Lesion Detection in Optical Coherence Tomography with Transformer-Enhanced Detector.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging imaging tool in healthcare with common applications in ophthalmology for the detection of retinal diseases and in dentistry for the early detection of tooth decay. Speckle noise is ubiquitous in OCT images, which can hinder diagnosis by clinicians. In this paper, a region-based, deep learning framework for the detection of anomalies is proposed for OCT-acquired images.

Characterisation of a Bioactive SiO-CaO-CaF-NaO Glass Used in Composites.

Objectives: To characterise the ion release, pH changes and apatite formation of a phosphate free bioactive glass.

Methods: A SiO-CaO-CaF-NaO glass was synthesized by a melt route with a composition close to the reactive glass in the commercial Cention N® composite. The glass was characterized after immersion in three media: Artificial Saliva pH4 (AS4) Artificial Saliva pH7 (AS7) and in a high phosphate artificial saliva at pH6.

The influence of mild versus severe hypodontia on facial soft tissues? A three-dimensional optical laser scanning-based cohort study.

Objective: To determine whether there are differences in the facial soft tissue morphology between participants with mild (up to two) or severe (six or more) hypodontia.

Design And Setting: A prospective hospital-based cohort study.

Participants And Methods: Ninety-two participants, aged 11-16 years, with confirmed hypodontia were recruited.

The FiCTION trial: Child oral health-related quality of life and dental anxiety across three treatment strategies for managing caries in young children.

Objectives: The FiCTION trial compared co-primary outcomes (dental pain and/or infection) and secondary outcomes (child oral health-related quality of life [COHRQOL], child dental anxiety, cost-effectiveness, caries development/progression and acceptability) across three treatment strategies (Conventional with Prevention [C + P]; Biological with Prevention [B + P]; Prevention Alone [PA]) for managing caries in children in primary care. COHRQOL and child dental anxiety experiences are reported upon here.

Methods: A multi-centre, 3-arm, parallel-group, unblinded patient-randomized controlled trial of 3- to 7-year-olds treated under NHS contracts was conducted in 72 general dental practices in England, Wales and Scotland.

Best-practice prevention alone or with conventional or biological caries management for 3- to 7-year-olds: the FiCTION three-arm RCT.

Background: Historically, lack of evidence for effective management of decay in primary teeth has caused uncertainty, but there is emerging evidence to support alternative strategies to conventional fillings, which are minimally invasive and prevention orientated.

Objectives: The objectives were (1) to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three strategies for managing caries in primary teeth and (2) to assess quality of life, dental anxiety, the acceptability and experiences of children, parents and dental professionals, and caries development and/or progression.

Design: This was a multicentre, three-arm parallel-group, participant-randomised controlled trial.

A randomized clinical trial comparing Hall vs conventional technique in placing preformed metal crowns from Sudan.

Despite the high success rates of preformed metal crowns (PMCs) in children no randomized clinical trials compare methods of placement and none describe its use in Africa. Our aim was to compare survival and cost-effectiveness of PMCs placed by conventional techniques (CT) and biological Hall techniques (HT) using a prospective randomized control trial in a general dental practice from Khartoum. One hundred and nine and 103 PMCs were placed in randomly selected children (5-8years) with 1-2 carious primary molars using HT and CT respectively and followed for 2 years.

Estimating age using permanent molars and third cervical vertebrae shape with a novel semi-automated method.

Estimating chronological age accurately in young adults is difficult and additional methods are required to increase the accuracy. This study explored a new semi-automated method to assess shape change of third cervical vertebra (C3) with age in the living; comparing this as a method to determine whether individuals could be categorised into being less than 18 years of age (<18), or at least 18 years of age (≥18) with tooth formation of the second and third mandibular molars (M2 and M3). The sample was panoramic and lateral skull radiographs of 174 dental patients (78 males, 96 females aged 15-22 years).

A Novel Kinetic Method to Measure Apparent Solubility Product of Bulk Human Enamel.

Tooth enamel mineral loss is influenced by its solubility product value, which is fundamental to the understanding of de- and remineralization resulting from a carious or erosive challenge. Published pKsp values for human enamel and hydroxyapatite range from 110 to 126 suggesting a heterogeneous nature of enamel solubility. However, this range of values may also result from the variety of methods used, e.

How do foster carers manage the oral health of children in foster care? A qualitative study.

Objectives: This qualitative study explored how the foster family environment influenced children's oral health. It also aimed to better understand foster carers' oral health knowledge, attitudes and experiences of managing foster children's oral health behaviours and oral health care.

Methods: An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study design was used to recruit a purposive sample of foster carers in Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom, from a range of backgrounds (maximum variation sampling).

A new primary dental care service compared with standard care for child and family to reduce the re-occurrence of childhood dental caries (Dental RECUR): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: In England and Scotland, dental extraction is the single highest cause of planned admission to the hospital for children under 11 years. Traditional dental services have had limited success in reducing this disease burden. Interventions based on motivational interviewing have been shown to impact positively dental health behaviours and could facilitate the prevention of re-occurrence of dental caries in this high-risk population.

Canine Gouging: A Taboo Resurfacing in Migrant Urban Population.

Cosmopolitan cities have become a pool of migrants from different parts of the world, who carry their cultural beliefs and superstitions with them around the globe. Canine gouging is a kind of infant oral mutilation (IOM) which is widely practiced among rural population of Africa where the primary tooth bud of the deciduous canine is enucleated. The belief is that the life threatening illnesses in children like vomiting, diarrhoea, and fevers are caused by worms which infest on tooth buds.

A novel frameshift MSX1 mutation in a Saudi family with autosomal dominant premolar and third molar agenesis.

Objectives: In this study, the aim was to investigate a consanguineous Saudi family with non-syndromic premolars and third molars agenesis and to identify the causal mutation(s) using whole exome sequencing.

Design: Family phenotype and family pedigree were constructed from clinical and radiographic examinations. Whole exome sequencing was performed in two affected members of the Saudi family using the SureSelect Human all Exon 50 Mb kit (Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Synthesis and characterizations of a fluoride-releasing dental restorative material.

The aim was to develop an obturating material which has the tendency to release fluoride and minimize interfaces with tooth. Nano-fluorapatite (nFA) powder was synthesized by sol-gel. The composite based on polyurethane (PU) was obtained by chemically binding the nFA (10, 15, 20%wt/wt) to the diisocyanate component by utilizing in-situ polymerization.

A comparison of the mechanical properties of a modified silorane based dental composite with those of commercially available composite material.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of the nano-hydroxyapatite incorporated silorane composite material with the commercially available dental composites.

Methods: Filtek Silorane resin composite was incorporated with 5% and 10% nano-hydroxyapatite crystals and then mechanically tested in comparison along with the commercially available Filtek Silorane and Filtek Supreme XT after 1, 14, 30 and 90 days period.

Results: The mechanical tests revealed that the modified silorane based dental composite had a significant increase in the mechanical properties than the commercially available Filtek Silorane and Filtek Supreme XT.

Structural and in vitro adhesion analysis of a novel covalently coupled bioactive composite.

The interfacial adhesion between a restorative composite and tooth is one of the major factors that determine the ultimate performance of composite restoration. A novel polyurethane (PU) composite material was prepared by chemically binding the nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) to the diisocyanate component in the PU backbone by utilizing solvent polymerization. The procedure involved stepwise addition of monomeric units of the PU and optimizing the reagent concentrations.

Comparison of the visco-elastic behavior of a pre-impregnated reinforced glass fiber composite with resin-based composite.

Objectives: The visco-elastic behavior of a pre-impregnated reinforced glass fiber composite (everStick) was compared with a resin-based particulate composite (Filtek P60) by using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to determine their storage modulus (E') and damping ratio (tandelta).

Methods: These materials were subjected to three-point bend tests using a PerkinElmer DMA7. In temperature mode, the temperature was increased from 26 to 140 degrees C at 1 Hz.

The cost of treating children and adolescents with injuries to their permanent incisors at a dental hospital in the United Kingdom.

The aim was to estimate the total cost, including the direct costs (outpatient costs) and indirect costs (missed working day) of treating children and adolescents with traumatic injuries to their incisors. Factors such as the number of treatment visits and the success of outcome were also investigated. The sample was taken from patients who attended the dental trauma clinic at a London teaching hospital between 1990 and 2001.

The relationship between problem behaviour and traumatic dental injury amongst children aged 7-15 years old.

Aim: The aim of this study was to test whether dental injuries are related to problem behaviour. In addition, it aimed to confirm the relationship between dental injuries and size of overjet and type of lip coverage.

Methods: A hospital-based matched (age and sex) case-control design was adopted.