Attitude Towards Sustainability in Dentistry: The Evidence From Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: The field of dentistry is characterised by its substantial energy consumption and resource utilisation, resulting in a notable ecological footprint. Thus, sustainability in dentistry is an important but underresearched concern. The influence of public pressure on sustainability has been extensively studied across other industries; nevertheless, there is a dearth of research examining its impact on the dental sector specifically in Saudi Arabia. The current study conducted the first-ever survey in Saudi Arabia to investigate the prevailing attitudes with regard to sustainable dentistry amongst the general population of the country. METHODS: This was an online cross-sectional observational survey conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered online questionnaire was distributed to adults aged 18 years and older, of both genders, from March to April 2023. The study obtained appropriate ethical approval. RESULTS: Participants expressed a positive attitude with regard to sustainable dentistry and demonstrated their openness regarding compromising in terms of time, convenience, cost, and even the appearance of their teeth in order to minimise the environmental impact resulting from dental procedures. It is also evident that a correlation exists between gender-associated beliefs and proenvironmental behaviour, particularly in the context of sustainable dentistry and related environmental intentions in Saudi Arabia. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study represent an important complement to the existing sustainability knowledge and understanding in dentistry, which will be helpful for policymakers as well as dental professionals to develop or modify policy, regulation, and professional curriculum.

The analysis of periodontal diseases and squamous cell esophageal cancer: A retrospective study.

Aim: The potential links between periodontal disease and various cancers have drawn more and more attention in recent years. The objective of the current study was to investigate any potential associations between parameters of periodontal disease, the number of teeth lost, and the risk of developing squamous cell esophageal cancer in a representative adult sample. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 178 healthy individuals with matched age and socioeconomic status as controls and 60 patients with the primary histological type of esophageal cancer, Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer. Data were collected from cases and controls on epidemiological factors like age, gender, smoking status, alcohol intake, socio-economic status, level of education, and prior medical/dental history. The clinical data on periodontal health status was obtained through a clinical examination. This data concerned Probing Pocket Depth (PPD), Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL), the number of teeth lost, and the common risk factors for Squamous Cell Esophageal Carcinoma. Additionally, univariate, and logistic regression models that were modified for potential confounders were used to estimate unadjacent and adjacent odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Lower socioeconomic status (p = 0.048) (OR = 1.882, 95% CI = 0.987-3.591), smoking (p = 0.052) (OR = 1.768, 95% CI = 0.931-3.359), moderate and heavy alcohol abuse (p = 0.035) (OR = 1.880, 95% CI = 0.987 3.579), and irregular tooth brushing frequency (p = 0.001) (OR = 0.326, 95% CI = 0.171-0.619) were indeed discovered to be significantly linked. Conclusion: Individuals with lower socio-economic status, smoking, moderate and heavy alcohol consumption, and irregular tooth brushing frequency were significantly associated with Periodontal diseases and Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer.

An Interface Setup Optimization Method Using a Throughput Estimation Model for Concurrently Communicating Access Points in a Wireless Local Area Network.

The IEEE 802.11 wireless local-area network (WLAN) has been deployed around the globe as a major Internet access medium due to its low cost and high flexibility and capacity. Unfortunately, dense wireless networks can suffer from poor performance due to high levels of radio interference resulting from adjoining access points (APs). To address this problem, we studied the AP transmission power optimization method, which selects the maximum or minimum power supplied to each AP so that the average signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) among the concurrently communicating APs is maximized.However, this method requires measurements of receiving signal strength (RSS) under all the possible combinations of powers. It may need intolerable loads and time as the number of APs increases. It also only considers the use of channel bonding (CB), although non-CB sometimes achieves higher performance under high levels of interference. In this paper, we present an AP interface setup optimization method using the throughput estimation model for concurrently communicating APs. The proposed method selects CB or non-CB in addition to the maximum or minimum power for each AP. This model approach avoids expensive costs of RSS measurements under a number of combinations. To estimate the RSS at an AP from another AP or a host, the model needs the distance and the obstacles between them, such as walls. Then, by calculating the estimated RSS with the model and calculating the SIR from them, the AP interface setups for a lot of APs in a large-scale wireless network can be optimized on a computer in a very short time. For evaluation, we conducted extensive experiments using Raspberry Pi for APs and Linux PCs for hosts under 12 network topologies in three buildings at Okayama University, Japan, and Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Bangladesh. The results confirm that the proposed method selects the best AP interface setup with the highest total throughput in any topology.

Examining the Clinical Characteristics of Trigeminal Neuralgia at a Dental Hospital: A Prospective Study.

Background and objective Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a paroxysmal shock-like neuropathic pain condition that causes sudden, typically unilateral, severe, brief, stabbing, and recurrent sensations in the distribution of one or more trigeminal nerve branches. Although the clinical profile of TN patients has been generally established, there has never been a study on the condition among the population of Northeast India. Furthermore, there is scarce research describing the clinical features of TN in patients who visit a dental college. In light of this, we conducted this study to assess the clinical characteristics and parameters of TN in an Indian population. Methods Medical records of 60 patients with TN were reviewed prospectively for patient demographics, characteristics of the pain, and treatment modalities. Results Of the 60 patients, 55% were male, and 45% were female. The peak incidence was found in the age range of 55-64 years. Pain occurred equally on the right and left sides of the face. The maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve was the most frequently affected (40%) region, followed by mandibular division (35%) and the combined maxillary and mandibular division alone (25%). Most patients described their attacks as shock-like (78.33%) and of spontaneous onset (86.67%). Conclusion In the present study, TN affected males more than females and occurred most frequently in patients aged 55-64 years. A comparative analysis of the pain characteristics between different age groups and genders is useful for the management of these patients.

Monkeypox and oral lesions associated with its occurrence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A zoonotic, double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the genus Orthopoxvirus, the mpox virus (MPXV) is most common in tropical regions of Central and West Africa. The frequency of monkeypox (mpox) cases, however, has sharply climbed globally since May 2022. Objectives: To establish the threat of mpox in terms of the oral lesions caused in sufferers. Materials and methods: After a thorough study of the literature identified in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases using the PRISMA framework, 103 papers were found. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria, we chose research that was relevant for our review before shortlisting 14 papers that conformed to the review's guidelines. Results: In the 14 selected studies, it was found that oral lesions were among the first clinical signs of a mpox affliction, with ulcers on the dorsal surface of tongue lips being the most common areas affected. Conclusion: The rarely observed oral lesions of mpox infection may help in the diagnosis and management of this condition. It is critical to keep in mind that recognising and detecting oral lesions in mpox patients opens the door to more research and efficient patient management.

Exploring the Novel Computational Drug Target and Associated Key Pathways of Oral Cancer.

Oral cancer (OC) is a serious health concern that has a high fatality rate. The oral cavity has seven kinds of OC, including the lip, tongue, and floor of the mouth, as well as the buccal, hard palate, alveolar, retromolar trigone, and soft palate. The goal of this study is to look into new biomarkers and important pathways that might be used as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic candidates in OC. The publicly available repository the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was to the source for the collection of OC-related datasets. GSE74530, GSE23558, and GSE3524 microarray datasets were collected for analysis. Minimum cut-off criteria of |log fold-change (FC)| > 1 and adjusted p < 0.05 were applied to calculate the upregulated and downregulated differential expression genes (DEGs) from the three datasets. After that only common DEGs in all three datasets were collected to apply further analysis. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis were implemented to explore the functional behaviors of DEGs. Then protein−protein interaction (PPI) networks were built to identify the most active genes, and a clustering algorithm was also implemented to identify complex parts of PPI. TF-miRNA networks were also constructed to study OC-associated DEGs in-depth. Finally, top gene performers from PPI networks were used to apply drug signature analysis. After applying filtration and cut-off criteria, 2508, 3377, and 670 DEGs were found for GSE74530, GSE23558, and GSE3524 respectively, and 166 common DEGs were found in every dataset. The GO annotation remarks that most of the DEGs were associated with the terms of type I interferon signaling pathway. The pathways of KEGG reported that the common DEGs are related to the cell cycle and influenza A. The PPI network holds 88 nodes and 492 edges, and CDC6 had the highest number of connections. Four clusters were identified from the PPI. Drug signatures doxorubicin and resveratrol showed high significance according to the hub genes. We anticipate that our bioinformatics research will aid in the definition of OC pathophysiology and the development of new therapies for OC.

The Effectiveness of Lasers in Treatment of Oral Mucocele in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review.

The mucocele is the most common minor salivary gland associated disease of the oral cavity. It is also considered one of the most common biopsied oral lesions in pediatric patients. In recent years, extensive evidence has been published about the usage of lasers in treating mucoceles in pediatric patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of laser irradiation in the treatment of pediatric mucocele. An electronic search of databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar) was carried out in order to identify all relevant articles using a combination of the following keywords: "Pediatric", "Oral", "Mucocele", "Dental", "Oral Medicine", "Soft Dental Lasers", "Hard Dental Lasers", and "Lasers," for all case reports, case series, case-control and cohort studies published from 2007 to 2021. After limiting the search results, removing duplicate titles, and eligibility evaluation, 17 papers were enrolled in the study. Out of the total studies included, 10 articles were related to the diode (635 nm, 808 nm, 810 nm, and 980 nm), 5 to CO2 (10,600 nm), 3 to Er, Cr: YSGG (2780 nm), and 1 involving KTP lasers (532 nm). All studies indicated successful clinical results on mucocele excision with better intra- and post-operative indicators. The general characteristics and outcomes were summarized, and the quality of the studies was assessed using CARE guidelines in this systematic review. The reduction or absence of pain and bleeding, hemostasis, reduced operating time, minimal analgesic consumption, and an antibacterial effect were among the advantages of laser irradiation in the included studies. The laser has proven itself to play an effective role in the treatment of oral mucocele in paediatric patients.

Salivary MMP-9 Levels in Chronic Periodontitis Patients with Type-II Diabetes Mellitus.

Chronic periodontitis and diabetes mellitus share a two-way relationship, the common factor being the inflammatory-mediated pathway, and various cytokines are released during this inflammatory cascade, one of which being matrix metalloproteinase-9. The aim of this study was to identify whether the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 are increased due to type-II diabetes mellitus in chronic periodontitis patients. It was an observational, analytical, case-control study. Thirty subjects were recruited in the test group, who were suffering from type-II diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis, and 30 subjects in the control group, who were subjects with chronic periodontitis but systemically healthy. Periodontal parameters, including the plaque score, gingival bleeding index, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level of the subjects, were measured, saliva samples of all of the subjects were collected and salivary matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 24. Overall, the matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels of the diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis were increased almost twofold (156.95 ± 29.80 ng/mL) compared to the levels in the controls (74.96 ± 6.32 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). Similarly, the periodontal parameters were far worse in diabetics with chronic periodontitis compared to the controls. The average gingivitis score for the test subjects was 78.45 ± 8.93%), compared to 29.32 ± 12.96% in the controls (p < 0.001). The mean probing pocket depth for the test group was 5.39 ± 0.60 mm, and, for the control group, it was 4.35 ± 0.31 mm (p < 0.001). For the test subjects, the average clinical attachment level was 5.86 ± 0.58 mm, and it was 4.66 ± 0.32 mm for the controls (p < 0.001). It was ascertained that there is a two-fold increase in the levels of salivary matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the test group compared to the control group. In addition, the level of periodontal apparatus destruction was greater in the test group. This proved that type-II diabetes mellitus influences the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in humans and elevates them, causing further periodontal destruction.

After-effects of acute footshock stress on sleep states and rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during sleep in guinea pigs.

This study investigated the effects of acute footshock stress (FS) on the occurrence of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity (RMMA) during sleep in guinea pigs. Animals were prepared for chronic recordings from electroencephalogram, electrooculogram and electromyograms of neck and masseter muscles. The signals were recorded for six hours on the two successive days: the first day with stress-free condition (non-FS condition) and the second day with acute FS (FS condition). Sleep/wake states and RMMA were scored visually. Sleep variables and the frequency of RMMA occurring during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep were compared during 6-h periods between the two conditions. Compared to non-FS condition, the amount of total sleep and NREM sleep significantly reduced during 2 h following the acute FS in the FS condition. Similarly, the frequency of RMMA significantly increased during 2 h following the acute FS for the FS condition compared to non-FS condition. During 2-6 h after FS in the FS condition, sleep variables and the frequency of RMMA did not differ from those without FS in the non-FS condition. These results suggest that acute experimental stress can induce transient changes in sleep-wake states and the occurrence of RMMA in experimental animals.

Efferent and afferent connections of supratrigeminal neurons conveying orofacial muscle proprioception in rats.

The supratrigeminal nucleus (Su5) is a key structure for controlling jaw movements; it receives proprioceptive sensation from jaw-closing muscle spindles (JCMSs) and sends projections to the trigeminal motor nucleus (Mo5). However, the central projections and regulation of JCMS proprioceptive sensation are not yet fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to reveal the efferent and afferent connections of the Su5 using neuronal tract tracings. Anterograde tracer injections into the Su5 revealed that the Su5 sends contralateral projections (or bilateral projections with a contralateral predominance) to the Su5, basilar pontine nuclei, pontine reticular nucleus, deep mesencephalic nucleus, superior colliculus, caudo-ventromedial edge of the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus, parafascicular thalamic nucleus, zona incerta, and lateral hypothalamus, and ipsilateral projections (or bilateral projections with an ipsilateral predominance) to the intertrigeminal region, trigeminal oral subnucleus, dorsal medullary reticular formation, and hypoglossal nucleus as well as the Mo5. Retrograde tracer injections into the Su5 demonstrated that the Su5 receives bilateral projections with a contralateral predominance (or contralateral projections) from the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices, granular insular cortex, and Su5, and ipsilateral projections (or bilateral projections with an ipsilateral predominance) from the dorsal peduncular cortex, bed nuclei of stria terminalis, central amygdaloid nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, parasubthalamic nucleus, trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus, parabrachial nucleus, juxtatrigeminal region, trigeminal oral and caudal subnuclei, and dorsal medullary reticular formation. These findings suggest that the Su5, which receives JCMS proprioception, has efferent and afferent connections with multiple brain regions that are involved in emotional and autonomic functions as well as orofacial motor functions.

Transcortical descending pathways through granular insular cortex conveying orofacial proprioception.

Our motor behavior can be affected by proprioceptive information. However, little is known about which brain circuits contribute to this process. We have recently revealed that the proprioceptive information arising from jaw-closing muscle spindles (JCMSs) is conveyed to the supratrigeminal nucleus (Su5) by neurons in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus (Me5), then to the caudo-ventromedial edge of ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPMcvm), and finally to the dorsal part of granular insular cortex rostroventrally adjacent to the rostralmost part of secondary somatosensory cortex (dGIrvs2). Our next question is which brain areas receive the information from the dGIrvs2 for the jaw-movements. To test this issue, we injected an anterograde tracer, biotinylated dextranamine, into the dGIrvs2, and analyzed the resultant distribution profiles of the labeled axon terminals. Anterogradely labeled axons were distributed in the pontomedullary areas (including the Su5) which are known to receive JCMS proprioceptive inputs conveyed directly by the Me5 neurons and to contain premotoneurons projecting to the jaw-closing motoneurons in the trigeminal motor nucleus (Mo5). They were also found in and around the VPMcvm. In contrast, no labeled axonal terminals were detected on the cell bodies of Me5 neurons and motoneurons in the Mo5. These data suggest that jaw-movements, which are evoked by the classically defined jaw-reflex arc originating from the peripheral JCMS proprioceptive information, could also be modulated by the transcortical feedback connections from the dGIrvs2 to the VPMcvm and Su5.

Jaw-opening and -closing premotoneurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract making contacts with laryngeal and pharyngeal afferent terminals in rats.

This study clarified the neural mechanisms underlying jaw movements in pharyngolaryngeal reflexes such as swallowing in rats. After retrograde tracer injections into the ventromedial division (Vmovm) of the trigeminal motor nucleus (Vmo) containing jaw-opening (JO) motoneurons or into the dorsolateral division (Vmodl) of Vmo containing jaw-closing (JC) motoneurons, JO and JC premotoneurons were labeled with an ipsilateral predominance in the medial and intermediate subnuclei of the rostrocaudal middle two-thirds of the nucleus of the solitary tract (Sol); JC premotoneurons were also in the lateral subnucleus of Sol. After anterograde tracer injections into the Sol, axons were labeled with an ipsilateral predominance in the Vmovm and Vmodl, prominently in the ipsilateral Vmovm. After transganglionic tracer applications to the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) or the cervical trunk of the glossopharyngeal nerve (GpN-ct), labeled afferents were seen in the medial, intermediate, lateral and interstitial subnuclei of Sol at the rostral three-fourths of Sol, indicating considerable overlap with the JO and JC premotoneurons in the Sol. Double labeling experiments demonstrated contacts between the afferent terminals and the JO and JC premotoneurons. The present study has for the first time revealed the differential distribution of JO and JC premotoneurons in the Sol and features of their projections from the Sol, as well as their connections with SLN and GpN-ct afferent inputs. The JO and JC premotoneurons in the Sol may play an important role in generation and organization of jaw movements in pharyngolaryngeal reflexes evoked by SLN and GpN-ct inputs, such as swallowing.