Magnetic resonance imaging investigations in patients with metallic dental prosthesis: "The associated dilemma for medical fraternity and the dentist's role".

Background: Interdisciplinary referrals for dental examination in hospital setups are common before radiotherapy, kidney transplants, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patients who walk in could be random patients with metallic or porcelain-fused-to-metal prostheses done elsewhere but might require an opinion before the MRI. This leaves quite a responsibility on the consulting dentist to green signal the procedure. There is a lack of evidence in the literature, to confirm the absence of any untoward consequence during such MRI, which might leave the dentist in dilemma. Dental materials' magnetic behavior raises concern regarding whether they are 100% nonferromagnetic; furthermore, the examining dentist might be unaware of the metal used (Co-Cr, Ni-Cr, or trace elements). Clinicians may also come across full-mouth rehabilitated patients with multiple crown-bridge prostheses or metallic superstructure for implant prostheses. Research in the area leaves many unanswered questions because most studies have evaluated artifacts during MRI and are in vitro. Titanium is considered to be safe due to its paramagnetic behavior, whereas the literature does not rule out the probability of dislodgment of other porcelain fused to metal (PFM) prostheses. Due to less reported literature there exists dilemma to ascertain MRI in these patients. An online Google Search, PubMed, and gray literature portray the ambiguity associated with metal and PFM crowns and their magnetic behavior during MRI. Most studies were associated with the artifacts caused during MRI and methods of reducing them under in vitro situations. The concern for dislodgment has also been expressed in a few reports. Technique: Certain steps of a pre-MRI checkup and an innovative technique have been discussed to assure patient safety during the MRI. Conclusion: The technique explained is inexpensive and a quick aid that can be executed before the investigation. Clinical and Research Implications: There is a need to study and understand the magnetic behavior of Co-Cr and Ni-Cr crowns in the presence of various MRI strengths.

Choosing the denture occlusion - A Systematic review.

AIM: The aim of the study is to acquire evidence for the choice of occlusion with anatomic/modified anatomic teeth in complete denture prosthesis. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study reviewed original articles on various occlusal schemes bilateral balance occlusion (BBO), lingual occlusion (LO), Canine guided occlusion (CG), posterior group function occlusion (PGFO) have been applied to the complete dentures and were analyzed for the objective or subjective or both evaluations. The data were collected in standard format with the needed information such as year of publication, type of study, occlusal schemes compared, test methodology used, sample size for experiment and control, assessment of retention, stability, and other factors which determine the quality of life and period of follow-up. The risk of bias was calculated using tools RoB2.0 and robvis. At all stages, the inclusion and exclusion of studies were discussed among the reviewers. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Due to the heterogeneity in the data of the included studies no statistical analysis was used. RESULTS: Of the 1896 articles screened only 17 studies were included in the systematic review. These were discussed amongst the reviewers regarding the various occlusion schemes used. The subjective and objective criteria used in the studies was tabulated separately. They were then analyzed for the risk of bias using the robvis 2 tool. CONCLUSION: No scheme is more superior to the other with the anatomic tooth forms. The use of alternative unbalanced schemes produces a similar satisfactory clinical outcome. The ridge classification also has a significant role to play in the preference for an occlusal scheme.

Dental Sealants: Knowledge, Value, Opinion, and Practice among Dental Professionals of Bathinda City, India.

Objective. The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, value, opinion, and practice regarding use of dental sealants among private dental practitioners in Bathinda City, Punjab, India. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among all private dental practitioners in Bathinda City, Punjab. A self-administered structured questionnaire consisting of 28 items was used to assess their knowledge, value, opinion, and practice regarding dental sealants. One-way analysis of variance, independent sample t-test, and multivariate regression analysis were utilized for statistical analysis. Confidence level and level of significance were set at 95% and 5%, respectively. Results. The mean scores for knowledge, value, opinion, and practice were 41.8 ± 3.7, 18.7 ± 2.8, 18.1 ± 1.4, and 12.9 ± 2.3, respectively. Analysis revealed that qualification was statistically significant among all dependent variables (P ≤ 0.05); work experience was significantly associated with both knowledge and opinion means scores (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion. The results suggest that dental practitioners had sufficient knowledge about dental sealants. They also acknowledge the importance of use of dental sealants. Practice of dental sealants in clinics was found adequate but they were not following the specific guidelines and standardized procedures.

Teeth fracture among visually impaired and sighted children of 12 and 15 years age groups of Udaipur city, India--a comparative study.

AIM: To compare the prevalence of anterior teeth fracture among sighted and visually impaired children of 12 and 15 years ages in Udaipur city, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out among 508 children (83 visually impaired and 425 sighted children), which comprised of 55 males and 28 females among visually impaired and 348 females and 77 males among sighted. The survey was carried out using Andreasen's classification for teeth fracture. Data was analyzed using chi-square test, with keeping level of significance at P < 0.05. RESULTS: It was found that, visually impaired children (32.5%) had significantly higher percentage of teeth fracture than that of sighted children (9.6%) (P = 001). Males had significantly higher percentage of teeth fracture than females in both groups (P = 0.001). It was observed that overjet of more than 3.5 mm had significantly increased risk of sustaining traumatic dental injuries among visually impaired (70.4%) than that of sighted individuals (46.3%) (P = 0.043). However, fracture of teeth was independent of age groups and lip coverage. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in a group of individuals with visual impairment was higher than that of sighted. This should alert caregivers to carry out a profound investigation of the events and suggest methods to reduce this type of morbidity.