Effect of Dental Varnishes in Prevention of Enamel Demineralization Adjacent to Orthodontic Brackets.

Aim: The aim of the current research was to assess the ability of different dental varnishes in averting enamel demineralization adjoining the orthodontic brackets. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five premolars devoid of dental caries that were subjected to extraction for orthodontic purposes were employed in this research. The surface of enamel was etched with 37% phosphoric acid and subjected to primer application. Individual brackets were placed on the midregion of the buccal surfaces of the premolars with Transbond™ XT adhesive. Postbracket bonding, the dry premolar tooth samples were set aside cautiously. The samples were then allocated to three groups: Group I: Duraphat Varnish, Group II: Clinpro XT Varnish, and Group III: Profluorid Varnish. Every sample was independently subjected to immersion in demineralizing solution for a period of 96 h at 37°C in an incubator. Areas of demineralization were evaluated by documenting the microhardness along the severed surface using a microhardness tester equipped with a Vickers diamond. Results: The highest surface microhardness was noted with Profluorid Varnish group at 328.48 ± 1.12 in pursuit by Clinpro XT Varnish group at 322.08 ± 0.04 as well as Duraphat Varnish group at 307.42 ± 0.28 with a statistically noteworthy dissimilarity amid the groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the three varnishes employed had an influence on the prevention of enamel demineralization surrounding the orthodontic brackets. Profluorid varnish however exhibited maximum efficiency in avoiding enamel demineralization versus Clinpro XT varnish as well as Duraphat varnish group.

A Study on Speech Analysis in Acquired Maxillary Defect Patients Treated with Maxillary Obturator.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the speech analysis in acquired maxillary defect patients treated with maxillary obturator. Materials and Methods: Total of 16 patients were considered in the study. The age group of these patients ranged from 40 to 75 years with a mean age of 59.5 years, irrespective of their gender. The surgical obturator was fabricated using self-cure acrylic. The surgical obturator was delivered immediately after surgery. After a healing period of about 2 weeks, the surgical obturator was replaced by an interim prosthesis. This was processed with the help of heat-cure polymethylmethacrylate. The total number of patients was divided into two groups, namely, (A) Definitive obturator group and (B) Interim obturator group. The speech intelligibility (SI), was analyzed. Results: The mean scores for SI before prosthesis in definitive and interim groups were 19.13 ± 3.22 and 19.87 ± 1.72, respectively. This was increased after prosthesis insertion to 24.38 ± 1.30 and 22.37 ± 1.18, which further increased after adaptation period of 2 months to 28.75 ± 1.28 and 24.62 ± 1.59 in two groups. Conclusion: The present study concluded that speech was severely affected by maxillary resection and that rehabilitation with maxillary obturator was successful in restoring these aspects of speech.

Practice of Occlusal Splint Therapy for Treating Temporomandibular Disorders by General Dentists of Jabalpur - A Cross-Sectional Survey.

AIM: The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey concerning the practice of occlusal splint for treating temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) by the dental practitioners of Jabalpur. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire containing questions on diagnosis, treatment, and management of TMD was given to a total of 157 general dental practitioners in Jabalpur. The responses were collected; data analysis was done by Chi-square test. RESULTS: Of the General Dental Practitioner's, nearly 78% of participants did not attend any continuing dental education on TMD per year. More than 10 years of experience (82%) was associated with increase in positive response for treatment of TMD patient. Both the diagnosis and treatment of TMD patient were done using combination methods. The duration of splint use was considered patient dependent (42.27%) irrespective of the years of practice. Soft splint was most commonly employed for treatment, and fabrication of splint was done on hinge and mean value articulator. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of occlusal splint by general practitioners was found to be insufficient for treating TMDs.

Evaluation of Oral Health-related Quality of Life in Patient with Removable Prosthesis: A Cross-sectional Study.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between oral health and quality of life in removable prosthesis users. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An investigative cross-sectional study was designed, and 200 participants were considered based on calculations from the studies in the past. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14 survey comprises two parts in the study. Questions related to sociodemographic factors that documented age, gender, and type of removable prosthesis were included in the initial part of survey. Questions related to impact of oral health on quality of life make up the latter part of the survey. The answers ranged from "Definitely no" to "Definitely yes" for every item on a scale having 5 points. The likely range of scores is from 14 to 70. Data were analyzed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 20.0 for Windows. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A survey evaluating the relationship between oral health and quality of life was adequately completed by 200 participants. Of these, 18 (22%) were women and 154 (78%) were men. The parameters such as gender, age, and the relationship between oral health and quality of life did not show significant difference either within groups or between the groups. The enrolled participants were wearing different dental prostheses such as complete dentures (CDs) in both upper (U) jaw and lower (L) jaw (19%), U jaw (3%), L jaw (4%) and removable prostheses in both jaws (30%), U jaw (24%) and L jaw (20%). No statistically significant differences were seen between them. The scores for oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) were associated positively with removable prosthesis score (r = 0.122) and were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that the use of removable prosthesis may positively impact OHRQoL. The period of usage of removable dentures was the highly significant parameter affecting patient gratification, whereas the practice of using removable prostheses was the highly significant parameter affecting the relationship between oral health and quality of life.

Implementation of Anthropometric Measurements in Anterior Teeth Selection in Two Ethnic Groups: An In Vivo Study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is any consistent relationship between interalar distance and six maxillary anterior teeth in two ethnic groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred subjects (Assamese 100 and Nyishi 100) of different age and sex ranging from 18 to 33 years were identified for this study. The distance between two widest points marked on the alae of nose was measured by means of sliding digital caliper. Statistical analysis of variance was the testing method to determine whether the nasal width and intercanine distance were different in various racial groups. RESULTS: The mean nasal width dimension in Assamese group was 36.38 mm (range 28.55-50.00 mm). The mean nasal width dimension in Nyishi group was 35.73 mm (range 31.34-41.90 mm). For the nasal width, no significant difference was observed between two races. For the canine cusp tip to cusp tip distance, the mean value of Assamese subjects was 43.63 mm (range 39.02-50.02 mm), whereas the Nyishi presented 41.77 mm (range 36.69-47.05 mm). CONCLUSION: For the two racial groups studied, the measurements of the interalar width showed a weak correlation with the canine to canine distance, not sufficiently high to be used as a predictive factor. It suggests to select wider artificial teeth. Practitioners can use ethnic norms as guides, not absolute values.

Evaluation of Different Pretreatment Efficacy with Fluoride-releasing Material on Shear Bond Strength of Orthodontic Bracket: An In Vitro Study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of different pretreatments with fluoride-releasing material on shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic bracket. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 human mandibular premolars were taken in this study. These samples were stored in periodically changed distilled water at room temperature so as to stop bacterial growth. All samples were randomized to three pretreatment groups: group I, acid etching; group II, fluoride varnish; group III, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) paste. Later, Transbond XT was applied on brackets made of stainless steel and brackets were centered buccally and then light-cured. The INSTRON universal machine was used to measure SBS. Based on the values, the adhesive remnant index (ARI) was estimated. RESULTS: The maximum SBS was seen in group III (18.84 µ 1.04), followed by group II (14.18 µ 0.23), and the minimum bond strength was found in group I (13.90 µ 1.22). The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed high statistically significant difference within the pretreatment groups. The pretreatment group comparisons showed statistically significant difference between group I vs group III and group II vs group III. Score 0 was more in group III [8 (40%)] followed by group II [4 (20%)] and group I [2 (10%)]. The lowest number of score 3 was found in CPP-ACP paste group. After comparing the ARI scores within the groups, the Chi-square test showed a probability of 0.001 which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our study established that the CPP-ACP paste pretreatment improves the SBS of orthodontic bracket significantly followed by fluoride varnish and acid etching. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The bond strength of orthodontic brackets that were bonded should be adequate to resist orthodontic forces applied during treatment. The effect of the adhesive material to improve the adequate bond strength depends on the efficient pretreatment methods.

Relationship of inter-condylar distance with inter-dental distance of maxillary arch and occlusal vertical dimension: a clinical anthropometric study.

AIM: To find out the anthropometric relationship of Inter-condylar distance to Inter-canine and Inter-molar distance of maxillary arch and occlusal vertical dimension in dentate individuals of South Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total number of 120 dentate individuals were randomly equally divided into Group A and Group B. According to the face form, each Group was again subdivided into four subgroups. Subgroup A1 and B1 contained Square face form, Subgroup A2 and B2 Tapered, Subgroup A3 and B3 Square tapered and Subgroup A4 and B4 Ovoid face form. The ratio of ICD to U3, U6 and OVD of Group A individuals were applied to the Group B individuals with similar face forms and the clinical significance of the ratios were evaluated. RESULTS: No significant difference (p-value=0.841) was observed in the ratio of U6 to ICD (U6/ICD) in all the face forms. A significant difference (p-value = 0.010) in the mean value was observed when the ratio of OVD to ICD (OVD/ICD) was compared between the squared tapered face form of Group A (0.60 ± 0.01) and Group B (0.06±0.03). A significant difference (p value = 0.007) was observed between the measured (62.47 ±2.77) and calculated (64.99±2.61) values of OVD in square taper face form. CONCLUSION: In south Indian population, ICD can be used as a reliable guide line to determine the bucco-palatal position of maxillary first molar irrespective of the face forms.