Two-body Wear and Hardness of New Generation Artificial Resin Teeth.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two-body wear and hardness of new generation artificial resin teeth. Ten specimens of four different artificial resin teeth (nanofill composite, nanohybrid composite, microfiller reinforced acrylic and highly modified acrylic) were prepared. Specimens were thermodynamically loaded in a dual-axis chewing simulator (50N, 240,000 cycles, 1.6 Hz, 5/55°C thermocycle). The wear loss was analyzed by using plaster replicas and 3D laser scanner. Vickers hardness was determined before and after thermodynamic loading. Mean Vickers hardness values of highly modified acrylic resin teeth were statistically significantly lower than nanohybrid composite (p⟨0.001), nanofilled composite (p⟨0.001) and microfiller reinforced acrylic resin teeth (p⟨0.001). Mean wear loss of highly modified and microfiller reinforced acrylic resin teeth were statistically significantly lower than nanohybrid composite (p⟨0.001) and nanofilled composite (p⟨0.001) resin teeth. There was a statistically significant difference in wear among the materials. The correlation between hardness and wear was not statistically significant.

Turkish community-based palliative care model: a unique design.

An organized palliative care system was lacking in Turkey before 2010. One of the pillars of Turkish Cancer Control Programme is palliative care. The Pallia-Turk project in this respect has been implemented by the Ministry since 2010. The project is unique since it is population based and organized at the primary level. This means, the whole population (>70 million) will have the quickest and easiest way for access to palliative care. This manuscript briefly summarizes the situation before the project and updates what has been done in last 2 years with the project.

Evaluation of periodontal parameters in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare periodontal parameters in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy with a group of patients on hemodialysis (HD) treatment and healthy controls (C). PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five PD patients (mean age: 44 +/- 12 years) were matched with 41 HD patients (mean age: 46 +/- 15 years) and 61 C (mean age: 46 +/- 18 years). METHODS: Plaque (PI) and calculus (CSI) accumulation and gingival bleeding (GI) were recorded with the appropriate indices. Periodontal condition was assessed using the probing pocket depth (PPD). One-way anova test, Pearson chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to compare PD patients with HD patients and healthy C. RESULTS: Plaque Index values were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the PD and HD groups than the C group. GI values were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the HD group than the PD group. Finally, CSI values in the PD and HD groups were also significantly higher (P < 0.001) than the C group. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic renal failure patients on PD treatment are more susceptible to periodontal diseases like HD patients. Thus, it is very important to maintain an optimal oral hygiene level. Further studies on periodontal parameters of only PD patients are needed to get more information on the oral health status of this patient group.

Dental and periodontal findings in hemodialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE: Oral health problems of chronic renal failure patients can compromise systemic health. This study compared the periodontal and dental health status of patients on hemodialysis (HD) with healthy controls (C). STUDY DESIGN: Seventy-six HD patients and 61 controls were examined for plaque deposits, gingivitis, periodontitis, calculus accumulation and oral health status. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the measurement of probing pocket depths (PPD) in HD and C groups, but a highly significant difference was found for plaque index (P < 0.001), gingival index (GI) (P = 0.007) and calculus surface index (P < 0.001). There was a highly significant difference for GI (P = 0.001) and PPD scores (P < 0.001) between subgroups receiving HD for <3 years or more. A positive correlation between time on dialysis and parameter of missing teeth (r = 0.259; P = 0.024), GI scores (r = 0.474; P < 0.001) and measurement of PPD (r = 0.481; P < 0.001) was found in the HD group. Decayed, missing and filled teeth index scores were higher in the controls than the HD group, with no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The dental and periodontal health status of HD patients is comparable with healthy controls, but becomes worse with time on dialysis. Thus, oral health maintenance is of utmost importance in this patient group.

Evaluation of salivary parameters and dental status in adult hemodialysis patients.

AIMS: Caries is a multifactor disease, and impaired stimulated salivary flow rate and buffering capacity are the best-known risk factors. The salivary flow rate, pH, buffering capacity and DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) index of adult hemodialysis patients were compared with those of healthy controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-two (34 F, 38 M, mean age: 45.05 +/- 14.15 years) hemodialysis patients and 50 (26 F, 24 M, mean age: 43.92 +/- 18.80 years) control saliva were collected after prestimulation and expressed as ml/min. Salivary pH and buffering capacity were measured (Ericsson method). The dental examinations were performed according to WHO criteria and DMFT index was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed with Student t-test and Pearson correlation test. RESULTS: The patients' mean salivary flow rate was 0.69 +/- 0.31 ml/min, pH, 8.15 +/- 0.72, buffering capacity, 6.83 +/- 0.71 and DMFT index was 11.91 +/- 8.73. The salivary flow rate was less than the controls (p <0.001), but salivary pH and buffering capacity were higher (both p < 0.001). There was no difference in DMFT index between groups (p > 0.05). There was no significantly negative correlation between DMFT index and stimulated salivary flow rate, pH but there was a positive correlation with buffering capacity (r = 0.286, p < 0.05) in the patients. Moreover, there was no significantly positive correlation between stimulated salivary flow rate and pH buffering capacity in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Salivary flow rate of hemodialysis patients was less than the hyposalivary limit. Salivary pH and buffering capacity were both above the reference values, but DMFT index of hemodialysis patients did not differ from that of controls. However, caries and related dental infections may lead to serious problems in infection-prone hemodialysis patients, so these patients should have regular dental examinations and careful treatments.

Case report: a surgical and prosthetic approach to combination syndrome presenting in a patient with craniofacial dysostosis (Crouzon syndrome).

A case of combined local surgical and prosthetic treatment in a patient with craniofacial dysostosis (Crouzon Syndrome) is described. The patient had atrophy and anterior fibrous replacement of the edentulous maxilla opposing natural mandibular anterior teeth and a lower removable partial denture. Initial prosthetic treatment alone was unsuccessful. The surgical management comprised augmentation of the maxilla with resorbable hydroxyapatite, in conjunction with a guided tissue regeneration technique and vestibuloplasty. This enabled conventional prosthetic management postoperatively to achieve an acceptable functional and aesthetic result.