Facts About Cracks in Teeth.

Examining the nature of stress distribution within the intact tooth can aid in understanding how natural tooth structures are able to resist mechanical forces during masticatory function. Identification of potential fractures in teeth on clinical examination is essential for correct diagnosis, particularly if there is pulpal involvement. This discussion will consider the different types of fracture, their identification and management.

Formulation and optimisation of novel transfersomes for sustained release of local anaesthetic.

Objective: To investigate the effect of formulation parameters on the preparation of transfersomes as sustained-release delivery systems for lidocaine and to develop and validate a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for analysis.

Method: Taguchi design of experiment (DOE) was used to optimise lidocaine-loaded transfersomes in terms of phospholipid, edge activator (EA) and phospholipid : EA ratio. Transfersomes were characterised for size, polydispersity index (PDI), charge and entrapment efficiency (%EE).

Surfactant Effects on Lipid-Based Vesicles Properties.

Understanding the effect of surfactant properties is critical when designing vesicular delivery systems. This review evaluates previous studies to explain the influence of surfactant properties on the behavior of lipid vesicular systems, specifically their size, charge, stability, entrapment efficiency, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. Generally, the size of vesicles decreases by increasing the surfactant concentration, carbon chain length, the hydrophilicity of the surfactant head group, and the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance.

International comparisons of health inequalities in childhood dental caries.

Objective: To undertake formative studies investigating how the experience of dental caries in young children living in diverse settings relates to familial and cultural perceptions and beliefs, oral health-related behaviour and oral microflora.

Participants: The scientific consortium came from 27 sites in 17 countries, each site followed a common protocol. Each aimed to recruit 100 families with children aged 3 or 4 years, half from deprived backgrounds, and within deprived and non-deprived groups, half to be "caries-free" and half to have at least 3 decayed teeth.

Developing explanatory models of health inequalities in childhood dental caries.

Objective: Long-term aim is to determine optimum interventions to reduce dental caries in children in disadvantaged communities and minimise the effects of exclusion from health care systems, of ethnic diversity, and health inequalities.

Design: Generation of initial explanatory models, study protocol and development of two standardised measures. First, to investigate how parental attitudes may impact on their children's oral health-related behaviours and second, to assess how dentists' attitudes may impact on the provision of dental care.

Risk factors for dental caries in young children: a systematic review of the literature.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the literature on risk factors for dental caries in deciduous teeth of children aged six years and under, to give a scientific framework for the international collaborative studies on inequalities in childhood caries.

Method: Accepted guidelines were followed. Studies were identified by electronic searching and reviewed on the basis of key words, title and abstract by two reviewers to assess whether inclusion criteria were met.