Clinical Dental Assistants are Crucial Bedrock Team Members in the Academic Clinical Dental Milieu during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic forced immediate changes in how dental academicians must teach dental student doctors’ hands-on acquisition of Dental Auxiliary Utilization (DAU) principles. The Clinical Dental Assistants’ (CDAs) presence was reduced drastically in their clinical access during patient care in the distal part of the Spring Semester 2020 and the early months of the Fall Semester of 2020. The substantive and necessary limitations for safety in the academic setting and societal dental health care needs have reduced student doctors’ opportunities to utilize clinical dental assistants (CDAs) for DAU. CDAs’ value in an academic dental care milieu is paramount to student doctors’ successful transition from the preclinical to clinical and ultimately transition to private clinical practices.

Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Maxillary Incisors and the Incisive Canal by Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in an Adult Population of Mangaluru

Background: Maxillary anterior teeth play a crucial role in aesthetics, phonetics, and mastication. For successful orthodontic treatment evaluating the morphology of the alveolar bone and incisive canal would help in avoiding root resorption, dehiscence, and fenestration. This study is aimed to research the configurational relationships among maxillary incisors, alveolar bone, and incisive canal through Cone Beam Computerated Tomography (CBCT). Methods: CBCT images of 35 orthodontic patients were evaluated for length of the canal (L); angles between the palatal plane and the maxillary alveolar border (01),the incisive canal (02), and maxillary incisor (03); distance from the right maxillary incisor to the incisive canal (D). All the measurements were performed on sagittal plane with the exception of (D) which was made on axial plane. Statistical analysis was performed on the above parameters using two sample test and Pearson’s correlation analysis. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between males and females for all the variables although there were large interindividual variation. There was a positive moderate correlation between 01 and 02 (0.480), 01 and 03 (0.487), 02 and 03 (0.345). The mean value for L and D were 10.38mm and 4.14mm respectively. Conclusion: There exists a large interindividual variability for incisive canal, proximity of incisors with that of incisive canal which could not be precisely predicted by the conventional cephalograms. The results of the study could be helpful clinically in planning orthodontic treatment for significant intrusion and retraction of maxillary incisors

Localization of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella Forsythia In vivo and In vitro

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia have been identified as pathogenic bacteria associated with periodontal disease. Also, there are reports describing possible association of periodontal disease with other systemic diseases and some studies have revealed the presence of these bacterial species or their genomic content in sites distal to oral cavity in human body. There have been various studies investigating on possible pathogenic mechanisms that these bacteria device in healthy and disease conditions. Majority of the studies have been focused on possible molecular mechanisms and investigating the end products that are released as a result of bacteria coming into contact with the human tissues/ cells. Up to date only a limited number of studies have visualized direct histo-pathological and cellular events of these bacteria with time lapse information. In this mini review we tried to narrow down our focus on the visualization P. gingivalis and T. forsythia, starting from the oldest possible publications to current advancements, their contribution on understanding the histo-morpho-pathological changes during bacterial invasion, the pros and cons in these methods and how future research should be shaped to reveal the possible translocation of these bacteria from periodontal tissues to distal sites of the human body.

Effect of Dental Thermoplastic Materials on the Clinical Effectiveness of Clear Aligner

Objective: The aim of this review is to evaluate the influence of chemical and mechanical material properties properties on the effectiveness of the clinical treatment with a clear aligner. Methods: A systematic literature study of recent and most relevant publications in this field has been performed to identify the most important material effects on the clinical effectiveness of clear aligners. Results: Clear aligner devices have found a wide application in orthodontics. The development of new materials which are metal-free and the CAD/CAM engineering technique make it possible to treat the various kinds of malocclusion. Patients prefer clear aligners because of their aesthetics and comfort. The thermoplastic materials have inherent advantages: excellent aesthetic appearance, simple to be used and superior formability. Various thermoplastic materials are being developed for manufacturing of clear aligners. The mechanical properties of polymers play a crucial role in the effectiveness of the therapeutic treatments. Therefore, the elasticity, dimension and environment stability as well as biocompatibility are the main conditions, which the polymer must meet for being used in clear aligners. Conclusions: The main advantages of clear aligner in comparison to metal or ceramic devices is their excellence aesthetic with better patient acceptance and a general better quality of life. From a clinical point of view, the treatment with clear aligner causes less pain compared to a traditional treatment and also reduce the damage to the gingiva and perodontal tissue. The clinical success of the clear aligner therapy strongly depends on the properties of the used aligner materials. Significance: The use of thermoplastic materials for orthodontic tooth movements requires a better understanding of the material properties for selecting the optimal material and design.