An Attempt to Use Virtual Reality as a Tool to Reduce Patient Anxiety During Dental Treatment.

Dental fear and anxiety are prevalent issues in both children and adult patients, often leading to avoidance of dental care and deterioration in overall health. While virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly studied as a distraction tool in pediatric dentistry, its effectiveness among adults remains under-researched. This study aims to evaluate the impact of VR distraction on reducing anxiety and physiological stress indicators in adult dental patients.

Induces Oral Microbial Dysbiosis and Promotes Oral Diseases.

are ubiquitous fungal organisms that colonize the oral cavity of healthy individuals without causing disease. is an opportunistic microorganism with several virulent factors that influence the inflammatory process and allow it to invade tissues, evade host defense mechanisms, and release toxins, facilitating proliferation and degradation. At present, increasing emphasis is placed on polymicrobial interactions between and various bacterial pathogens.

Starch intake and caries increment: A longitudinal study in Finnish adults.

Objective: To evaluate whether changes in starch intake (in terms of amount and food sources) were associated with increments in dental caries among adults.

Design: This is an 11-year longitudinal study (2000-2011) with duplicate assessments for all variables. A 128-item FFQ was used to estimate intake of starch (g/d) and six starch-rich food groups (potatoes, potato products, roots and tubers, pasta, wholegrains and legumes).

Unaccounted clustering assumptions still compromise inferences in cluster randomized trials in orthodontic research.

Objective: This meta-epidemiological study aimed to determine whether optimal sample size calculation was applied in orthodontic cluster randomized trials (CRTs).

Methods: Orthodontic randomized clinical trials with a cluster design, published between January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2023, in leading orthodontic journals were sourced. Study selection was undertaken by two independent authors.

Cerebrovascular damage caused by the gut microbe/host co-metabolite -cresol sulfate is prevented by blockade of the EGF receptor.

The gut microbiota-brain axis has been associated with the pathogenesis of numerous disorders, but the mechanism(s) underlying these links are generally poorly understood. Accumulating evidence indicates the involvement of gut microbe-derived metabolites. Circulating levels of the gut microbe/host co-metabolite -cresol sulfate (pCS) correlate with cerebrovascular event risk in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but whether this relationship is mechanistic is unclear.

Large language models in periodontology: Assessing their performance in clinically relevant questions.

Statement Of Problem: Although the use of artificial intelligence (AI) seems promising and may assist dentists in clinical practice, the consequences of inaccurate or even harmful responses are paramount. Research is required to examine whether large language models (LLMs) can be used in accessing periodontal content reliably.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the evidence-based potential of answers provided by 4 LLMs to common clinical questions in the field of periodontology.

COVID-19-related research data availability and quality according to the FAIR principles: A meta-research study.

Background: According to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), scientific research data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to massive research activities and an unprecedented number of topical publications in a short time. However, no evaluation has assessed whether this COVID-19-related research data has complied with FAIR principles (or FAIRness).

Targeting Cognitive Resilience through Prebiotics: A Focused Perspective.

This perspective article is a product of the work of an expert group within the Prebiotic Task Force convened by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe, a non-profit organization that brings together experts from academia, industry, and public service to catalyze nutrition science for public benefit. An expert group was conceived in October 2023 to discuss the evidence base on the use of prebiotics to promote cognitive functioning, with a focus on highlighting knowledge gaps and proposing a list of recommendations to guide this specific area of research forward. To address this, we evaluated existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human intervention studies that examine the effects of prebiotics on cognitive functioning.

Starch intake and changes in dental caries among adults: A longitudinal study in Finland.

Objective: To evaluate the association between starch intake (amount and type) and changes in dental caries among adults over 11 years.

Methods: Data from 1679 adults, aged 30 years and over, who participated in three consecutive surveys in Finland were pooled for analysis. Participants completed a validated semi-structured 128-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline, from which total starch intake (g/day and % energy intake) and the intake (g/day) of seven food groups high in starch (potatoes, potato products, roots and tubers, refined grains, pasta, wholegrains, and legumes) were estimated.

Comparing readiness for self-directed learning in undergraduates of private and public medical colleges.

Objective: To measure the readiness for self-directed learning among medical undergraduates of private and public medical colleges, and to evaluate their performance and strategies.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore, Pakistan from February to July 2023, and comprised medical undergraduate students of either gender from 1 private and 1 public academic institution. Data was collected using a prevalidated structured questionnaire having self-management, desire for learning, and self-control domains to explore self-directed learning readiness.

Clinical and radiographic assessment of the association between orthodontic mini-screws and periodontal health.

Objectives: Proper anchorage control is crucial for predictable tooth movement and preventing inadequate torque during orthodontic treatment. Through clinical and radiographic parameters; this study assesses the association between mini-screws and periodontal health.

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational study included 16 systemically healthy non-smoking individuals requiring mini-screws.

Bonding neat hydrophobic-rich resins to etched dentin: A proof of concept.

Objectives: To examine whether the effectiveness of current dentin-priming approaches requiring solvated hydrophilic resins may be replicated by modifying the infiltration dynamics of neat methacrylate-based monomers into dry-etched dentin using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) pretreatments.

Methods: HPO-etched mid-coronal dentin surfaces from human molars were air-dried for 30 s and randomly pretreated with 50 %(v/v) ethanolic DMSO for 20 or 60 s. Untreated samples and an isolated wet-bonding group served as controls.

Cultural Competency in Dental Practice: Navigating the Experiences and Perspectives of Dentists in South Punjab, Pakistan.

Introduction Cultural competence in healthcare embraces the principles of equal access and nondiscriminatory services in healthcare delivery. Dentists as significant healthcare professionals should definitely have the skills needed to diagnose and treat patients' conditions, but it is crucial to also address nontechnical skills such as cross-cultural communication, the ability to empathize, and inclusive-mindedness. Globally, cultural competency training has been included in healthcare educational programs; however, national practices reportedly have revolved around patients' clinical competencies and thus entailed overlooking the cultural dimensions of dental education that include diverse sociocultural factors that influence how dental practices are taught, learned, and delivered.

Dental Health Adjuncts and Care: Exploring Access Among Asylum Seekers and Refugees in London, United Kingdom.

Aims: This work examines and describes dental health among people seeking asylum and refugees (PSAR) who are evaluated by the Respond service. This includes access to and use of oral health products, access to dental care, and experience of dental pain.

Materials And Methods: The Respond service pilot offered holistic health assessments to PSAR in temporary accommodation within North Central London between July 2021 and March 2023.

Arginine combination with fluoride and calcium glycerophosphate: effects of concentration and on biofilm fluid.

To study the influence of varying concentrations of arginine (Arg) combined with fluoride (F) and/or calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) on biofilms. Biofilms were analyzed for acidogenicity, microbial viability and Ca, F and inorganic phosphorus (P) concentrations. For total bacteria, the lowest viability was found in F-containing groups, regardless of the arginine concentrations and presence of CaGP.

Oral health status, self-perceptions, and risk awareness among young adult users of electronic cigarettes in Pakistan.

Introduction: The use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has surged globally, particularly among young individuals. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of vaping-related oral health risks, clinical oral health status, and self-perceived dental and periodontal conditions among young adult users of ECs in Pakistan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2023 to March 2024, recruiting 142 young users of ECs.

Association of oral frailty with falls in long-term care residents.

Purpose: We investigated the relationship between oral frailty (OFr) and falls among long-term care residents.

Methods: Residents (N = 254, mean age 84 y, 79% women) participated in this longitudinal cohort study in 2018-2021. OFr was defined by six signs.