فهرست مطالب fatemeh lavaee

Statement of the Problem: 

Patients with leukemia are prone to infectious and often life-threatening complications. Evidence suggests that a specific oral microbiota may contribute to septicemia, which can delay antineoplastic treatment, compromise treatment efficacy, or even endanger patients' lives

This study investigated the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the saliva of patients with acute myeloid leukemia who were candidates for bone marrow transplantation.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 in the Hematology-Oncology Department of Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The study included 28 patients with acute myeloid leukemia eligible for bone marrow transplantation as the case group and age- and sex-matched healthy individuals as the control group. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected to determine the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18, the chi-square test, and the independent t-test.

In the patients with acute myeloid leukemia, 26 (86%) were positive for Staph-ylococcus aureus and 18 (60%) were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the healthy group, 11 (22.9%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus and 3 (6.2%) were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The frequency of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in the saliva samples of patients with acute myeloid leukemia was significantly higher than in the healthy control subjects (p value < 0.05). Chi-square test showed no significant association between age and the frequency of bacteria (p value= 0.27).

In the current study, the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the saliva of patients with acute myeloid leukemia was higher than in the healthy control group.

Vesiculobullous diseases (VBDs) are characterized by the formation of vesicles or bullae. The aim of this study was to perform an epidemiological survey on patients with chronic VBDs referred to Shiraz Dental School during 2006-2016.

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, epidemiological data (age, sex, prevalence, involvement location, prescribed medication, and underlying diseases) of patients diagnosed with VBDs were collected. The relationship between the epidemiological factors and the occurrence of VBDs was analyzed. SPSS version 18 was used to analyze the data by the Chi-square test and Spearman’s correlation test.

Totally, 120 patients were evaluated; out of which, 88.3% had pemphigus vulgaris (PV), 4.2% had bullous pemphigoid (BP), 6.8% had mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), and 0.1% had pemphigus herpetiformis (PH). Most patients were females (68.3%) and 31.7% were males. The mean age of patients was 43.14±11.41 years. The mucosal and cutaneous involvement in PV patients was as follows: 31.13% had mucosal, 0.94% had cutaneous, 37.73% had both mucosal and cutaneous, and 30.18% had mucosal-cutaneous involvement associated with involvement of other organs. Prednisolone was the first-line treatment in all patients. There was a significant correlation between age and incidence of VBDs in patients (P=0.030).

Our findings indicated that the epidemiological properties of VBDs in our study were similar to those in other countries. However, PV was the most common VBD followed by BP.

Statement of the Problem: 

There are global efforts for introducing a new herbal antimicrobial agent with minimal side effects. There are some reports about the antimicrobial properties of Pimpinella anisum and Oregano Vulgare.

In this study, the antimicrobial properties of Pimpinella anisum and Oregano Vulgare have been assessed.

In this experimental in vitro study, the dental plaque samples were collected from children aged 3 to 5 years old who were referred to a private dental office with diagnosis of dental caries. After determination of the bacterial colonies of Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus salivarius, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Pimpinella anisum and Oregano vulgare were measured by macrodilution and microdilution methods.

The mean MIC and MBC of Pimpinella anisum extract and Oregano vulgare extract and their combination against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Streptococcus salivarius were statistically different (p< 0.001). The combination of these extracts showed the lowest MIC and MBC.

Hydroalcoholic extracts of the Pimpinella anisum and Oregano Vulgare were effective antibacterial agent against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus sanguinis so the combination of these two extracts showed the highest antibacterial properties on all the bacteria evaluated.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of diabetes mellitus (DM) and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in order to provide new insight for TN pathogenesis.

This retrospective cross-sectional study compared the prevalence of DM in patients with TN and healthy controls without TN during 2007-2018. Totally, 193 participants were enrolled in the patient and control groups. These participants were selected among patients referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine Department of Dental School of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The age and gender of patients were matched in the two groups. DM (types 1 and 2) was diagnosed based on patient reports and routinely requested lab tests (fasting blood sugar, 2-hour post-prandial). The odds ratio (OR) and Chi-square test were used to compare the mean values.

The prevalence of DM in TN patients and control group was 11.4% and 9.8%, respectively. The mean age of the participants was 56.96±13.66 and 56.46±13.47 years in the TN and control groups, respectively. The difference in TN prevalence between the two groups was not significant (P=0.62).

Although the prevalence of DM in patients with TN was higher than the control group, this difference was not significant (P>0.05). Women with TN showed DM 25% more than men with TN.

 Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Streptococcus salivarius are most common etiologic bacteria for dental caries. Different sizes of gold nanoparticles may have different antibacterial effects on these species.

This study aimed to compare the antibacterial effect of chlorhexidine and three sizes of gold nano particles (25, 60, 90nm) against clinical and standard strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Streptococcus salivarius.

In this cross-sectional study, the specimens were collected from 75 children aged 3-5 years old. Antibacterial effect of chlorhexidine and three sizes of gold nano particles (25, 60, 90nm) were investigated by evaluating the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against three bacterial strains.

The MIC and MBC of gold nanoparticles with different sizes against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Streptococcus salivarius were statistically different. The MIC and MBC of smaller gold nano particles (25nm) were significantly lower (p <0.001) than larger ones. Patient-derived bacteria had significantly higher values of MIC and MBC in comparison to standard species (p <0.001).

The results of this study confirmed the significant size-dependency of gold nano particles for antibacterial activity. As the size of gold nano particles decrease, the antibacterial properties enhance.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of common photodynamic therapy and photodynamic therapy by the silver nanoparticle, methylene blue, and their combination on biofilm and plankton cells of standard oral Candida isolates using cell viability assay.

In this in vitro study, biofilm and plankton cells of Candida species(i.e. C .albicans and C. parapsilosis) and plankton cells of Candida glabrata were treated with methylene blue, silver nanoparticle, and their combination once alone and then with the irradiation of total dose of 1.92 J/cm² for 60 sec. The minimum inhibitory concentration and antifungal activity of each approach were evaluated using the XTT assay.

After photodynamic therapy, methylene blue showed antifungal effect only on Candida albicans, while the antifungal effect of silver nanoparticles was increased on all Candida species. On the other hand, photodynamic therapy with the combination of methylene blue and silver nanoparticles did not have any effect on C. albicans. However, it reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration value of C. parapsilosis, and the most antifungal effect was observed on C. glabrata.

Photodynamic therapy with photosensitizers can serve as a treatment modality in Candida infections of the oral cavity. Antifungal effect of photodynamic therapy was strain- and photosensitizer-dependent.

Various therapeutic approaches, including stem-cell-based strategies and tissue engineering, have been proposed for oral ulcerative lesions. We investigated the effects of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) seeded onto the curcumin-loaded collagen scaffold in the mucosal healing of oral ulcers in rats. The current experimental study was conducted on 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Oral ulcers were created over both sides of buccal mucosa, and the rats were randomly divided into four equal groups: 1) an untreated group (negative control); 2) Teriadent-treated group (positive control); 3) group treated with curcumin-loaded collagen scaffold; and 4) group received the ADSCs (3 × 106 cells) seeded onto the curcumin-loaded collagen scaffold. Rats were sacrificed on 3rd and 7th day after ulceration for histopathological examination as well as measurement of tissue levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) activity. Compared with the negative control, the tissue levels of MPO and IL-1β were significantly decreased in all treated groups (p <0.0001); however, the SOD activity was elevated (p <0.0001). The highest SOD activity as well as the lowest MPO and IL-1β levels were observed in the ADSCs-curcumin-loaded collagen scaffold group. The ulcer healing process at 3rd and 7th day follow-up was much more progressed in the ADSCs-curcumin-loaded collagen scaffold group in comparison with the untreated group (P=0.037 and P=0.004, respectively). According to the findings of this study, ADSCs seeded onto the curcumin-loaded collagen scaffold seems to have a promising potential for oral ulcer healing applications.

Long‑term treatments of herpes simplex with drugs such as acyclovir, the side effects to such drugs including limited usage during the lactation period, and concerns for the emergence of drug‑resistant strains have given rise to a need for new medications with fewer complications. Nowadays, there is an increasing usage of herbal medicines throughout the world due to their higher effectiveness and safety. The present study aims to assess the effects of hydroalcoholic cinnamon extract on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‑1) in culture with vero cells.

In this in vitro study Hydroalcoholic extract of cinnamon was extracted through percolation. To assess cell survival rates, the 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2,5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was employed, and the tissue culture infective dose 50 assay was used to quantify the virus. Effects of the extract were evaluated in three stages, including before, during, and after viral inoculation into the culture medium. The test was performed in 1, 0.5, and 0.25 mg/ml concentrations of cinnamon extract in every stage two‑way ANOVA and Post hoc analysis.

Over 50% of the cells survived in the 0.25 mg/ml extract concentration. Results of our viral quantification showed a viral load of 105. The cinnamon extract was able to reduce the viraltiter in all concentrations under study.

Hydroalcoholic extract of cinnamon was effective in reducing the viral titer of HSV‑1. This effect could have been caused by prevention of viral attachment to cells; however, further research is required to determine the exact mechanisms at play.

Oral mucosal lesions can affect patient’s quality of life (QOL). In this evaluation, Persian version of Chronic Oral Mucosal Disease Questionnaire (COMDQ) was used to assess participants’ QOL.

This cross-sectional study was done during 2015-2016 in School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. 95 participants with pemphigus vulgaris (PV), oral recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), and oral lichen planus (OLP) enrolled is this study. The Persian version of COMDQ with 26 questions and 4 domains was used for assessing QOL. The data were analyzed in SPSS software. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), andTukey's test were used to assess scores of QOL.

The final QOL scores were 45.95 ± 16.31, 53.38 ± 17.64, and 50.02 ± 17.36 for men, women, and all patients, respectively. Patients with OLP and RAS had good QOL, but patients with PV reported lower level of QOL (moderate). None of the COMDQ domains showed significant correlation with gender except pain and functional limitation and overall QOL score.

The result of this evaluation revealed a good QOL; considering the type of oral disease, QOL ranged between moderate for patients with PV and good for patients with OLP and RAS.

Background and Oral candidiasis is one of the most common fungal infections in humans. The treatment and prophylaxis of the patients suffering from this infection require the identification of new anti-Candida agents with no side effects or toxicity like medicinal plants. The present study was conducted to compare the antifungal activities of the aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of the bark and roots of P. granatum with those of two routine antifungal agents (i.e., fluconazole and nystatin) on oral Candida strains isolated from liver transplant recipients. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the ethanolic, methanolic, and aqueous extracts of the bark and root of Punica granatum against C. albicans and C. glabrata isolated from oral cavities were evaluated according to the CLSI M27-A3. All data were analyzed in SPSS (version 16.0) by pairwise comparison and Kruskal-Wallis test. The MIC50 and MIC90 values for the methanolic and ethanolic extracts of the bark and root of P. granatum against C. albicans were both obtained as 0.05 mg/ml with the geometric mean (GM) of 0.07. Furthermore, the MIC90 values for the aqueous extracts of bark and root were estimated as 0.05 and 0.2 mg/ml, respectively. With regard to C. glabrata, the MIC50 and MIC90 values for the methanolic and ethanolic extracts of the bark and root were 0.05 mg/ml. However, the MIC90 value for the aqueous extract against this species was obtained as 25 mg/ml. The GM values for the aqueous extracts of the bark and root were 9.49 and 0.32, respectively. As the findings indicated, the methanolic and ethanolic extracts of the bark and root of Punica granatum had anti-Candida activities. Therefore, they can be considered as mouthwash or toothpaste to prevent and treat Candida infections in the oral cavity.

Statement of the Problem: The rate of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and side effects of antibiotics and oral and teeth health care products are increasing. Therefore, researchers aim at finding new alternatives to control bacteria of dental caries.
The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory and bactericidal effects of different concentrations of zinc sulfate and zinc acetate solutions on the main recognized agent of dental caries, Streptococcus mutans.
In this experimental study, different concentrations of aqueous zinc sulfate and zinc acetate solutions were prepared and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of these salts for Streptococcus mutans were determined in compare with penicillin, chlorhexidine by micro-serial dilution method. In addition, the diameters of zone of inhibition for these salt solutions in four concentrations along with chlorhexidine, as the control, were detected by the disc diffusion method.
MIC and MBC of zinc sulfate solution were higher than penicillin and chlorhexidine. There were not statistically significant differences between the MIC and MBC of zinc acetate solution, penicillin, and chlorhexidine. In 25 and 50 µg/mL concentrations, the diameters of inhibition zone for zinc sulfate were more than zinc ac
Zinc sulfate and zinc acetate salts with 37.19 and 31.25 µgr/mL concentration had inhibitory effect on Streptococcus mutans growth respectively, although, no priority in antibacterial activity of the studied zinc salts was determined in comparison with penicillin and chlorhexidine.

Statement of problem: Dental caries is a common infectious disease induced by Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans).
Due to the high incidence rate of dental caries and iron deficiency in the Iranian population, we have conducted this study to analyze the effects of iron acetate and iron sulfate on controlling the growth of S. mutans.
In this in vitro study, we evaluated the antibacterial effects of iron sulfate and iron acetate on S. mutans by the disk diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The results were compared to those for 0.2% chlorhexidine and penicillin as the controls.
Iron sulfate had higher MIC and MBC values compared to penicillin and chlorhexidine (P Iron sulfate and iron acetate solutions can inhibit the growth of S. mutans. Hence, different compounds that contain iron salts such as toothpastes, mouth washes, and food supplements can be produced to prevent dental caries and iron deficiency.

There are some factors which can affect preoperative patient anxiety such as the necessity of procedure, postoperative pain, and patient’s conception of his body image. The aim of this study was to assess the relation of patients’ preoperative anxiety and postoperative patients’ satisfaction in dental implant surgery.
Dental implants were placed in 40 patients (19 male and 21 female) who were referred to Dental Implant Surgery Department in Imam Reza clinic, during March–December of 2014 in Shiraz. The procedures were performed with or without bone regeneration. Preoperative anxiety was evaluated using Corah Dental Anxiety Scale, and postoperative satisfaction was determined on the basis of pain intensity, bleeding tendency, inability to eating, and overall satisfaction by filling a questionnaire in the 2nd or 3rd week after surgery. Data were collected and analyzed using Mann-Whitney test.
Preoperative anxiety was detected as high in 10%, mild in 85%, and moderate in 5% of patients. Anxiety and depression score did not differ in both genders. There was no statistical difference between neither level of anxiety nor depression in both high and low educated patients. Postoperative bleeding, difficulty in eating, and overall satisfaction was nearly the same in both genders. Statistical analysis demonstrated a lower pain level and higher pain threshold in men than women (P = 0.007). Patients’ age was not related to anxiety, depression, amount of bleeding, pain, and difficulty in eating. Overall dental care satisfaction was similar in both men and women.
The results of the study indicated that while anxiety does play a role in the perception of pain by patients undergoing implant surgery, Overall patient satisfaction and post surgical outcomes did not significantly differ.

Some dental procedures cause more bleeding in patients with bleeding disorders, who use anticoagulants. Therefore, it is necessary to become familiar with control bleeding disease in such patients. Considering the importance of this issue, the aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of dentists and dentistry students in this respect.
Ninety dentists and sixty dentistry students of Shiraz Dental School were randomly selected for the purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive/analytical study in 2014. The knowledge of these two groups of subjects was evaluated in different aspects by using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS 20.
Eighty dentists and 55 dentistry students completed the questionnaires. The mean knowledge scores for these two groups of dentists and dentistry students were 5.3 ± 2.31 and 7.3 ± 3.2, respectively, of a total possible score of 15. The knowledge of half of the dentists was poor and the rest had moderate knowledge; 21.4% of dentistry students had poor, 64.36% had moderate and 14.3% had good knowledge. The knowledge of participants exhibited an inverse relation with their age.
Based on the results of this study, the knowledge of dentists and dentistry students was not favorable.

Xerostomia is the most common manifestation of salivary gland diseases, which is caused by a decrease in salivary flow rate or by a change in the biomechanical composition of saliva. Dentists should be able to diagnose this condition and administer appropriate treatments for their patients. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of dentists about xerostomia.
This cross-sectional analytical study evaluated the knowledge of 130 dentists by a questionnaire containing 22 questions in 4 sections, including the general aspects of salivary glands and causes, symptoms and treatment modalities of xerostomia. The relation between different aspects of questionnaire and dentist's age and job experience was evaluated with Kruskal-Wallis test. In addition, the dentist's knowledge about these aspects was evaluated with Mann-Whitney test (α = 0.05).
Of 130 participants in this study, 13 (%56.2) were male and 57 (%43.8) were female. The mean age of the participants was 39 ± 1.01 years. The mean of their job experience was 12 ± 0.93 years. The mean score on the causes of xerostomia was 4.2 (from a maximum of 7), the mean score on symptom was 2.05 (from a maximum of 4) and the mean score of knowledge on treatment was 4.05 (from a maximum of 7); the total score was 12 (from a maximum of 22). There was no significant correlation between knowledge about causes and symptoms and age and job experience. However, there was an inverse and significant correlation between knowledge on treatment and age (p value = 0.048). In addition, there was a significant correlation between knowledge about causes and gender (p value = 0.006). In this evaluation females provided better replies compared to males.
This study showed that the level of Shirazi dentist's knowledge was moderate and it is necessary to promote the knowledge of dentists in this respect.

Homeopathy is the most important field of alternative medicine. At present, over 3000 organic medications have been registered in the homeopathy pharmacopeia; out of which, 70% have herbal, 20% have mineral and the remaining have animal origins. Evidence shows that homeopathy may be beneficial in dentistry and oral medicine. However, this is a less known field for dentists. Therefore, this study aimed to do a review on the most common homeopathy medicines used for oral and dental problfems and to present it in a simple and practical way for general dental practitioners.
Review of Literature: Google Scholar and PubMed data bases were searched for any article related to both homeopathy and dentistry. Several recent meta-analyses, randomized control trials, animal and laboratory trials, and other interventional papers were studied.
Homeopathy drugs are basically produced from natural origin; they have less side effects in comparison with chemical drugs. In this method, only small doses of medications with low cost are used. The positive effects of homeopathy drugs on several oral conditions have been emphasized.
Homeopathy may be a suitable adjunct to conventional medicine for management of many conditions since it is affordable, effective and uplifting for patients

Halitosis is an unpleasant odor, smelled from one’s breath. This condition is in fact a widespread problem in the society. Halitosis can be due to several reasons. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate Shiraz dentists’ knowledge of diagnosis and management of halitosis.
A researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among 70 dentists, randomly selected from all the dentists in Shiraz, Iran. The research questionnaire consisted of 13 questions evaluating the knowledge of dentists of the causes (four items), diagnostic methods (five items) and treatment methods (four items) of halitosis.
Among the participants, 47.1% were male and 52.9% were female. Total mean knowledge score of the subjects was estimated at 10.56±1.92. In terms of causes of halitosis, mean knowledge score was 4.61±1.10, while it was 3.0±37.67 and 2.57±0.67 regarding the diagnostic and treatment methods of the mentioned condition, respectively. According to the results, a significant reverse correlation was observed between mean knowledge score of the subjects and variables of age and experience.
In the present study, dentists’ knowledge of causes of halitosis, as well as diagnostic and treatment methods in this regard were evaluated, and the results were indicative of proper knowledge of dentists.

Statement of the Problem: Oral Lichen planus (OLP) is an autoimmune mucocutaneous disease. There are some reports of thyroid diseases, especially hypothyroidism, to have association with OLP in some studies.
Based on the controversial results of former studies in other populations about the association of hypothyroidism and OLP, the current study aimed to evaluate this association in a sample of Iranian population.
This retrospective comparative study evaluated 523 patients with OLP referring to the Oral and Maxillofacial Department of Shiraz Dental Faculty as the test group and 523 age- and sex-matched patients as the control group. Those participants with oral lichenoid reactions and other mucosal lesions were excluded. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of OLP and thyroid diseases were estimated by logistic regression adjusted for the matched age and sex.
In the test group, 74% (n=387) and in the control group 73.8% of the patients were female (n=386). In the test group, 26% (n=136) and in the control group 26.2% of the samples were male (n=137). A total of 4% of the patients in the control group (n=21) and 6.7% in the case group (n=35) had a history of hypothyroidism. The reported OR for association of thyroid disease and OLP was 1.714 (CI=0.984-2.987).
The results of this study showed no significant association between hypothyroidism and OLP in comparison with the age- and sex-matched control group.

Iran and Iraq war had several psychological damage. Psychic war veterans have more oral problems, because of the side effect of their medicine (xerostomia), maxillofacial damages and variable psychic situation. This manuscript aimed to evaluate teeth and oral health of Shiraz psychic war veterans. This research is a descriptive –cross sectional study. We examined 80 psychic war veterans and DMFT، Bleeding On Probing، OHIS (Simplified Oral Hygiene Index) and mobility were measured. Also the prevalence and types of oral lesions were registered. DMFT mean was 23. 67 ±6. 2, Bleeding Index was 58. 32±29. 65, OHIS and plaque index were 2. 63 ±0. 33 and 76. 06 ±20. 18. 85. 9% of examined patients were free of any oral lesions. Oral ulcers were the most common lesions found in psychic war veterans. Correlation test showed significant relation between just antipsychotic medication and DMFT (r= 0. 267, p=0. 018), antipsychotic medication and OHIS (r = 0. 285, p=0. 012). On the other hand the statistical analysis reported positive relation between BI and DMFT (r= 0. 433, p< 0. 001). Higher DMFT, OHIS and plaque index reported in this study show significant dental care needs of psychic war veterans.

The purpose of faculty evaluation is improvement of teaching quality and its effectiveness. This study was performed to investigate the most important criteria in faculty evaluation among students of Shiraz Dental School. This descriptive، cross-sectional study was performed، using census method. The participants consisted of all Shiraz Dental School students (376 students) in the second semester of 2011 academic year. The evaluation tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire with 3 sections and 40 questions، being prepared by the Education Development Center (EDC) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were checked by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences faculties (Cronbach''s alpha=0. 89). The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version16)، using Friedman test. According to the students، the most important evaluation criteria were the professors’ personal characters، teaching skills، testing approaches and the observance of educational principles and standards. There was a significant difference between mean scores of all above sections except the testing approaches (P-value<0. 001). In addition، factors such as the instructors’ temperament، level of exam difficulty، time of completing the evaluation form were considered important by the participants. Although different studies have reported different criteria، the criteria used in this research can be employed to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to evaluate the university instructors.

Hematological disorders may present with a number of non-specific orofacial manifestations that must be diagnosed and referred to specialists for treatment. Since the orofacial manifestations can be the first clinical presentation which indicates the presence of an underlying disease, it is important for dentists to be aware of these manifestations. The present study aims to evaluate the orofacial presentations of some hematological diseases in order to familiarize dentists with these manifestations. This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated the oral conditions of patients recently hospitalized with histories of blood dyscrasia and bone marrow transplantation in Shiraz Nemazee Hospital during 2010-2011. From 50 patients, there were 33 (66%) males and 17 (34%) females. The age of participants ranged from 12-77 years of age. Examined patients had the following manifestations: head and neck region lymphadenopathy (42%), hairy tongue, atrophy of the oral mucosa, ulcers, red and white lesions, Candida albicans infection and gingival lesions that included spontaneous gingival bleeding, gingival hypertrophy and ecchymosis, in addition to diffuse herpetic infections on the buccal mucosa and bony lesions. The most common blood dyscrasia in the study patients was acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (48%). Our findings determined that lymphadenopathy (42%) was the most common orofacial manifestation of hematological diseases.On occasion, dentists maybe the first medical professional to encounter hematological diseases. Since early detection of these disorders can increase patient survival, it is necessary for dentists to become completely familiar with these oral manifestations.