The association of birth order and sociodemographic factors with caries experience among adolescents in Tumpat

Sociodemographic factors have received considerable attention in the literature with regards its relationship with caries. However, the related information among children ages 12-17 is fairly limited. Birth order has been consistently found to be associated with diseases hypothesized to have an infectious aetiology but only few studies have examined its relationship with dental caries. The aims of this study were to determine the association of birth order and the sociodemographic background of subjects with caries and high caries experience among 16-year-old schoolchildren in Tumpat district, Kelantan. This was a case-control study. A total of 1087 16-year-old schoolchildren were examined intraorally for their caries status. They were categorized into three groups namely caries free (DMFS=0) mild caries (DMFS= 1-7) and high caries (DMFS ≥8) group based on DMFS score. Cases were the caries group and the controls were the caries free group. In each group, 163 subjects were selected by using simple random sampling. A questionnaire was used to obtain personal information of the subjects, birthweight and sociodemographic background. Analysis involved was ordinal logistic regression. The factor that was found to have association with caries and high caries experience determined using multiple ordinal logistic regression analysis was educational level of parents (OR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.06; 2.28). This study showed that birth order was not a significant factor associated with caries experience. Among the sociodemographic factors, only parent’s educational level was found to be associated with caries and high caries experience.

Locally produced bovine bone sponge as a haemostatic agent

The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological and biological properties of a locally produced "Bovine Bone Sponge" for use in dentistry. Bovine bone sponge was prepared from local calf bone. Endotoxin level and surface properties were investigated. The pore size and water uptake ability were measured and results were compared with the commercial haemostatic agent. The material was tested for its haemostatic property and its inhibition of alveolar bone resorption in a sheep model following dental extraction. Results revealed a significant difference in haemostatic effect, and a shorter bleeding time and a lower rate of alveolar bone resorption in bovine bone sponge compare to a commercial haemostatic agent.

Mechanical and thermal properties of hydroxyaptite filled poly (methyl methacrylate) heat processed denture base material

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of powder-to-liquid ratio on the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the tensile properties of denture base material prepared from poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) previously treated with 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate (gamma-MPS). Specimens for mechanical testing were prepared by adding composites powder (PMMA, BPO and HA) to the monomer (MMA and EGDMA) followed by hand mixing as in dental laboratory description usage. The glass transition temperature was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was observed that the tensile properties and the Tg were affected by the powder-to-liquid ratio. The mechanical characterization of the materials were performed by using single edge notch-tension (SEN-T) specimens; the fracture toughness was slightly higher in formulation which contained HA filler compared to commercial denture base material.