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Background: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease affects large segment of population worldwide. This study aimed at evaluate the relationship between oral health behaviors including the consumption of sugar/acid diet of both mothers and their children on the caries status of the children. The relationship between the caries status of mothers and children was also evaluated. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in rural villages near the capital of our country. The dentition status of 57 mother-child pairs was evaluated using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for oral health surveys. Oral health behaviors and diet assessment of both mothers and children were investigated through WHO suggested questionnaires. Pearson and Spearman correlations, independent sample t-test, and linear regression analysis were used for the statistical analysis. The Significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Mean DMFT values were 16.6 and 1.6 for mothers and children, respectively, whereas children dmft mean value was 4.3. Children of mothers who consumed diet with high sugar and acid content had worse caries status (0.010≤P-value≤0.013). Caries status of children had weak correlation coefficients (0.2-0.4) with mothers' caries status though statistically significant (0.008≤P-value≤0.048). Linear regression analysis revealed statistically significant models (P<0.05) with R² values≤0.2. Conclusion: Although some oral health behaviors and sugar/acid-rich diet of both mothers and their children correlated with the caries status of the children, these correlations were generally weak to intermediate. The current study suggested that oral health behaviors enhancement of both mothers and children could be one of these activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of conflict and war crisis on dental students is poorly understood. Given the prolonged conflicts and political instability in the Arabic-speaking countries, it is crucial to investigate the effect of these conditions on dental students. This study aimed to assess the impact of protracted war on dental students by comparing the personal, university, and wider context challenges they face across war-affected and unaffected countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including a convenience sample of dental students from 13 universities in 12 Arabic-speaking countries. Respondents were those at entry and exit points of their undergraduate dental training. A self-administered paper questionnaire collected anonymized data on sociodemographics, and personal, university, and wider context challenges that students were facing. Multivariable Poisson regression analyses were carried out. Results: The overall response rate was 64.8%. The mean age was 21.2 (standard deviation = 2.1) years, with 68% of participants being female. After adjusting for age and sex, dental students in Arabic-speaking countries affected by protracted war crisis were significantly more likely to report wider context challenges compared to their counterparts in unaffected countries (n = 2448; beta = 1.12; 95% confidence interval: 1.10–1.13; P < 0.001). Discussion: Dental students in Arabic-speaking countries affected by protracted war crisis were more likely to suffer from wider context challenges such as difficulties in attendance due to the deterioration of security and lack of flexibility of teaching time to accommodate the different circumstances induced by the war crisis. Supporting dental students in areas affected by protracted war crises is needed and may include developing online dental education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social habit of chewing qat (also known as khat) is widely practised in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It has been linked with various oro‐facial conditions, including temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). This cross‐sectional, comparative study sought to investigate the effects of qat chewing on temporomandibular joint (TMJ), using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). A total of 85 Yemeni males were included. The participants were divided into two groups: Qat chewers (QC; n = 41) and non‐qat chewers (NQC; n = 44). Relevant data were obtained using a structured questionnaire and standardised clinical examination. Additionally, CBCT images of the TMJs were obtained, and then, osteoarthritic changes and TMJ dimensions were analysed. SPSS 21 was used for statistical analyses, with a significant level was set at 0.05. Compared to NQC, a significantly higher proportion of QC presented with clinical signs of TMDs. The qualitative CBCT findings revealed significantly higher osteoarthritic changes in QC than in NQC: osteophyte (51.2% vs 22.7%; P =.008), subcortical sclerosis (48.8% vs 27.3%; P =.047), articular surface flattening (46.3% vs 6.8%; P =.009) and subcortical cysts (43.9% vs 4.5%; P <.001). However, CBCT quantitative findings (condylar dimensions) did not show significant differences between the two groups. The chewing side of the QC group showed slightly more changes compared to the non‐chewing side. The results demonstrate that qat chewing has detrimental effects on TMJ manifested mainly as osteoarthritic changes. Further large‐scale studies are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: The aim of the present cross‐sectional study was to investigate the effects of bisphosphonates (BP), prescribed for osteoporosis, on jawbones using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Methods: Fifty‐three women who had dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry examination were scanned by MDCT. Both the cortical and the trabecular parts of the alveolar and the cortical bones were compared between BP users and non‐BP users using a number of radiological measurements. Linear regression was used for the statistical analysis. Results: The cortical part of the basal bone of the mandible revealed a significant increase in the BP group (.001 > P‐value ≤ .026) after using BP for 5 years. No alternations were observed in the trabecular part of the basal bone or in the cortical or trabecular parts of the alveolar bone over the same duration. Conclusions: The use of BP as a treatment for osteoporosis for 5 years increased the thickness of the cortex of the basal bone of the mandible, as detected by MDCT. The other parts of the jawbones showed no influence by BP for such a purpose, as detected on MDCT images. Accordingly, models (equations) for predicting the alternations in the inferior cortex of the mandible induced by BP therapy during osteoporosis have been suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a painful ulcerative oral disease with a general population prevalence exceeding 20%. The etiology of RAS remains largely unknown, however, nutritional deficiency, autoimmunity, psychological stress, and, recently, oxidative stress have been implicated. The pain associated with RAS may be very severe and disabling, hence, treatment is centered on the control of pain and acceleration of healing. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory, and antimicrobial properties. It is available as a safe dietary supplement, and has been successfully used as adjuvant/treatment of inflammatory conditions including ulcerative lesions. The Hypothesis: Using NAC as a candidate for treatment and/or prevention of RAS and aphthous-like ulcers is hypothesized here. We propose to use NAC systemically or topically in the form of powder, paste, adhesive tablets, or mouthwash to treat active RAS or for prophylaxis in cases with frequent attacks. Evaluation of the Hypothesis: The current hypothesis should be tested on animal models of RAS. However, because NAC is currently approved and used for other indications, the hypothesis can also be directly evaluated in well-designed, randomized clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the trabecular bone structure of jawbones and the dens (the odontoid process of the second cervical vertebra) amongst osteoporotic and nonosteoporotic women using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Analysis of the dens trabecular bone structure aimed to test the validity of CBCT in such analysis. Methods Thirty-eight women who went under dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination were scanned by CBCT. Cuboids from different areas of jawbones and the dens were extracted from each scan. Trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular separation (Tb.S), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), specific bone surface (BS/TV) and connectivity density were calculated. Student's t-test, Pearson correlation, and logistic regression analysis were used to explore differences in these measures between groups. Results Jawbone-derived measures showed insignificant differences ( P > 0.05) between osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic groups, and weak correlations with femoral neck and lumbar vertebrae T-scores ( r ≤ 0.4). Dens-derived measures, however, resulted in the opposite ( r = 0.34-0.38 [ P value = 0.02-0.036] and r = 0.48-0.61 [ P value ≤ 0.003]) and the highest accuracy of osteoporosis prediction: 84.2% and 78.9% respectively. Conclusion Trabecular bone structure of the mandible and maxilla is not affected in osteoporosis as assessed by CBCT. Dens trabecular bone analysis revealed the opposite, so some trabecular bone measures may be assessed by CBCT, which may aid in predicting osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The goal of this study was to develop a new index as an objective reference for evaluating current and newly developed indices used for osteoporosis screening based on dental images. Its name; IDIOS, stands for Index of Dental-imaging Indices of Osteoporosis Screening. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted to retrieve studies on dental imagingbased indices for osteoporosis screening. The results of the eligible studies, along with other relevant criteria, were used to develop IDIOS, which has scores ranging from 0 (0%) to 15 (100%). The indices presented in the studies we included were then evaluated using IDIOS. Results: The 104 studies that were included utilized 24, 4, and 9 indices derived from panoramic, periapical, and computed tomographic/cone-beam computed tomographic techniques, respectively. The IDIOS scores for these indices ranged from 0 (0%) to 11.75 (78.32%). Conclusion: IDIOS is a valuable reference index that facilitates the evaluation of other dental imaging-based osteoporosis screening indices. Furthermore, IDIOS can be utilized to evaluate the accuracy of newly developed indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the use of dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the diagnosis of osteoporosis among menopausal and postmenopausal women by using only a CBCT viewer program. Materials and Methods: Thirty-eight menopausal and postmenopausal women who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination for hip and lumbar vertebrae were scanned using CBCT (field of view: 13 cm× 15 cm; voxel size: 0.25 mm). Slices from the body of the mandible as well as the ramus were selected and some CBCT-derived variables, such as radiographic density (RD) as gray values, were calculated as gray values. Pearson's correlation, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) evaluation based on linear and logistic regression were performed to choose the variable that best correlated with the lumbar and femoral neck T-scores. Results: RD of the whole bone area of the mandible was the variable that best correlated with and predicted both the femoral neck and the lumbar vertebrae T-scores; further, Pearson's correlation coefficients were 0.5/0.6 (p value= 0.037/0.009). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy based on the logistic regression were 50%, 88.9%, and 78.4%, respectively, for the femoral neck, and 46.2%, 91.3%, and 75%, respectively, for the lumbar vertebrae. Conclusion: Lumbar vertebrae and femoral neck osteoporosis can be predicted with high accuracy from the RD value of the body of the mandible by using a CBCT viewer program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dealing with diagnostic X-ray radiation may result in serious health problems, unless protection guidelines are followed. This became prevalent immediately a decade following the invention of X-ray radiation, where it had not been known that the accumulative exposure to X-ray radiation may carry huge health hazards. The reoccurrence of various fatal cancer cases compelled the concerned health authorities to develop safety standards to be followed by all X-ray clinics and technicians worldwide. This report documents the clinical case of a dental radiographer, who developed thumbs carcinoma after 15 years of practicing the profession, most likely due to his neglect of the X-ray radiation protection guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]