height was the best discriminant parameter that could be used to study sexual dimorphism with an overall accuracy of 71.6%. Using multivariate analysis, 74.4% of male sinuses and 73.3% of female sinuses were sexed correctly. The overall percentage for sexing maxillary sinuses correctly was 73.9%. It can be concluded that reconstructed CT image can provide valuable measurements for maxillary sinuses and could be used for sexing when other methods of sexing are not conclusive.

Evaluation of frontal sinus and skull measurements using spiral CT scanning: an aid in unknown person identification.

The present study was undertaken to test a simple system for the identification of unknown bodies using spiral CT images of frontal sinus and other skull measurements among selected Iraqi sample. Ninety patients (45 males and 45 females) with age range from 20 to 49 years were selected in this study. Three features and two groups of measurements of frontal sinus and three skull dimensions were obtained from the CT images. Three basic features were F (presence or absence of frontal sinus), S (septum) and S (scalloping). Measurements selected for the study were frontal sinus width, height and anteroposterior length. In addition to measurements of total width, the distance between the highest points of the two sinuses, the distance between the highest points of each sinus to its maximum lateral limit. Skull measurements included; maximum skull length, prostio-bregmatic height and maximum skull width. All data were subjected to a descriptive and discriminative analysis using the SPSS (Version 17.0). The pre-post comparison (number of discordant items) resulted in 95% accurately predicted perfect match for intra-examiner calibration and 90% accurately predicted perfect match for inter-examiners calibration and the result for one discordant item was 5% for intra-examiner calibration and 10% for inter-examiners calibration. The discriminative analysis showed that the ability of the frontal sinus to identify gender was 76.9%, adding the skull measurements to the frontal sinus measurements gave a higher overall classification accuracy for gender (85.9%). Frontal sinus measurements are valuable method in differentiating gender. Adding skull measurements to the frontal sinus measurements can significantly improve accuracy of gender determination using discriminant analysis. CT based films can provide valuable and precise measurements not only for frontal sinus but even for the whole skull that cannot be approached by other means.

Retromolar space analysis in relation to selected linear and angular measurements for an Iraqi sample.

BACKGROUND: Radiographic diagnosis of the presence, position, and degree of third molar formation is a crucial part of integral treatment planning for the development of this tooth. Shortage of eruption space between lower second molar and the ramus has long been identified as a major factor in the etiology of lower third molar impaction. The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the validity of some angular and linear measurements made on digital panoramic imaging to be used as a reference for early prediction of lower third molar eruption or impaction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Digital panoramic imaging was done on 50 individuals with full dentition and a class I occlusal relationship. The sample was divided into full-eruption and marginal-eruption groups. Nine variables (linear measurements and angles) were measured for every individual to determine the minimal and maximal values of each variable and these variables were correlated to each other using Pearson's correlation equation. RESULTS: Lower eruption space measurements for the marginal-eruption group were smaller by more than 3 to 4 mm than that of the full-eruption group. The beta-angle, the angle formed between the long axes of lower second and third molars, showed a marked increase in their values (9 degrees to 10 degrees) when the marginal-eruption group is compared to the full-eruption group. CONCLUSION: Third molar angle (alpha-angle), beta-angle, and gonial angle together with lower eruption space measurements are the variables that should be taken into consideration when early prediction of lower third molar eruption is performed.