Oral health status among orphan and non-orphan children in Mashhad: a case-control study.

Developing and modifying the policies of orphanages requires the availability of accurate information. This study aimed to compare caries and oral hygiene status among orphan and non-orphan children. This descriptive cross-sectional study took place in governmental orphanages and schools of both genders in Mashhad, Iran. The prevalence of caries was assessed using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Tooth (DMFT) index, and oral health status was assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index - Simplified (OHI-S). The results were statistically analyzed using a t-test and Chi-Square test. The mean DMFT was 3.36 in orphans and 2.10 in non-orphan children, which was not statistically significant (p=0.6). The mean dmft was 9.01 in the orphan group and 5.26 in the non-orphan group, which was statistically significant (p=0.003). The average OHI-S index was 2.30 in the group of orphan children and 1.05 in the non-orphan children, presenting a statistically significant difference (p=0.00). The prevalence of caries, especially in deciduous teeth, was high among orphan children. The oral health status of these children was worse than that of children living at home. Consequently, there is a need for proper planning to promote the oral health of children living in orphanages.

Is laser acupuncture effective in controlling gag reflex while taking dental impressions? A randomized double-blinded sham-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of laser acupuncture on controlling gag reflexes by stimulating pericardium 6 (PC6) and conception vessel 24 (CV24) acupuncture points in patients in need of taking dental impressions. METHODS: In this randomized controlled double-blinded clinical trial study, in 30 patients aged 20-60 years, alginate impressions were taken in the prosthetic and orthodontic clinic at the Dental School of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups. The intervention and the control group each included 15 subjects. Both groups were in the exact status of age, gender, and indexes, including the Gagging Severity Index (GSI), Subjective Severity of Gag Reflex (SSGR), Vomiting Number (VN), as well as the Improvement Index, measured. Both groups underwent alginate impressions pre-and postintervention. PC6 and CV24 acupuncture points were irradiated for 4 seconds in contact mode with a laser prob pressure on the skin that was slightly bleached without causing pain for the patient. The laser energy was 0.8 J with an energy density of 2.854 J/cm2 at the surface of the probe (spot size, 0.28 cm2). The total radiation dose was 45.7 J/cm2, and the power density was 714.2 w/cm2. RESULTS: The findings showed that SSGR and VN significantly improved (P ≤ .05) in the intervention group compared to the control group, but GSI was higher in the intervention group. In the intragroups analysis for the comparison between before and after the intervention, it was found that although the average GSI was elevated after the intervention rather than before, the difference was insignificant (P = .083). Also, after the intervention, the average SSGR was significantly reduced (P< .001), and VN was insignificantly lessened (P = .334). Moreover, it was observed after the intervention rather than before that GSI was significantly increased (P< .001), whereas SSGR significantly declined (P< .001), and VN meaningfully decreased (P = .001). The observations demonstrated that the Improvement Index status was significantly better in the intervention group compared to the control group (P = .002). CONCLUSION: This study found that the application of laser acupuncture on PC6 and CV24 acupuncture points might be effective in reducing the gag reflex and can be used as a noninvasive technique while taking dental impressions.

Evaluation of bond strength of orthodontic brackets without enamel etching.

BACKGROUND: To compare the shear bond strength of brackets with and without enamel etching. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, 60 sound premolars were randomly divided into four different groups: 1- TXE group: Enamel etching+Transbond XT adhesive+ Transbond XT composite. 2- TXS group: Transbond plus self-etch adhesive+ Transbond XT composite. 3- PQ1E group: Enamel etching+ PQ1 adhesive+ Transbond XT composite. 4- PQ1 group: PQ1 adhesive+ Transbond XT composite. The shear bond strengths of brackets were evaluated using universal testing machine at cross head speed of 0.5 mm/min. The Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) was also measured. One-way ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc, Kruskal-wallis and Mann-Witney U test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between etched and unetched groups respect to SBS and ARI (p<0.05), however; no significant difference was observed between unetched group and self-etch adhesive group (p>> 0.05). The shear bond strength of PQ1 group was the least but in acceptable range and its ARI was less than other groups. CONCLUSIONS: PQ1 adhesive can be used for bracket bonding without enamel etching with adequate bond strength and minimal ARI. KEY WORDS: Bracket, shear bond strength, filled-adhesive, self-etch adhesive.