Collaborative learning: a peer group teaching in oral hygiene instructions activity
Introduction: The objectives of this survey were to investigate whether an oral health education activity through collaborative learning and peer group teaching by students would give a positive impact and to evaluate its effectiveness, sufficiency and relevancy of the activity content.
Methods: Three third year dental students in each group were assigned to demonstrate to their group mates the myriad of oral hygiene device for plaque removal and how they are used. Fifteen students were appointed each as a ‘toothbrushing specialist’, ‘flossing specialist’ and interdental toothbrush specialist’ respectively. The others acted as participants in the group. The students then teach each other in the group on how to use these oral hygiene measures. A self-administered questionnaire assessing the activity outcome was given to fifty-two third year dental students who attended the demonstration. The data were entered in the computer using the SPSS version 12.0 for analysis.
Results: Overall response rate was 100%. Slightly more than half of the students felt confident to teach their patients effective toothbrushing and flossing and able to indicate the usage of interdental toothbrush. Most of the students preferred a small group teaching rather than a larger one. The result shows that student’s knowledge, attitudes and practices on effective oral hygiene has gained.
Conclusion: Collaborative learning in the clinical environment appears to give positive impact on the dental student’s ability to impart oral health education to their patients.
The purpose of this study were to compare the emergence profiles of crowns with their contralateral tooth, in vitro, and to determine if there is any association between the design of tooth preparations and the resultant emergence profile. 50 working models used for single crown construction were examined. Measurements of the faciolingual width of the crowns and contralateral teeth were taken using digital calipers. Internal line angles and the margin width of dies and the emergence profile of the corresponding crowns were measured from longitudinally sectioned polyvinylsiloxane indices mounted on a flat-bed scanner using image analysis software. Using Students t tests, no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) were found for shoulder width (mean 0.94 ± 0.23mm), internal line angle (mean 105.83 ± 13.57°) or emergence profiles (28.56 ± 12.95°) in the different (anterior, premolar or molar) preparations or crowns. The mean emergence profiles for all crowns was statistically significantly greater (p
Direct composite veneers can be used to mask tooth discolorations and/or to correct unaesthetic tooth forms and/or positions. However, these type of restorations are often regarded as one of the most challenging in aesthetic dentistry presumably due to the extent of natural tooth structure that must be recreated. This paper discusses easy application techniques and tips for Ceram.X Duo™, a nano ceramic composite restorative material. Its natural shading system allows the restoration of tooth with both dentine and enamel shade and transforms it into a final direct veneer restoration that mimics a natural tooth.
Breast-feeding offers many benefits to the baby and the mother. For instance, breast milk provides the right balance of nutrients to help an infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler. Even though breastfeeding is a natural process, it is not always easy. In certain situations, some mothers are unable to breastfeed their babies or the babies are unable to adapt to breastfeeding. This will lead to the use of bottle-feeding. The effect of breast-feeding and bottle-feeding on physical growth has been well established but less has been concentrated on the craniofacial growth and dental development. This review reveals the effects of breast-feeding and bottle-feeding on craniofacial growth and dentoalveolar development based on the available literature.
The role of diet in the aetiology of dental caries occurrence has been questioned recently. Aim: This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the relationship between dietary habits and dental caries among 105 children aged 2 to 5 years old in Kuala Lumpur. Methodology: Subjects were selected using convenient sampling method. Their body weight and height were measured and their dental check-up was performed by qualified dental nurses. A Structured questionnaire and 3-day food diaries were distributed to their parents/caretakers to obtain socio-demographic data, oral health practice and dietary habits of the subjects. The dft (decayed, filled teeth) score was used to describe dental caries incidence. Results: Caries was found in 36.6% subjects with mean dft score of 1.95±3.59 (range: 0-16). Energy (r=-0.334, p=0.008), carbohydrate (r=-0.353, p=0.005), fat (r=-0.325, p=0.01), protein (r=-0.264, p=0.038), and calcium (r=-0.470, p
The objectives of this study were to compare the microhardness, flexural strength and compressive
strength of a new bulk-fill composite (SonicFill™) to a conventional nanohybrid composite (Herculite
Precis) and an established bulk-fill composite (Tetric N Ceram). In addition, the depth of cure of the
two bulk-fill resin composites was also investigated. The materials were prepared and tested for the
mechanical properties following ISO 4049:2009. Microhardness and depth of cure were measured using
Vickers hardness tester. Compressive and flexural strength were tested using a universal testing machine.
To determine the depth of cure, microhardness of the bulk-fill composites were measured as a function
of selected depth of materials at 0.5 mm, 2.0 mm and 4.0 mm. Data were analyzed by either one-way
ANOVA or Friedman test. Analysis demonstrated that SonicFill™ gave the highest microhardness value
(101.8 + 4.6 VHN) compared to the other two groups. There were no significant differences among all
groups in flexural and compressive strength. The depth of cure decreased as the thickness of both bulkfill
composites increased. In conclusion, SonicFill™ showed favorable mechanical properties compared
to other composites tested. In both bulk-filled groups, microhardness value decreased as the thickness
of the composite increased. The polymerization of the bulk-filled composites was effective only at 2 mm
or less.
Missing teeth can be due to hypodontia, trauma or extraction. In general, the options for treatment depend on the severity of the hypodontia and the severity of the malocclusion. Occasionally, the space from missing teeth has to be maintained for prosthetic replacement and require an orthodontic/restorative approach. It is very important to ensure the space maintained is adequate for aesthetic reason so that it can be replaced with a prosthesis after the orthodontic treatment is completed. This article discusses a new innovation and clinical technique for maintaining this space during orthodontic treatment by using an acrylic tooth with several modifications. This innovation will be illustrated using two cases.
Choosing the right light-curing unit can be a very difficult task for some orthodontists. Currently, there are various types of light curing units available in the market with various trade names and specifications. Most of the time information regarding light curing units is obtained from advertisements, websites or manufacturers’ catalogues. Sometimes such information can be misleading. This article attempts to provide several tips for orthodontists in selecting light curing units.
The impact strength of a newly developed experimental polyurethane-based polymer which is derived from palm oil (Experimental PU) was compared with denture polymers; heat-cured and self cured polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and ® Eclipse , light-activated urethane dimethacrylate prosthetic resin system. Ten specimens were ® prepared using heat-cured PMMA (Meliodent Heat Cure, Heraeus Kulzer, Germany), self cured PMMA ® (Meliodent Rapid Repair, Heraeus Kulzer, ® Germany), Eclipse baseplate resin (Dentsply, USA) and Experimental PU material. Specimens were prepared following manu- facturer’s instructions except for the Experimental PU material where it was prepared in bulk and sectioned to the desired dimension, 64 x 6 x 4 mm. A ‘V’ notch of approximately 0.8mm in depth was machine cut across the 6mm width. Prior to the Charpy type impact test, specimens were soaked in a water bath for 50 hours at 37ºC. ® Eclipse baseplate resin showed the highest 2 impact strength (2.73 kJ/m ±0.54) followed by ® 2 Meliodent Rapid Repair (2.50kJ/m ±0.65), ® 2 Meliodent Heat Cure (1.96kJ/m ±0.42) and 2 Experimental PU (1.04kJ/m ±0.29). One-way ANOVA showed significant interaction between materials (p
Introduction: Owing to the variety of materials and methods employed, comparison of the results and findings from bonding studies is difficult. Until recently, several types of teeth have been used in published research papers as a substrate in orthodontic bonding research including bovine incisors, fresh and rebonded human premolars. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the shear bond strength of an adhesive bonded to different tooth surfaces (human premolar, bovine incisor and rebonded human premolar). Methods: Two groups of thirty premolar teeth and one group of bovine incisors had brackets attached in a standardized manner using Transbond XT (3M Unitek). The adhesive was cured using conventional halogen light and a specially designed tool to standardize the distance between the light curing tip and the adhesive. The debonding force was measured using Instron universal testing machine. ANOVA and Post Hoc Dunnett C test were performed to determine any significant difference among groups (p
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of various luting cement systems on bond strength of fibre-reinforced posts to root canal dentine. 40 extracted single rooted sound premolar teeth were root filled, decoronated and randomly divided into four groups. Fibre posts, Aestheti- Plus™ (Bisco,Inc. Schaumburg, IL, USA) were cemented using four luting cements: Group A (control): Elite 100® Zinc phosphate (GC Corp, Japan), Group B: Calibra ™ Esthetic Resin Cement (Dentsply Caulk, USA), Group C: RelyX ARC Adhesive Resin (3M ESPE), Group D: RelyX Unicem Aplicap (3M ESPE). Each root was sliced into 2 discs representing the coronal and middle portions of the root canal giving rise to 20 specimens per group. Bond strength was determined using push-out tests and data was analyzed using SPSS version 14.0. The mean bond strength of Group A to Aestheti-Plus™ post was 7.71 MPa (±2.51) and Group B was 5.69 MPa (±3.23). Group C exhibited the lowest mean bond strength, 4.29 MPa (±3.53) while the highest bond strength was obtained from Group D, 7.98 MPa (±2.61). One way ANOVA showed significant interaction between all groups (p=.OOI). Post-hoc Bonferroni test reve;iled that bond strength of Group C was significantly lower compared to Group A (p=.008) and D (p=.004). In conclusion, the mean bond strength of Aestheti- Plus™ post to root canal dentine was highest when cemented with RelyX Unicem resin cement followed by Elite 100® zinc phosphate cement, Calibra and RelyX ARC resin cements. However, the bond strengths of Cali bra and RelyX Unicem resin cements were not significantly different from Elite 100® zinc phosphate cement.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the light intensity of selected light curing units with varying distance and angulation of the light curing tip and lightmeter. Materials and method: Four types of light units; Spectrum 800 (Dentsply), Coltulux 3 (Coltene), Elipar FreeLight 2 (3M Espe) and Starlight Pro (Mectron) were evaluated for light intensity at various distances between the light curing tip and the radiometer Cure Rite Denstply (0,1,3,5,10 and 15 mm). The light curing units were tested at right angles to the aperture of the light meter and at the angles of 45°, 60° to it at a standardized 5 mm distance. Results: The highest light intensity was obtained when the tip of light curing unit was in contact with the lightmeter aperture. The light intensity decreased significantly when the light tip was placed 5mm, 10mm and 15mm away from the lightmeter aperture. However, no significant differences (p> .05) were detected between Omm, Imm and 3mm. There was a decrease in light intensity when light~·tip was angulated at 45° and 60° except for Coltolux 3. Conclusions: The intensity of the curing light was affected by the distance between the light curing tip and the lightmeter. However, the decrease in light intensity of the light curing unit was found not to obey the inverse square law for the distances 0 to 15 mm. The study found that there was no significant difference between 45° and 60° angulation between the light curing tip and the lightmeter. However, the decrease in light intensity was significant when compared to the light tip placed perpendicular (90°) to the aperture of the light meter.