Effects of Preoperative Anxiety and General Anesthetic Administration on Intraoperative Awareness in Patients Undergoing Cesarean Section

Aim:The aim was to investigate the effects of preoperative anxiety and general anesthetic administrations on intraoperative awareness among patients undergoing cesarean section.Methods:This prospective randomized study included 90 pregnant subjects. Preoperative anxiety was assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The patients were divided into three groups: group P received propofol 2.5 mg/kg, group T thiopental 5 mg/kg and group K received ketamine 1 mg/kg. Data on intraoperative hemodynamics, isolated forearm (IFA) responses and time to first pain and to first analgesic requirement evaluated using postoperative numerical rating scale were recorded. The Modified Brice Scale (MBS) was used to assess awareness.Results:The preoperative anxiety levels in the groups were low and demographic data were similar (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in IFA response between the groups (p>0.05). Group T had higher MAP at all times and NRS values at hour 0 compared to the other groups (p<0.05), and had shorter time to first analgesic requirement (p<0.05). MBS responses were evaluated as recall in 12 cases in group K, four in group P and three in group T.Conclusion:As the anxiety levels in pregnants were low, the superiority of agents used in induction over each other regarding awareness could not be shown

Relationship between alexithymia and chronic periodontitis

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between alexithymia and chronic periodontitis.Materials and Methods: A case– control study of 222 male and female subjects aged 21–63 years was conducted. The participants were divided into a chronic periodontitis group (n = 114) and a control group (n = 108) with no history of periodontitis. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS‑20) was used to evaluate alexithymia status of the subjects. Clinical data were collected on parameters such as the plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and the clinical attachment level (CAL). Socioeconomic data on the patients were also recorded.Results: Chronic periodontitis group showed higher frequency in alexithymic patients as compared to control group. The proportion of high dental anxiety did not differ between the groups. The total TAS‑20 score was statistically significantly higher in male subjects than in female subjects (P &lt; 0.05). The bivariate analyses of the psychometric measures and the periodontal parameters revealed positive correlations with the severity of periodontal disease/ CAL and the total TAS‑20 score (P &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: The results of the current study suggest that alexithymia is a possible risk factor for chronic periodontitis. Further research is needed to identify the underlying mechanism.Keywords: Alexithymia, clinical attachment loss, periodontiti

Push-out bond strength of two new calcium silicate-based endodontic sealers to root canal dentine

Sagsen B, Ustun Y, Demirbuga S, Pala K. Push-out bond strength of two new calcium silicate-based endodontic sealers to root canal dentine. International Endodontic Journal, 44, 1088-1091, 2011

Resistance to fracture of roots filled with different sealers

The aim of this study was to compare the fracture resistance of roots filled with gutta percha (GP) and different root canal sealers. Fifty-five human maxillary central incisors were selected and randomly divided into three experimental groups (Groups 1-3) and two control groups (Groups 4 and 5). They were Group 1-15 root canals filled with an epoxy resin-based sealer (AH Plus) and GP, Group 2-15 root canals filled with a calcium silicate-based sealer (iRoot SP) and GP, Group 3: 15 root canals filled with another calcium silicate-based sealer (MTA Fillapex) and GP, Group 4: five roots were instrumented but not filled, and Group 5: five roots were neither instrumented nor filled. Compressive loading was carried out using a universal testing machine until fracture occurred. Force applied at time of fracture was recorded as fracture strength of specimen in Newtons. There were no significant differences in fracture strength among the three experimental groups (p>0.05), whose results were significantly superior to that of Group 4 (p<0.05). In conclusion, all the root canal sealers used in the present study increased the fracture resistance of instrumented root canals