Journal of Islamic Dental Association of IRAN
Volume:30 Issue: 3, Summer 2018

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) can be associated with pain in other areas such as the neck. Multiple causes have been suggested for TMDs; parafunctional habits such as bruxism and clenching are among the most commonly suggested etiologies. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the amendment of oral parafunctional habits in the improvement of TMDs and neck pain. This before-and-after interventional study was conducted on 136 patients with TMDs, parafunctional habits, and neck pain. The patients were instructed on how to quit their parafunctional habits and were followed up for two months. The neck pain disability index (NPDI), anamnestic dysfunction index (Ai), and clinical dysfunction index (Di) of TMD were evaluated before and after the modifica-tion of parafunctional habits. Data were analyzed using paired Student’s t-test, Wilcox-on, Mann-U-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests. P<0.05 was considered significant. Most TMD patients were women (74.5%). The patients’ scores significantly de-creased from 4 to 1 in the Ai, from 8 to 1 in the Di, and from 49 to 25 in the NPDI two months after the intervention (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the NPDI, Ai, and Di scores following the amendment of oral parafunctional habits between males and females or among different age ranges. Age did not significantly correlate with the changes in the NPDI, Ai, and Di scores after the improvement of oral parafunctional habits. The NPDI significantly correlated with the Ai score. It seems that parafunctional habit modification improves TMDs and neck pain.

Haller cells are one of the anatomical variations in the orbital area, which are important in endoscopic surgical procedures and have a role in the pathogenesis of some diseases including sinusitis and chronic craniofacial pain. The frequency of Haller cells has been reported in a wide range, which can be attributed to several factors. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and anatomi-cal characteristics of Haller cells. This descriptive study was performed on 381 patients referring to a private oral and maxillofacial radiology clinic during 2015-2017. These patients needed cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for various reasons. All CBCT scans were observed by a radiologist. The results were statistically analyzed by Chi-square test using SPSS version 16.0 software. From 381 patients, 34 patients (8.9%) had Haller cells. Sixteen patients (47.05%) had Haller cells on the right side, 15 patients (44.11%) showed these cells on the left side, while 3 patients (8.82%) had these cells on both sides. On the right side, the oval shape showed the highest frequency (n=9; 47.3%). 36.8% and 15.7% of the right-sided Haller cells were round (n=7) and pyramidal (n=3), respectively. On the left side, the circular shape had the highest frequency (n=8, 44.4%). Furthermore, 27.7%, 16.7%, and 11.1% of the left-sided Haller cells were oval (n=5), pyramidal (n=3), and teardrop-shaped (n=2), respectively. The prevalence of Haller cells in our study was 8.9%. Genetic and racial factors, radiographic techniques, and the age range of patients are some of the reasons for different results.

Dental caries is the most common infectious, non-communicable, chronic disease worldwide. Obesity and overweight are major public health problems. Both dental caries and obesity have multi-factorial etiology. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible correlation between the body mass index (BMI), lipid profile and dental caries in two groups of high-school students with active caries (AC) and no caries (CF) in Hamadan, Iran. In this case-control study, 118 high-school students between 15-19 years were divided into two groups of AC and CF. All clinical examinations were carried out by a single examiner. Blood samples were obtained from the antecubital vein. Lipid profile was assessed by the enzymatic method using an auto-analyzer. Data were analyzed using Stata.11 software. Statistical comparisons were made using Stu-dent’s t-test and chi-square test. BMI was significantly lower in AC group than CF group (P=0.008). Males had higher BMI than females (P=0.056). CF group had significantly lower level of triglycer-ides (P=0.01), cholesterol (P=0.02) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (P=0.02) than AC group. Our results showed that dental caries adversely affects the systemic growth pattern, and students with dental caries had lower BMI than others. Altered lipid profile had a higher frequency in AC group. Dental caries and obesity are both multi-factorial diseases; hence, well-designed epidemiologic studies on the same age group need to be performed in the future taking into account the socioeconomic and cultural factors.

One of the important factors in microleakage of fissure sealants is saliva contamination. Researchers believe that applying bonding agents can reduce the microleakage. The present study compared the microleakage of a fissure sealant contaminated with artificial saliva at different curing times with or without using a bonding agent. In this in-vitro study, 96 extracted premolars were randomly divided into eight groups. Fissure sealant was applied to all groups; in 4 groups after putting on a bonding agent and in remaining four without a bonding agent. Specimens of each group were contaminated with saliva at different times (5, 10, 15 and 20 sec-onds) during curing. Then the microleakage of samples was measured. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to statistically analyze the collected data. No-bonding groups had significantly higher microleakage values than bonding groups. Among bonding groups, the microleakage values were significantly lower when contamination occurred after 15 and 20 seconds of light curing. Amounts of microleakage were similar in no-bonding groups (P=0.39) when contamination occurred at 5, 10 and 15 seconds of curing; however, contamination after 20 seconds led to significantly lower microleakage (P<0.001). The findings revealed that when using the bonding agent, retreatment is not required if contamination occurs after 10th second of curing; however, retreatment is required when no bonding has been applied, and contamination happens before 20th s of curing. Thus the isolation is more critical when pits and fissure sealants are applying without using a bonding agent.

One of the weaknesses of Class II composite resin restorations is gingival microleakage which contributes to postoperative sensitivity and secondary caries. The aim was to evaluate the microleakage in Class II composite resin restorations with different thicknesses of resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI). In this in-vitro study, standardized Class II slot cavities were prepared on the proximal surfaces of 90 molars. In group 1, total-etch adhesive and composite resin were applied using the incremental technique. In group 2, total-etch adhesive and composite were applied using the bulk technique. In group 3, 1 mm of RMGI was applied over the gingival floor, which was covered with increments of composite. In group 4, 1 mm of RMGI was placed on the gingival floor and covered with composite using the bulk technique. In group 5, 2 mm of RMGI was applied over the gingival floor, followed by an incremental composite placement. In group 6, 2 mm of RMGI was placed on the gingival floor, and the cavity was filled using the bulk technique. After thermocycling and staining with methylene blue, the samples were sectioned, and the extent of dye penetration was examined under a stereomicroscope. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression (α=0.05). The lowest and highest dye penetrations were observed in the first, second, and fifth groups, respectively. The RMGI thickness did not influence the microleakage scores significantly in either composite placement techniques (P=0.828). None of the restorative techniques completely eliminated microleakage of Class II composite resin restorations.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an autoimmune disease with uncertain etiopathogenecity and no definitive treatment. Considering the recurrent nature of OLP, finding an adjunctive treatment to minimize the risk of chronicity and recurrence of OLP and to decrease the adverse effects of corticosteroids can be promising. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a mixture of hyaluronic acid and triamcinolone in the treatment of OLP. This study involved five OLP patients. In each patient, the mixture of hyaluronic acid/triamcinolone was injected intralesionally into the case lesion, while triamcinolone alone was injected into the control lesion. The patients were followed-up at 14 and 28 days post-intervention and then monthly for 9 months. Recurrences were observed in three control lesions, while the patients did not show any aggravation or recurrence in the case lesions. It appears that triamcinolone/hyaluronic acid mixture is potentially beneficial in the treatment of OLP.