Journal of Dental Research, Dental Clinics, Dental Prospects
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Summer 2007

Background and aims. Muscular pain in the facial region is the most common cause of facial pains. Myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) is one of the most important facial muscle disorders comprising of signs and symptoms including pain during function, tenderness in the muscles of mastication and restricted jaw movement. Due to the lack of an accepted therapeutic approach, the purpose of this paper was to find an effective treatment to decrease the pain of such patients. Considering the analgesic and anti-inflammatory action of laser therapy, the effects of low level laser (Ga-Al-As) in the treatment of MPDS patients referred to Tehran University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Dentistry, were investigated in the present study. Materials and methods. This study was a quasi-experimental research. Twenty-two MPDS patients were selected from those referred to Department of Oral Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Dentistry. Clinical examination was performed at six stages in the following order: prior to the treatment, at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, and monthly thereafter for a 3-months follow-up. All patients underwent low-level laser therapy for 4 weeks (12 sessions). Variables such as pain severity, pain of cheek region, pain frequency, tenderness of masticatory muscles, click, and mouth opening were evaluated at each stage. Numerical variables were investigated using Analysis of Variance test for repeated measures whereas ranking variables were studied by non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. At the end of treatment period, pain severity, pain of cheek region, pain frequency, tenderness of masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and lateral pterygoid muscles showed significant improvement as compared with the commencement of any treatment which continued during the 3-months post-treatment (p< 0.05). Conclusion. It was shown that low-level laser (Ga-Al-As) therapy had the efficacy to alleviate pain and decrease the tenderness of masticatory muscles among MPDS patients through a continuous and regular therapeutic program.

Background and aims. It is critical to have a proper knowledge of the normal anatomy of the pulp and its variations for the success of endodontic treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the canal configuration and the prevalence of C-shaped canals in mandibular first and second premolars in a North-Western Iranian population. Materials and methods. A total of 163 extracted mandibular first and 103 mandibular second premolars were injected with India ink and demineralized. They were made clear and transparent with methyl salicylate and the anatomy of their canal(s) was studied. Results. The results showed that 98% of mandibular first premolars had one root, 2% had two roots, 70.6% had one canal, 27.8% had two canals, 1.2% had three canals and the prevalence of C-shaped canals was 2.4%. All mandibular second premolars had one root, 80.5% had one canal, 17.5% had two canals and the prevalence of C-shaped canals was 2%. Conclusion. It is important that clinicians, before treatment of mandibular first and second premolars, pay complete attention to radiographs, have a true concept of the number of root(s) and canal(s), and prepare a correct access cavitiy.

Background and aims. Salivary glands are extremely susceptible to radiation injuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas, referring to Tabriz Imam Khomeini Hospital in 2005-2006. Materials and methods. Thirty patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas, who received conventional radiotherapy, were included in the present study. The patients’ unstimulated saliva samples were collected at three intervals, i.e. before treatment, 3 weeks after the initiation of treatment and at the end of treatment by spitting, and measured with a graduated pipette. Results. The differences in the mean values of the patients’ salivary flow rates at three afore-mentioned intervals were statistically significant (p< 0.001). Two-by-two comparison of the mean values of salivary flow rates of all the patients and of males and females, carried out separately, demonstrated statistically significant differences (p< 0.0025). However, there were no statistically significant differences between males and females before treatment (p = 0.723), 3 weeks after the initiation of treatment (p = 0.724) and at the end of treatment (p = 0.595). There were no statistically significant relationships between age and a decrease in salivary flow rate in the total sample (p = 0.76, r = -0.057), in males (p = 0.96, r = 0.011) and in females (p = 0.539, r = -0.208). Conclusion. Conventional radiotherapy results in severe xerostomia in 3 weeks in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas. Age and sex do not influence radiotherapy-induced xerostomia.

Background and aims. Dental caries still remains a major problem in the field of oral and dental health and its prevention is more important than its treatment. Fluoride plays a significant role in prevention of caries, and improving oral and dental health. One of the common ways of fluoride use is the use of a fluoride-containing mouthwash, the most important of which in use is 0.2% sodium fluoride mouthwash. School-based fluoride mouthwash programs have been used for delivering oral and dental health to children in recent years. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficiency of 0.2% sodium fluoride mouthwash in prevention of dental caries according to DMFT index.Material and methods. The study included a case and a control group. For each group, 100 students were selected randomly from elementary schools of Tabriz, Iran. Case group had been participating in school-based fluoride mouthwash program for three years, while control group did not benefit from the program. The two groups were assessed by means of intra-oral examination. Data was recorded using DMFT index. Results. Following the use of 0.2% sodium fluoride mouthwash, mean DMFT index in case group decreased as much as 51.5% compared to that of control group. The mean values of decrease for the decayed, missing and filled indices were 45%, 44% and 59%, respectively. The decrease in DMFT value of the case group compared to that of control group was statistically significant (p< 0.001). A statistically significant decrease was seen in the decayed and filled indices of case group (p=0.042 and p=0.016, respectively), however the missing index did not show any statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.361). Conclusion. According to this study results, the weekly use of 0.2% sodium fluoride mouthwash program has been successful in elementary schools of Tabriz. Such program can play an important role in the improvement of oral and dental health among children of school age.

Background and aims. Digital imaging continues to gain acceptance in dentistry and video display used for this becomes important. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the display monitor on observer performance on caries detection. Materials and methods. Artificial enamel lesions were created in 40 extracted teeth at random using 1/4 and 1/2 round burs. Teeth were mounted in dental stone blocks to simulate a hemi-dentition. Approximate exposures were recorded at 70 kVp using a Planmeca (Planmeca Co, Helsinki, Finland) digital imaging system. Three oral and maxillofacial radiologists rated each image on a five-point scale for the presence or absence of lesion. Radiographic images were viewed on the following monitors: (1) LG Flatron 700p (LG Electronics Co., South Korea); (2) Samsung Magicgreen (Samsung Electronics Corp., South Korea); (3) Hansol 710p (Hansol Electronics Corp., South Korea) and (4) Toshiba satellite laptop (Toshiba Computer Corp., Philippines). Examiners were allowed to magnify and adjust density and contrast of each image at will. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. Data was subjected to repeated measures analysis of variance and ordinal logistic regression to test for significance between variables and to determine odds ratios. Results. Mean ROC curve areas ranged from 0.8728 for the LG monitor to 0.8395 for the Samsung. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant differences between observers (P< 0.0001), lesion size (P< 0.0001), examiner/monitor interaction (P< 0.033) and examiner/block interaction (P< 0.013). However, no significant difference was found between monitors. Conclusion. This study suggests that observer performance is independent of the visual characteristics of the display monitor.

Background and aims. Dental practitioners are prone to occupational risk of infection. This can be prevented in part by wearing gloves. However, for this to be effective, gloves should be intact during the entire course of dental procedure. Leaky surgical latex gloves have been seen in 0.9% of cases before use. As much as 1.9% of latex gloves have been reported to be damaged during dental procedures. In this study, we decided to assess glove damage during dental procedures among dental specialists in Tabriz. Materials and methods. Thirty-six dental specialists were selected for this study. Each practitioner received 40 pairs of intact powdered latex gloves. Upon the completion of dental procedures, the gloves were retrieved and any tears were evaluated separately for right and left hands. Data was analyzed using chi-square test. Results. 159 punctures were detected in 144 gloves (5%) out of 2880 unpaired gloves used by practitioners. They noticed the tear(s) in 60 cases (2%), however, 99 cases (3%) of tear(s) were not noted during the procedure. The highest rate of glove damage was observed in the prosthodontists’ group (12.3%), which was statistically significant comparing to other groups (p=0.048). The lowest rate of the damage was observed in the oral surgeons’ group (2%) which showed no significant difference (p=0.134). The highest rate of punctures in the gloves was observed in the first and second fingers of the non-dominant hand. Conclusion. The damage to 5% of the gloves is highly significant, with a potential role in occupational hazards. The higher rate of leaks in the prosthodontists’ group compared to other groups demands for greater prudence in this field. The high rate of leaks in the first and second fingers of the non-dominant hand requires more attention to this area during daily practice.

Background and aims. Dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in children and DMFT index is the most important quantitative factor for measuring tooth health. The purpose of the present study was to determine prevalence and bilateral occurrence of first permanent molar caries in 12-year-old Iranian students. Materials and methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 563 twelve-year-old students (307 boys and 256 girls), randomly selected from private and public schools of Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2006. All students were examined clinically for dental caries using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria by a specialist on a dental chair in Rafsanjan Dental School. Data was analyzed using chi-square and t-test. Results. The mean DMFT score of first permanent molars was 1.9 ± 1.6 (1.83 boys, 1.98 girls) and 31.4% (32.9% boys, 29.7% girls) of the students were caries free. There were no significant differences between boys and girls. Decayed (D) component yielded to be 40.9%, missing (M) 0.35% and filled (F) 6.22%. Maxillary and mandibular first permanent molars had 80.8% and 84% bilateral caries occurrence, respectively. There were no significant differences between the caries prevalence of right and left sides. Conclusion. Caries prevalence among 12-year-old students in Rafsanjan, Iran is less than the global standards of WHO and FDI for 2000, but close to the gold standard for 2010. Bilateral caries occurrence in the first permanent molars was concluded to be high in the study population.

Background and aims. Children and adolescents with disabilities appear to have poorer oral health than their non-disabled counterparts. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and severity of oral diseases and treatment needs using world health organization criteria of caries, periodontal disease and malocclusions in a selected population of children with disabilities in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and methods. A randomized study on 1621 children aged 5-16 was conducted in 13 special schools by six examiners, using a mouth mirror, explorer and enough lighting. Results. The caries frequency of hearing impaired children (HI) was lower than those mentally retarded (MR) and visually impaired (VI) (DMFT: 2 ± 1.91 versus 2.27± 1.97 and 2.68 ± 2.30, respectively). MR children appear to have poorer oral hygiene and periodontal status than their otherwise disabled counterparts. Most children had class I malocclusion (57%). Conclusion. According to this study, an epidemiological survey followed by the implementation and evaluation of long-term public dental health care plan for children and adolescents with disabilities is highly recommended.