Avicenna Journal of Dental Research
Volume:16 Issue: 1, Mar 2024

 Considering the importance of paranasal sinus anatomy in treatment planning and related surgeries, the present study aimed to investigate the changes in the dimensions of paranasal sinuses according to age and gender by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

 MRI images of 310 patients, including 200 women and 110 men aged between 10 and 70 years old, were included in the study. The depths of all paranasal sinuses and the width of the left and right frontal sinuses were estimated in the axial plane. In addition, the height of the left and right frontal sinuses in the sagittal plane as well as the width and height of the maxillary and sphenoid sinuses in the coronal plane underwent measurement. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 21, and the significance level was considered at 0.05.

 Except for the width of the right maxillary sinus, the height of the left frontal sinus, and the width and depth of the left sphenoid sinus, a significant relationship was observed between the other dimensions of paranasal sinuses and gender (P<0.05). Only 5 dimensions, including the width of the left and right maxillary sinuses, the height of the left maxillary sinus, the depth of the left frontal sinus, and the depth of the right sphenoid sinus, had significant relationships with age, so that they decreased with age (P<0.05). The highest symmetry was between the left and right maxillary sinuses.

 The paranasal sinus was different in men and women. Some dimensions of paranasal sinuses had a significant relationship with age. These results can be used in planning prosthetic treatments and performing surgeries with fewer complications.

 It is necessary to create a sound method for the optimal evaluation of treated cases of orthodontic board exam candidates. This cross-sectional study aimed to design and validate a new method for the national orthodontic board exam using a web-based program.

 Complete documents of 10 patients randomly selected from a pool of the previously presented cases at the national board examination were entered into a web-based program called “the Orthoboard”. The documents were arranged according to the European Board of Orthodontist Standards, and 15 related questions were asked based on the index of complexity, outcome, and need index and the American Board of Orthodontics evaluation standards. A customized grading system was used for the finalized questionnaire. They were asked to be evaluated by 10 orthodontists (5 with less and 5 with more than 10 years of experience). The content validity of the questionnaire was analyzed by the content validity index and content validity ratio. The reliability of this questionnaire was measured using the Kappa statistical test.

 Most evaluators do not consider it necessary to ask questions about the diagnostic resume, problem list, treatment plan, and treatment resume. Crowding after treatment and cross-biting before and after treatment had the best interexaminer reliability. The least agreement among examiners was between the pre-treatment aesthetic index and the pre-treatment buccal segment relationship.

 Inter-examiner reliability was lower than expected, indicating that the orthodontic board test scoring is too subjective. The addition of a 3-dimensional cast is recommended for better objective evaluation.

 Complete dentures are at high risk of contamination, and their disinfection is imperative to prevent cross-contamination. Also, chemical disinfecting agents can effectively eliminate microorganisms. This study aimed to assess the effect of combinations of hydrogen peroxide (HP) and vinegar in different ratios on the surface roughness of heat-cure denture base acrylic resin.

 This in vitro, experimental study evaluated 40 heat-cure acrylic resin specimens that were flasked and heated at 70 ° C for 9 hours for heat polymerization. The acrylic specimens were cut into small cubic pieces measuring 20×20×3 mm using a cutting machine and polished with metallographic abrasive paper. The specimens were randomized into 4 groups of control (artificial saliva) and HP and vinegar in 1:1, 1:3, and 3:1 ratios (three experimental groups). Then, they were immersed in the respective solutions for 8 hours/day for one month. Their surface roughness (Ra) was measured before and after immersion by a profilometer. The data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (α=0.05).

 The immersion of acrylic specimens in HP+vinegar in 1:1 and 1:3 ratios did not cause a significant change in their surface roughness (P>0.05). However, the surface roughness significantly decreased after immersion in HP+vinegar in a 3:1 ratio (P=0.032). Despite the reduction in the surface roughness of specimens in the 3:1 group, the difference in surface roughness was not significant among the four groups after immersion (P>0.05).

 Combinations of HP and vinegar in different ratios appear to be suitable for cleaning removable dentures due to their insignificant effects on the surface roughness of acrylic resin.

 There are two treatment alternatives that are commonly proposed to class II, division I patients, including camouflage and orthognathic surgeries.

 The original profile photos of two male and two female patients were altered with Photoshop in order to simulate camouflage and surgical treatment. This was performed by increasing the nasolabial angle by 4 mm, 8 mm, and 12 mm and extending the chin-neck length by 3 mm, 6 mm, and 9 mm. The initial and actual final photos of the patient, along with the six modified pictures, were presented to the participants. They reordered the pictures from the most aesthetic to the least aesthetic.

 Overall, 30 orthodontists and 140 laypeople completed the task. Orthodontists perceived surgical treatment as more attractive compared to laypeople. The highest rank was assigned to post-treatment photographs of the patients, while the lowest rank was given to pre-treatment photographs.

 Class II treatment adds to profile attractiveness as judged by laypeople and orthodontists. There are some differences in opinions between these groups.

 The accuracy of radiography for the detection of bone lesions is a critical issue. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of panoramic radiography in comparison with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for the detection of idiopathic osteosclerosis (IO).

 This cross-sectional study was conducted on imaging records of 201 patients who had both panoramic radiographs and CBCT scans. Panoramic radiographs of patients were evaluated for lesions suspected of IO. After two weeks, the accuracy of diagnoses was investigated by assessing the patients’ CBCT scans. The location, number, shape, internal structure, and size of lesions and their relationship with teeth were also assessed on CBCT scans using Romexis Viewer software, version 3.8.0. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test (alpha=0.05).

 Of all, 73.4% of IO lesions were correctly diagnosed on panoramic radiographs, yielding an accuracy of 0.85 for this modality. IO lesions were detected in 51 patients (n=64 lesions, 25.73%), mainly located in the mandibular molar (45.3%) and premolar (29.7%) regions. All lesions were well-defined, and most of them were spherical (42.1%). The majority of them had a cortical internal structure (73.4%) and did not correlate with teeth (78.1%). The mean size of large and small diameters of lesions was 5.4 and 3.1 mm, respectively.

 Identifying the radiographic characteristics of common lesions such as IO can be a guide for dentists to avoid incorrect treatments and unnecessary biopsies. In this way, panoramic radiography with 0.85 accuracy helps in diagnosing these lesions.

 Chronic periodontitis (CP) can lead to the loss of tooth-supporting structures. Scaling and root planning (SRP) is the standard treatment, but lasers may provide additional benefits. This study evaluated a 940 nm diode laser as an adjunct to SRP for CP treatment.

 In this split-mouth, randomized clinical trial, 32 CP patients with at least two teeth with a pocket depth of more than 4 mm were treated with regular treatment of SRP plus health education with or without the intervention group. Further, a 940 nm diode laser was applied for the decontamination of the gingival groove. Probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss (CAL), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI) were evaluated at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after scaling. The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21), where descriptive methods and statistical tests such as the analysis of variance test were used with repeated measurements, and P<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

 All parameters improved significantly in both groups (P<0.05), except for GI, which decreased significantly more with a laser versus SRP alone (P<0.05). The results revealed no other statistically significant between-group differences.

 The adjunctive diode laser provided limited additional improvements compared to SRP alone over 8 weeks. The significant GI reduction indicated that a diode laser may provide some benefits for enhancing non-surgical periodontal treatment. Larger trials are needed to determine if this extra improvement is clinically meaningful in the long term.

Clinical Relevance: 

Diode laser adjuncts to SRP demonstrated minimal short-term benefits over SRP alone in CP patients. The role of lasers in periodontal therapy requires further study.

 Oral mucoceles are benign minor salivary gland lesions characterized by a single or multiple, soft, fluctuant nodule, ranging from normal oral mucosal color to deep blue depending upon the extent of the swelling in deeper layers. This study evaluated clinicopathological features, including the etiology and management of oral mucoceles.

 Twenty cases of oral mucoceles were diagnosed, and parameters such as age, gender, etiology, site, clinical presentation, including size, any symptoms, and treatment mode underwent evaluation.

 In 20 cases, the lesions were found to be more common in males compared to females (16:4). The most common site was the lower lip, and the etiology of mucocele was lip biting, with 80% of cases normal in color and size ranging between 5 mm and 10 mm. The most common type based on histopathology evaluation was the extravasation type in almost all cases.

 The non-neoplastic benign lesions of minor or major salivary glands pose a diagnostic challenge because of their close resemblance to other pathologies and iatrogenic responses. Thus, the clinical knowledge and pathogenesis of these lesions are necessary for the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Saliva, as a complex fluid composed of secretory products from salivary glands, plays different roles in the oral cavity. Saliva has potentially been used for the diagnosis of viral, bacterial, and systemic diseases in the last few years. Individuals with minimal training can collect saliva as a diagnostic fluid easily and non-invasively. Saliva is a simple and economical method for screening the public. However, saliva has various levels of variability and instability. A systematic search of published literature was performed on Medline using PubMed. Several keywords, including saliva, systemic disease, disease, health, and diagnosis, were used in this search. This review discusses the diagnostic potential of salivary systemic diseases such as infectious, malignant, and other systemic diseases.

 Dental crowns are effective on the gingival tissue around the teeth. However, using zirconia as crowns due to the method and type of material can effectively improve this effect.

 This is a pre-post clinical trial conducted on 35 teeth with metal-ceramic crowns and 35 teeth with zirconia crowns. Teeth were prepared for fabricating metal-ceramic and zirconia crowns. Plaque index (PI), modified gingival index (MGI), pocket probing depth (PPD), papilla bleeding index (PBI), and gingival level (GL) were measured before and six months after getting the dental crown. The data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test.

 In both groups, the GL remained the same after six months of crown placement (P>0.05). In the metal-ceramic group, the PI decreased significantly (P=0.000), but MGI and PBI significantly increased (P=0.000 and P=0.000, respectively) six months after crown placement. Based on the results, PPD increased significantly only on the midlingual surface (P=0.02). The PI significantly decreased in the zirconia group (P=0.000). Nevertheless, PPD represented no change (P>0.050). The comparison between the two groups six months after crown placement indicated that the PI, MGI, and PBI were significantly higher in the metal-ceramic group (P=0.010, P=0.011, and P=0.044, respectively). The metal-ceramic group showed a significantly greater increase in PPD on the midlingual surface (P=0.043).

 Both crown types on teeth could significantly increase the incidence of gingivitis, and compared with zirconia crowns, metal-ceramic crowns demonstrated significantly more inflammation.