Avicenna Journal of Dental Research
Volume:14 Issue: 1, Mar 2022

In recent years, the use of mouthwashes containing green tea (GT) extract has been reported to prevent tooth decay. In laboratory studies, GT has been shown to be effective in controlling dental plaque and erosion. The aim of this review study was to evaluate the effectiveness of GT extract in controlling tooth decay and erosion in randomized clinical trials.

By searching related keywords in the Scopus, PubMed, and WOS (Web of Science) databases, as well as searching for related studies in the Google Scholar database randomized clinical trial ( RCT) studies published in English by the end of 2019 were extracted. Then, eligible studies were carefully reviewed and the required data were extracted.

A total of 12 eligible studies were included in the study. The inclusion criteria of the study were human RCT studies, English language, and GT intervention. The exclusion criteria of the study were lack of negative (placebo) or positive control group, studies examining the effect of GT derivatives, oral diseases such as periodontal disease, people undergoing orthodontic treatment, use of antibiotics at least two weeks before the study, incomplete methodology, defects in the results, and lack of access to the full text of articles. The number of subjects was 246 in the GT group, 157 in the placebo group, and 132 in the positive control group (sodium fluoride, chlorhexidine, neem extract, and probiotic). Eleven studies used GT mouthwash and one study used toothpaste containing GT extract. In studies with placebo, GT showed a significantly better effect on dental plaque, oral pH, modulation of dental erosion, and reduction of the number salivary S. mutans and lactobacilli colonies. Additionally, GT had a similar and comparable effect to positive control groups in modulating the above-mentioned indices.

GT extract can show anti-cariogenic and anti-erosive effects. Larger randomized clinical trials are needed to support our findings.

Down syndrome (DS) is a disorder which has conditions that may contribute to the developmental defects of enamel (DDE) etiologies. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of DDE among children with DS.

This study cross-sectional observational study examined a total of 88 children with DS and 87 healthy children. A modified DDE index for screening surveys was employed in this regard. Demarcated opacities, diffuse opacities, dysplasia, and combinations between types were recorded, and finally, data were analyzed by chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests using SPSS software.

The prevalence of enamel defects in DS and control groups was obtained as 45% and 34%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences between the groups (P=0.139). The mean number of teeth with DDE was 2.48±3.79 and 1.09±2.11 in the DS and control groups, respectively. Based on the results, statistically significant differences were found between DDE means (P=0.009). Demarcated opacities were the most frequent type of enamel defects in both groups. Eventually, a statistically significant relationship was observed between diffuse opacities and DS (P=0.000).

In general, DS had no influence on DDE prevalence; however, it increases affected dental units. Diffuse opacities are more frequent among children with DS compared to healthy children. Further studies are required on the DDE prevalence in Syria.

Cholesterol crystals and foamy macrophages can delay the healing of inflammatory periapical lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between age and the presence of focal aggregations of cholesterol crystals and foamy macrophages in these lesions.

In this descriptive-analytic study, 770 samples of inflammatory periapical lesions including 335 periapical granulomas, 329 radicular cysts, and 106 residual periapical cysts were evaluated histopathologically in order to find at least two focal aggregations of cholesterol crystals and foamy macrophages in two age groups of young (20-35 years old) and elderly (over 50 years old) adults. Finally, the data were entered into SPSS version 23.0 and analyzed using chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests.

In the present study, 74.3% of the samples lacked at least two focal aggregations of foamy macrophages, and 84% of the samples lacked at least two focal aggregations of cholesterol crystals. The frequency of focal aggregations of cholesterol crystals was not significantly different between the two age groups (P=0.14). However, the frequency of foamy macrophages was significantly higher in the age group of young adults than in elderly adults (P=0.002).

According to the obtained results, it does not appear that the healing rate of periapical lesions in young and elderly adults has necessarily significant difference; and whereas, it is lower in the elderly adults than in young adults, probabely relates to factors other than the accumulation of cholesterol crystals or foamy macrophages.

This study aimed to assess the effect of strontium-doped 45S5 bioglass (BG) and Nd:YAG laser on the microhardness of demineralized enamel.

In this in vitro, experimental study, 65 sound enamel samples were prepared of human premolars and polished, and then immersed in a demineralizing solution for 10 weeks. The samples were randomly divided into 5 groups of control, BG, laser, laser plus BG, and BG plus laser. Two samples of each group underwent assessment of surface morphology under a scanning electron microscope. Finally, the microhardness of samples was measured using a Vickers hardness tester, and data were analyzed by ANOVA.

The mean microhardness of the BG group was significantly higher than that of other groups (P<0.05). The lowest microhardness was noted in the control group. The difference in microhardness was significant between laser and laser plus BG groups (P<0.05). Further, the BG plus laser group had a significant difference in microhardness with BG and control groups (P<0.05). The difference between laser plus BG and control groups was also significant in this respect (P<0.05). Eventually, maximum morphological changes were observed in the BG group.

Overall, BG seems to be effective for the treatment of incipient enamel caries. It effectively increases enamel microhardness and decreases mineral loss while preserving the integrity of the enamel surface.

Matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) is the most abundant member of the MMP family in human dentin. It takes a part in the normal physiology of tissue remodeling and wound healing, while the overexpression/hyperactivity of this protein leads to several oral disorders, including dental caries and peri-implant inflammation/diseases, and therefore, MMP-8 inhibition may have therapeutic effects. Accordingly, the current study aimed to identify potential MMP-8 inhibitors from cinnamic acid derivatives.

The binding affinity of cinnamic acid and its several derivatives to the MMP-8 active site were estimated using the AutoDock 4.0 software. The pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and bioavailability of top-ranked MMP-8 inhibitors were also predicted by utilizing bioinformatics web tools.

Five of the studied components, including chlorogenic acid (CGA), caffeic acid 3-glucoside, rosmarinic acid, N-p-Coumaroyltyramine, and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) demonstrated a salient affinity of binding to the MMP-8 catalytic site (∆Gbinding<-10 kcal/mol). It was estimated that these compounds can inhibit the MMP-8 at the nanomolar concentration, and therefore, were considered as top-ranked MMP-8 inhibitors. Finally, none of the top-ranked components revealed a considerable side effect and thus were found to be suitable for oral use.

The results of the present study suggested that CGA, caffeic acid 3-glucoside, rosmarinic acid, N-p-coumaroyltyramine, and CAPE might have protective effects on tooth decay and peri-implant inflammation/diseases.

This study aimed to compare the gonial angle and alveolar bone height changes between panoramic and lateral cephalometry radiographic images in class II malocclusion patients before and after orthodontic treatment.

The obtained radiographic images were selected from among 120 class 2 malocclusion cases. The gonial angle and alveolar bone height were measured in the midline and molar regions of panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs using the software tools before and after the treatment of patients. Study data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software (version 21.0), and a significance level was set to 0.05 for all statistical tests.

Based on the results, no significant difference was found regarding the gonial angle before and after treatment on the right and left sides in panoramic radiography and the gonial angle changes before and after treatment in cephalometric radiography (P>0.05). However, the obtained results for posterior and anterior alveolar ridge height were significant in panoramic and cephalometric radiographs (P<0.05). Moreover, the comparison of the measured gonial angle values before treatment in panoramic and cephalometric radiography represented a significant level (P<0.05). Eventually, the statistical results suggested that the alveolar bone height differences between panoramic and cephalometry radiography were significantly different in both anterior and posterior regions after treatment (P<0.05).

The findings indicated that only measurements obtained from the panoramic radiography were valid for the gonial angle. However, panoramic and cephalometry radiography procedures cannot be replaced for assessing the anterior and posterior alveolar bone height.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a rare hereditary developmental disease that has a significant effect on the enamel structure. Both primary and permanent dentition could be affected by this condition. The pivotal characteristics are loss of the tooth structure, wear of enamel, and exposed dentinal areas at the occlusal surface of posterior teeth. AI may be inherited in autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X‐linked types. Treatments of AI cases should be initiated in childhood and continue into adolescence. Considering that AI is a rare and heterogeneous condition, the dental team faces various difficulties regarding choosing the appropriate treatment plan. The oral rehabilitation of patients with AI is a challenging condition that needs a multidisciplinary approach. Many treatment options have been reported for solving cosmetic and restorative problems in AI cases. The conservative treatment plan in this hypoplastic-hypomature AI case included esthetic rehabilitation with a sequential method, innovative non-invasive pulp-therapy methods, and dental restorations under oral sedation. The written consent for the treatments was obtained after consultation with the child and his parents.

During the very first months of the pandemic, the importance of deferring elective dental treatment and limiting dental care to cases of true emergency was highlighted by authorities. This paper reports a case of lateral tooth luxation that occurred in a young woman after an epileptic seizure. Adhering to governmental guidelines regarding dental care during the pandemic, we managed this case, requiring minimum chair side and dental visits with a simple mandibular removable plate in 6 weeks.

Prosthetic rehabilitation using complete dentures is quite a challenging task when accompanied by severely atrophic ridges. Various modifications are required in the treatment strategy to optimize the prognosis of the finished prosthesis. Moreover, the increased inter-arch space demands the hollowing of the maxillary denture to mitigate the issues in retention due to increased weight. This case report aims to demonstrate a technique used to fabricate a hollow maxillary denture and a mandibular denture using the neutral zone approach in the case of a severely atrophied ridge.