Relationship Between Lower Esophageal Sphincter Muscles Thickness and Their Response to Pneumatic Dilation in Patients With Achalasia.

Background: Prognostic factors play a major role in managing achalasia patients treated with pneumatic dilatation (PD) and understanding the pathophysiology of the disease. In this regard, the muscular thickness of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) has drawn attention in recently published studies.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed achalasia were included consecutively in this study, and Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) was used to determine the thickness of longitudinal and circular muscles of LES.

Two-year survival analysis of twisted wire fixed retainer versus spiral wire and fiber-reinforced composite retainers: a preliminary explorative single-blind randomized clinical trial.

Objective: Traditional retainers (both metal and fiber-reinforced composite [FRC]) have limitations, and a retainer made from more flexible ligature wires might be advantageous. We aimed to compare an experimental design with two traditional retainers.

Methods: In this prospective preliminary clinical trial, 150 post-treatment patients were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups of 50 patients each to receive mandibular canine-to-canine retainers made of FRC, flexible spiral wire (FSW), and twisted wire (TW).

Effects of two erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers and conventional treatments as composite surface abrasives on the shear bond strength of metal brackets bonded to composite resins.

Background: Bonding brackets to dental surfaces restored with composites are increasing. No studies to date have assessed the efficacy of laser irradiation in roughening of composite and the resulted shear bond strength (SBS) of the bonded bracket. We assessed, for the 1(st) time, the efficacy of two laser beams compared with conventional methods.