A Randomized Triple-Blind Clinical Trial of the Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Infiltration Injection Pain in the Anterior Maxilla

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the level of pain experienced during infiltration anesthesia of the anterior maxilla following low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with 810-980 nm wavelengths. Material and Methods: In the current triple-blind clinical trial, 84 patients received a total of 168 infiltration anesthesia injections (1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine plus 1:100,000 epinephrine) in the anterior maxilla. Each patient received two injections into the buccal mucosa of the right and left central incisors with a two-week interval. One injection was performed after LLLT, while the other injection was administered conventionally without laser. The pain level was measured immediately after injection using a visual analog scale (VAS). Results: There was a significant difference in the pain level experienced with and without LLLT, such that the mean pain score following LLLT was significantly lower than that without LLLT (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in the pain level between laser and no laser groups in males, but the difference in this regard was significant in females (p<0.05) and female patients experienced a significantly lower level of pain following LLLT. Conclusion: The low-level laser therapy can be successfully used to decrease the level of pain experienced during infiltration anesthesia of the anterior maxilla (AU).

Optimum synthesis of CuO nanoparticles with the highest antifungal activity against oral pathogen Candida albicans

This research was aimed to optimize the synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles with the highest antifungalproperties against Candida albicans as an oral fungal pathogen. To this end, nine experiments involving differentsynthesis conditions were designed using the Taguchi method and the copper oxide nanoparticles synthesized bycoprecipitation method. The antifungal activity of synthesized nanoparticles against C. albicans was evaluatedusing the colony forming unit and disk diffusion methods. According to the results, the synthesized copper oxidenanoparticles under the five experimental conditions (CuCl2 0.1 M, NaOH 0.1 M, and a 75 minutes stirring time)showed the highest antifungal activity against C. albicans (71.72%). The optimization results demonstrated thatall three studied factors were effective in improving the antifungal activity of copper oxide nanoparticles and theantifungal activity in the proposed conditions can be improved by 77.85%. The synthesis of nanoparticles in optimalconditions confirmed the improved antifungal activity of the nanoparticles. The results of this study proved that CuOnanoparticles have a potential ability as an antifungal agent against oral fungal pathogens of C. albicans.

Effect of Experience in Landmark Identification on 2D Lateral Cephalograms on Performance of Dental Students Concerning Landmark Identification on 3D Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scans

Abstract Objective: To assess the effect of experience in landmark identification on two-dimensional (2D) lateral cephalograms on performance of dental students concerning landmark identification on three-dimensional (3D) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Material and Methods: This quasi-experimental study evaluated 40 dental students in two groups (n=20). Group 1 included senior dental students who had experience in landmark identification on 2D lateral cephalograms and Group 2 included third-year dental students with no such experience. Both groups received instructions on identification of eight landmarks on 3D CBCT scans. The coordinates of the landmarks were determined in x, y and z axes. One orthodontist determined the mean coordinates of each landmark as a reference by twice measurements with a one-week interval. The mean distance from the identified points to the reference points was reported as the mean consistency (MC), and the standard deviation of the mean was considered as precision of landmark identification. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test. Results: The mean distances from the points identified as nasion, point B, orbitale, anterior nasal spine (ANS), menton, coronoid process and pogonion in x, y and z axes and point A in x and z axes (p<0.001) to the reference points in Group 1 were greater than those in Group 2 with no such experience. Conclusion: Previous experience in landmark identification on 2D cephalograms does not help in landmark identification on 3D CBCT scans and may even adversely affect the results.