Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in periodontics: A new paradigm

The quest for exploring new frontiers in the field of medical science for efficient and improved treatment modalities has always been on a rise. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been enormously used in medical practice, principally, for the management of urolithiasis, cholelithiasis and also in various orthopedic and musculoskeletal disorders. The efficacy of ESWT in the stimulation of osteoblasts, fibroblasts, induction of neovascularization and increased expression of bone morphogenic proteins has been well documented in the literature. However, dentistry is no exception to this trend. The present article enlightens the various applications of ESWT in the field of dentistry and explores its prospective applications in the field of periodontics, and the possibility of incorporating the beneficial properties of shock waves in improving the treatment outcome

Crossover Analysis of the Astringent, Antimicrobial, and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Illicium verum/Star Anise in the Oral Cavity

Introduction. Illicium verum commonly known as star anise has been widely used in many Asian countries for pharmaceutical treatment for many diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, astringent, and antimicrobial properties of an Illicium verum mouthwash. Methods. The present double blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted on fifty subjects, divided into groups A and B. Illicium verum mouthwash (group A) and placebo (group B) were provided to subjects for 21 days; after 14 days, washout period mouthwashes were switched as per crossover design between groups for 21 days. The gingival index (GI), papillary bleeding index (PBI), and oral microbial count were recorded at each stage of study. Results. The significant intragroup difference was observed, before crossover in group A and after crossover in group B for GI, PBI, and oral microbial count at different stages of study. On comparing both group A and group B at the first and second follow-up for GI, PBI, and oral microbial count, a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) was observed. A statistically highly significant mean intergroup and intragroup difference was seen for all the clinical parameters at different stages of study. Conclusion. The study revealed that the Illicium verum/star anise has potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties

Clinical Assessment of the Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Coronally Advanced Flap Procedure in the Management of Isolated Gingival Recession

The aim of this randomized, controlled split-mouth clinical trial was to assess the effect of LLLT on wound healing after modified coronally advanced flap (MCAF) procedure for treatment of isolated recession-type defects. Fifteen patients with isolated bilaterally symmetrical gingival recessions (Miller’s Class I or Class II, or a combination of both) were enrolled in this study. After a modified, coronally advanced flap technique was implemented, a diode laser (810 nm) with a power of 120 mW irradiated the inner surface of the flap and the outer surface of the flap (low-level laser therapy—LLLT) after suturing for 5 min. This was repeated for the following four consecutive days. Descriptive statistics, a Kruskal–Wallis test and a Mann–Whitney test were performed to analyze the data. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean recession depth decreased from 3.33 ± 0.9 mm (baseline) to 0.2 ± 0.3 mm (3 months) and 0.4 ± 0.2 mm (6 months) in the test group. The mean recession width decreased from 3.8 ± 0.7 mm (baseline) to 0.2 ± 0.3 mm (3 months) and 0.5 ± 0.3 mm (6 months) in the test group. Due to minimal pain and discomfort, patient acceptability was quite high

Evaluation of Color Stability of Composite Resin Used to Characterize Acrylic Teeth&mdash;An In Vitro Study

The durability and patient acceptability of prosthesis can be gauged by the capacity of visible light curing lab composite resins to maintain color stability through time and use. Consequently, this study&rsquo;s goal was to assess the color stability of three layering materials, incisal, dentin, and gingiva of SR Nexco lab composite, with exposure to coffee, Coca-Cola, and turmeric solution using a spectrophotometer. A total of 60 specimens (10 &times; 2 mm) of SR Nexco paste were prepared and were divided into three groups based on the layering material used. Five specimens of each group were immersed in staining solutions, namely, coffee, cola, and turmeric solution. Each group&rsquo;s last five specimens were submerged in distilled water (control). The incubator that housed the samples was set to 37 &deg;C. The CIE L*a*b* method was used to quantify the color differences (E) of specimens using a spectrophotometer at baseline and after two weeks of immersion. Using ANOVA testing, the average color change for each specimen was examined. Tukey tests were used for post hoc comparisons. The calculated mean color difference (&Delta;E) for incisal ranges from 3.73 (distilled water) to 28.70 (turmeric). The mean color difference (&Delta;E) for dentin ranges from 2.66 (distilled water) to 41.19 (turmeric). The mean color difference (&Delta;E) for gingiva ranges from 1.72 (distilled water) to 23.88 (turmeric). The results are statistically significant. The maximum color difference is noted for dentin specimens, and turmeric stains all three layering materials to a maximum. The color stability of SR Nexco paste layering materials is significantly affected by the discoloring agents used. The comparison of color change between the three layering materials of SR Nexco paste (dentin, incisal, and gingiva) is statistically not significant. Turmeric solution exhibits more discoloration followed by cola and coffee solution

The Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of the Caregivers about Oral Health Care, at Centers for Intellectually Disabled, in Southern Region of Saudi Arabia

Oral health is perhaps the most neglected aspect of healthcare for persons living in rehabilitation centers, compared to the general population. The caregivers play a vital role in administering daily oral care to residents in rehabilitation centers: The aim of the present questionnaire-based study was to evaluate the caregivers&rsquo; knowledge, attitude and practices towards oral healthcare at centers for the intellectually disabled in the Southern region of Saudi Arabia (SA). The present study was designed as a cross-sectional one-point time survey. The samples were selected by using a non-probability convenience sampling method. The self-administered closed-ended questionnaire comprised of 22 items divided into four sections, which was designed to elicit the demographic information, awareness of oral care, attitude towards oral health and practice of the oral healthcare regime among the participants. Of the164 participants, 53.0% and 47.0% were male and female, respectively. Most of the participants&mdash;54.9%&mdash;were between 30&ndash;39 years of age. Participants were almost equally distributed between educational groups, and about 87% had more than 2 years of experience. A brief overview showed a fair level of knowledge and attitude among 61.6% and 58.5% of respondents, respectively. Participants with an education level above that of high school showed good knowledge and attitude scores (p &lt; 0.05), whereas females showed better attitude scores compared to the males (p &lt; 0.05). Respondents mentioned the difficulties they faced while treating the subjects. The special healthcare workers generally had acceptable oral health knowledge and practices. Caregivers who had lower education levels should be advised for training programs that addressed the importance of oral health services

Regeneration of Intrabony Defects with Nano Hydroxyapatite Graft, Derived from Eggshell along with Periosteum as Barrier Membrane under Magnification&mdash;An Interventional Study

Intrabony defects can be treated by various approaches. Use of GTR along with bone grafts is said to enhance the outcome. The periosteum has been claimed to increase the regeneration. The egg-shell-derived nano hydroxyapatite (EnHA) has shown a scope as alloplastic graft. Thus, the following study was undertaken to combine the periosteal pedicle along with EnHA for the treatment of intrabony defects under magnification to achieve optimal bone regeneration. A total of 21 patients, having intrabony defects with &ge;6 mm probing depth (PD) and two or three wall defects as detected on CBCT, satisfying inclusion criteria were enrolled. The sites were randomly allocated as Group A, B and C (n = 7). The following parameters, defect density and defect fill in CBCT (at baseline and 6 months), PPD, RAL, Plaque index (PI), Gingival index (GI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) were recorded at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months. p &lt; 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. Bone density and bone fill values were found to be much higher in pedicle with EnHA and EnHA alone group and the values showed statistically significant results. The current clinical research showed that periosteal pedicle along with EnHA and EnHA as stand-alone therapy gave superior results compared to OFD alone, which is an innovative and feasible treatment option