miRNA regulation of innate immunity.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA and are pivotal posttranscriptional regulators of both innate and adaptive immunity. They act by regulating the expression of multiple immune genes, thus, are the important elements to the complex immune regulatory network. Deregulated expression of specific miRNAs can lead to potential autoimmunity, immune tolerance, hyper-inflammatory phenotype, and cancer initiation and progression.

A Public Health Perspective on Paying for Dentistry, the Affordable Care Act, and Looking to the Future.

Health care costs have traditionally been provider generated whereas payment has been split between public and private sources. There has been little pressure on health care providers to demonstrate value. The quest for value in health care financing is now widely evident as demonstrated by governmental and private sector pursuits of a 3-part aim: better health outcomes at lower cost with improved patient and population experience.

Evaluation of the fit of zirconia copings fabricated by direct and indirect digital scanning procedures.

Statement Of Problem: Intraoral scanners are effective for direct digital scans when dental restorations are fabricated using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM); however, if the abutment tooth cannot be dried completely or the prepared margin is placed subgingivally, accurate digital images cannot always be guaranteed.

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the internal and marginal discrepancies of zirconia copings fabricated directly using an intraoral scanner with those fabricated indirectly with impression scanning.

Material And Methods: Forty-five resin dies fabricated with a 3-dimensional (3D) printer were divided into 3 groups: direct scanning (DS), impression scanning (IMP), and lost-wax casting (LW).

Advanced dental implant placement techniques.

The availability of in office Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scanners, dental implant planning software, CAD CAM milling, and rapid printing technologies allow for the precise placement of dental implants and immediate prosthetic temporization. These technologies allow for flapless implant placement, or open flap bone reduction for "All on 4" techniques with improved preoperative planning and intraoperative performance. CBCT permits practitioners in an office setting with powerful diagnostic capabilities for the evaluation of bone quality and quantity, as well as dental and osseous pathology essential for better informed dental implant treatment.

"Seniors only want respect": designing an oral health program for older adults.

Aim: Persistent socioeconomic disparities in the oral disease burden contribute to pain and suffering among vulnerable and underserved populations who face systemic barriers to access oral health care, including older adults living in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. The aim of this study is to gain the views of racial/ethnic minority older adults regarding what they believe would support them and their peers in visiting the dentist regularly.

Methods And Results: Focus groups were conducted and digitally audio-recorded from 2013 to 2015 with 194 racial/ethnic minority women and men aged 50 years and older living in northern Manhattan who participated in one of 24 focus group sessions about improving oral health for older adults.

Associations between health literacy, HIV-related knowledge, and information behavior among persons living with HIV in the Dominican Republic.

Objectives: To determine the health literacy levels of persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) at a health clinic in the Dominican Republic (DR) and assess associations between health literacy, HIV-related knowledge, and health information behavior (how patients need, seek, receive, and use information).

Design And Sample: Cross-sectional, descriptive. Participants were 107 PLWH attending the Clinic.

Estimating peer density effects on oral health for community-based older adults.

Background: As part of a long-standing line of research regarding how peer density affects health, researchers have sought to understand the multifaceted ways that the density of contemporaries living and interacting in proximity to one another influence social networks and knowledge diffusion, and subsequently health and well-being. This study examined peer density effects on oral health for racial/ethnic minority older adults living in northern Manhattan and the Bronx, New York, NY.

Methods: Peer age-group density was estimated by smoothing US Census data with 4 kernel bandwidths ranging from 0.

Clinical Management of Patients With Diabetes and Periodontal Disease: Ideas Whose Time Has Come.

Multiple studies over many decades have demonstrated that diabetes mellitus and periodontitis are closely linked and may amplify one another. This review provides a different look at the complex association between these two common, chronic conditions and discusses decision-making in the management of affected individuals.

Lingual Osseous Choristoma of the Tongue Base: Unusual Presentation of a Rare Entity.

Osseous lesions of the tongue, also referred to as osseous choristomas, are benign growths of bony tissue. These lesions are not true neoplasms but rather represent growth of normal tissue at an abnormal location. Clinically, they appear as exophytic masses of the tongue, and they are treated by surgical excision.

"You Get Beautiful Teeth Down There": Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults' Perspectives on Care at Dental School Clinics.

To help eliminate reported racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in oral health care, listening to the perspectives of racial/ethnic minority older adults on their experiences with dental school clinics is needed. The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of African American, Puerto Rican, and Dominican older adults who attend senior centers in upper Manhattan, New York City, regarding the care received at dental school clinics. Focus groups were conducted from 2013 to 2015 with 194 racial/ethnic minority men and women aged 50 years and older living in upper Manhattan.

Management of an Ailing Anterior Implant Using a Minimally Invasive Flapless Surgical Technique: A Case Report.

Introduction: Peri-implantitis is an inflammation of the soft and hard tissues surrounding an implant that results in the destruction of alveolar bone. Surgical flaps are usually elevated to allow for thorough debridement and disinfection of the implant surface. This frequently results in gingival recession, crown margin exposure, and a poor esthetic result.

Treatment of Necrotic Teeth by Apical Revascularization: Meta-analysis.

Each year ~5.4 million children and adolescents in the United States suffer from dental infections, leading to pulp necrosis, arrested tooth-root development and tooth loss. Apical revascularization, adopted by the American Dental Association for its perceived ability to enable postoperative tooth-root growth, is being accepted worldwide.

Emerging role of non-coding RNA in oral cancer.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterized by genomic and epigenomic alterations. However, the mechanisms underlying oral squamous cell carcinoma tumorigenesis and progression remain to be elucidated. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) are emerging groups of regulatory RNAs, which possess low or no protein-coding potential.

Intraoral Observation of the Mentalis and Incisivus Labii Inferioris Muscles.

The mentalis (MT) and the incisivus labii inferioris (ILI), which are accessory muscles of the orbicularis oris (OO) muscle, form an intertwined and three-dimensionally related complex. The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between the MT, ILI, and OO muscles via intraoral dissection. Twenty-two sides from 11 fresh adult Caucasian cadaveric heads were used, and the MT, ILI, and OO dissected under the surgical microscope.

Incidence and Determinants of Dental Implant Failure: A Review of Electronic Health Records in a U.S. Dental School.

The aim of this study was to use electronic health care records (EHRs) to examine retrospectively the incidence of and attributes associated with dental implant failures necessitating implant removal in a large cohort of patients treated in the student clinics of a U.S. dental school over three and a half years.

Acceptability of Chairside Screening for Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults: A Qualitative Study.

An aging and more racially and ethnically diverse population, coupled with changes in the health care policy environment, is demanding that the dental profession both redirect and expand its focus. Challenges include providing comprehensive care for patients with complicated medical needs while improving access to care for underserved groups. The purpose of this study is to examine the acceptability of screening for hypertension and diabetes in the dental setting for African American, Puerto Rican, and Dominican older adults who attend senior centers in northern Manhattan, New York City.

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Mimicking Periapical Pathology in a 39-year-old Man.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a clonal neoplastic proliferation of Langerhans-type dendritic cells, with more than 50% of cases of LCH seen in children younger than 15 years of age. The most common clinical presentation of LCH is solitary or multiple bony lesions. The jaws are affected in approximately 10%-20% of cases, with a strong predilection for the mandible.

Periodontal diseases.

Periodontal diseases comprise a wide range of inflammatory conditions that affect the supporting structures of the teeth (the gingiva, bone and periodontal ligament), which could lead to tooth loss and contribute to systemic inflammation. Chronic periodontitis predominantly affects adults, but aggressive periodontitis may occasionally occur in children. Periodontal disease initiation and propagation is through a dysbiosis of the commensal oral microbiota (dental plaque), which then interacts with the immune defences of the host, leading to inflammation and disease.

Alveolar soft part sarcoma metastatic to the mandible: A report and review of literature.

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare neoplasm constituting less than 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. It tends to occur in the deep soft tissues of the lower extremities, however approximately 5-12% of cases are primary to the head and neck region. ASPS metastatic to the oral cavity is rare, with only four documented cases in the literature.

Considering Students' Cost of a Dental Education: Return on Investment and Debt to Income Ratio.

The cost for students of a dental education has become an issue of concern. This article explores the return on investment and the debt to income ratio of studying dentistry. These two measures are monitored to gain perspective on whether the cost of education pays off in earnings.

Ten-Year Student Trends in U.S. Dental Schools, 2004-05 to 2014-15.

This article provides an overview of the status of students applying to and enrolling in dental schools in the United States over a ten-year period from 2004-05 to 2014-15. The data are mainly drawn from published reports of the American Dental Association (ADA) and American Dental Education Association (ADEA). This overview includes trends on tuition levels, diversity in enrollment, and debt levels of students upon graduation as well as students' satisfaction with their education.