J Oral Pathol Med (2013)42: 186–193 Background:  The altered expression of syndecan‐1 (SD‐1), a transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan, in ameloblastomas and cysts of odontogenic origin suggests that this molecule could have prognostic value in assessing the clinical outcome of those lesions. The purpose of this study was to analyze SD‐1 expression profile immunohistochemically in archival, paraffin‐embedded tissue sections of ameloblastomas and in common odontogenic cysts arising from the same locale. Methods:  SD‐1 expression was investigated in 32 ameloblastomas, 26 keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOT), and 21 dentigerous cysts from the archives of the histopathology laboratory which were routinely processed. The cases were reviewed and assessed according to the established criteria. Sections were immunostained with monoclonal antibody against SD‐1 (CD138). Sections of normal oral mucosa, site matched, were stained in parallel as positive controls. The plasma cells in sections served as internal positive controls. Results:  SD‐1 expression was observed in the epithelial and stromal elements of the sections, and the expression was significantly associated with the lesion’s extension and involvement of adjacent structures (P = 0.025). Stellate‐reticulum cells showed higher expression than the ameloblasts, which was at a significant level (P < 0.0001). Highly significant difference was reported among the three groups of lesion for the epithelial staining (P < 0.0001). The mean rank scores (Kruskal–Wallis test) of ameloblastomas were significantly lower than those of KCOT and dentigerous cysts. Non‐significant comparison was made between KCOT and dentigerous cyst groups. Conclusions:  The present study revealed SD‐1 immunoreactivity in the stromal cells of ameloblastoma, KCOT, and dentigerous cysts rather uniformly. This reported SD‐1 expression by the tumor stroma is considered to be associated with poor prognosis of the lesions.

[Purpose] The present research was undertaken to investigate the awareness of ergonomics and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals and students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and to find a mean to decrease the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the future. [Subjects and Methods] A self-administered survey was prepared and disseminated to dental professionals and students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was focused on the awareness of ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders. Five hundred and sixty-one participants were included in this survey. [Results] Within the present study, significant differences were noticed among specialists, general practitioners and undergraduate students. Work load (risk factors) had great influence on musculoskeletal disorders in all dental practitioners, and lower back pain was the most common reported disorder among all practitioners. [Conclusion] Most of the respondent dentists seem to work in conditions that aggravate disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the increased prophylactic remedies were directly associated with the increase of the musculoskeletal disorders symptoms. All dentists regardless of their dental specialties, are recommended to apply principles of ergonomics in their daily practice. Moreover, dental ergonomics should be taught to undergraduate students and strictly implemented in the clinics to provide comfortable working environment for all dental professionals.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the leaching of four different clear aligner systems (Invisalign®, Eon®, SureSmile®, and Clarity®). Three sets of aligners as obtained from the four manufacturers were cut and immersed in glass vials containing ethanol with different solutions. The first was 100% ethanol, the second was 75% ethanol to 25% water, the third was 50% ethanol to water, the fourth was 25% ethanol to 75% water, and the last was 100% water. The samples were incubated for two weeks at 37 °C. Leached substances were detected by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eleven different chemical compounds were detected and confirmed. Benzene1,3-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) was the only compound detected in all four systems at levels of 100% and 75% ethanol. Statistically, insignificant differences were detected among the different systems where leaching was confirmed. Eon® system was the only material to show statistically significant differences when comparing the number of leached substances among the immersion solution concentrations. The four included systems showed variable degrees of leaching. The lowest amount of leached chemicals was observed in relation to the Invisalign® system, while the highest number was found in the Eon® system. None of the included clear aligner systems leached detectable amounts of bisphenol-A (BPA).

Key words: preschool children, early childhood caries, deciduous teeth, dmft Objectives: To determine the prevalence of early childhood caries among preschool children in Dawadmi city, Riyadh province, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted on 224 children from preschool nurseries in Dawadmi city. Clinical examination was performed and dmft index scores were recorded using WHO diagnostic criteria. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 and descriptive statistics was applied. The frequency and percentage of all the nominal variables were calculated. T-test was utilized to compare the dmft among groups of teeth. The level of statistical significant difference was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: 224 children were examined, 56.7% were males and 43.3% were females, they were divided into two age groups; threefour years old and fivesix years old. ECC was diagnosed in 163 children (72.77%), where 92 males and 71 females were only affected. The mean decayed missing filled tooth (dmft) was 3.69 (± 3.850). The mean of the decay component (d) was 3.22 (±3.552); the lower second molars had the highest prevalence of caries (d = 0.73) followed by the upper second molars (d = 0.70) and lower first molars (d = 0.60) respectively. The most affected caries group were the females aged threefour years (dmft = 5.57). Conclusion: Starting preschool dental services is mandatory since the ECC prevalence was 72.77% among preschool children in Dawadmi city. There is an urgent need for a call to focus on preschoolers' oral health and parental education for prevention and early detection of ECC.

Honey had several healing properties which includes antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different systems of honey on the healing of experimentally created traumatic oral ulcers in rats. Traumatic ulcers were created on the lower labial mucosa on male rats using 50% acetic acid. The rats were subsequently divided into three groups; in group one and two, the ulcers were treated with honey gel and honey adhesive respectively, whereas the third group received no treatment. The ulcers were macroscopically and microscopically studied. A statistical significant difference was observed in macroscopic investigation among the three groups in the 3rd and 7th day (p \ 0.05). However, there were no statistical significant findings by the 15th day although a complete clinical healing was virtually observed in most of the cases. Histological examination shows a statistical significant difference within each of the three groups over time (p \ 0.05). On the other hand, the mean rank values for the honey gel group were significantly higher in comparison to the other groups over time (p \ 0.05). The therapeutic value of honey gel appears to be more effective than the mucoadhesive form in shortening the duration of wound healing.