Impression techniques and materials used for fabrication of complete denture. A survey

In 2013, a survey of Pakistani dental graduates was conducted to determine which techniques and materials are currently prevalent in the teaching of initial and final impression procedures and custom tray fabrication for complete dentures in the undergraduate clinical curriculum. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed among 150 dentists belonging to different regions of the country. The questionnaire consisted of multiple choice questions. All responses remained anonymous. The results highlighted that majority of dental schools were following the traditional approach. Impression compound was used by 93% of the respondents. Self cure acrylic resin was used by 92% for making custom tray. Majority of the respondents [97%] were using Zinc oxide eugenol to record final impression. The findings from this study showed that impression technique and material used in the fabrication of complete denture in the existing prosthodontic curriculum require modification in order to raise the standard of under graduate dental program

Oral hygiene practice and awareness among Pakistanis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene practices and evaluate oral health related knowledge of Pakistani community residing in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. It was a descriptive cross sectional study carried out in Pakistani community. A total number of 125 male individuals were approached. A questionnaire was designed and data were collected through interviewing the Pakistani community. This study was conducted from May 2010 to July 2010. Response rate was 100%. The data were analysed using SPSS. It was found that out of sample of 125 subjects 118 [94.4%] used different methods for cleaning their teeth, while 7% [5.6%] did not clean their teeth at all. The methods used for cleaning included tooth brush by 30.5% of people, miswak [wooden stick] was used by 38.1% while 44.1% of study group used a combination of tooth brush and miswak [wooden stick]. Alternative methods of cleaning such as using fingers and dandasa [bark of walnut tree] were recorded in 1.7% people. The study revealed that oral hygiene practices of the study group were not satisfactory as majority of the subjects were not observing recommended oral hygiene practices. It was concluded that optimum dental hygiene practices should be encouraged in people by community dental education

Synthesis and characterization of antimicrobial polymer containing silver nanoparticles

Various types of polymers are currently used for making indirect restorations for rehabilitation of patient in dentistry. Most of these lack inherent antimicrobial property. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize antimicrobial polymer by impregnation with silver nanoparticle which besides serving its primary function also possess antimicrobial property. This study was conducted during MSc, Dental material programme, year 2010-11 in School of Engineering and Material Sciences, QueenMary, University of London, UK under supervision of Professor PankajVadgama. For this purpose polydimethylsiloxane[PDMS] based poly ether urethane[PEU] was selected to synthesize antimicrobial polymer. In methodology ultraviolet visible spectroscopy was used to detect size and shape and interaction of matrix with nanoparticles. Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to determine the thermal stability, degradation pattern, absorption of moisture and inorganic content .Contact angle measurements were carried out to determine the wettability and hydrophilicity of the material. X-ray diffraction was conducted to determine crystallinity, particle size and phase identification. The uv-vis spectroscopy results showed the presence of silver nanoparticles. Contact angle measurement of the composite material indicated that wettability of the material improved with the addition of silver. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of nanoparticles