Oral Medicine in Latin America and the Caribbean: a comprehensive survey of recognition, training, and practice

This study aimed to investigate the scope of training and practice in Oral Medicine in Latin American and Caribbean countries. It explored legal, professional, and academic scope of regional OM practice, as well as current challenges perceived by experts in the field. We employed an observational, cross-sectional approach, utilizing a self-administered questionnaire delivered through the REDCap web platform. Oral Medicine is officially recognized as a dental specialty in 66.7% of Latin American and Caribbean countries, and 66.7% countries recognize it as a standalone field, separate from Oral Pathology. Additionally, 23.8% of the surveyed countries have national postgraduate Oral Medicine programs. Nearly half (47.6%) of the countries lack specific regulations, and there is significant variation in understanding clinical competencies. Private practice emerged as the dominant field of work for Oral Medicine practitioners. Notably, 90.5% of respondents identified the lack of recognition by multidisciplinary teams as a significant barrier to the practice. This study provides information on the current landscape of Oral Medicine practice in Latin American and Caribbean countries. It highlights disparities in recognition, regulation, and performance of the specialty. These findings call for international initiatives aimed at enhancing training pathways, scope of practice and the impact of Oral Medicine in the region

Chronic mechanical irritation enhances the effect of tobacco and alcohol on the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma: A case-control study in Argentina

[[abstract]]Objectives: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a multifactorial disease. The individual effect of each risk factor for OSCC may be conditioned by the frequency of other factors. The objective of this study was to identify the association between chronic mechanical irritation (CMI) and OSCC and to analyse the influence of CMI on other important risk factors for OSCC. Materials and methods: A prospective and age/sex-matched case-control study was performed in two institutions from Argentina between 2009 and 2019, with consecutive and newly diagnosed OSCC. The frequencies of tobacco, alcohol, and CMI were analysed using conditional logistic regression. Cumulative tobacco consumption and the presence of CMI were analysed using the Mann-Whitney test. Results: CMI and OSCC were associated with an OR of 7.02 (95% CI 3.57–13.78, p < 0.001). The combination of CMI and alcohol demonstrated the highest risk of OSCC (OR 53.83, CI 95% 8.04–360, p < 0.0001), followed by the combination of CMI, tobacco, and alcohol (OR 48.06, CI 95% 8.47–272, p < 0.0001). The combination of CMI and tobacco was also significant (OR 5.61, CI 95% 1.07–29.54, p = 0.042). Patients with CMI developed OSCC with less cumulative tobacco use compared with those without CMI. Conclusion: CMI is an independent risk factor for OSCC, and it could act as a risk modifier among tobacco and alcohol users having an enhancing effect. Clinical relevance: Elimination of CMI could decrease the risk of OSCC

A Rapid, Open-Source CCT Predictor for Low-Alloy Steels, and Its Application to Compositionally Heterogeneous Material

The ability to predict transformation behaviour during steel processing, such as primary heat treatments or welding, is extremely beneficial for tailoring microstructures and properties to a desired application. In this work, a model for predicting the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) behaviour of low-alloy steels is developed, using semi-empirical expressions for isothermal transformation behaviour. Coupling these expressions with Scheil&rsquo;s additivity rule for converting isothermal to non-isothermal behaviour, continuous cooling behaviour can be predicted. The proposed model adds novel modifications to the Li model in order to improve CCT predictions through the addition of a carbon-partitioning model, thermodynamic boundary conditions, and a Koistinen&ndash;Marburger expression for martensitic behaviour. These modifications expanded predictions to include characteristic CCT behaviour, such as transformation suppression, and an estimation of the final constituent fractions. The proposed model has been shown to improve CCT predictions for EN3B, EN8, and SA-540 B24 steels by better reflecting experimental measurements. The proposed model was also adapted into a more complex simulation that considers the chemical heterogeneity of the examined SA-540 material, showing a further improvement to CCT predictions and demonstrating the versatility of the model. The model is rapid and open source

I caratteri culturali del territorio piemontese

Quaderni della Pianificazione ; n.18, dicembre 200