Seven-year prospective clinical study on zirconia-based single crowns and fixed dental prostheses

OBJECTIVES: Zirconia-based prostheses are used for esthetic crown and fixed restorations, but follow-ups are still limited. The authors evaluated the 7-year clinical results of 303 zirconia core restorations, performed in a general dental private practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical events (fracture and loss of retention, gingivitis, tenderness, excess cement, and temporary pain) were recorded in 303 zirconia core restorations positioned in 88 patients. Kaplan-Meier survival probability estimates were computed for failures (needed the replacement or removal of the prosthesis) and complications (resolved without replacing the prosthesis). RESULTS: One hundred and fifty single crowns (130 tooth-supported, 20 implant-supported) and 153 multiple units up to 6 elements (49 tooth-supported, 104 implant-supported) were followed-up for 7 years in 88 patients (40 men, 48 women), aged 35-89 years (mean 57). During the follow-up period, there were no complications for 287 (95 %) of the restorations. Sixteen restorations/abutment teeth (5 %) had some complication: extraction of abutment tooth (7, 2 %); caries (2, 1 %), porcelain veneer fracture (3, 1 %), loss of retention (4, 1 %). Nine (3 %) restorations were recorded as failures. The overall 7-year survival probability estimate for failures was 0.966 (95 % confidence limits, 0.932 and 0.983), for complications was 0.976 (95 % confidence limits 0.947 and 0.989), with a cumulative survival rate of 94.7 %. CONCLUSIONS: Within the analyzed follow-up, zirconia core restorations appear a good clinical solution, with favorable functional properties. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: All ceramic restorations can be successfully used for both single-and multiple-unit prostheses, either teeth or implants supported

Adverse events associated with home use of mouthrinses: a systematic review

Background: Poor oral hygiene is strongly associated with oral and systemic diseases. Alongside mechanical tooth cleaning, the adjunctive use of mouthrinses has been widely advocated. Although research on the efficacy of various mouthrinse formulations is very active, there are a lack of conclusive data regarding their adverse effects. Methods: We undertook a systematic review in accordance wih PRISMA guidelines of electronic databases of clinical trials of any duration with daily home use of mouthwashes, presenting clinical and subjective side effects (PROSPERO registration: CRD42016054037). Results: After evaluating 614 titles and abstracts, 154 studies were selected for full-text analysis; 85 final papers were included. Based on the active ingredient in the test product, nine categories were created: cetyl pyridinium chloride, essential oils, chlorhexidine, triclosan, natural products, diclofenac, fluorides, delmopinol, and miscellaneous active substances. Most of the studies were of short duration (less than 6 months) with a defective 'methods' description; the reporting of adverse events often being overlooked. Both local morphological (oral mucosa and dental-crown staining, mucosal lesions) and functional (taste modifications, abnormal oral sensation) alterations were reported. Tooth staining was the most commonly listed adverse event, but it was quantitatively assessed only in a very small number of papers; most studies relied on patient reports. Staining was time associated; the longer the study, the higher its reported incidence and severity. Conclusions: The reduced report of side effects may partly be due to a lack of an objective measure and lack of general guidelines that demand studies report their adverse events. The most frequently reported adverse effect was teeth staining. As in most studies, the effect was associated with trial duration; clinical trials should be of sufficient duration. New investigations meeting the suggested criteria of a minimal duration of 6 months should be planned

Are dental measurements taken on plaster casts comparable to those taken from CBCT images and laser scanned surfaces?

Introduction: Intraoral scanning techniques, laser scans and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) are becoming widely diffused in dental practice. These instruments can replace dental plaster casts with digital models; recent investigations have found that measurements taken on digital models do not differ clinically from those obtained on CBCT scans and physical models, but only intra-examiner reliability has been assessed. In the current study we tested both intra- and inter-examiner variations, together with intertechniques reliability. Methodology: Data from six adult subjects were retrospectively obtained. Twelve dental distances were measured on dental plaster casts using a digital calliper; on digital 3D CBCT images using inVivoDental software (Anatomage, San Jose, CA); and on laser scanned surfaces using Mirror Vectra Software (Canfield Scientific, Fairfield, NJ). Two different operators performed all measurements twice. Bland-Altman analysis, Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were used for comparisons. Results: The intra- and inter-operator biases range was 0-0.34 mm. The reproducibility range was 72-99%. The three different techniques gave very similar measurements, with biases between \ub10.1 mm. Reproducibility ranged between 90 and 100%; the best reproducibility coefficients were found between plaster and digital casts, and only three differences were larger than 0.5 mm. Calliper measurements slightly overestimated digital casts values. Only the mesiodistal distance of tooth 24 (p=0.002) was significantly different among techniques. Conclusion: Measurements on digital dental models and CBCT reconstructions of the dental arches seem clinically reliable as direct calliper measurements. The inter- and intra-operator reliabilities were acceptable, some more care may be needed for CBCT measurements

How to pinpoint the greater palatine foramen : metrical analysis applied to a contemporary skeletal collection

Anatomy of greater palatine foramen has acquired a growing relevance in the fields of dentistry, maxillofacial surgery and otorhinolaryngology [1,2]. Several publications are available concerning the collocation of greater palatine foramen; however available literature has so far focused on few metrical measurements and has not yet performed a complete analysis for the localization of the greater palatine foramen. This study provides a novel approach to the metrical assessment of the position of the greater palatine foramen on 100 skulls belonging to the Milanese contemporary collection, based on six linear measurements and two angles. Possible differences according to sex and side were assessed through two-way ANOVA test (

VALIDATION OF AN AUTOMATIC HARD TISSUE SEGMENTATION ALGORITHM FOR CONE BEAM CT DATA

An automatic algorithm for hard tissue segmentation in CBCT data is presented and validated on 30 subjects. Bone segmentation threshold was set after voxel clustering through a sub-set of slices and the elimination of outliers with teeth and metal artifacts. Comparison with manual thresholding by experts gave no significant difference

Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System

Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde

Effects of Aging and Cyclosporin A on Collagen Turnover in Human Gingiva

BACKGROUND: WE AIMED AT CHARACTERIZING THE AGING GINGIVA ANALYZING: i) collagen content and turnover in human gingival tissues and fibroblasts obtained from healthy young and aging subjects. ii) the effect of cyclosporin A administration in human cultured gingival fibroblasts obtained from aging compared to young subjects. METHODS: Morphological analysis was performed on haematoxylin-eosin and Sirius red stained paraffin-embedded gingival biopsies from young and aging healthy subjects. The expression of the main genes and proteins involved in collagen turnover were determined by real time PCR, dot blot and SDS-zymography on cultured young and aging gingival fibroblasts, and after cyclosporin A administration. RESULTS: Our results suggest that in healthy aged people, gingival connective tissue is characterized by a similar collagen content and turnover. Collagen turnover pathways are similarly affected by cyclosporin A treatment in young and aging gingival fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclosporin A administration affects gingival collagen turnover pathways in young and aging fibroblasts at the same extent, suggesting that during aging cyclosporin A administration is not related to relevant collagen turnover modifications

Team dynamics in emergency surgery teams: results from a first international survey

Background: Emergency surgery represents a unique context. Trauma teams are often multidisciplinary and need to operate under extreme stress and time constraints, sometimes with no awareness of the trauma\u2019s causes or the patient\u2019s personal and clinical information. In this perspective, the dynamics of how trauma teams function is fundamental to ensuring the best performance and outcomes. Methods: An online survey was conducted among the World Society of Emergency Surgery members in early 2021. 402 fully filled questionnaires on the topics of knowledge translation dynamics and tools, non-technical skills, and difficulties in teamwork were collected. Data were analyzed using the software R, and reported following the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results: Findings highlight how several surgeons are still unsure about the meaning and potential of knowledge translation and its mechanisms. Tools like training, clinical guidelines, and non-technical skills are recognized and used in clinical practice. Others, like patients\u2019 and stakeholders\u2019 engagement, are hardly implemented, despite their increasing importance in the modern healthcare scenario. Several difficulties in working as a team are described, including the lack of time, communication, training, trust, and ego. Discussion: Scientific societies should take the lead in offering training and support about the abovementioned topics. Dedicated educational initiatives, practical cases and experiences, workshops and symposia may allow mitigating the difficulties highlighted by the survey\u2019s participants, boosting the performance of emergency teams. Additional investigation of the survey results and its characteristics may lead to more further specific suggestions and potential solutions

A C6orf10/LOC101929163 locus is associated with age of onset in C9orf72 carriers

The G4C2-repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most common known cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. The high phenotypic heterogeneity of C9orf72 patients includes a wide range in age of onset, modifiers of which are largely unknown. Age of onset could be influenced by environmental and genetic factors both of which may trigger DNA methylation changes at CpG sites. We tested the hypothesis that age of onset in C9orf72 patients is associated with some common single nucleotide polymorphisms causing a gain or loss of CpG sites and thus resulting in DNA methylation alterations. Combined analyses of epigenetic and genetic data have the advantage of detecting functional variants with reduced likelihood of false negative results due to excessive correction for multiple testing in genome-wide association studies. First, we estimated the association between age of onset in C9orf72 patients (n = 46) and the DNA methylation levels at all 7603 CpG sites available on the 450 k BeadChip that are mapped to common single nucleotide polymorphisms. This was followed by a genetic association study of the discovery (n = 144) and replication (n = 187) C9orf72 cohorts. We found that age of onset was reproducibly associated with polymorphisms within a 124.7 kb linkage disequilibrium