Antibacterial and anti‑inflammatory efficacy of n‑acetyl cysteine in endodontic treatment: A scoping review

This scoping review systematically summarized the available evidence about the efficacy of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) as an intracanal antibacterial and/or anti-inflammatory.PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google scholar search engines/databases were searched up to February 2022 to retrieve relevant studies. The studies were evaluated for eligibility criteria, and identifying relevant studies.Out of 193 studies, 15 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were processed for data extraction. Thirteen in vitro studies assessed antibacterial/antibiofilm efficacy of NAC, and reported good and promising efficacy: NAC was found as efficacious as the comparators (chlorhexidine, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hydroxide), or even showed higher efficacy

The influence of horizontal glass fiber posts on fracture strength and fracture pattern of endodontically treated teeth: A systematic review and meta-analysis of in vitro studies

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize available evi-dence regarding the effect of horizontal glass fiber posts (HGFPs) on fracture strengthand fracture pattern of endodontically treated teeth (ETT) compared to controls withoutHGFP. The review protocol was registered on the OSF registries.Literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web ofScience, Embase, Google Scholar, and ProQuest for all relevant studies published upto February 2022. All in vitro studies that assessed the influence of HGFPs on fracturestrength and fracture pattern of ETT whether mesio-occluso-distal or mesio-occlusalor DO cavities were considered eligible. Review Manager (RevMan) was used forthe meta-analysis. Subgroup and funnel plot analyses were also performed. Qualityassessment was conducted by two independent reviewers

Relación entre la maduración vertebral cervical y el desarrollo dental en una muestra de niños y adolescentes Yemeníes.

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between dental development and cervical vertebral maturation stages in a group of Yemeni children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: The study included digital panoramic radiographs and lateral skull cephalograms obtained from 207 Yemeni subjects—122 females and 85 males aged between 8 to 18 years. Dental maturity was evaluated according to the method of Demirijian et al.,6 calcification stages of the left mandibular canines, first and second premolars and second molars were assessed. Skeletal maturity was assessed by the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) stages according to the method of Baccetti et al.10 Correlation between CVM and dental maturation was evaluated by Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient (SROCC). Results: CVM and dental calcification stages were highly correlated (p<0.001) in both genders, ranging from 0.686 to 0.873 for females and 0.787 to 0.871 for males. Calcification stages of the second molars showed the strongest correlation with CVM. Conclusion: Calcification stages of the second molar may be used as a reliable maturation indicator. Dental maturation may be applied to determine the skeletal maturity status of Yemeni children and adolescents.Objetivo: Este estudio se realizó para investigar la relación entre el desarrollo dental y las etapas de maduración vertebral cervical en un grupo de niños y adolescentes yemeníes. Material y Métodos: El estudio incluyó radiografías panorámicas digitales y cefalogramas laterales del cráneo obtenidos de 207 sujetos yemeníes: 122 mujeres y 85 hombres de entre 8 y 18 años. La madurez dental se evaluó de acuerdo con el método de Demirijian et al.6 Se evaluaron las etapas de calcificación de los caninos mandibulares izquierdos, primer y segundo premolares y segundos molares. La madurez esquelética se evaluó mediante las etapas de maduración vertebral cervical (CVM) de acuerdo con el método de Baccetti et al.10 La correlación entre la CVM y la maduración dental se evaluó mediante el coeficiente de correlación de orden de rango de Spearman (SROCC). Resultados: Las etapas de CVM y calcificación dental estuvieron altamente correlacionadas (p<0.001) en ambos sexos, con un rango de 0.686 a 0.873 para las mujeres y 0.787 a 0.871 para los hombres. Las etapas de calcificación de los segundos molares mostraron la correlación más fuerte con CVM. Conclusión: las etapas de calcificación del segundo molar pueden usarse como un indicador de maduración confiable. La maduración dental puede aplicarse para determinar el estado de madurez esquelética de los niños y adolescentes yemeníes

Oral health practices and self‑reported adverse effects of e‑cigarette use among dental students in 11 countries: An online survey

E-cigarette use has become popular, particularly among the youth. Its use is associated with harmful general and oral health consequences. This survey aimed to assess self-reported oral hygiene practices, oral and general health events, and changes in physiological functions (including physical status, smell, taste, breathing, appetite, etc.) due to E-cigarette use among dental students. This online, multicounty survey involved undergraduate dental students from 20 dental schools across 11 different countries. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, E-cigarette practices, self-reported complaints, and associated physiological changes due to E-cigarette smoking

Efficacy of low level laser therapy in the treatment of burning mouth syndrome: A systematic review

AbstractBackgroundBurning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain condition with indefinite cure, predominantly affecting post-menopausal women. The aim of this study was to systematically review the efficacy of low level laser therapy in the treatment of burning mouth syndrome (BMS).MethodsPubMed, Embase and Scopus were searched from date of inception till and including October 2016 using various combinations of the following keywords: burning mouth syndrome, BMS, stomatodynia, laser therapy, laser treatment and phototherapy. The inclusion criteria were: Prospective, retrospective and case series studies. Letter to editors, reviews, experimental studies, studies that were not published in English, theses, monographs, and abstracts presented in scientific events were excluded. Due to heterogeneity of data no statistical analyses were performed.ResultsTen clinical studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria, five of which were randomized clinical trials. In these studies, the laser wavelengths, power output and duration of irradiation ranged between 630–980nm, 20–300mW, 10s–15min, respectively. Most of studies reported laser to be an effective therapy strategy for management of BMS.ConclusionMajority of the studies showed that laser therapy seemed to be effective in reducing pain in BMS patients. However, due to the varied methodologies and substantial variations in laser parameters among these studies, more clinical trials are required to ascertain the efficacy of laser for treating BMS

The Potential Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Apical Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Recent literature has suggested a potential association between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and apical periodontitis (AP). The present systematic review and meta-analysis sought to analyse and appraise the available evidence regarding the reported association. Following 2020 PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search of multiple online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) was conducted for all relevant studies published from the date of inception until 27 April 2023 using various relevant keywords. All observational studies that assessed the association between IBD and AP in humans were eligible for inclusion. The quality of the selected studies was carried out independently by two reviewers, and meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2.2.064. Six studies (five case-control studies and one cohort study) were included. A total of 657 patients (277 with IBD) were included in 5 case-control studies, and 48,223 subjects (35,740 with AP) were included in the cohort study, where 188 developed IBD on follow-up. The pooled data from the five case-control studies revealed that IBD was significantly associated with a higher risk of AP (OR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.21-2.42; I2=10.337%, fixed-effect, p=0.002). The qualitative analysis also showed that most of the included studies found a higher mean number of teeth with AP in IBD groups than the healthy controls. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS)-based quality appraisal results demonstrated that five studies were of high quality, and one was of moderate quality. The results suggest a potential association between IBD and AP. Large-scale and prospective studies are required to further confirm and elucidate the nature of such an association

Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory efficacy of N-acetyl cysteine in endodontic treatment: a scoping review

BACKGROUND: This scoping review systematically summarized the available evidence about the efficacy of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) as an intracanal antibacterial and/or anti-inflammatory. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google scholar search engines/databases were searched up to February 2022 to retrieve relevant studies. The studies were evaluated for eligibility criteria, and identifying relevant studies. RESULTS: Out of 193 studies, 15 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were processed for data extraction. Thirteen in vitro studies assessed antibacterial/antibiofilm efficacy of NAC, and reported good and promising efficacy: NAC was found as efficacious as the comparators (chlorhexidine, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hydroxide), or even showed higher efficacy. Regarding the anti-inflammatory efficacy of NAC, one in vitro study found it equivalent to, while one clinical trial revealed it more efficacious than calcium hydroxide. CONCLUSIONS: There is accumulating evidence on the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory efficacy of NAC in context of endodontics. However, further clinical trials with robust methodology and objective and reliable clinical, biological and microbial outcomes are warranted to translate its use for clinical practice on humans

Oral health practices and self-reported adverse effects of E-cigarette use among dental students in 11 countries: an online survey

Objectives: E-cigarette use has become popular, particularly among the youth. Its use is associated with harmful general and oral health consequences. This survey aimed to assess self-reported oral hygiene practices, oral and general health events, and changes in physiological functions (including physical status, smell, taste, breathing, appetite, etc.) due to E-cigarette use among dental students. Methods: This online, multicounty survey involved undergraduate dental students from 20 dental schools across 11 different countries. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, E-cigarette practices, self-reported complaints, and associated physiological changes due to E-cigarette smoking. Data were descriptively presented as frequencies and percentages. A Chi-square test was used to assess the potential associations between the study group and sub-groups with the different factors. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS at P < 0.05. Results: Most respondents reported regular brushing of their teeth, whereas only 70% used additional oral hygiene aids. Reported frequencies of complaints ranged from as low as 3.3% for tongue inflammation to as high as 53.3% for headache, with significant differences between E-cigarette users and non-users. Compared to non-smokers, E-cigarette users reported significantly higher prevalence of dry mouth (33.1% vs. 23.4%; P < 0.001), black tongue (5.9% vs. 2.8%; P = 0.002), and heart palpitation (26.3%% vs. 22.8%; P = 0.001). Although two-thirds of the sample reported no change in their physiological functions, E-cigarette users reported significant improvement in their physiological functions compared to never smokers or tobacco users. Conclusion: Dental students showed good oral hygiene practices, but E-cigarette users showed a higher prevalence of health complications.Dental Biomaterials Research Chair, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University. The funder has no role in the design of the study as well as in the methodology, analysis, and interpretation of the data

Knowledge, beliefs, attitude, and practices of E-cigarette use among dental students: A multinational survey

E-cigarette use is a trend worldwide nowadays with mounting evidence on associated morbidities and mortality. Dentists can modify the smoking behaviors of their patients. This study aimed to explore the knowledge, beliefs, attitude, and practice of E-cigarette use among dental students. This multinational, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study recruited undergraduate dental students from 20 dental schools in 11 countries. The outcome variable was current smoking status (non-smoker, E-cigarette user only, tobacco cigarette smoker only, dual user). The explanatory variables were country of residence, sex, age, marital status, and educational level. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the explanatory variables associated with E-cigarette smoking. Of the 5697 study participants, 5156 (90.8%) had heard about E-cigarette, and social media was the most reported source of information for 33.2% of the participants. For the 5676 current users of E-cigarette and/or tobacco smoking, 4.5% use E-cigarette, and 4.6% were dual users. There were significant associations between knowledge and country (P< 0.05), educational level (B = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.21; P = 0.016) and smoking status (P< 0.05). The country of residence (P< 0.05) and smoking status (P< 0.05) were the only statistically significant factors associated with current smoking status. Similarly, there were statistically significant associations between attitude and country (P< 0.05 for one country only compared to the reference) and history of previous E-cigarette exposure (B = -0.52; 95% CI: -0.91, -0.13; P = 0.009). Also, the practice of E-cigarettes was significantly associated with country (P< 0.05 for two countries only compared to the reference) and gender (B = -0.33; 95% CI: -0.52, -0.13; P = 0.001). The knowledge of dental students about E-cigarette was unsatisfactory, yet their beliefs and attitudes were acceptable. Topics about E-cigarette should be implemented in the dental curriculum.Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University, for funding through the Vice Deanship of Scientific Research for Research Chairs. Qatar National Library for the open access funding

Teledentistry from research to practice: a tale of nineteen countries

AimThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated teledentistry research with great interest reflected in the increasing number of publications. In many countries, teledentistry programs were established although not much is known about the extent of incorporating teledentistry into practice and healthcare systems. This study aimed to report on policies and strategies related to teledentistry practice as well as barriers and facilitators for this implementation in 19 countries.MethodsData were presented per country about information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, income level, policies for health information system (HIS), eHealth and telemedicine. Researchers were selected based on their previous publications in teledentistry and were invited to report on the situation in their respective countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Hong Kong SAR, Iran, Italy, Libya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe.ResultsTen (52.6%) countries were high income, 11 (57.9%) had eHealth policies, 7 (36.8%) had HIS policies and 5 (26.3%) had telehealth policies. Six (31.6%) countries had policies or strategies for teledentistry and no teledentistry programs were reported in two countries. Teledentistry programs were incorporated into the healthcare systems at national (n = 5), intermediate (provincial) (n = 4) and local (n = 8) levels. These programs were established in three countries, piloted in 5 countries and informal in 9 countries.ConclusionDespite the growth in teledentistry research during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of teledentistry in daily clinical practice is still limited in most countries. Few countries have instituted teledentistry programs at national level. Laws, funding schemes and training are needed to support the incorporation of teledentistry into healthcare systems to institutionalize the practice of teledentistry. Mapping teledentistry practices in other countries and extending services to under-covered populations increases the benefit of teledentistry