JOURNAL OF ORAL HEALTH AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Year:2024 | Volume:13 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Diagnostic error is an important problem in healthcare centers. This definition includes any failure in making possible differential diagnosis; specialty referral and timely treatment. The most frequently misdiagnoses were hyperkeratotic lesions, focal inflammatory hyperplasia, periapical cyst/granuloma and cancerous lesions.The most incorrect diagnosis made by general dental practitioners was atrophic candidiasis, followed by mucous membrane pemphigoid, atrophic and erosive forms of lichen planus, squamous cell carcinoma. One of the main reasons for these diagnostic errors is the lack of sufficient information about non-dental issues among dentists and physicians, including lesions of the oral mucosa.The next reason is inadequate awareness of oral health and related specialties such as oral medicine among healthcare providers. Only 60% of medical practitioners were aware of the oral medicine specialty, and more than half of those had never referred patients to an oral medicine specialist. Nevertheless, it has been noted that 83.3% of physicians who referred patients to oral medicine specialists had a satisfactory experience. Oral Medicine is a specialized field of dentistry that by the definition of the American Academy of Oral Medicine is responsible for the diagnosis and non-surgical management of conditions affecting the oral mucosa, salivary gland diseases, orofacial pain, and the dental treatment of patients with underlying medical disorders.Recently, the definition of Oral Medicine has been expanded by the World Dental Parliament in 2016. The new definition encompasses three key domains: disease and condition status, psychosocial status, and physiological function. This updated definition moves beyond the traditional focus on the presence or absence of disease alone. It now includes the consideration of a patient's psychosocial well-being and physiological functioning. This promotes a more holistic, patient-centered approach, where the patient's values and preferences are also taken into account.

BackgroundHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents the largest proportion of head and neck cancers (HNCs). Despite new treatment modalities, the 5-year survival rate has not improved much. Identifying the factors affecting the prognosis and survival of patients is the first step in trying to improve the prognosis of these patients. The aim of this review was to investigate prognostic factors of HNSCC in Iran.MethodsA web-based search of all original articles conducted in Iran until October 2022 on prognostic factors of HNSCC was done using English and Persian language databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, IranMedex, etc. The data were categorized according to clinical, histopathological and treatment parameters.ResultsA total of 7 articles related to the aim of this study were found. Age and regular periodic follow-ups were common prognostic factors in three studies. The results about factors such as the tumor staging and treatment method were contradictory among different studies. It seems that some factors such as gender, microscopic grading, and patient and professional delay in cancer management have no effect on the prognosis of this group of patients. Conclusions on some factors, such as P53 and EGFR expression and body mass index, also seem to require further investigation.ConclusionAge and regular periodic follow-ups are among the common prognostic factors that have been mentioned in different studies. In order to improve the survival of HNSCC patients, diagnosis at lower ages and early stages of the tumor along with periodic evaluations after cancer treatment, seems necessary.

Background: Some bacteria and viruses cause thyroid gland inflammation. Periodontal diseases lead to the production of numerous bacteria in the mouth that spread to other tissues and organs, causing infection in those sites. This investigation's goal was to the correlation between thyroid abnormalities with periodontal disorders.Methods: The research study was carried out on 96 patients who provided blood samples from the total of 1012 applicants who enrolled to the periodontology clinic. The patients were categorized into 4 categories based on their age: (i) ages ranging 0-20, (ii) ages ranging 21-40, (iii) ages ranging 41–60, and (iv) ages over 61. In addition, they were additionally divided into three groups according to both TSH and FT4 levels: The TSHa and FT4a group included patients with below-normal values, the TSHb and FT4b group included patients with normal TSH and FT4 values, and the TSHc and FT4c group included patients with above-normal TSH and FT4 values. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21. Frequency analysis and the Mann-Whitney U Analyses were utilized for statistical analysis., and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The median TSH and FT4 levels of the patients were 1.98  1.28 mIU/L and 1.19  0.32 mIU/L, in that order there were no significant statistical differences seen in TSH and FT4 levels between genders or age groups. According to their FT4 and TSH levels, 7.3% of the patients had subclinical hypothyroidism and 4.2% had subclinical hyperthyroidism. In total, 11.5% of the patients had thyroid dysfunction.Conclusion: The results indicated that thyroid dysfunction was present in a remarkably high proportion of patients (11.5%).

Background and aimThe study aimed to determine the level of knowledge of Trakya University Faculty of Dentistry 4th and 5th grade students about the diagnosis and clinical management of dental traumatic injuries and to evaluate the effects of factors such as the students' age, gender, and study period.MethodsTotal of 180 participants who were students in Trakya University Faculty of Dentistry were evaluated in 2022. The questionnaire comprised three chapters: the first chapter contained sociodemographic information, the second chapter contained general information such as trauma history, clinical experience, dental trauma education, and self-assessment of dental trauma knowledge, while the third chapter contained questions about the clinical management of dental trauma. Questionnaire reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, which was found to be 0.717. This indicates acceptable internal consistency (0.8 > α ≥ 0.7).The survey data underwent analysis using the chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney U Test, and multiple regression analysis.ResultsA total 180 dentistry students in Trakya University participated in the survey. While 90.6% of the participants stated that they had not experienced any dental injury while continuing their education, 50.6% stated that they witnessed dental injury. 71.1% of the participants reported having a moderate level of knowledge regarding dental injuries.The results about clinical management of dental trauma showed that median level of case knowledge of the participants was 11. Considering that the highest score that can be obtained is 20, the participants are considered to have moderate case knowledge.When case knowledge level differed according to socio-demographic characteristics, it also differed significantly according to gender (z=-3.811; p<.01). The case knowledge score (med=12) of the female participants is higher than the score of the male participants (med=10).ConclusionThe knowledge of dental students about the management of dental trauma was accepted but moderate.

Background: The present work deals with examine the awareness and attitudes of specialists of oral diseases, pathology and maxillofacial surgery in 2022 in oral exfoliative cytology.Methods: This study was an analytical and cross-sectional research. The statistical population of the present study was Iranian oral diseases specialists, pathologists and maxillofacial surgeons. A researcher-made questionnaire was given to the specialists by senior student and then they were asked to complete it . The questionnaire was given to people by the final year student. The obtained results were analyzed using the T-test, Chi-Square and SPSS-18 Software. The significance level in data analysis was considered by P <0.05 level.Results: A total of 210 questionnaires were distributed in the study, of which 192 were examined (Response Rate = 91.4%). The study revealed that only 18 participants used exfoliative cytology technique. Moreover, 62% of people had a positive attitude towards the application and performance of cytology. There was a significant relationship between the positive attitude, field of study, graduation year and age. The mean scores of awareness in men and women were 32.38 ± 4.21 and 34.42 ± 3.89 , respectively. The participants had a high level of awareness and attitude towards this technique.Additionally, the mean score of awareness in oral specialists, surgeons and pathologists was 33.12±4.23, 33.65±5.12 and 33.45±5.34, respectively. The study revealed no significant relationship between awareness score, field of study and gender. Nonetheless, there was a significant relationship between graduation year, age and awareness score.Conclusion: The study revealed that only 9.4 percent of participants used exfoliative cytology technique. However, they had a high level of awareness and attitude towards this technique.Keywords: Awareness, Attitude, Exfoliative Cytology, Dentistry

Background: Dental caries is a serious public health problem significantly affecting oral health. Though there have been many advancements in treating dental caries, complete prevention of dental caries is still beyond reach. Several risk factors are associated with caries formation and progression. Previous studies have been conducted on dental caries and the efficiency of diagnosis using subjective and objective methodologies. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the contradictions in results of subjective and objective interpretations.Methods : A descriptive study was carried out in the clinical setting of rural areas near Chengalpattu. Using convenience sampling, 285 samples were collected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria within the age range of 7–20 years. The subjects were selected from the Outpatient Department of Karpaga Vinayaka Institute of Dental Sciences. . American Dental Association (ADA) questionnaires were used for subjective caries risk assessment, unstimulated salivary samples were collected to measure salivary pH for objective caries risk assessment, and DMFT and def indices were measured for reference. After data collection, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. Chi-square and Pearson correlation tests were performed to find the statistical differences, and a correlation was found between subjective and objective assessment results. Results : In this study, the correlation between objective risk assessment based on salivary pH and actual caries status was slightly better (r = 0.159) than other risk assessment methods (r = 0.050). Moreover, a negative correlation was found between subjective and objective caries risk assessment (r = - 0.062).Conclusion: The study findings show a negative correlation between subjective and objective assessment. Objective caries risk assessment using salivary pH was positively correlated with actual caries status.

Background: Resin Composite materials are widely used in daily clinical dentistry because of their moderate cost compared with ceramics, easy placement, adequate esthetics, ability to bond with enamel and dentine, and physico-chemical properties. Bulk-fill composite materials were introduced to reduce chairside time. These materials have properties such as optimal bond strength, decreased polymerization shrinkage, and reduced cuspal deflection. This in-vivo study compared the clinical performance of three different class II resin composite restorations.Methods: Seventy-one patients (41 females and 30 males) aged 20–43 years with at least three approximal caries were included in the present study. Two hundred twenty-three teeth with approximal caries were restored with two bulk-fill composites (Tetric-N Ceram Bulk fill [TEC], Filtek Bulk Fill [FB]) and a posterior resin composite (Gradia Direct Posterior [GDP]). Two experienced dentists clinically evaluated the restorations with a 5x magnification loupe using the modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria at baseline and at 24 months.Results: The chi-square test was performed for statistical analysis. The cumulative retention rate for all restorations at 24 months was 90.5%. Retention loss was observed for three TEC (6.1%), four FB (8.2), and seven GDP (14%) restorations. There was no statistically significant difference among the three resin composite restoration groups in color match, marginal adaptation, surface roughness, marginal discoloration, anatomical form, and secondary caries criteria (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Bulk-fill composite restorations in class II slot cavities have the same clinical results as traditional posterior composite restorations.

Background and aim: Supernumerary teeth are described as the teeth formed in excess of the number found in a normal dentition. Prevalence of supernumerary teeth varies from 0.1% to 3.8% in the permanent dentition and from 0.3% to 0.6% in the primary dentition. The purpose of this case series is to present two cases of non-syndromic supernumerary fourth molar in the oral cavity of two male and female patients.Case Report: In this study, two rare supernumerary fourth molar cases are described. Both of the cases were asymptomatic and impacted in the maxillary arch. A routine panoramic radiograph revealed the presence of them for the first time. The medical and familial records of the patients were non-contributory, and an extraoral examination did not reveal any abnormalities.Conclusion: It is rare to find well-developed impacted supernumerary teeth in individuals with no other associated diseases or syndromes. A practitioner should be aware of the different types of supernumerary teeth and management according to the type and their possible complications.