Impact of COVID-19 on Dental Practices in El Salvador and Mexico: A Comprehensive Survey Analysis.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationship between prevention measures and protective barriers in dental practice in El Salvador and Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Materials And Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted from June 2020 to December 2021, involving 1,719 dentists divided into four groups based on location and year. A 20-question survey in Spanish was utilized and validated with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.

Radiosterilized Pig Skin, Silver Nanoparticles and Skin Cells as an Integral Dressing Treatment for Burns: Development, Pre-Clinical and Clinical Pilot Study.

Radiosterilized pig skin (RPS) has been used as a dressing for burns since the 1980s. Its similarity to human skin in terms of the extracellular matrix (ECM) allows the attachment of mesenchymal stem cells, making it ideal as a scaffold to create cellularized constructs. The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been proven to be an appropriate alternative to the use of antibiotics and a potential solution against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Osteoregeneration of Critical-Size Defects Using Hydroxyapatite-Chitosan and Silver-Chitosan Nanocomposites.

Bone is a natural nanocomposite composed of proteins and minerals that can regenerate itself. However, there are conditions in which this process is impaired, such as extensive bone defects and infections of the bone or surrounding tissue. This study evaluates the osteoregenerative capacity of bone grafting materials in animals with induced bone defects.

Traumatic dental injuries in 6 to 12 years old schoolchildren: a multicenter cross-sectional study in Mexico.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental trauma in schoolchildren 6 to 12 years of age and associated clinical, sociodemographic, and socioeconomic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 477 children from public elementary schools in four locations in Mexico. The dependent variable was dental trauma, which was dichotomized in 0 = without dental trauma and 1 = with dental trauma.

Two Methods of AuNPs Synthesis Induce Differential Vascular Effects. The Role of the Endothelial Glycocalyx.

AuNPs are synthesized through several methods to tune their physicochemical properties. Although AuNPs are considered biocompatible, a change in morphology or properties can modify their biological impact. In this work, AuNPs (~12 to 16 nm) capping with either sodium citrate (CA) or gallic acid (GA) were evaluated in a rat aorta model, which endothelial inner layer surface is formed by glycocalyx (hyaluronic acid, HA, as the main component), promoting vascular processes, most of them dependent on nitric oxide (NO) production.

Antimicrobial Activity of 3D-Printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Polymer-Coated with Silver Nanoparticles.

Medical devices with antimicrobial properties are a potential long-term solution to the high rate of multi-drug-resistant healthcare-associated infections. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are an established agent for effectively eliminating a wide range of microbial strains. AgNPs have been commonly incorporated into traditional plastic materials; however, recently, there has been increased interest in using AgNPs combined with 3D-printing technology for medical devices due to the accessibility and customizability of 3D-printed products.

Effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on isolated rat tracheal segments.

The AuNPs have been used in biomedicine as therapeutic tools for cancer. However, its role in the context of respiratory physiology has been little studied. This study aimed to determine the impact of AuNPs on respiratory smooth muscle tone, using a model of isolated tracheal rings from female and male rats precontracted with acetylcholine (ACh).

Proteomic analysis of an Enterococcus faecalis mutant generated against the exposure to silver nanoparticles.

Introduction: Nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely studied as an alternative to antibiotic use due to their antimicrobial properties at lower concentrations. Enterococcus faecalis is a facultative Gram-positive microorganism inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. It can also be present in other environments such as the oral cavity, water, sewage, soil and food.

Presence of SARS-CoV-2 and Its Entry Factors in Oral Tissues and Cells: A Systematic Review.

: The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current data about the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its entry factors in oral tissues and cells. : This systematic review was carried out based on the Preferred Reporting Items for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Three databases were analyzed (Pubmed, Web of science and Scopus) by three independent researchers.

Should We Be Concerned about the Association of Diabetes Mellitus and Periodontal Disease in the Risk of Infection by SARS-CoV-2? A Systematic Review and Hypothesis.

The objective of this article was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to contrast the existing evidence regarding the relationship between periodontal disease (PD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) with the possibly increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as to establish a hypothesis that explains the ways in which this interaction could take place. A literature search up from 1 January 2020 to 21 March 2021 was conducted in three electronic databases, namely, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, in order to identify studies on periodontal disease alone or in conjunction with diabetes mellitus, reporting any relation with SARS-CoV-2 infection as a primary outcome. Only articles published in the English language were included.

Levels of matrix metalloproteinase-8 and cold test in reversible and irreversible pulpitis.

Researchers have reported false positive/negative results of the cold test in the diagnosis of pulpitis. Knowledge of the correlation between results of the cold test and proteins could aid in decreasing the frequency of incorrect diagnosis. To associate the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) with the responses (in seconds) to the cold test in teeth diagnosed with reversible and irreversible pulpitis.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene polymorphisms as exacerbating factors of apical periodontitis.

Background: Two polymorphisms in the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene have been associated with inflammatory diseases (-794 CATT5-8 and -173G>C); however, so far there are no reports of studies related to oral health.

Objectives: To genotype the -794 CATT5-8 and -173G>C MIF polymorphisms in Mexican patients with apical periodontitis as a genetic risk of exacerbation.

Material And Methods: The study involved 120 patients with apical periodontitis: 60 with a diagnosis of acute apical periodontitis (Group A) and 60 without previous episodes of exacerbation (Group B).

Expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide and pulp sensitivity tests in irreversible pulpitis.

The aim of the present study was to identify the relationship between the expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and the responses of pulp sensitivity tests in healthy pulps and irreversible pulps by performing a cross-sectional study on patients. Two hundred subjects were evaluated. A total of 75 subjects complied with the criteria.

Hydrogel-embedded gold nanorods activated by plasmonic photothermy with potent antimicrobial activity.

Plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) has been used as an alternative to chemotherapy for the elimination of resistant microorganisms; however, its in situ evaluation has not been well studied. In the present study, we assessed the antimicrobial activity of a chitosan-based hydrogel embedded with gold nanorods (Ch/AuNRs) using a low power infrared diode laser. The antibacterial activity was measured in both Gram-positive and -negative strains, including clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Diagnostic accuracy of three placement sites for the cold test in subjects amongst different age groups.

Background: The cold test is a specific test of pulp sensitivity and is part of the endodontic diagnosis. The aim of this study was to identify the diagnostic accuracy including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value in three sites for the cold test in teeth with a need for endodontic treatment within different age groups from both genders.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed, evaluating 425 subjects.

Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Resistance to Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles.

The increase in bacterial resistance to one or several antibiotics has become a global health problem. Recently, nanomaterials have become a tool against multidrug-resistant bacteria. The metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are one of the most studied nanomaterials against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Effective control of biofilms by photothermal therapy using a gold nanorod hydrogel.

Biofilms are matrices synthesized by bacteria containing polysaccharides, DNA, and proteins. The development of biofilms in infectious processes can induce a chronic inflammatory response that may progress to the destruction of tissues. The treatment of biofilms is difficult because they serve as a bacterial mechanism of defense and high doses of antibiotics are necessary to treat these infections with limited positive results.

Evaluation of anti-biofilm and cytotoxic effect of a gel formulation with Pluronic F-127 and silver nanoparticles as a potential treatment for skin wounds.

The skin wounds cause serious burden to healthcare systems. The lack of sterility of the innate barrier function of the skin facilitates the development of microbial communities within the wound environment especially in biofilm form. Since biofilm is difficult to eradicate, new treatments have been established, such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties have been studied, nevertheless, their toxic effects are known too.

In Vitro Synergism of Silver Nanoparticles with Antibiotics as an Alternative Treatment in Multiresistant Uropathogens.

The increase in the prevalence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become one of the main health problems worldwide, thus threatening the era of antibiotics most frequently used in the treatment of infections. The need to develop new therapeutic strategies against multidrug resistant microorganisms, such as the combination of selected antimicrobials, can be considered as a suitable alternative. The in vitro activities of two groups of conventional antimicrobial agents alone and in combination with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were investigated against a set of ten multidrug resistant clinical isolate and two references strains by MIC assays and checkerboard testing, as well as their cytotoxicity, which was evaluated on human fibroblasts by MTT assay at the same concentration of the antimicrobial agents alone and in combination.

Association between dental hygiene, gingivitis and overweight or the risk of overweight in primary teeth of 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers in México.

Objective: To determine the association between dental hygiene, gingivitis and overweight or the risk of overweight according to body mass index (BMI).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 1527 preschoolers. The children were divided into 4 groups: (i) absence of visible plaque and normal weight; (ii) absence of visible plaque and risk of overweight or overweight; (iii) presence of visible plaque and normal weight; and (iv) presence of visible plaque and risk of overweight or overweight.