Effect of oral environmental pH on the dynamic characterization of bioactive restorative materials

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of oral environmental pH on the viscoelastic properties of bioactive restorative materials (BRMs) by using dynamic mechanical analysis. Stainless steel molds were used to fabricate 40 beam-shaped specimens (12 × 2 × 2 mm) for each material. The specimens were finished, measured, randomly divided into four groups (n = 10), and immersed in aqueous solutions of pH 3.0, 5.0, 6.8 and 10.0 at 37 °C for seven days. The specimens were then subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis with a 5 N load and frequency range of 0.1-10.0 Hz. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA/Dunnet T3’s test (α = 0.05). Mean elastic modulus spanned from 2.68 ± 0.17 to 6.49 ± 0.71 GPa, while viscous modulus ranged from 0.43 ± 0.03 to 0.62 ± 0.12 GPa. Loss tangent differed from 77.30 ± 4.90 to 164.50 ± 9.12. Significant differences among pH were discerned for (i) Elastic modulus: Cention N - pH 3.0, 5.0, 10.0 > 6.8; Activa Bioactive - pH 3.0, 6.8, 10.0 > 5.0, (ii) Viscous modulus: Cention N - pH 3.0, 5.0, 10.0 > 6.8, and (iii) Loss tangent: Activa Bioactive - pH 5.0 > 3.0, 6.8, 10.0. Significant differences in viscoelastic properties were noted among the BRMs with Activa Bioactive presenting the lowest elastic modulus for all pH. Immersion of all materials in pH 6.8 yielded the highest elastic modulus, except for Activa Bioactive. The effects of environmental pH on viscoelastic properties of BRMs are material-dependent

The association between epstein-barr virus (EBV) past infection with the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)

The association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with oral cancer has been widely reported in the past. However, previous studies mainly focused on the current infection of EBV without acknowledging the possibility of past infection in patients which may lead to oral cancer development. The present study aims to investigate the correlation between past EBV infections with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Both Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against EBV were screened to detect the presence of EBV in sera of OSCC patients using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The use of IgM antibody against EBV confirms current infection in patients, whereas IgG antibody would predict past infection throughout patients’ lifetime. Through the present study, we would be able to confirm whether patients with past EBV infection have a significant risk in developing oral cancer. ELISA tests were carried out to detect the presence of EBV IgG and IgM in 206 OSCC and control serum samples. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 12.0.1. Our results had shown that 96.6% (n = 199) of OSCC samples and 97.2% (n = 130) control were positive with EBV VCA IgG, however, none of the OSCC and control samples was positive for EBV VCA IgM. The presence of EBV VCA IgG in both OSCC and control suggest that past EBV infection does not play a significant role as a risk indicator for OSCC. Therefore, the association between EBV and OSCC was not well demonstrated in this study

The association between epstein-barr virus (EBV) past infection with the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)

The association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with oral cancer has been widely reported in the past. However, previous studies mainly focused on the current infection of EBV without acknowledging the possibility of past infection in patients which may lead to oral cancer development. The present study aims to investigate the correlation between past EBV infections with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). Both Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against EBV were screened to detect the presence of EBV in sera of OSCC patients using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The use of IgM antibody against EBV confirms current infection in patients, whereas IgG antibody would predict past infection throughout patients’ lifetime. Through the present study, we would be able to confirm whether patients with past EBV infection have a significant risk in developing oral cancer. ELISA tests were carried out to detect the presence of EBV IgG and IgM in 206 OSCC and control serum samples. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 12.0.1. Our results had shown that 96.6% (n = 199) of OSCC samples and 97.2% (n = 130) control were positive with EBV VCA IgG, however, none of the OSCC and control samples was positive for EBV VCA IgM. The presence of EBV VCA IgG in both OSCC and control suggest that past EBV infection does not play a significant role as a risk indicator for OSCC. Therefore, the association between EBV and OSCC was not well demonstrated in this study

Pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst clinical dental students

Training dentists today is challenging as they are expected to provide a wide range of dental care. In the provision of good dental care, soft skills are equally important as clinical skills. Therefore in dental education the development of soft skills are of prime concern. This study sought to identify the development of soft skills when dental students are paired in their clinical training. In this perception study, four open-ended items were used to elicit students’ feedback on the appropriateness of using clinical pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills. The most frequently cited soft skills were teamwork (70%) and communication (25%) skills. However, both negative and positive behaviours were reported. As for critical thinking and problem solving skills, more positive behaviours were reported for abilities such as to explain, analyze, find ideas and alternative solutions, and make decisions. Leadership among peers was not evident as leading without legitimate authority could be a hindrance to its development. If clinical pairing is to be used as an effective instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst students, clear guidelines need to be developed to prepare students to work in a dental team and the use of appropriate assessment tools can facilitate the development of these soft skills

Application of deep learning and feature selection technique on external root resorption identification on CBCT images

Abstract Background Artificial intelligence has been proven to improve the identification of various maxillofacial lesions. The aim of the current study is two-fold: to assess the performance of four deep learning models (DLM) in external root resorption (ERR) identification and to assess the effect of combining feature selection technique (FST) with DLM on their ability in ERR identification. Methods External root resorption was simulated on 88 extracted premolar teeth using tungsten bur in different depths (0.5 mm, 1 mm, and 2 mm). All teeth were scanned using a Cone beam CT (Carestream Dental, Atlanta, GA). Afterward, a training (70%), validation (10%), and test (20%) dataset were established. The performance of four DLMs including Random Forest (RF) + Visual Geometry Group 16 (VGG), RF + EfficienNetB4 (EFNET), Support Vector Machine (SVM) + VGG, and SVM + EFNET) and four hybrid models (DLM + FST: (i) FS + RF + VGG, (ii) FS + RF + EFNET, (iii) FS + SVM + VGG and (iv) FS + SVM + EFNET) was compared. Five performance parameters were assessed: classification accuracy, F1-score, precision, specificity, and error rate. FST algorithms (Boruta and Recursive Feature Selection) were combined with the DLMs to assess their performance. Results RF + VGG exhibited the highest performance in identifying ERR, followed by the other tested models. Similarly, FST combined with RF + VGG outperformed other models with classification accuracy, F1-score, precision, and specificity of 81.9%, weighted accuracy of 83%, and area under the curve (AUC) of 96%. Kruskal Wallis test revealed a significant difference (p = 0.008) in the prediction accuracy among the eight DLMs. Conclusion In general, all DLMs have similar performance on ERR identification. However, the performance can be improved by combining FST with DLMs

Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses

Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses

Clinical pairing revisited: a study at the University of Malaya, Malaysia

This study is part of ongoing educational research conducted by the Department of Conservative Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia, to evaluate the perception of clinical pairing. A thirteen-question survey was distributed to 148 dental students after they had experienced four-handed dentistry. The objectives were to identify the advantages, disadvantages, and the acceptance of the implementation of clinical pairing from the students' point of view. The responses from the open-ended questions were categorized into six main themes (areas of interest): quality-related (Q), patient-related (PT), partner-related (P), lecturer-related (T), infection control (IC), and learning environment (L). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18. Results indicated that the students perceived they possessed enough knowledge regarding clinical pairing. However, it was found that they still preferred to work independently as compared to working in pairs. The benefits of clinical pairing may not be viewed in the same vein by both dental students and teachers. The quality-related theme was perceived by students as the main advantage of clinical pairing, whilst the partner-related theme was perceived otherwise. The study also revealed that students may have some preconceived notions about pairing that may have impaired their acceptance. As a consequence, some reluctance was seen in their responses

Additional file 1 of Application of deep learning and feature selection technique on external root resorption identification on CBCT images

Additional file 1