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Tooth mobility, which is prevalent among patients seeking dental healthcare services, happens when the tooth is reversibly displaced horizontally or vertically beyond its normal physiological limits. Tooth mobility is classified into 2 subgroups: localized and generalized. Generalized tooth mobility occurs when more than 2 teeth are mobile. In this review, the available studies regarding the common etiologies of generalized tooth mobility are discussed.  

In this review article, data were collected by reviewing the available articles published between 2011 to 2021 in national and international journals by searching the PubMed, PubMed Central, Medline, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Embase databases using the key words “Tooth Mobility”, “Tooth Movement” “Periodontal Disease”, “Systemic Disease”, and “Malignant Disease”. Among the relevant articles, 51 were chosen.

It seems that numerous etiologies, which can be either physiological or pathological, can result in generalized tooth mobility.

Since an optimal treatment outcome depends on accurate diagnosis, it is crucial for the dentists to be aware of the common etiologies of this condition.

Candidiasis is one of the most common diseases in the oral cavity. Due to the side effects of chemical mouthwashes, the use of antifungal herbs has increased significantly. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the effect of Ginger (Vi-one) mouthwash on the growth of Candida albicans under in vitro conditions.

In this experimental in vitro study, 32 special solid culture media were prepared. 15 special solid culture media containing discs and wells impregnated with ginger mouthwash (Vi-one) and 15 special solid culture media with discs and wells of nystatin extract were prepared. Moreover, two blank sterile cultures with disks and wells containing no mouthwash or extract were prepared. These plates were placed in microaerophilic conditions with the presence of carbon dioxide and were transferred to the incubator at 37°C for 48 hours. After 48 hours, the zone of inhibition was determined using standard methods.

Agar well diffusion method revealed that the zone of inhibition for ginger mouthwash equaled 23.6±0.33mm and for Nystatin equaled 28.2±1.2. Agar disc diffusion method revealed that zone of inhibition for ginger mouthwash equaled 18.3±1 and for Nystatin equaled 28.3±0.1 (p<0.0001).

 Based on the results of this study, it seems that ginger mouthwash (Vi-one) compared to nystatin extract can be effective against the growth of Candida albicans under in vitro conditions.

The population of the elderly is growing, and oral health of this specific population is suboptimal because the prevalence of caries, xerostomia, edentulism, and oral cancer has increased among them. Impaired oral health may cause many problems and negatively affect the quality of life (QoL). Due to the increased need for preventive and restorative dental procedures with aging, effective strategies must be implemented in this respect. Thus, it is necessary to assess the oral health status and dental care needs of the geriatric population.

A literature search was conducted for studies published between 2015 and 2020 in the PubMed, Nature, Wiley, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Of 72 articles identified, 26 articles that were case reports and case series or had irrelevant titles or keywords were excluded, and 46 articles remained for data extraction.

The most common oral problems in the elderly included xerostomia, oral pain, impaired deglutition, and mastication problems. Also, they suffered from edentulism, orofacial pains, pneumonia, and cognitive problems. Thus, they may need special dental care.

Provision of dental care must be promoted to ensure that older people have appropriate access to oral health services. Many items affect the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of the elderly. Thus, dentists, dental hygienists, caregivers, and geriatricians must focus on improving the elderly’s oral health status. Oral health promotion programs in the elderly can decrease their oral problems and improve their OHRQoL.

  Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis) is one of the effective bacteria in the formation of caries and periodontal diseases which are caused by dental plaque. Currently, the use of natural honey (NH) is considered as a method of reducing S. sanguinis and S. mutans in saliva, which results in reducing the dental plaque. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of NH on the growth of S. sanguinis and to compare its effects with that of Ciprofloxacin and Penicillin antibiotics in vitro.  
In this experimental study, the effect of NH against S. sanguinis was investigated according to the growth inhibition zone in the disk diffusion method by measuring the inhibition zone around the disks which were dipped in the case and control groups. The agar well diffusion method was used as well. The results were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). In case of the presence of a significant difference, post-hoc Scheffe test was used as a supplementary test.
In the disk diffusion method, the average inhibition zone was 21 mm for Ciprofloxacin, 10.35 mm for Penicillin, and 17.77 mm for NH (P<0.001). In the agar well diffusion method, the average inhibition zone was 17.68 mm for Ciprofloxacin, 15.83 mm for NH, and 8.06 mm for Penicillin (P<0.01).  
It seems that NH is effective against S. sanguinis in vitro. Nevertheless, its inhibition zone in the agar well diffusion and the disk diffusion methods is smaller than that formed by Ciprofloxacin and larger than that formed by Penicillin.

Hyposalivation is one of the most common complications during menopause, which affects the quality of life. The aim of the present study was to assess the correlation between menopause and salivary flow rate. This historical-cohort study was conducted on 80 healthy women. Forty postmenopausal women were placed in the case group, while 40 premenopausal women were selected as the control group. The participants were selected from among non-smokers and non-alcoholics and had no systemic diseases. The saliva level of the participants was measured by using the Modified Schirmer’s Test (MST) and modified Fox questionnaire. The participants were asked to sit upright, swallow their saliva and hold up their tongue. A strip was placed on the floor of the mouth, and the length of the wet and discolored area on the strip was measured after 3 minutes. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 according to Mann-U-Whitney and Chi-square tests. According to the MST, the prevalence of hyposalivation was 35% in premenopausal women and 65% in postmenopausal women, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.001). According to the modified Fox questionnaire, the prevalence of normal salivary flow and mild xerostomia in premenopausal women was 90%, while this rate was equal to 62.5% in postmenopausal women. The prevalence of severe xerostomia was 15% in postmenopausal women, while none of the premenopausal subjects had severe xerostomia. The incidence of hyposalivation in postmenopausal women is significantly higher than that in premenopausal women (P<0.005). It seems that the unstimulated salivary flow rate decreases after menopause.

Regular evaluation of the efficiency of instructors is highly important to promote the quality of instruction. This study aimed to assess the perspective of senior dental students about the priorities that must be considered in instructor evaluation. In this descriptive study, the significance of instructor assessment from the viewpoint of 132 senior dental students was evaluated in five domains of teaching skills, personal characteristics and skills, communication skills, adherence to educational regulations, and assessment skills. The frequency of the overall significance of each item and the domains as well as the effect of demographic and socioeconomic factors on the results were analyzed by Chi-square test. 84.4% of students believed that instructor assessment was important. Teaching skills acquired the highest score (90.6%), followed by communication skills (89.4%), personal characteristics and skills (83.8%), and educational regulations (70.9%) with statistically significant differences (P<0.0001). Students gave the highest score to the teaching method (98.5%), followed by the ability to well discuss the topic, conveying the topic, and mastery of the content (96.2%). The lowest score was given to the adherence to the order of educational contents set by the educational committee (42%) and to the usefulness of homework (49%). No significant association was noted between gender, age, grade point average (GPA), the parents' occupation, or interest in dentistry as a profession with the students' opinions about the instructor assessment form and the five domains (P=0.2). Educational workshops may enhance the teaching and communication skills of instructors, may increase the satisfaction of students with the instructors' performance and may yield greater educational achievements.

Side effects of cigarette smoking are among the major concerns. These complications can adversely affect the oral environment. Since reduced salivary flow rate increases the incidence of tooth decay and other dental and oral problems, the present research aimed to investigate the relationship between cigarette smoking and salivary flow rate. In this historical cohort study, 50 cigarette smokers (case) and 50 non-smokers (control) were involved, who were matched according to age and gender. Non-stimulated whole saliva was measured by using the modified Schirmer test (MST) performed between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. by a trained examiner. All the participants refrained from eating, drinking and smoking for 2 hours prior to the study. The subjects were asked to sit in an upright position and to raise and slowly retract their tongue, to avoid unintentional wetting of the Schirmer test's strip. The strip was kept vertically with the help of cotton pliers, while the bottom of the paper was in contact with the floor of the mouth. The length of the wet area on the strip was recorded at the intervals of 1, 2 and 3 minutes. Data were analyzed with Mann-U-Whitney and Chi-square tests. The quantitative value of salivary flow rate was equal to 24.8±2.4mm in controls, and 15.8±2.1mm in case group (P<0.001). 30% of non-smokers and 90% of smokers exhibited reduced salivary flow rate (P<0.000). It seems that reduced salivary flow rate is more significant in cigarette smokers than in non-smokers.