Effectiveness of the Lorodent Probiotic Lozenge in Reducing Plaque and Streptococcus mutans Levels in Orthodontic Patients: A Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial.

Orthodontic patients are at a significant risk for oral diseases due to increased plaque accumulation and oral bacterial dysbiosis. We aimed to determine the efficacy of the commercially available Lorodent Probiotic Complex at reducing plaque accumulation and Streptococcus mutans bacterial levels in adolescent orthodontic patients. Sixty adolescents undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment for a minimum of 6 months were recruited in a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial. They received either Lorodent probiotic lozenge (intervention, n = 30) or placebo lozenge (control, n = 30) orally every day for a 28-day administration period. Participants were assessed at four appointments (T1-T4) over a total of 56 days. Compliance and lozenge satisfaction were monitored. Saliva samples and supragingival plaques were collected for evaluation of S. mutans levels. Clinical assessment using a Plaque Index (PI) was used. Compliance with lozenge intake of all participants was over 90%. There was no significant change in the PI and composite PI scores in both placebo and probiotic groups at each time frame (all p > 0.05) or the relative S. mutans DNA levels in the saliva and plaque between the probiotic and placebo groups. The findings of high compliance and satisfaction with the probiotic lozenges combined with the study's rigorous design offer a baseline for subsequent testing of further potential probiotics (of varying formulations, concentrations), especially in adolescents.

Epidemiology of burn at a military hospital in Bahrain: initial experience of patient outcomes and quality indicators.

Burn injuries are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. We undertook a retrospective study to analyze the epidemiology and etiology of burn injuries at the burn unit of Bahrain Defence Force-Royal Medical Services from 2015 to 2016. The epidemiological and medical information were retrieved from the burn unit's (burn ward and burn intensive care unit (BICU)) medical records. The data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel. We observed that civilians were most affected by burn injuries and men were more affected than women. The age group of the maximally burnt patients differed between the burn ward and BICU. The age group of 21-30 years and 51-60 years were maximally affected by burn injuries among patients admitted in the BICU, whereas the 1-10 years age group dominated cases in the burn ward. Flame and scald burns contributed maximally to the burn cases in both years. TBSA 0-10% was the most commonly observed burn size. The length of hospital stay decreased from 2015 to 2016, possibly because of improvements in medical infrastructure and nursing care and opening of a burn dressing room. Wound dressing, surgical debridement and skin grafting of wounds were the predominant modes of treatment. Our results show that burn injuries remain an important public health issue and increase in public awareness about burn prevention and first aid should be emphasized for reducing the frequency of burn-associated mortalities.

Mobile phone text messaging for improving the uptake of vaccinations: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Low vaccine coverage is a major public health concern, the consequences of which contribute to around 1.5 million child deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. Thus, innovative strategies to rapidly increase coverage and recall rates for vaccinations are urgently required. Mobile text messaging (or short messaging service, SMS) has the potential to help increase vaccination coverage and therefore we propose to conduct a review of the current best evidence for the use of SMS as an intervention to promote vaccination coverage. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This article describes the protocol for a systematic review of the effectiveness of SMS in improving the uptake of vaccination. Primary and secondary outcomes of interest are prespecified. We will preferably include randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, non-randomised studies (NRS) will be considered if there is an inadequate number of RCTs. We will search several bibliographic databases (eg,PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Science Citation Index, Africa-Wide Information and WHOLIS electronic databases and search sources for grey literature. Following data extraction and assessment of risk of bias, we will meta-analyse studies and conduct subgroup analyses, according to intervention subtypes. We will assess clinical heterogeneity and statistical heterogeneity. For outcomes without quantitative data, a descriptive analysis will be used. This review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of systematic reviews, registration number 2014:CRD42014007531 ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics is not required for this study, given that this is a protocol for a systematic review, which uses published data. The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. We anticipate that the results could be used by researchers and policymakers to help inform them of the efficacy of mobile phone text messaging interventions to promote increased vaccination coverage. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO registration number 2014:CRD42014007531.