Photodynamic therapy: Truly a marriage between a drug and a light

Microbial biofilms in the oral cavity are involved in the etiology of various oral conditions, including caries, periodontal and endodontic diseases, oral malodor, denture stomatitis, candidiasis and dental implant failures. It is generally recognized that the growth of bacteria in biofilms imparts a substantial decrease in susceptibility to antimicrobial agents compared with cultures grown in suspension. It is therefore not surprising that bacteria growing in dental plaque, a naturally occurring biofilm, show increased resistance to antimicrobial agents. As result there is pronounced interest and keenness in the development of alternate antimicrobial concepts. Therefore, the application of alternative method to eradicate bacteria from periodontal pockets is desirable. One such approach is photodynamic therapy (PDT). The purpose of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of PDT for periodontitis as an adjunct to non-surgical treatment of scaling and root planning. This review provides an overview of PDT with emphasis on its current status as an antimicrobial therapy to control oral bacteria. Finally, new frontiers of antimicrobial PDT research will be introduced, including targeting strategies that may open new opportunities for the maintenance of bacterial homeostasis in dental plaque, thereby providing the opportunity for more effective disease prevention and control. Thus, the available knowledge of PDT should encourage a more clinically oriented application of this technique

Stereolithography in implant placement: A review

Stereolithography (SLA), the first form of additive manufacturing, creates 3D objects by selectively solidifying liquid resin via a photopolymerization reaction. Stereolithography has gained popularity due to its ability to fabricate objects with high accuracy and in a wide range of materials. SLA has undergone four generations of major technological innovation since its invention in the 1980s. As a result of these advancements, a diverse range of stereolithography systems with dramatically improved resolution, throughput, and material selection for creating complex 3D objects and devices is now available

Invisalign: Meeting challenges with newer technologies

Orthodontic developments, especially during the last few years have been accompanied by a significant increase in the esthetic demands of the patients. As the demand for esthetic treatments is increasing, more people are seeking alternatives to fixed orthodontic appliances. Clear aligners provide an excellent solution as compared to fixed orthodontic appliances in terms of esthetics and comfort to the patient. In 1998, Align Technology (Santa Clara, Calif, USA) introduced Invisalign, a series of removable polyurethane aligners, as an esthetic alternative to fixed orthodontic appliance

Precision attachments: A review

The lack of sta­bility and retention together with a decrease in chewing ability are the commonly problems experienced by many edentulous patients with their den­tures and removable partial dentures. To overcome this problem and the desire to balance between func­tional stability and cosmetic appeal gave rise to the development of Precision attachments. Precision attachments are small interlocking devices to connect prosthesis and abutments that offer a variety of solutions to the challenge of balance between functional stability and cosmetic appeal. Precision attachments have wide applications, used in fixed removable bridge, removable partial dentures, overdentures, implant retained overdentures, and maxillofacial prosthesis. This article discusses about the various precision attachments used in treating edentulous and partially edentulous patients

Xerostomia and prosthodontic conduct

Xerostomia or dry mouth is a condition frequently seen in dental practice.  The elderly people are at greater risk because they undergo medications, systemic diseases or various radiotherapy of the head and neck region. Patient complains of problems in mastication, phonetics, deglutition and in wearing dentures. Patients are at increased risk of developing dental caries usually multiple. Treatment may include the review of the current prescription drug regimen, ongoing dental care, caries prevention, use of salivary substitutes, salivary stimulants, salivary reservoirs and salivary sensors. A thorough clinical examination by the clinician is important for diagnosis, management, treatment and evaluation of the xerostomia patient

Steps in digital denture fabrication

Fabricating a complete denture in a conventional manner may be complicated and difficult. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the benefits of a fully digital workflow and fabrication procedure of complete dentures based on digital impressions of edentulous jaws. The digital data for the workflow were acquired using an intraoral scanner and were then used to design the denture base and teeth. The resulting data were exported to a 3D printer or a milling machine for denture fabrication. The high accuracy of digitalized dental fabrication has been proved by several studies compared to conventional methods .CAD/CAM fabrication of complete dentures based on digital impressions of edentulous jaws obtained using an intraoral scanner. By this method the occurrence of human processing errors, inaccuracies, and multiple clinical appointments can be avoided

Hinge axis recording of the temporomandibular joint

The temporomandibular joint is called as ginglymoarthrodial joint. It is a complex joint in which two basic movements of the mandible can be distinguished. Rotary or hinge like movement taking place between the articular disk and condyle in the lower compartment of the temporomandibular articulation. Various studies have shown that an arbitrary location of the hinge axis is an acceptable alternative to its accurate location. With the availability of easy to use ear piece facebow, locating and transfer of hinge axis to the articulator is an easy and quick procedure.  Precision is the key to prosthodontics and it is thus imperative that restorations are made as accurately as possible

An esthetic space maintainer for future prosthesis in growing patients

The treatment of congenitally/missing teeth at young age is unique challenges to the dental profession and often requires a coordinated interdisciplinary approach to achieve optimal esthetic and functional results. Space maintainers in orthodontics has widely played key role in early maintenance of space till growth ceases. In growing patients for aesthetics purpose the tooth colored material use provide additional patients compliance till it gets future prosthesis like implants. Here; the article gave unique type of space maintainer for growing patients

Single step border molding revisited: A case report

The specialty of Prosthodontics has developed from the need to replace missing dentition, and associated structures. In this, the impression stage plays a very critical role, as it is the first of many stages involved in the production of the restorative procedures. This case report presents a simple, single step border molding using heavy body elastomeric impression material

The effects of poor learning skills on the attainments of children in the primary school

Quorum sensing (QS) is a system of stimuli and responses in bacterial cells governed by their population density, through which they regulate genes that control virulence factors and biofilm formation. Despite considerable research on QS and the discovery of new antibiotics, QS-controlled biofilm formation by microorganisms in clinical settings has remained a problem because of nascent drug resistance, which requires screening of diverse compounds for anti-QS activities. Cinnamon is a dietary phytochemical that is traditionally used to remedy digestive problems and assorted contagions, which suggests that cinnamon might contain chemicals that can hinder the QS process. To test this hypothesis, the anti-QS activity of cinnamon oil against P. aeruginosa was tested, measured by the inhibition of biofilm formation and other QS-associated phenomena, including virulence factors such as pyocyanin, rhamnolipid, protease, alginate production, and swarming activity. To this end, multiple microscopy analyses, including light, scanning electron and confocal microscopy, revealed the ability of cinnamon oil to inhibit P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms and their accompanying extracellular polymeric substances. This work is the first to demonstrate that cinnamon oil can influence various QS-based phenomena in P. aeruginosa PAO1, including biofilm formation