In vitro enamel thickness measurements with ultrasound

In the work described here, agreement between ultrasound and histologic measurements of enamel thickness in vitro was investigated. Fifteen extracted human premolars were sectioned coronally to produce 30 sections. The enamel thickness of each specimen was measured with a 15-MHz hand-held ultrasound probe and verified with histology. The speed of sound in enamel was established. Bland–Altman analysis, intra-class correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon sign rank test were used to assess agreement. The mean speed of sound in enamel was 6191 ± 199 m s−1. Bland–Altman limits of agreement were −0.16 to 0.18 mm when the speed of sound for each specimen was used, and −0.17 to 0.21 mm when the mean speed of sound was used. Intra-class correlation coefficient agreement was 0.97, and the Wilcoxon sign rank test yielded a p-value of 0.55. Using the speed of sound for each specimen results in more accurate measurement of enamel thickness. Ultrasound measurements were in good agreement with histology, which highlights its potential for monitoring the progressive loss of enamel thickness in erosive tooth surface loss

EAFT: Evolutionary Algorithms for GCC Flag Tuning

Due to limited resources, some methods come to the fore in finding and applying the factors that affect the working time of the code. The most common one is choosing the correct GCC flags using heuristic algorithms. For the codes compiled with GCC, the selection of optimization flags directly affects the speed of the processing, however, choosing the right one among hundreds of markers during this process is a resource consuming problem. This article explains how to solve the GCC flag optimization problem with EAFT. Rather than other autotuner tools such as Opentuner, EAFT is an optimized tool for GCC marker selection. Search infrastructure has been developed with particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm with diffent submodels rather than using only Genetic Algorithm like FOGA. © 2022 IEEE.2-s2.0-8514182374

Direct Midline Diastema Closure with Composite Layering Technique: A One-Year Follow-Up

Objective. Maxillary anterior spacing is a common aesthetic complaint of patients. Midline diastema has a multifactorial etiology such as labial frenulum, microdontia, mesiodens, peg-shaped lateral incisors, agenesis, cysts, habits such as finger sucking, tongue thrusting, or lip sucking, dental malformations, genetics, proclinations, dental-skeletal discrepancies, and imperfect coalescence of interdental septum. Appropriate technique and material for effective treatment are based on time, physical, psychological, and economical limitations. Direct composite resins in diastema cases allow dentist and patient complete control of these limitations and formation of natural smile. Clinical Considerations. In this case report a maxillary midline diastema was closed with direct composite resin restorations in one appointment without any preparation. One bottle total etch adhesive was used and translucent/opaque composite resin shades were layered on mesial surfaces of the teeth that were isolated with rubber dam and Teflon bands. Finishing and polishing procedures were achieved by using polishing discs. Patient was informed for recalls for every 6 months. Conclusions. At one-year recall no sensitivities, discolorations, or fractures were detected on teeth and restorations. Direct composite resins seemed to be highly aesthetic and durable restorations that can satisfy patients as under the conditions of case presented

Clinical assessment of demineralization and remineralization surrounding orthodontic brackets with FluoreCam

Objective: To determine quantitatively the amount of demineralization and the ability of commercially available products and an experimental cream to inhibit or reverse orthodontic related demineralization. Methods: A total of 20 patients who were 25–35 years old and having orthodontic treatment for 6–8 months were chosen. Caries risk assessments were done for each patient and ones with “moderate risk” were included. Patients with fixed orthodontic appliances were divided into 4 groups (5 patients each) including one control and 3 study groups. All patients used same toothpaste 2 times a day during the 3 weeks study period. Additional to the toothpaste first study group used MI Paste Plus (GC, Tokyo, Japan), second study group used Remin Pro (Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany) and third group used an experimental remineralizing cream per day for 3 weeks. Maxillary central and lateral incisors of each patient were examined by FluoreCam (Daraza Therametric Technologies, USA) device. The examinations were performed at baseline and at the end of 1st, 2nd and 3rd weeks. Results: According to the FluoreCam measurements the control group showed significant amount of demineralization at the end of 3 weeks, moreover the amount of demineralization has gradually increased in time. At the end of the study all 3 study groups showed significant amount of remineralization and the amount of remineralization for all the 3 study groups has gradually increased in time. However the amount of remineralization for 3rd study group was lesser than the 1st and 2nd study groups. The remineralization amounts for the 1st and 2nd study groups were determined to be identical. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that demineralization is measurable around orthodontic brackets and the demineralization can be completely inhibited and/or reversed by the use of commercially available remineralization products