The latest medical research on Orthodontics

Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) raise a considerable restorative challenge for the dentist in bonding, as adhesion is not as strong and predictable as enamel bonding. A critical factor for restorative success is the selection of restorative material. Clinicians have tried many restorative materials and techniques to obtain the best performance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the clinical outcome of a Giomer and Resin modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) restoration in NCCL using united states public health service (USPHS) criteria at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months.

Patients from age 25 - 50 years having non-carious cervical lesions on both the sides and requiring restorations were screened. 20 patients were selected and further divided into 2 groups using simple random sampling technique. Group A- Beautifil II restoration using G-Premio bond (n = 10) and Group B- Ketac N100 restoration (n = 10). Restorations were done according to manufacturer's instructions and consequently evaluated at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months using the USPHS criteria for marginal discolouration, marginal integrity, surface texture, colour match, gross fracture and post-operative sensitivity.

Giomer restorations showed better results than RMGIC. There was decrease in alpha ratings in both the study groups i.e., Giomer and RMGIC from 6 to 12 months.

The overall findings suggest that both Giomer and RMGIC gave satisfactory clinical results when used to restore non-carious cervical lesions. Both the materials can successfully be used since there was no statistically significant difference in the clinical outcome.

The attitudes of dental students to study a particular specialty of dentistry in post-graduation are of great importance as these facilitate workforce planning in the dental sector.

To assess the attitude of dental students towards choosing periodontology as their future career and to explore demographic variables that affect their choice.

A cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire was conducted, including students of the third and fourth years and interns of the dental college. Twenty-seven questions, graded on a Likert scale (5-point) were included in the questionnaire, and the responses were categorised via three attitudes: negative (score 0-21), neutral (score 22-44) and positive (score 45-64). The Chi-square test for proportions was used to examine the differences between groups.

Among 114 participants, 53 (46.5%) were males and 61 (53.5%) were females. One-third of the respondents had a positive attitude towards selecting periodontology as their future career, and the majority had a neutral perspective, with a few students having a negative attitude (20.2%). Out of the total, 34.2% of respondents had a positive attitude, and 45.6% showed a neutral attitude or perspective.

Efforts should be intensified, and undergraduate (UG) students should be motivated by broadening the scope of the field in the UG curriculum by the dental council so that the students show considerable interest in pursuing the field as their future career.

This study aimed to estimate and correlate the serum and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of caspase-3 and milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) in healthy, gingivitis and generalised chronic periodontitis subjects.

A total of 24 subjects were selected and divided into three groups. After recording the periodontal parameters (plaque index (PI), modified gingival index (MGI), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL)), the serum and GCF samples were collected and the levels of caspase-3 and MFG-E8 were estimated using enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA).

The mean values of PI, MGI, PD and CALs were significantly higher in group III when compared to group II and group I. The mean value of serum and GCF caspase-3 increased with increasing disease severity, whereas the mean serum and GCF values of MFG-E8 decreased with increasing severity of disease. Spearman's correlation showed a strong positive correlation between the serum and GCF levels of caspase-3 and periodontal parameters, whereas serum and GCF levels of MFG-E8 showed a strong negative correlation with the periodontal parameters.

The findings of this study are suggestive that the serum and GCF levels of caspase-3 and MFG-E8 could serve as a potential biomarker for the role of apoptosis in periodontal disease. However, further studies are required to explore the mechanism and understand the relationship between these apoptotic markers and periodontitis.

To compare and evaluate the occlusal variability/discrepancy recorded using qualitative (articulating paper) and quantitative (T-scan) techniques in partially edentulous implant-supported restorations.

A total of 20 patients in the age group of 25-61 yrs participated in this study. All the patients had more than one tooth replaced with implant-supported prosthesis. After three months of restoration, occlusion reevaluated was carried out using qualitative (articulating paper) and quantitative (T-scan). T-scan data were used to measure implant occlusion time, occlusion time, and the relative occlusal force (ROFs) on implant prosthesis. And the data were statistically evaluated.

The T-scan values showed high points on the implants in most of the patients, which could not be evaluated by that of articulating paper outcomes.

The T-scan occlusal analysis system provides ROF and time intervals of occlusal contact. This allows accurate occlusal equilibration of implant-supported restoration according to implant protected occlusal concept.

Chlorhexidine (CHX) is a chemical mouthwash that has been considered the gold standard, but has its drawbacks. When used for a longer duration, it produces taste alteration and staining on the tooth surfaces. Nowadays, herbal extracts from plants have been widely used as they possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and analgesic actions.

A group of 45 healthy subjects in the age group of 19-35 years were selected and randomly divided into three groups, Group A - Himalaya complete care mouthwash, Group B - CHX mouthwash, Group C - Distilled water as a control group. Gingival index and plaque index, OHI-s index, and Ainamo and Bay index for bleeding were recorded. Subjects received complete supragingival scaling at baseline and were instructed to use 10 ml of mouthwashes twice a day in their group. Variables were again recorded on the seventh and 14th day after the use of mouthwashes, and data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis. Posthoc and ANOVA tests were used for statistical analysis.

It was found that both CHX and herbal mouthwash proved to be more effective than placebo in maintaining gingival health. There was no significant difference between the test group on gingival health.

Herbal mouthwash is an effective alternative to CHX mouthwash, in the light of the reported side effects of CHX mouthwash.