CO2 laser vaporisation in treating oral lichen planus: A split-mouth randomised clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) laser vaporisation versus intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in the management of oral lichen planus (OLP). METHODS: A randomised clinical trial with a split-mouth design was conducted on 16 patients with bilateral symptomatic OLP lesions. One side was treated with CO2 laser vaporisation, and the counterpart was treated with TA intralesional injection. The reticular-erythematous-ulcerative (REU) score, Thongprasom sign scoring (TSS), visual analogue scale (VAS) and lesion area were used to evaluate the lesions at weeks 0, 4 and 9. All participants were followed up for 9 months. RESULTS: Reduction in the REU, TSS scores and lesion area from baseline to the end of treatment was significantly greater in the CO2 group than in the TA group (p values were 0.001, 0.002 and 0.048 respectively). However, the reduction in VAS score did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.54). The recurrence rate was significantly higher in the TA group than in the CO2 group (75% vs. 31.1%; p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: CO2 laser vaporisation was more effective than TA intralesional injection in managing OLP and decreased recurrence rates.

Cleidocranial dysplasia with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: A case report.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is a rare genetic skeletal syndrome. The most common features are open fontanelles, hypertelorism, mid-face retrusion, hypoplasia, or aplasia of the clavicles leading to excessive shoulder mobility, dental abnormalities such as supernumerary, and impacted teeth. This case report describes a 31-year-old male with CCD with several unusual symptoms like generalized joint hypermobility, skin laxity, and smooth skin, which leads to set a diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). To our knowledge, this is the first case report in the literature that describes a patient with these 2 distinct syndromes CCD and hEDS.

Efficacy of 810 nm and 650 nm Diode Laser Alone and in Combination With Sodium Fluoride Gel in Treating Dentin Hypersensitivity: A Split-Mouth Randomized Clinical Study.

Introduction Dentin hypersensitivity has been defined as a short, sharp pain caused by exposing naked dentin to external stimuli such as evaporation, heat, cold, osmotic liquids, and tactile effects. None of the available treatments has been considered the gold standard in treating dentin hypersensitivity. The use of laser has recently become more popular, and it is a promising treatment method in this field. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of both 810 nm and 650 nm diode lasers in treating dentin hypersensitivity. Materials and methods This study was conducted on six patients who were referred to the Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Damascus University (4 females and 2 males) with 108 teeth suffering from generalized dentin hypersensitivity and were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of three patients with 50 teeth treated with an 810 nm diode laser; it was divided by the split-mouth design into two subgroups. The first subgroup was treated by the application of the laser alone toward the target area with 1-watt power, continuous mode, and a total application time of 90 seconds, and the second subgroup was treated by applying sodium fluoride gel for one minute, then the laser was applied with the same settings as the first subgroup. Group 2 consisted of three patients with 58 teeth treated with a 650 nm diode laser; it was divided by the split-mouth design into two subgroups. The first subgroup was treated by the application of the laser alone toward the target area with 200 m watt power, continuous mode, and a total application time of 120 seconds, and the second subgroup was treated by applying sodium fluoride gel for one minute and then applying the laser with the same settings as the first subgroup. The pain was evaluated using a numeric rating scale (NRS) of 100 degrees before and immediately after treatment, and then after three to six and nine months by applying an air stream from a dental chair syringe at a distance of 0.5 cm from the target area. Results This study showed that both types of lasers were effective in treating pain caused by dentinal hypersensitivity. The average values ​​of pain reduction on the NRS showed the superiority of the 810 nm diode laser over the 650 nm after treatment and at all time points of pain assessment. No statistically significant differences were detected between applying laser alone and applying it combined with sodium fluoride gel in pain reduction values. Conclusions The application of an 810 nm diode laser either alone or in combination with sodium fluoride gel in treating dentin hypersensitivity is effective and better than the application of a 650 nm diode laser either alone or in combination with sodium fluoride gel. In addition, applying a 650 nm diode laser either alone or in combination with sodium fluoride gel has slight effectiveness in treating dentine hypersensitivity, and it is believed that a single treatment session with a 650 nm diode laser was not enough to obtain the required pain reduction.

Major Stress Sources Amongst Dental Students at Damascus University, Syria.

INTRODUCTION: Stress amongst dental students is frequently reported. Various environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural factors affect students' perceived stress levels. The aim of this study was to investigate stress levels and sources amongst undergraduate dental students at Damascus University, Syria. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used. A questionnaire was undertaken in 2019 at the Faculty of Dentistry at Damascus University. Students participated voluntarily in the survey. The sample comprised students at the preclinical and clinical stage. A modified 29-item version of the validated Dental Environmental Stress (DES) questionnaire with a 5-point scale (1 = not stressful to 5 = extremely stressful) was used as the measurement tool. Ethical approval was granted by Damascus University. RESULTS: In all, 365 students participated in the study, with a response rate of 96% (365/379). Cronbach's alpha was 0.83, indicating good reliability of the measurement tool. The overall mean score of the perceived stress was 2.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5-2.7). The mean scores for clinical factors, academic work, educational environment, personal factors, and living accommodation were 3.22 (95% CI, 3.1-3.3), 3.17 (95% CI, 3.1-3.2), 2.99 (95% CI, 2.9-3.0), 2.15 (95% CI, 2.1-2.2), 2.15 (95% CI, 2.0-2.2), respectively. The specific stressors with the highest mean scores were lack of dental equipment and difficulty in finding requested clinical cases; the respective means were 4.1 (95% CI, 4.0-4.2) and 3.9 (95% CI, 3.8-4.0). CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed moderate stress levels amongst students. The major stress factors pertained to stressors from the clinical, academic, and educational environment domains. Certain clinical and environmental stressors, such as difficulty in finding clinical cases and lack of dental equipment, were more powerful than the strongest academic stressors, such as examinations and grades and amount of assigned work.

Association between bruxism severity and serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between bruxism and blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred male and female patients from Damascus joined the study. Their ages were in the range of 18-40 years. Two groups were considered in this study, the first group included patients who were already suffering from bruxism (76 patients) and the second group consisted of patients who were not suffering from any bruxism (24 patients). The analysis of the blood samples for 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of the two groups was carried out. RESULTS: The recorded results showed that there is a relationship between the levels of bruxism and 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in the blood (p < .05), enhancing that the bruxism activity has been shown the associated deficiency in 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, which can be divided into five different categories. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study in spite of the number of patients (one hundred), according to the reported study, it appears that there is a significant relationship between bruxism and the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood.

Knowledge and awareness level of syrian dentists towards novel coronavirus pandemic: cross-sectional study / Nivel de conocimiento y actitud de los dentistas sirios sobre la nueva pandemia de coronavirus: estudio transversal

Objetive: An outbreak of a novel and alarmingly coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was announced in China in December 2019, which later affected about 180 countries worldwide. Thus, this study aims to assess the awareness and attitude of dentists towards COVID-19 in Syria. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire was an online survey; it contained 19 questions formulated based on the information given by WHO and CDC for COVID-19. Study participants were dentists practicing in Syria. The questionnaire was translated into Arabic and published on the internet into multiple platforms. Results:7233 dentists responded to the questionnaire; 64% of the participants were females. The majority of the respondents were general practitioner (78%), nearly half of the respondents had been practicing dentistry for at least 2-4 years (51%). The majority of the respondents has knowledge about COVID-19 and was aware it is contagious. Over half of the Syrian dentists received their information about COVID-19 from social media platforms (55%). Even though the majority of the dentists were aware that the incubation period could last up to 14 days, nearly half of the participants were not aware that symptomless patients can spread the virus (49%). Conclusions: Syrian dental practitioners were aware of COVID-19 definition, incubation period and prevention measures in the dental clinic. However, they had limited attitude regarding COVID-19 symptoms, mode of transmission and management.

Objetivos: En China se anunció en diciembre de 2019 un brote de una nueva y alarmantemente enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19), que luego afectó alrededor de 180 países en todo el mundo. Por lo tanto, este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar el conocimiento y la actitud de los dentistas hacia COVID-19 en Siria. Material y Métodos: El cuestionario se aplicó como una encuesta en línea; contenía 19 preguntas formuladas en base a la información proporcionada por la OMS y los CDC para COVID-19. Los participantes del estudio fueron dentistas que practicaban en Siria. El cuestionario fue traducido al árabe y publicado en Internet en múltiples plataformas. Resultado: 7233 dentistas respondieron al cuestionario; El 64% de los participantes eran mujeres. La mayoría de los encuestados eran dentistas generales (78%), casi la mitad de los encuestados habían estado practicando odontología durante al menos 2-4 años (51%). La mayoría de los encuestados tiene conocimiento sobre COVID-19 y sabía que es contagioso. Más de la mitad de los dentistas sirios recibieron su información sobre COVID-19 de redes sociales (55%). Aunque la mayoría de los dentistas sabían que el período de incubación podría durar hasta 14 días, casi la mitad de los participantes no sabían que los pacientes sin síntomas pueden transmitir el virus (49%). Conclusion:Los odontólogos sirios conocían la definición de COVID-19, el período de incubación y las medidas de prevención en la clínica dental. Sin embargo, tenían una actitud limitada con respecto a los síntomas de COVID-19, el modo de transmisión y el manejo.