Chlorhexidine gluconate and hexitidine have been used in many oral health care products as antiplaque and antigingivitis agents. Based on the clinical observations and the plaque and gingivitis scores, chlorhexidine gluconate has been reported to be a better agent. In this study, the anti-adherence properties of chlorhexidine gluconate and hexitidine on individual bacteria strains isolated from a 3-hour plaque (Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus mitis 1 and Actinomyces sp.) and on a whole 6-hour plaque culture were determined and compared. The study showed that chlorhexidine gluconate inhibited almost 100 % the adherence of the individual bacteria strains and 87.7 % the adherence of a whole 6-hour plaque culture to the saliva-coated glass surface. Hexitidine appeared to be more selective in its effect. It was shown to inhibit the adherence of S. sanguis and Actinomyces sp. to saliva-coated glass surface by 86.5 % and 51.4 % respectively. Its effect on the S. mitis 1 strains is comparable to that of a whole 6-hour plaque culture where inhibition to adherence were less than 4 % for both.
The application of PCR technique in genetic screening was demonstrated using the genetic materials from buccal cells of the students in the class. Two factors were taken into consideration when designing the experiments. The DNA region to be amplified should not be associated with any disease state. This is to eliminate any emotional and ethical problems associated with the experiments. In this practical, the presence and absence of a 38 bp sequence in the intron of COLIA2 gene were studied. The students were also shown on how to analyse the presence of homozygous and heterozygous alleles and the genetic variations that might be observed in the different ethnic groups of students. Another factor was the time taken to complete the experiment. Our experience showed that this experiment would take at least six hours to obtain and analyse the results. It is therefore suitable to be used in class teaching.
In this study, the effect of beverages (Coke TM, Sprite™, Ribena™, Chrysanthemum tea and mineral water) on the demineralisation of the enamel surface was investigated. Demineralisation was determined by the rate of calcium released from the enamel surface on exposure to the beverages. Calcium was determined using the EDTA titration method. The pH of these beverages was measured using a pH meter and found to be in the acidic range (2.43 to 5.79) while mineral water which served as a control has a pH of 7.00. Ii was found that the rate of calcium released from Coke™(0.76 J..lg/min) showed a significant mean difference from Sprite™ (0.38 J..lg/min), Chrysanthemum tea (0.10 J..lg/min) and mineral water (0.00 J..lg/min)at p< .05, but was however not significantly different from Ribena™. Likewise, Chrysanthemum tea and mineral water also showed statistically no significant mean difference in the released of calcium during the study period. The results obtained in this study indicated that beverages with low pH may pose detrimental effect on the enamel surface which could have clinical implication, especially in people with salivary gland dysfunction or low salivary flow.
The information of biomechanical properties is crucial in the study of biological tissue and its clinical relevance. 3mm x 3mm free gingival human tissues was taken using disposable punch biopsy (Accu sharp blade, India) and stored in 0°C Freezer. The sample was sectioned to a thickness of 10μm using high profile microtome blade (Leica 818, Germany) and cryostat (Leica CM1850UV, United Kingdom). The sample was analysed using Atomic Force Microscope (Nanowizard® 3, JPK Instruments, Germany) at room atmosphere. The collagen fibrils of the free gingival tissues appeared to be stacked in basket weave like structure. The mean value of free gingival collagen fibrils width and the length of D-band were 106.71±11.18nm and 65.82 ± 3.04nm respectively. The Young’s modulus of collagen fibrils for human free gingival tissue at overlap region was 212.88 ± 242.58 MPa, whereas at the gap region was 207.00 ± 230.71 MPa. Within the limitation of the study, the collagen fibrils appeared to be stacked in basket weavelike structure. The length and width of the collagen fibril were similar to the values investigated using other techniques. There was significant linear relationship between Young’s modulus of overlap and gap regions.
The study aimed to compare mechanical properties and surface characteristics of initial and working
aesthetic archwires with their conventional counterparts. High Aesthetic Sentalloy (full rhodium coating
nickel-titanium; Dentsply GAC) represented the initial aesthetic archwires; and FLI TRU-CHROME
(labial PTFE-coated stainless steel; RMO) as the working aesthetic archwires; together with their
conventional counterparts were analysed. A three point bending test was conducted using a universal
testing machine (AGS-X SERIES, Shimadzu, Japan) to determine the load-deflection characteristics of
archwires. Surface hardness was evaluated by Vickers microhardness test (HMV-FA, Shimadzu, Japan).
A 3D Optical Surface Texture Analyzer (ALICONA, InfiniteFocus Real3D, Belgium) and a Field Emission
Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM, FEI Quanta 250, USA) were used for surface evaluation.
Results showed that load-deflection characteristics of High Aesthetic Sentalloy archwires did not differ
from its control, whereas FLI TRU-CHROME archwires exhibited higher loading and unloading forces
than its counterpart. No statistically significant difference in surface hardness was found between FLI
TRU-CHROME and its control archwires. The coating surfaces of both aesthetic archwires were rougher
than the non-coated conventional archwires, with similar roughness between non-coated surface of FLI
TRU-CHROME archwires and its counterpart. FLI TRU-CHROME archwires showed a distinct coating
thickness but coating layer is undefined in High Aesthetic Sentalloy archwires. In conclusion, the aesthetic
rhodium coated nickel titanium archwire has similar mechanical properties as control nickel titanium
archwire without being adversely affected by the addition of the coating layer. The aesthetic coated PTFE
stainless steel archwire has higher load response which could be an advantage as rigid wire in working
stage of orthodontic treatment. Based on their performance, their use could be recommended in cases
where aesthetic aspect is crucial and where the friction aspect is not critical as their surface roughness
values increased.
To assess the oral health related quality of life
(OHQoL) of a selected population of Malaysian adults and to compare the OHQoL by periodontal status. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study comprises a convenient sampling of fifty subjects from the Primary Care Unit, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. OHQoL was assessed using the Malaysian version of Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Basic periodontal examination (BPE) was performed on all subjects to determine their periodontal status. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were performed.
Results: Psychological discomfort, physical pain and psychological disability domains were the most affected dimensions in this population. Subjects with income levels >RM2,500 had higher impacts on their OHQoL as compared to those from other income levels (p0.05).
Conclusion: Subjects with high income levels had high impacts on their OHQoL. Those with periodontitis experienced higher impacts on their OHQoL as compared to those who had a healthy periodontium or gingivitis and affected a wide range of domains of quality of life.
The purpose of this study was to gather information on the oral hygiene behaviour among the visually impaired adolescents. Interview and observation methods were used to collect data. A total of 114 visually impaired adolescents were interviewed and 10 of the interviewees were selected for observation on the actual oral hygiene practices. The mean age of the sample was 16 years old. The sample comprised of 53.5% female, majority were Malays (86.8%) and most of them were from the lower income group. Fifty four percent of the sample had low vision and 45.6% were blind. All of the participants reported that they brushed their teeth daily and most of them brushed twice a day or more. Flossing (6.1%) was not common practice among this group. It was observed that they encountered some difficulties, especially when putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush and also the way that they brushed their teeth could cause detrimental effect to the oral cavity. Thus, they need to be taught on proper oral hygiene care so that they can practice safe oral hygiene care and maintain their own oral health.
The objectives of the study were to determine the normal dental arch width of Malays, their correlation with
the facial framework and the ideal size of orthodontic impression trays that fit the dental arch. Eighteen adult
Malays with normal Class I occlusion were evaluated. Arch width was measured on each subject’s dental
cast. Direct anthropometric measurements were taken for 8 facial landmarks. Orthodontic impression trays
were tried on each subject’s dental cast to determine the best fitting tray. Correlations analysis was made
between the arch widths and the best fitting impression trays used and also with various craniofacial
anthropometric measurements. The eight measurements from the craniofacial region were compared
with the maxillary and mandibular intercanine, interpremolar and intermolar widths. In the maxillary arch,
there were significant correlation between the face width and the interpremolar and intermolar widths
respectively, while in the mandibular arch, significant correlations were noted between the mandible depth
and the interpremolar and intermolar widths respectively. The most common fitting impression tray was size
6 for the upper jaw and size 5 for the lower jaw. There was a significant correlation between the maxillary
intercanine width and the size of the impression trays. The significant correlation between upper and lower
interpremolar and intermolar widths and the anthropometric measurements of this Malay population may
assist in predicting arch expansion to achieve Class 1 occlusion during orthodontic or maxillofacial surgical
treatment. The significant correlation between the upper intercanine width and the size of impression tray
can be a useful parameter when determining the size of impression tray.
Recurrent aphthous ulcers of the mouth are difficult to treat because of no known definite aetiology. This paper presents the use of lactic acid bacteria thought to modulate the host immune response to affect improvements in the disease. Twenty-five patients with the disease were treated with 6 lactic bacteria capsules (in the form of OMX capsules) daily for a period of six months, and their responses were evaluated. Seventeen patients (73.9%) became free of the disease six months later, while 6 (26.1 %) experienced very dramatic improvements. Two patients were lost to follow-up. It is concluded that lactic acid bacteria is beneficial in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers of the mouth.
Twenty-one patients who underwent ablative surgery for head and neck cancer at Bristol Dental Hospital and School, England between the years 1996 and 2002 were enrolled in the study. A self-completed questionnaire based on Head and Neck Specific measures was addressed to the patients. The overall post-operative quality of life among these patients is acceptable. About half of the patients complained of moderate to severe difficulty in opening mouth wide (55%) and dry mouth (45%) and about one-third had major problems in swallowing solid food (36%), sleep disturbance (32%), trouble eating and enjoying meals (32%) and speech problems (32%). The study shows a tendency for the quality of life to improve steadily with increasing post-operative interval. It is hoped that the results will provide an insight into the patients' functional and psychological recovery, which will in turn help to facilitate the planning of appropriate strategies to improve their quality of life.
The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of C02 laser in relieving symptoms associated with Oral lichen planus (aLP) and lichenoid lesions (aLL) and the event of healing. Six patients were selected for this study with 13 sites treated. Each lesion was ablated with C02 laser and the wound allowed to heal undisturbed. Prior to treatment, 4 patients had both unprovoked and provoked pain and 2 patients rated for provoked pain only. After laser ablation, five out of six patients treated recorded no pain / 0 pain score. One month post-laser, the treated area was almost the same colour as the surrounding normal mucosa and soft in texture in all but one patient in which there was some fibrosis and residual plaque-like patch. Weconclude that the use of C02 laser in the treatment of aLP and aLL shows positive results in relieving symptoms associated with these lesions.
The existence of numerous World Wide Web (WWW) sites devoted to dental education is proof that dental educators have been utilizing the pedagogical potential of information technology. Despite the availability of an immense quantity of information on the Internet, performing a search is often a complex, uncoordinated and time-consuming procedure, thus the usefulness of a guide on a topic of interest. Forty WWW sites devoted to dental education have been located using search engines. They were evaluated and classified as follows: guides, electronic publications, databases, patient education and undergraduate education; and according to subjects such as oral biology, morphology, histology, microbiology oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, radiology, periodontology, dental materials, orthodontics and neuroscience. The extensiveness and quality of some of these sites make them useful resources and knowledge banks for the teacher and the student.
The current standard of managing facial bone fractures is the use of rigid internal fixation. This method provides good stabilization and repair for mid-face fractures such as the zygomatico-orbitalfracture. Nowadays, for the young and old, patients want not only rapid bone healing, but also good facial aesthetics after surgical treatment following maxillofacial trauma. Therefore, osteosynthesis of fractures and inconspicuous post-operative scars are considered essential. The lower eyelid approach or modified blepharoplasty provides rapid access to the infraorbital rim as well as the orbital floor, while the lateral eyebrow incision gives direct access for fixation at the fronto-zygomatic suture. Combining the Gillies' approach and a single form of rigid internal fixation, good cosmetic results and function can be achieved. Cases using the micro-plate-system for thin infraorbital bones and the miniplate- system for thicker facial bones involving zygomatico-orbital fractures are described.
The palatal root of the first permanent molar is the most commonly deflected root into the maxillary sinus during extraction. A rational approach to the surgical removal of a root from the antrum is important. Some surgeons prefer the alveolar approach while others prefer the Caldwell-Luc operation. A case is presented where the palatal root tip of the left upper first molar was removed from the maxillary sinus by the Caldwell-Luc approach with simultaneous closure of the oro-antral fistula resulting from dental extraction. A fibreoptic light probe was used. The advantages and disadvantages as well as how to avoid the common complications of this surgical technique are discussed. A good result was achieved with successful removal of the root and no loss of sensibility of the teeth and/or gum for this case.
Odontogenic carcinomas of the jaws are subclassified into malignant ameloblastoma, ameloblastic carcinoma and primary intraosseous carcinoma arising from within the bone. These may arise from residual islands of epithelium derived from dental lamina or epithelial lining of dental cysts. Ameloblastic carcinoma is extremely rare. An aggressive case of ameloblastic carcinoma occumng in a 59-year-old Malay man is presented. Wide excision of the primary lesion with radical neck dissection was carried out. He developed lung metastasis 4 months post-operatively. Despite chemotherapy upon discovery of lung metastasis, he expired 7 months following the initial diagnosis.
To assess the oral health behaviors of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and explore attitudes
and barriers in providing oral care by their parents. A cross-sectional, mixed method study design, which
comprised of quantitative and qualitative sections was conducted. The quantitative part assessed the oral
health behavior through a parent-proxy report questionnaire whilst the qualitative part assessed parents’
overall perspective on maintenance of oral health in children with ASD through an in-depth interview using
semi-structured questions. All children below the age of 16 who have been clinically diagnosed with ASD and
registered at the Pediatric Dental Clinic were included. The sample consisted of twenty children with ASD.
Most of the sample were male and between 5-8 years old. Majority had good oral health behaviors but some
exhibited self-injurious behaviors that may affect oral health. Severe characteristics of ASD, co-morbid
conditions and incompetent health professionals were reported as barriers in oral care by parents of these
children. Despite having good oral health behaviors, several barriers and challenges were expressed by these
parents with ASD when providing home oral care or bringing them for dental appointment. Continuous
support for parents with ASD child by dental professionals is essential to help overcome the real challenges
and barriers in providing oral care among these parents.
This study compared the surface roughness of selected tooth coloured restorative materials that were polished according to manufacturers’ instructions and Sof-Lex. It also assessed the surface roughness of polished materials after thermocycling.Filtek Z350XT, Beautifil-Bulk Restorative and Cention N, were used in this study. A stainless steel mould (10mm diameter x 2mm height) was used to fabricate 75 cylindrical specimens: 15 Filtek Z350XT (FZ), 30 Beautifil-Bulk Restorative (BB) and 30 Cention N (CN). All 15 FZ specimens were polished with Sof-Lex. Fifteen BB and CN specimens were polished according to manufacturers’ instructions. The remaining fifteen BB and CN specimens were polished using Sof-Lex. All the specimens were subjected to thermocycling (1000 cycles). Surface roughness was assessed quantitatively with profilometry after specimen preparation (Mylar stage), polishingand thermocycling. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.0 at α=0.05. When polished according to manufacturers’ instructions, BB had the lowest mean surface roughness (Ra) values (0.13±0.01μm) followed sequentially by CN (0.14±0.03μm) and FZ (0.15±0.02μm). The differences were not statistically significant. When polished with Sof-Lex, BB exhibited the smoothest surface (0.116±0.03μm) followed sequentially by and FZ (0.150±0.02μm) and CN (0.157±0.02μm). Thermocycling caused an increase in the Ra. The differences were statistically significant. All materials tested had Ra values below the threshold value of 0.2 μm at Mylar stage and after polishing with their recommended polishing system and Sof-Lex. Thermocycling produced rougher surfaces that did not exceed the threshold Ra value. Polishability was material dependent.
The study aimed to evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) and to analyse the failure mode at the resin-dentine interface of different dental adhesive systems. A total of 75 sound premolar teeth were selected and randomly assigned into five different adhesive groups (n=15): OptiBond Solo (OBS, total-etch), OptiBond Versa (OBV, two-bottles, self-etch), Adhe SE Ivoclar (ADHE, two-bottles, self-etch), G-Bond (GB, one-bottle, self-etch), and OptiBond All in One (OBO, one-bottle, self-etch). The occlusal surface of each tooth was flattened and composite resin cylinder (4x2 mm) was built up on the flat dentine surface using a custom made mould. The specimens were then subjected to 500 thermal cycles between 5 °C and 55 °C and dwell time of 20s. The SBS test was conducted using a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnett T3 Test. Failure mode was determined as adhesive, cohesive or mixed mode using a stereomicroscope and the data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test. The total-etch (OBS) had significantly higher value of SBS than the two self-etch (ADHE and GB) adhesive systems. Within the self-etch systems, OBV showed significantly higher SBS value compared to ADHE and GB. There were no statistically significant differences between types of failure mode (p > 0.05) and adhesive group. It can be concluded that the different compositions in the self-etch adhesive materials may contribute to the different SBS value. The failure modes detected within all tested groups did not show clinically important differences.
A case of denture hyperplasia of the upper labial sulcus with concomitant oncocytic metaplastic changes is described. The patient concerned is an elderly male wearing an ill-fitting upper full denture.
Supernumerarypremolars have been reported to occur in 0.29% of the general populationand to represent about 9.1% of all supernumerary teeth. Most of the supernumerary teeth reported in the literature were detected by radiographsas most of them were unerupted or impacted.Asearch of the literature revealed not many cases of fully erupted and well aligned supernumerary premolars being reported. A case of a unilateral transposed supernumery premolarthat had erupted into alignment is presented here. The remarkable featureof this case is that the supernumery premolar is transposed between the first and second permanent maxillary molars. The etiology of supernumeraryteeth is also reviewed.