Journal of Isfahan Dental School
Year:2017 | Volume:13 | Issue:1|Papers Count:17

Introduction: Malignancies are the main cause of death in developed countries and the second cause of death in developing countries. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and standard treatments have failed to improve its survival rate in the past four decades. In addition, these treatment modalities give rise to various complications. Recently, research has focused on natural substances with anti-neoplastic properties that are specifically directed against malignant cells and have less potential for complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the selective inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of violet extract on malignant cells compared to normal cells.Materials& Methods: In this in vitro study, photometry and optical density (OD) techniques were used for MTT test to assess the cytotoxicity of violet extract at a wavelength of 560 nm using an ELISA reader. The cell survival rate was calculated by dividing the difference of blank OD in the treated cells by the difference of blank OD in control cells. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA to evaluate the concomitant effect of violet extract concentration and cell type on the percentage of residual viable cells; one-way and two-way ANOVA were used to evaluate the effect of the concentration of the extract on the percentage of residual viable cells separately for each cell line by using SPSS.Results: The results showed a significant relationship between the percentage of residual viable cells and the different concentrations of the extract (p value<0.001); however, there was no significant relationship between the violet extract concentration and cell type (p value>0.26).Conclusion: Based on the results, the cytotoxicity of violet extract on malignant cells (SCC) was similar to that on normal cells. Therefore, violet extract may not be useful as a natural substance, with less side effects, to selectively inhibit malignant cells.

Introduction: Stress and burnout among postgraduate dental students are factors that can directly affect the practitioners, resulting in low quality of education and patient management. The aim of the present study was to assess the rate of stress and burnout in postgraduate dental students in Isfahan Dental School.Materials& Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive/analytical study was performed by the census method on 90 postgraduate dental students. Standard questionnaires were distributed among the postgraduate students for measuring the rate of stress and burnout. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were verified. Data were analyzed with SPSS 20, using descriptive statistical methods, Pearson’s test and t-test. Statistical significance was set at (p value=0.05).Results: Thirty-nine male and 51 female postgraduate dental students participated in this study. Total mean stress score was (46.5±11.8), which was considered moderate. The stress rates were no significantly different between males and females (p value=0.633) but there was a significant difference between two age groups of above and below 28 years (p value=0.016). Emotional exhaustion (8.9%), personal accomplishment (27.8%) and depersonalization (40%) constituted the components of the high levels of burnout. There was a linear relationship between stress and the three parameters of burnout.Conclusion: Postgraduate dental students in Isfahan Dental School exhibited a moderate level of stress and a relatively high level of burnout, making it necessary for planning in order to lower the levels of stress and burnout.

Introduction: Airway obstruction in the upper respiratory system for a long duration during the critical growth period of the face and jaws results in morphological changes in the head and face, the final outcome of which in some severe cases might be adenoid facies. The aim of this study was to compare mouth breathing among 6-12-year-old children with large and normal adenoid.Materials & Methods: In this observational-analytical study, 52 patients aged 6-12 years were selected; 25 subjects had large adenoid, representing the case group, and 27 had normal adenoid, representing the control group. The subjects were asked to seat calm and breathe normally. The rate of air passing through the nose and mouth was recorded by a device separately. Data were analyzed with independent t-test (a=0.05).Results: The mean breathing through the nose and mouth in the control (p value<0.001) and large adenoid (p value<0.017) groups were significantly different.Conclusion: Children with adenoid hypertrophy exhibited more mouth breathing and less nasal breathing compared with children without adenoid hypertrophy.

Introduction: Dentists usually prescribe analgesics for controlling pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic prescription patterns of general dental practitioners in Isfahan, Iran.Materials& Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a standard questionnaire was used and its reliability and validity were evaluated. A total of 253 general dental practitioners participating in continuous education programs were selected using simple random sampling method. The dentists responded the questions on the questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi-squared test (a=0.05).Results: The most commonly prescribed analgesic was 400-mg Gelofen tablet; 47.8% of dentists prescribed analgesics on an as-needed basis. In cases of severe pain, 58.5% of dentists prescribed a combination of analgesics. In addition, the most common analgesic prescribed in severe pain was dexamethasone. In this context, 48.6% of dentists used prophylactic analgesics. The prescription pattern was statistically different between dentists with more than ten years of experience and those with less than ten years of clinical experiences (p value=0.010).Conclusion: It seems it is necessary to improve general dentists’ knowledge about analgesicprescription via retraining courses.

Introduction: Considering the importance of patient mix for an optimal clinical learning process, the aim of this study was to assess the oral care needs of patients referring to the Pediatric Department of Isfahan Dental School and to compare it with the curriculum in order to assess the efficacy of clinical education.Materials& Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, all the available files in the archives of Pediatric Department were gathered. The information about oral health needs of children referring to this department were elicited and compared with the math product of the number of students in each semester and their educational requirements in practical courses 1‒3. Data were analyzed with SPSS 18. To assess the patient mix, the mean of oral health needs of children in each semester/year was calculated and paired t-test was used to compare the treatment/ preventive needs of children with the care provided for them (a=0.05).Results: In clinical courses 1 and 2 most of the provided care was lower than the proposed requirement. In clinical course 3, except for extraction and restoration with preventive resin restoration (PRP), the other dental treatments did not conform to the educational requirement. In relation to the preventive and restorative care in all the clinical courses, it seems the number of cases requiring such care was sufficient for meeting the educational requirement of students but the provided care was less than the proposed requirement. In each child, almost half or one-third of his/her dental needs had been satisfied, which was significantly far from his/her real needs (a=0.05, p value<0.001).Conclusion: In most clinical pediatric courses, the number of patients was not sufficient to meet the proposed requirement of students. Therefore, offering off-campus programs might effectively increase the number of patients and the types of dental problems that students would contact with during their clinical courses.

Introduction: Excess consumption of acidic foods is the most common etiologic factor of human tooth erosion. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the most commonly consumed carbonated beverages and soft beer in Iran on enamel microhardness of intact deciduous canine teeth.Materials& Methods: In this in vitro study, 30 human deciduous canine teeth, free of cracks, caries, wear and hypo calcification, were divided into 3 groups randomly. A 2× 2-mm square of the labial surface enamel of teeth in each group was exposed to 40 mL of one of the fresh drinks for 5 minutes. The microhardness of the teeth was measured in each group by the application of a 50-gr force with the use of microhardness test equipment. Microhardness changes were evaluated in each group with paired t-test and between groups with one-way ANOVA. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the 30 test areas on each tooth in each group.Results: The mean enamel microhardness after immersion in Zamzam Cola and Behnoosh lemon Delester decreased enamel surface microhardness up to 18.1% and 13.3%, respectively. Tap water did not have a significant effect on enamel surface microhardness (p value=0.05). There was a significant difference in the decrease in enamel microhardness between the beverages tested (p value=0.001).Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, enamel microhardness decreased after application of Zamzam ColaÒ and Behnoosh lemon DelesterÒ in vitro, with a greater decrease with the use of Zamzam Cola compared to Delester.

Introduction: Currently chronic periodontitis is known as a bacterial infection; however, some systemic diseases can play a role in the initiation and progression of periodontal diseases. Recent studies have shown the effect of periodontal diseases on systemic conditions, including acute myocardial infarction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible relationship between chronic periodontitis and acute myocardial infarction.Materials& Methods: In this cross-sectional/ analytical study, 60 subjects consisting of 20 patients with clinically confirmed AMI, 20 patients with coronary problem without AMI and 20 healthy subjects were evaluated (10 males and 10 females in each group). The subjects were 40‒65 years of age. All the subjects underwent a periodontal examination for attachment loss, gingival bleeding, tooth mobility grades, plaque index and furcal involvement. Data were analyzed with ANOVA using SPSS (a=0.05).Results: Comparison of the 3 groups revealed significant differences in the mean clinical attachment los (p value=0.002), bleeding on probing (p value=0.023) and tooth loss (p value=0.048). There were no significant differences in plaque index (p value=0.24) and tooth mobility (p value=0.91) between the study groups.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, periodontal disease might be considered a risk factor acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Xerostomia is the most common manifestation of salivary gland diseases, which is caused by a decrease in salivary flow rate or by a change in the biomechanical composition of saliva. Dentists should be able to diagnose this condition and administer appropriate treatments for their patients. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of dentists about xerostomia.Materials& Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study evaluated the knowledge of 130 dentists by a questionnaire containing 22 questions in 4 sections, including the general aspects of salivary glands and causes, symptoms and treatment modalities of xerostomia. The relation between different aspects of questionnaire and dentists' age and job experience was evaluated with Kruskal-Wallis test. In addition, the dentists' knowledge about these aspects was evaluated with Mann-Whitney test (a=0.05).Results: Of 130 participants in this study, 13 (%56.2) were male and 57 (%43.8) were female. The mean age of the participants was 39±1.01 years. The mean of their job experience was 12±0.93 years. The mean score on the causes of xerostomia was 4.2 (from a maximum of 7), the mean score on symptom was 2.05 (from a maximum of 4) and the mean score of knowledge on treatment was 4.05 (from a maximum of 7); the total score was 12 (from a maximum of 22). There was no significant correlation between knowledge about causes and symptoms and age and job experience. However, there was an inverse and significant correlation between knowledge on treatment and age (p value=0.048). In addition, there was a significant correlation between knowledge about causes and gender (p value=0.006). In this evaluation females provided better replies compared to males.Conclusion: This study showed that the level of Shirazi dentist's knowledge was moderate and it is necessary to promote the knowledge of dentists in this respect.

Introduction: Tooth caries is a most prevalent infectious disease in children. The purpose of this study was to assess caries experience status among 7-12 year old students in Bovair Ahmad township, Iran, 2014.Materials & Methods: In a Cross-sectional and analytical study, 460 children were randomly selected from primary schools of Yasuj city and surrounding villages. After signed informed consent form by parents, the children were clinically examined at school by a dental team. Demographical, socio-economical and teeth caries statuses were gathered by a questioner and a dental chart. The data were analyzed using Chi–square, Proportion, Mann-Whitney, correlation and Kruskal-Wallis tests (a=0.05). The SPSS software version 22 was used to extract the outputs.Results: Dental caries prevalence of deciduous, permanent and their sum in the children were 75.2, 41.1 and 89.8 percent, respectively. The prevalence of dental caries in boys was significantly higher than girls (p value=0.032). Caries prevalence in permanent teeth in rural children was significantly higher than that in children of urban area (p value=0.001). dmft, DMFT and dmft+DMFT means were 3.57, 0.87, and 4.44, respectively. There was a direct and significant correlation between DMFT and children's age (r=0.254, p value=0.001). DMFT and dmft+DMFT in rural children were higher (p value=0.001 and p value=0.017, respectively).Conclusion: Prevalence and severity of dental caries among 7- 12 year-old children in Yasuj were higher than the WHO standards. The tooth caries experiences were more prevalent in boys, in children resident in rural areas and in older ages.

Introduction: Considering the possible damage of thyroid in radiographic examinations, use of thyroid shields has been recommended but there is general concern about the effects of thyroid shields on the diagnosis of anatomical landmarks, which was addressed in this study.Materials& Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study two groups of lateral cephalograms, consisting of 50 lateral cephalograms without a thyroid shield and 50 lateral cephalograms with a thyroid shield, retrieved from an oral radiology center archives in Isfahan were evaluated. The lateral cephalograms had been taken with a Cranex-D Ceph (Soredex, Finland) direct digital radiography system. A total of 15 landmarks were identified on the lateral cephalograms by 2 blinded observers. Inter-observer variance was analyzed with Mann-Whitney test (a=0.05).Results: All the 15 landmarks on lateral cephalograms without the use of a thyroid shield were identified by 2 observers. Only 12 of the 15 landmarks were identified in patients with a thyroid shield, with no significant differences between the two observers (p value>0.05).Conclusion: The landmarks that were covered by thyroid shield were the hyoid bone and the second and third cervical vertebrae. However, these landmarks are used for the analysis of skeletal maturity index (SMI). Therefore use of thyroid shields is recommended during cephalometric radiography.

Introduction: Precise evaluation of dental developmental stages is a part of diagnosis and treatment of children's diseases and is also used in forensic dentistry. Of radiological methods to estimate dental age in children, Nolla's method was preferred in the present study.However, Nolla’s standards have been derived from the American population and may not be applicable to other populations. The aim of this study was to determine chronological and dental ages based on diagnostic technique of Nolla in a group of Iranian children in Babol, aged 8 to 14 years.Materials& Methods: In this descriptive/analytical cross-sectional study, dental development was evaluated based on Nolla’s method on 420 panoramic radiographic images of children aged 8‒years without any developmental anomalies. The children were assigned to 14 groups based on sex and chronological age. The dental ages of 32 teeth in each case were estimated by two specialists based on Nolla's developmental stages. Data were analyzed with SPSS 16 using paired t-test (a=0.05).Results: In this study the dental ages of males were closer to those depicted by Nolla compared to females and with aging the derived data became moreconsistent with Nolla’s estimates (p value>0.05). Nearly in all the teeth, the mean dental age of males was lower than that of females (p value>0.05).Conclusion: The standards of Nolla on American children need some modifications and new standards to be used for children in Babol, Iran.

Introduction: Some dental procedures cause more bleeding in patients with bleeding disorders, who use anticoagulants. Therefore, it is necessary to become familiar with control bleeding disease in such patients. Considering the importance of this issue, the aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of dentists and dentistry students in this respect.Materials& Methods: Ninety dentists and sixty dentistry students of Shiraz Dental School were randomly selected for the purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive/analytical study in 2014. The knowledge of these two groups of subjects was evaluated in different aspects by using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS 20.Results: Eighty dentists and 55 dentistry students completed the questionnaires. The mean knowledge scores for these two groups of dentists and dentistry students were 5.3±2.31 and 7.3±3.2, respectively, of a total possible score of 15. The knowledge of half of the dentists was poor and the rest had moderate knowledge; 21.4% of dentistry students had poor, 64.36% had moderate and 14.3% had good knowledge. The knowledge of participants exhibited an inverse relation with their age.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the knowledge of dentists and dentistry students was not favorable.

Introduction: Congenital missing of maxillary lateral incisors comprises a high percentage of missing cases of the human teeth. If the remaining space of the missing lateral incisors large, fixed prostheses, implants or transplantation of premolars can be used. However, if the space is small and orthodontic treatment is not possible, the treatment will consist of reshaping the canine into a lateral incisor.Case presentation: In this paper, a number of such cases will be explained.Conclusion: If there is no space between the canine and lateral incisor, the treatment will consist of reshaping the canine crown to transform it into a lateral incisor. However, if there is a large gap between these two teeth, in addition to reshaping of canines, it might be necessary to add restorative materials to the proximal surfaces of the adjacent teeth to close the diastema. This therapy has some advantages such as ease, low cost, saving time, and the possibility of making modifications; however, the patients might be required to visit the dental office several times to modify the restoration.