Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice of faculty and postgraduates toward Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in dental care.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is commonly used in resin-based dental materials and is categorised as an endocrine-disrupting compound. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practice toward the use of BPA among faculty members and postgraduate students. In this descriptive study, a validated self-administered questionnaire was used, and 204 dentists were included, with a response rate of 56.2%. The findings revealed that faculty members had significantly better knowledge (p=0.024) and practice (p=0.036) and more positive attitudes (p=0.024) toward BPA exposure. Regression analysis showed a significantly positive effect of attending a workshop/lecture or reading an article about BPA on the participants' total mean knowledge (p<0.001) and practice scores (p<0.001). Furthermore, faculty members showed a significantly more positive attitude (p<0.001) toward BPA exposure. These results emphasise the importance of increased awareness and education concerning BPA exposure to ensure optimal dental care.

Fluoride Varnishes for Preventing Occlusal Dental Caries: A Review.

Dental caries are most likely to occur on occlusal surfaces from the early eruptive stages of the tooth. In children, about 80% to 90% of dental caries are occlusal caries. Different preventive modalities are used to prevent occlusal caries. One of the methods used for occlusal caries prevention is fluoride varnish. A vast number of clinical trials have evaluated several types of sealant material and fluoride varnish to assess their ability to prevent occlusal caries in both primary and permanent dentition. The purpose of the current study was to provide an updated overview of the development, composition, mechanism of action, application, and safety of fluoride varnish, as well as its effect on occlusal caries prevention. This review of recently published studies on fluoride varnish and its effect on occlusal caries prevention shows that in children at moderate to high risk of caries, fluoride varnishes prevent occlusal caries. Both resin-based fissure sealants and fluoride varnish are effective for occlusal caries prevention for first-permanent molars. However, it was not possible to identify which one has the best effect. It is recommend that fluoride varnish is applied for children at high risk of caries two to four times per year.

Influence of povidone-iodine on micro-tensile bonding strength to dentin under simulated pulpal pressure.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies had reported that bond strength deteriorate over time following the dentin surface pretreatment with chlorhexidine. Therefore, further investigations are needed to evaluate the effect of other materials such as povidone iodine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 10% povidone-iodine pretreatment on the resin-dentin micro-tensile bond strength of a single bond adhesive system in permanent teeth over time, and compare it with 2% chlorhexidine. METHODS: Flat dentin surfaces were prepared in 63 extracted permanent teeth. Teeth were randomly assigned to a 10% povidone-iodine pretreatment, a 2% chlorhexidine pretreatment, or a control group. Composite resin blocks were built up over treated surfaces under pulp pressure simulation. The prepared specimens were assigned to three storage time, 24 h, 1 week, and 2 months. Samples were vertically sectioned to obtain specimens of 0.7 to 1.2 mm2 cross-sectional area. RESULTS: No significant reduction of bond strength of povidone iodine group was found among the three storage times (p = 0.477). A significant reduction of bond strength for both chlorhexidine and control groups was found in the three storage times (p <  0.001). CONCLUSION: Povidone iodine pretreatment of etched dentin was effective in reducing the loss of bond strength over time, while the chlorhexidine pretreatment and negative control showed significant deterioration in micro-tensile bond strength over time in permanent teeth.

Parental consanguinity and nonsyndromic orofacial clefts in children: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether individuals born to consanguineous parents had a higher frequency of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts compared with those with no parental consanguinity. DESIGN: A prespecified plan for a search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and data extraction from studies reporting consanguinity in relation to nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFC) was carried out. Papers reporting observational studies with control populations were included, without language restrictions, and these reports were assessed for quality. Sensitivity analyses using subgroups, homogeneity evaluation, and assessment of publication bias were carried out, and meta-analyses of extracted data were performed. RESULTS: Sixteen studies fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in the meta-analyses. There were statistically significant relationships between consanguinity and NSOFC for all 16 studies combined (P = .0003), with odds ratio (OR) = 1.83 and 95% confidence interval (CI) = (1.31, 2.54); 10 case-control studies (P = .006), with OR = 2.06 and 95% CI = (1.23, 3.46); six cross-sectional studies (P = .03), with OR = 1.34 and 95% CI = (1.02, 1.76); first cousins consanguineous marriages (P = .04), with OR = 1.40 and 95% CI = (1.01, 1.93); cleft palate alone (P = .01), with OR = 1.89 and 95% CI = (1.14, 3.13); and cleft lip with or without cleft palate cases (P = .002), with OR = 1.56 and 95% CI = (1.18, 2.07). CONCLUSION: Although there was a high level of study heterogeneity, the evidence is consistent in suggesting that consanguinity is a risk factor for NSOFC, with an overall OR of 1.83 (95% CI, 1.31 to 2.54), implying that there was almost twice the risk of a child with NSOFC being born if there was parental consanguinity.