Regenerative Potential of Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF) for Curing Intrabony Periodontal Defects: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies

Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has been used in regenerative medicine and dentistry. Recently, its use has been advocated for regenerative periodontics and wound healing. The randomized control trials have assessed the regenerative efficacy of the PRF for restoring intrabony periodontal defects.The objectives are to critically analyze and appraise the currently available literature, focusing on the use of PRF in regenerating periodontal bone defects. An electronic search was conducted (PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ISI-WOS). Various combinations of following keywords were used: ‘ platelet-rich fibrin’, ‘ intrabony’, ‘ periodontal’, ‘ bone defect’ and ‘ guided tissue regeneration’.Asecondary search was conducted by analyzing the reference lists of the articles obtained in initial search. The final search resulted in 13 randomized controlled trials being included. Inmajority of studies, PRF resulted in better clinical/radiographic outcomes than open flap debridement and augmented therapeutic effects of bone grafts. The combination of bovine bone substitutes and PRF resulted in better performance compared to alone. Similarly better outcomes were observed while using PRF in combination with nanohydroxyapatite, metformin and demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft. It can be concluded that PRF produces better outcomes than open flap debridement alone and augments the regenerative effects of bone substitutes.

Effects of handpiece speed on the performance of undergraduate dental students in preclinical training

Low-speed high-torque handpieces are popular for the pre-clinical training of dental students. However, in clinical practice, high-speed air turbine handpieces are commonly used. This dissimilarity creates a gap between pre-clinical and clinical training skills. The current study sought to evaluate the effects of the use of high-speed and low-speed handpieces by dental students during their pre-clinical training. Twenty-one undergraduate dental students at the College of Dentistry of Taibah University participated in this study. Each student was asked to prepare class I cavities using high-speed air turbine and lowspeed/ high-torque handpieces. The time required for cavity preparation was recorded by the authors. The prepared cavities were evaluated for quality and skill using a six-point scale. The data were statistically analysed with paired t and Mann Whitney tests. There was no significant difference in cavity preparation time between the low-speed and high-speed handpieces [538.29 and 483.76 s, respectively]. The evaluations of the cavities revealed no difference in the quality of preparations between the low- and high-speed handpieces. Additionally, no significant difference in the surface roughness of the preparations was observed. The type of handpiece did not influence the learning capabilities of the undergraduate dental students in the preparation of preparing class I cavities. This study did not observe any significant differences between the cavities that were prepared by our students using either high-speed or low-speed handpieces

Evaluation of root canal morphology of maxillary molars using cone beam computed tomography

The success of endodontic treatment is based on cleaning and shaping of the root canals. The root canals have complex morphology and wide individual variations. The objective of this study was to analyze root canals morphology and existence of extra canals in maxillary molars in Saudi subpopulation. Freshly extracted maxillary first molars [n=100] were included in this study. All teeth were examined for morphology of roots, root canals and apical foramen by Cone Beam Computed Tomography [CBCT]. The root canals configuration was classified using Vertucci's classification. The majority of maxillary first molars [94%] were having three distinctly separated roots and 6% had four roots. Palatal and distobuccal roots were observed to contain one root canal [100%] and Vertucci's type I configuration. The mesiobuccal root had one [29.4%; type I] or two canals [70.6%; type II, III or IV]. The occurrence of second canal in the mesiobuccal root of upper first molar is very much likely [>70%]. The mesiobuccal roots are more likely to have Vertucci's type I or II configuration [>76%]. The palatal and distobuccal roots always have a Vertucci's type I canal configuration

Evolving medical and dental education system in Pakistan

Medical science is the backbone for treatment and the foundation for understanding human diseases. Standardization and organization of medical and dental education is required to accomplish goals towards achieving excellence in professional practice. The aim of this publication is to explore the current status of educational system in medicine and dentistry in Pakistan and possible channels for improvement. Medical and dental educational system for undergraduate as well as postgraduate level must comprise of continuing professional developmental sessions both for students and teachers. There is also a concomitant need of well discerned educational system which helps to manage trainee's induction, their curriculum assessment, and examination process. In addition, activities such as keeping the entire medical and dental education system under continuous circle of evaluation in the form of feedback and effective communication are essential at periodic academic stages. An interactive session at multiple levels and its valid quantified evaluation is constantly required to assess the progress of ongoing educational system. A well oriented process of decision making involving syllabus, professional annual examinations, re-certification examinations and licensure requirements must be comprehensively established

Potential use of natural silk for bio-dental applications

Silks are protein polymers that are spun into fibres by silkworms and spiders under ambient conditions. Silk has been used as a biomaterial in a variety of biological applications for many years, whereas there are few applications in dentistry. The aim of this study was to explore the potential properties of natural silk for dental applications by determining the structure and features that make natural silk a biocompatible candidate. We conducted a literature search through the recognized databases of medline, ISI web of science, SCOPUS, and EBASE to elucidate the natural properties of silk, its processing for biomedical applications and its use in dental applications. Silk has excellent natural properties, such as strength, resistance to light, temperature and humidity and biocompatibility. Once silk has been dissolved, it can be used to produce a variety of materials, such as films, gels, fibres, nanofibres, granules, foams, spheres and electrospun mats, on a micro or nano scale. Applications in dentistry include biomineralization, tissue engineering for scaffold applications and drug delivery. There has been renewed research on silk-based materials for various biomedical applications, including dentistry