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Background and Objective: A narrow alveolar ridge is an obstacle to optimal rehabilitation of the dentition. There are several complex and invasive techniques to counter the ridge augmentation dilemma, with most of them exhibiting low feasibility. Hence, this randomized clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Minimalistic Ridge Augmentation (MRA) technique, in conjunction with low-level laser therapy (LLLT). Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients (n = 20) were selected, with 10 assigned to the test group (MRA+LLLT) and the other 10 to the control group (MRA). A vertical incision of approximately 10 mm was placed mesial to the defect and tunneled to create a subperiosteal pouch across the entire width of the defect. At the test sites, a diode laser (AnARC FoxTM Surgical Laser 810 nm) was used to deliver LLLT (parameters: 100 mW, with a maximum energy distribution of 6 J/cm2 in the continuous wave mode for 60 s per point) to the exposed bone surface inside the pouch, followed by graft (G-Graft, SurgiwearTM, Shahjahanpur, India) deposition with a bone graft carrier. The control sites were not irradiated with a laser. Results: A horizontal ridge width gain of >2 mm was observed in both groups. The changes in bone density for the test and control groups were −136 ± 236.08 HU and −44.30 ± 180.89 HU, respectively. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between the test and control groups in these parameters. Conclusion: The study findings reveal that the MRA technique is relatively simple and feasible for alveolar ridge augmentation. The role of LLLT in the process requires further elucidation.

This current paper aims to review the literature on the root canal configuration (RCC) and root structure of permanent mandibular premolars. To find the published scientific literature on the RCC of mandibular premolars up to July 2022, a systematic search of four electronic databases was performed. The studies were selected, rendering to a predetermined point of reference: “mandibular 2nd premolar”, “root and canal system”, “morphology of root and canal”, “root and canal configuration”, and “morphology”, along with “anatomy” and “mandibular premolars”. Cross-referencing along with screening through the bibliographies of the chosen articles resulted in the identification of further studies. In the current study, we examined 30 different articles, and we chose them based on the quality of research investigations. From 3471 retrieved studies, a total of 15981 mandibular 2nd premolars were observed in 30 studies. The mean JBI score for studies assessing the structure of the root, as well as the root canal of the mandibular 2nd premolar, was 7.78 ± 0.81. We have found a pooled prevalence of 91.82% for Vertucci class I root canal morphology and 78.63% pooled prevalence of single-rooted mandibular second premolar. A total of 8677 mandibular 1st premolars were observed in 22 studies. The mean JBI score for studies assessing the structure and anatomy of the root, as well as root canal of mandibular 1st premolar, was 7. 95 ± 0.85. We have found a pooled prevalence of 74.34% for Vertucci class I root canal morphology and 85.20% pooled prevalence of single-rooted mandibular 1st premolar. Mandibular first and second premolars were mostly single-rooted teeth (89.5–100%). The most frequently seen RCC is a 1-1-2-/2 (type V–Vertucci’s), followed by 1-1-2-/1 (type IV– Vertucci’s; type III–Weine’s), and finally RCC 2-2-2-1 (type IV–Vertucci’s; type III–Weine’s). Presently, the imaging of CBCT is the most used research approach for studying Mn2Ps’ structural characteristics.

Background The proteomic signature or profile best describes the functional component of a cell during its routine metabolic and survival activities. Additional complexity in differentiation and maturation is observed in stem/progenitor cells. The role of functional proteins at the cellular level has long been attributed to anatomical niches, and stem cells do not deflect from this attribution. Human dental stem cells (hDSCs), on the whole, are a combination of mesenchymal and epithelial coordinates observed throughout craniofacial bones to pulp. Aim To specify the proteomic profile and compare each type of hDSC with other mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of various niches. Furthermore, we analyzed the characteristics of the microenvironment and preconditioning changes associated with the proteomic profile of hDSCs and their influence on committed lineage differentiation. Methods Literature searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, from January 1990 to December 2018. An extra inquiry of the grey literature was completed on Google Scholar, ProQuest, and OpenGrey. Relevant MeSH terms (PubMed) and keywords related to dental stem cells were used independently and in combination. Results The initial search resulted in 134 articles. Of the 134 full-texts assessed, 96 articles were excluded and 38 articles that met the eligibility criteria were reviewed. The overall assessment of hDSCs and other MSCs suggests that differences in the proteomic profile can be due to stem cellular complexity acquired from varied tissue sources during embryonic development. However, our comparison of the proteomic profile suffered inconsistencies due to the heterogeneity of various hDSCs. We believe that the existence of a heterogeneous population of stem cells at a given niche determines the modalities of regeneration or tissue repair. Added prominences to the differences present between various hDSCs have been reasoned out. Conclusion Systematic review on proteomic studies of various hDSCs are promising as an eye-opener for revisiting the proteomic profile and in-depth analysis to elucidate more refined mechanisms of hDSC functionalities.

Blunt vertebral artery injury (VAI) is associated with severe cervicocephalic trauma and may have devastating consequences. This study aimed to determine the incidence and nature of VAI in polytrauma patients. The secondary objective was to assess the association of VAI with previously suggested risk factors. It was a retrospective observational study of all polytrauma patients admitted to the trauma unit between April 2018 and July 2019, who had CT neck angiography to diagnose blunt VAI according to modified Denver criteria. Out of 1084 admitted polytrauma patients, 1025 (94.6%) sustained blunt trauma. Of these, 120 (11.7%) underwent screening CT neck angiography. VAI was detected in 10 (8.3%; 95% CI 4.1–14.8) patients. There were three patients with Grade I injury, two with Grade II, and five with Grade IV injury. Among all trauma admissions, the incidence of diagnosed VAI was 0.9% (95% CI 0.5–1.8). Among patients suspected of VAI, there was no univariable association of VAI with C-Spine fracture: OR 4.2 (95% CI 0.51–34.4; p = 0.18). There were two (20%) deaths related to VAI. Traumatic VAI was uncommonly detected in this major trauma service in Saudi Arabia. High suspicion and liberal screening by CT angiography in cases where VAI is possible should be considered to avoid missed injuries.

Background The tribes of India have poor periodontal health status due to their isolation, awareness and less accessibility to dental resources. They follow traditional methods of oral hygiene practice, which are found to be inadequate and inaccurate to maintain their good oral health. This study aims to assess the oral hygiene practice, oral hygiene and periodontal status of two tribes residing in Bhadrachalam, Telangana, India. Methods Based on accessibility the two tribes Koya and Lambada were included in the study. The total study population consisted of 1000 subjects, with 500 subjects in each group. Using a preformed proforma the oral hygiene practices were recorded for two groups and oral examination was done using Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) index and Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Results The OHI-S ranged between 2.5–3.0 in both the groups. The CPI index scores showed that sextants with calculus, shallow pockets, deep pockets and loss of attachment of 4-5 mm were significantly present in both groups. Conclusion To conclude, though practice of poor oral hygiene and compromised periodontal status was seen among both groups. However, it was more prevalent in Koya. Under these circumstances, implementation of a basic awareness of oral health care programme for these tribes should be a high priority.

Background: Awareness of malocclusion and the need to make corrections have increasingly become prevalent among the young population. In the period of adolescence, physical appearance is crucial in the construction of personal identity, including one’s relationship with one’s own body. Orthodontic treatment includes improved oral health and enhanced psychological wellbeing. Early orthodontic treatment for children will be crucial to improving oral health. The present study aims to assess the awareness towards orthodontic treatment among school children’s of Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A total of 835 (450 boys and 385 girls) school children’s, of age group between 10 - 15 years were included in the study. A total of 16 schools in the all Aseer region were surveyed during January to May 2018. A pre-structured self-administered questionnaire consisting of 12 questions with multiple answers were given to the children after the clinical examination to assess their knowledge and attitude towards Orthodontic treatment. Statistical Analysis: The survey data was collected and organized into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft Inc., USA), and was statistically analyzed utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 software (IBM Inc., USA). The statistical test used here was the chi-square test and P values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Result: A total of 292 (65%) of males and 285 (74%) of females have heard of an orthodontist. 234 (52%) of males said that orthodontist would align their teeth. 203 (45%) and 250 (65%) of males and females respectively are aware that few teeth needed to be removed for aligning irregular teeth. Majority of the children are aware of taking braces treatment at an earlier age would improve facial appearance. 320 (83%) and 227 (59%) of female children aware of that irregular teeth can affect chewing ability and speech respectively. 261 (58%) of males knew that orthodontic treatment is longer than other dental procedures. Conclusion: Findings confirmed that there is a positive awareness towards orthodontic treatment among school children’s, but specific misconceptions and barrier exist. There is no statistical difference between males and females in knowledge and behaviour related to orthodontic treatment and malocclusion in school going, children.

Background and Objectives: Oral cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the world and oral leukoplakia is an oral potentially malignant disorder that could develop into oral cancer. This systematic review focusses on randomized clinical trials for recombinant adenovirus p-53 (rAD-p53) therapy for the treatment of oral leukoplakia and cancer. Materials and Methods: We searched for research articles on various databases such as Pubmed/Medline, Embase, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infra-structure), Springerlink, cochrane and Web of sciences from 2003 to 2020. MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms were used for the search. Inclusion criteria included original research, randomized clinical trials and articles only in English language. Exclusion criteria were any articles that were not research articles, not randomized trials, non-human studies, etc. The articles were further graded on the Jadad scale. Results: 578 articles were assessed from various databases; only 3 articles were found to be appropriate for this review. Thus, meta-analysis was not performed because of heterogeneity and lack of data. In the three studies, whether rAD-p53 was used as a standalone therapy or with other therapies, there was a beneficial effect of the therapy. Furthermore, there were no serious adverse events and the only adverse events reported were fever, pain at the local injection site, flu-like symptoms and lowered WBC count. Conclusions: Thus, we can conclude that this therapy has a potential for beneficial therapeutic effects and further clinical trials with more patients need to be performed to get better understanding of the effect of rAD-p53 therapy, which probably will pave the way to its approval in other parts of the world.

Oral fibroblasts, similar to dermal fibroblasts, have the potential to resist the local insults like trauma to the oral mucosa by differentiating into adipocytes and secreting antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin (Camp) and this physiologic process in known as reactive adipogenesis. We hypothesize that in oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), due to constant secretion and up-streaming of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF- β), oral fibroblast lose their adipogenic differentiation potential and Camp production, which leads to progressive fibrosis in OSF. The implication of this hypothesis could open some promising vistas on still unexplored innate immune systems harboured by oral mucosa. Restoring and maintaining the adipogenic and protective potential of oral fibroblasts by inhibiting TGF- β receptors could hinder the disease progression of OSF.

Introduction: Cushing’s syndrome a state of high blood cortisol level due to various reasons. The syndrome has much comorbidity like hypertension, heart diseases, pathological fractures, diabetes mellitus, and coagulopathy. the diagnosis is largely clinical based on history and examination, and treatment depends upon the cause. Aim of the work: In this study, our aim was to understand the pathophysiology behind Cushing’s syndrome and its various causes. We will also discuss the diagnoses and ways of management. Methodology: we conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE from January 1994 to March 2017. The following search terms were used: Cushing’s syndrome, Cushing’s disease, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, high blood steroid levels, pathological fractures, diagnosis of Cushing’s, management of Cushing’s. Conclusion: Cushing’s syndrome is the result of any long-term pathology that leads to high levels of circulating cortisol in the bloodstream. Up to 80% of patients with Cushing’s syndrome can have hypertension which will lead to significant increase in both morbidity and mortality if left untreated. Asides from blood pressure control, surgical resection remains the most ideal treatment modality in the treatment of most causes of Cushing’s syndrome. Keywords: Cushing’s syndrome, Cushing’s disease, high blood cortisol

Background Bisphosphonates (BPs) were designed for the prevention of skeletal-related events secondary to bone metastases. The purpose of this study was to show that zoledronic acid (ZA) directly eradicates highly tumorigenic and potentially metastatic cancer cells. Materials and methods Human prostate and breast highly tumorigenic (PC3, MCF 7) and low- or non-tumorigenic (LNCaP, MCF 10a) cell lines, respectively, were exposed to different concentrations of ZA (0-10 μM). Reverse transcriptase double quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used for quantitative gene expression analysis. Apoptosis and cell proliferation were determined using microscopic observation and MTS assays. Western blot was used to confirm the translational effects of apoptotic genes on protein expression. Results Human prostate and breast highly tumorigenic (PC3, MCF 7) and low- or non-tumorigenic (LNCaP, MCF 10a) cell lines, respectively, showed multiple genes demonstrating differential expressions, including TRAF, TRADD, BCL2, CASPASES and IAP families. Increasing ZA concentrations showed a greater concentration-time response on cell proliferation and apoptosis in the highly tumorigenic cells. These results were confirmed by both reversing and enhancing the effect of ZA on cell proliferation with caspase 3, 7 or survivin siRNA, respectively. Pro-apoptotic proteins bax and caspase 2, 3, 7 and 9 were up-regulated, while the anti-apoptotic proteins bcl2, birc3 and survivin were down-regulated only in the highly tumorigenic cells. Conclusions This explains the ability of ZA to inhibit bony metastasis in highly tumorigenic cells compared with the low- or non-tumorigenic cells through a significant decrease in cell proliferation and increase in apoptosis through gene-regulated and translational-mediated down-regulation of survivin coupled with the inhibition of caspase 3 or 7. This has significant implications toward understanding the pharmacophysiology of BPs in metastasis and supports the clinically observed effect of BPs when administered adjunctively with anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/5-fluorouracil, epirubicin in combination with cyclophosphamide or docetaxel, and doxorubicin.