The effects of a therapy dog intervention on dental fear and anxiety in adult patients undergoing dental procedures: a pilot study.

Dental anxiety poses challenges for providing effective oral healthcare. While therapy dogs have shown promise in various medical and mental health contexts, their use for alleviating dental anxiety in adults remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the emotional and physiologic effects of therapy dogs on self-reported dental anxiety.

Differences in Perceived Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Military Dental Postgraduate Residents.

Introduction: In military training settings, stress can improve focus and motivation fostering effective learning. However, high perceived stress can be debilitating resulting in poor learning and clinical errors. Multiple studies have focused on medical residency stress; but there has been minimal focus on dental residents and even less on the impact of the unique stressors from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Impact of a Pandemic on a Military Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Biopsy Service.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the resulting societal reaction presented new challenges to the medical community by limiting patient access to care in 2020 and 2021. The Navy Postgraduate Dental School (NPDS) oral and maxillofacial pathology biopsy service is dependent on in-office physician or dentist appointments and patient biopsies. The purpose of this study was to understand the regulatory and societal impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on biopsy service submissions by assessing NPDS biopsy submission quantities and disease distribution.

Shade matching and blending capabilities of a new single-shade composite: an in vivo study.

Demand for direct esthetic restorations is high, but shade matching can be challenging. Some manufacturers claim that a single product is able to match all colors of the human dentition, eliminating shade matching challenges. This in vivo study, which followed the International Commission on Illumination's (CIE) CIEDE2000 color difference standard (ΔE), aimed to quantify the shade matching and blending capabilities of a single-shade composite (Omnichroma PLT) used as a direct veneer.

Effect of ultrasonic vibration on the presence of voids in core build-up materials.

The core build-up procedure is utilized to restore teeth with limited remaining coronal tooth structure. However, voids have been observed radiographically within composite resin- and glass ionomer-based core build-ups, potentially compromising the mechanical strength of a fully restored tooth and requiring build-up replacement before a final restoration can be delivered. The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine whether applying ultrasonic vibration during core build-up placement reduces the presence of radiographically detectable voids.

Comparative in vitro study of commercially available products for alveolar ridge preservation.

Background: Ridge preservation is performed by placing a biocompatible product, following tooth extraction, to maintain bone volume. However, current ridge preservation therapies do not always maintain the volume required for future implant placement. Variations in surgical technique and material selection contribute to determining clinical outcomes.

The Effect of Simulated Field Storage Conditions on Dental Restorative Materials for Military Field Use.

Introduction: Dental readiness, one critical component of medical readiness, is adversely impacted by dental emergencies. Many dental emergencies require restorative materials such as glass ionomers, resins, and zinc oxide eugenols to remedy them. The Authorized Dental Allowance List (ADAL) and Authorized Medical Allowance List (AMAL) contain the equipment and materials used by Navy dentists to treat Sailors and Marines.

Construction of a genetically modified T7Select phage system to express the antimicrobial peptide 1018.

Bacteriophage therapy was an ascendant technology for combating bacterial infections before the golden age of antibiotics, but the therapeutic potential of phages was largely ignored after the discovery of penicillin. Recently, with antibiotic-resistant infections on the rise, these phages are receiving renewed attention to combat problematic bacterial infections. Our approach is to enhance bacteriophages with antimicrobial peptides, short peptides with broad-spectrum antibiotic or antibiofilm effects.

Optimization of a peptide extraction and LC-MS protocol for quantitative analysis of antimicrobial peptides.

We optimized a peptide extraction and LC-MS protocol for identification and quantification of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in biological samples. Amphipathic AMPs were extracted with various concentrations of ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, formic acid, acetic acid or trichloroacetic acid in water. Yields were significantly greater for extraction with 66.

Evidence for a serum factor that initiates the re-calcification of demineralized bone.

The present studies show for the first time that demineralized bone re-calcifies rapidly when incubated at 37 degrees C in rat serum: re-calcification can be demonstrated by Alizarin Red and von Kossa stains, by depletion of serum calcium, and by uptake of calcium and phosphate by bone matrix. Re-calcification is specific for the type I collagen matrix structures that were calcified in the original bone, with no evidence for calcification in periosteum or cartilage. Re-calcification ceases when the amount of calcium and phosphate introduced into the matrix is comparable to that present in the original bone prior to demineralization, and the re-calcified bone is palpably hard.