Aim: This study is aimed at evaluating and comparing the remineralisation of early enamel caries on the occlusal surface of permanent posterior teeth using ICDAS II caries scoring system and DIAGNOdent Pen (DDPen) after remineralisation with Colgate Duraphat® and GC Tooth Mousse Plus®.
Materials and Methods: Extracted posterior teeth (N = 120) with incipient occlusal caries were included in this study. The occlusal surface of each tooth was scored using DDPen and ICDAS II scoring before remineralisation. Then, remineralisation of the teeth of the experimental group was carried out using either CPP-ACP-F or fluoride varnish. After the remineralisation procedures, the occlusal surface of each tooth was again scored using DDPen and ICDAS II scoring. The teeth were then fixed in dental stone blocks and sectioned longitudinally for histological examination using a stereomicroscope. Statistical analysis was performed to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of DDPen and ICDAS II to detect remineralisation and compare with the gold standard histological examination.
Results: According to ICDAS-II scores, a significant difference was noted in GC Tooth Mousse Plus® and Duraphat® study samples, whereas the difference between the pre-and post-remineralisation of the control group was not significant. According to the DDPen score criteria, a statistically significant difference was noted among all study groups; however, a greater significance level was noted in the GC Tooth Mousse Plus® and Duraphat® study samples compared with the control group. The Spearman's rank correlation of ICDAS-II and DDPen with Downer's histological score (gold standard) revealed a higher association of DDPen score (.738) as compared to ICDAS-II scores (.430).
Conclusion: The study concluded that both ICDAS II and DDPen could detect remineralisation of early enamel occlusal caries. DDPen was more sensitive than ICDAS-II to detect remineralisation compared with the Downers histological scores.
Methods: The articles were identified through a search on Web of Science (WoS), property of Clarivate Analytics database published on endodontic microbiology. The citation information of the selected articles was recorded. The Journal of Endodontics, International Endodontic Journal, Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology and Endodontology, Dental Traumatology, and Australian Endodontic Journal were searched in the search title. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using a statistical software package SPSS. Statistical analysis was performed using Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, Post hoc, Mann-Kendall trend, and Spearman-rank tests.
Results: The 50 most cited articles were published from 1965 to 2012 with citation count varying from 1065 to 103 times. The total citation counts of articles recorded were 11,525 (WoS), 12,602 (Elseviers' Scopus), and 28,871 (Google Scholar). The most prolific years in terms of publications were 2001, 2002, and 2003, with five publications each, followed by 2005 with four. The year with most citations was 1998, with 1,330 citations, followed by 1965 and 2001, with 1,065 and 1,015 citations, respectively. A total of 136 authors contributed to the top 50 most cited articles with 27 corresponding institutions from 12 different countries. The most common methodological design was in vitro study, followed by clinic-laboratory study, literature review, systematic review and meta-analysis, and animal study.
Conclusions: The present study provided a detailed list of the top 50 most cited and classic articles on microbiology in endodontics. This will help researchers, students, and clinicians in the field of endodontics as an impressive source of information.
AIMS: The aim of this study was to look into the current perceptions and awareness about file separation during endodontic treatment among the dental house officers (DHOs).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A novel validated questionnaire comprising of 15 close-ended questions was distributed anonymously via Google Forms through email to 1100 DHOs across Pakistan. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: the first component (Section I) collected demographic data and the second component (Section II) investigated the causes of EFS during root canal treatment. Following the completion of socioeconomic information, including age and gender, the DHOs were asked to answer a few questions about the various reasons for endodontic instrument fracture.
RESULTS: A total of 800 responses were recorded, with an effective rate of 72.8%. The majority of the DHOs (p value < 0.001) perceived that endodontic instrument fracture occurred in the posterior (61.5%) and apical third of the canal (50.5%) and in older permanent dentition (67.3%), possibly due to patient anxiety (62%). Better choice of instrument (61.15%), operators' experience (95.3%), knowledge (87.5%), and proper root canal cleaning (91.1%) are believed to be the vital steps in reducing endodontic file separation/fracture. Furthermore, majority of them (p value < 0.001) perceived that stainless steel was a superior alloy for filing instruments. Manual files tend to be more prone to fractures due to repeated use than rotary files.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that young DHOs had adequate knowledge and awareness regarding the potential predisposing factors and handling techniques for EFS. This study thereby provides an evaluating tool to access the insights of the current perceptions and awareness of DHOs concerning EFS.
METHOD: Bacterial cell viability was performed by using microplate AlamarBlue assay. Atomic force microscopy was used to determine morphological changes in the surface of bacterial cells. Cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity were determined by brine shrimp lethality and Lemna minor bioassay. Caco-2 (colorectal adenocarcinoma) cell line was used for the evaluation of the anticancer effects.
RESULT: Among the fractions tested, ethyl acetate (EA) fraction was found to be active with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 750 μg/mL against E. faecalis, but other fractions were found to be insensitive to bacterial growth. Microscopically, the EA fraction-treated bacteria showed highly damaged cells with their cytoplasmic content scattered all over. The LC50 value of the EA fraction against brine shrimp was more than 1000 μg/mL showing the nontoxic nature of this fraction. Chloroform (CH), EA, and methanol (MOH) fractions of C. excavata were highly herbicidal at the concentration of 1000 μg/mL. EA inhibited Caco-2 cell line with an IC50 of 20 μg/mL.
CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to reveal anti-E. faecalis property of EA fraction of C. excavata leaves, natural herbicidal, and anticancer agents thus highlight the potential compound present in its leaf which needs to be isolated and tested against multidrug-resistant E. faecalis.
METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from 2019 to 2021. Twenty-seven studies, which assessed a total of 1525 patients, were included and analysed.
RESULTS: Overall, data revealed significant improvements in the following parameters: physical function, dyspnoea, pulmonary function, quality of life (QOL), lower limb endurance and strength, anxiety, depression, physical activity level, muscle strength, oxygen saturation, fatigue, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), lymphocyte, leukocytes, and a fibrin degradation product (D-dimer).
CONCLUSIONS: Physical training turns out to be an effective therapy that minimises the severity of COVID-19 in the intervention group compared to the standard treatment. Therefore, physical training could be incorporated into conventional treatment of COVID-19 patients. More randomized controlled studies with follow-up evaluations are required to evaluate the long-term advantages of physical training. Future research is essential to establish the optimal exercise intensity level and assess the musculoskeletal fitness of recovered COVID-19 patients. This trial is registered with CRD42021283087.