Fluoride Varnish May Improve White Spot Lesions

Design A randomised, parallel-group, controlled clinical trial. Intervention The test group had fluoride varnish applied onto the tooth surfaces with WSLs using a miniature cotton swab or brush and advised not to brush for four hours. The control group had saline solution applied. Outcome measure Status of the WSLs were assessed using a DIAGNOdent pen (KaVo, Biberach, Germany). Results Of the 110 participants recruited, 14 dropped out between the debonding and the six-month recall visit. There were statistically significant differences between the mean DIAGNOdent readings of the two groups at the three-month (P Conclusions A greater decrease in DIAGNOdent pen readings was found in the test group during the first six months after debonding. This may be taken to imply an improvement in the WSLs. Thus, topical fluoride varnish application appears to be a good method to treat WSLs and should be advocated as a routine measure after orthodontic treatment

Dental Student Indebtedness: Where did It Come From and Where Will It Lead?

Today’s dental school graduates are burdened by an ever-increasing amount of student loan debt from both their undergraduate and predoctoral educations. Although considered to be multifactorial in origin, this article explores the microeconomic theory of supply and demand as a source for rising tuition costs and subsequent educational debt. The historical context for the cost of a dental education is provided, and serious questions are posed about how this indebtedness might impact the future of the profession

Integral fill yarn insertion and beatup method using inflatable membrane

An apparatus and method for integral fill yarn insertion and beatup are disclosed. A modified rapier contains a channel for holding fill yarn. The channel is covered with a flexible and inflatable boot, and an inflating apparatus for this boot is also attached. Fill yarn is inserted into the channel, and the rapier is extended into a shed formed by warp yarn. Next, the rapier is pushed into the fell of the fabric, and the flexible and inflatable cover inflated, which both pushes the yarn into the fell of the fabric and performs beatup. The rapier is withdrawn and the shed closed to complete one step of the weaving process

Fostering Dental Faculty Collaboration with an Evidence-Based Decision Making Model Designed for Curricular Change

This article introduces an innovative decision making model for adapting evidence-based practice to the specific needs of a department in a dental school. The design encourages suggestions for curricular change directly from the faculty members, while providing a mechanism that allows them to actively participate in the process through the use of evidence-based principles and practice. The nucleus of this model is an Advisory Council comprised of nine full-time departmental faculty members who, when charged, act as independent task force leaders who recruit other faculty members and lead small teams that investigate suggestions for curricular change. Following an accelerated investigative process, recommendations to the Advisory Council are made; if approved, these changes are integrated into the curriculum. The incorporation of an interdisciplinary Advisory Council of key departmental faculty members structured to investigate questions or concerns posed by students, administrators, or other faculty members through the use of evidence-based methodologies has proved to be a successful management tool. Well received by the participants, this model has the potential to further develop and calibrate the school’s faculty, increase the timeliness of the decision making process, and lessen the time required to incorporate a proposed change into the curriculum

Evidence Supporting Platform-Switching to Preserve Marginal Bone Levels Not Definitive

Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Oral Health Group\u27s Trials Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), UK National Research Register, Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), ISI Proceedings for relevant conference abstracts. The search strategy used keywords but not subject heading terms. A number of relevant journals were hand searched (seven most recent years) and authors were contacted in the absence of complete data. Study selection Randomised controlled trials (RCT) or controlled clinical trials (CCT) reported in English only, that compared platform-switched to platform-matched implants were eligible. A minimum of 10 implants had to have been placed in the platform-switched group (it is unclear if there was a minimum for the comparison group) and they had to have been followed up for a minimum of 12 months. Primary outcome was marginal bone level changes. Secondary outcome was implant failure rate. Data extraction and synthesis Data were extracted by more than one author using a data extraction form. Quality assessment was done using the Jadad scale. Meta-analysis was conducted using fixed effects model in the absence of significant heterogeneity, and the random effects model where heterogeneity was greater. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the chi2 and I2 tests. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were planned to identify any potential causes of heterogeneity. Results Ten studies including 1239 implants were included and all were published 2007-2010. Seven were RCTs, three were CCTs. Range of observation was 12-60 months. Methodological quality was assessed as ‘satisfactory’. Chi2 =126.79 (P2= 91% indicating significant statistical heterogeneity. Thus the random effects model was used to synthesise the data. Bone loss in the platform-matched implant group was greater with a mean difference of −0.37 mm (95% CI −0.55 to −0.20, P Conclusions Platform-switching may preserve vertical crestal bone levels more than platform-matching when placing implants

Reflections on Animals, Property, and the Law and Rain Without Thunder

Animal interests will almost always be regarded as less important than human interests, even when the human interest at stake is relatively trivial and the animal interest at stake is significant. The result of any supposed balancing of human and nonhuman interests required by animal-welfare laws is predetermined from the outset by the property status of the nonhuman as a food animal, experimental animal, game animal, et cetera

Are the Outcomes of Immediate and Early Single Tooth Implants Comparable to Conventionally Placed Implants?

Data Sources Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central) and references of relevant studies were searched. Study selection Longitudinal studies [randomised controlled trials (RCT), clinical trials, cohort-studies and case series] were considered for evaluation. Retrospective studies were excluded. Only case series that investigated at least five patients were considered for inclusion. Outcome measures considered were implant survival, radiographical assessment of marginal peri-implant bone levels, dental-professional-assessed aesthetics, peri-implant biological structures (level of marginal gingiva, papilla index, probing depth, presence of plaque, bleeding on probing), patient satisfaction, and biological and technical complications. Data extraction and synthesis Articles were screened independently by two examiners and the following parameters recorded: number of patients, implants placed, dropouts, followup time, type of intervention and details of outcomes. To assess the agreement between the two reviewers on the quality of studies, Cohen\u27s kappa statistic was calculated. A meta-analysis was performed using a statistical software package [Comprehensive Meta-analysis Version 2.2, Biostat, Englewood NJ]. To calculate the overall effects for the included studies, weighted rates together with random effects models were used. Stratification procedures were applied for followup time and type of intervention. No formal heterogeneity testing was conducted. Results Nineteen studies were included, of which five were RCT, two were clinical trials and 12 were case series. A meta-analysis showed an overall survival rate of 95.5% 95% confidence interval, 93.0–97.1) after 1 year. A stratified meta-analysis revealed no differences in survival between immediate, early and conventional implant strategies. Little marginal peri-implant bone resorption was found together with low incidence of biological and technical complications. No significant differences in outcome measures were reported in clinical trials comparing immediate, early or conventional implant strategies. Conclusions The selected studies provide promising short-term results for immediate, early and conventional single-implants in the aesthetic zone. Important parameters, such as aesthetic outcome, peri-implant structures and patient satisfaction, however, still need further evaluation. The outcome measures could not be fully evaluated when comparing immediate, early and conventional implants because of the lack of RCT