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BackgroundPulpal pain is one of the most common and severe orofacial pain conditions with considerable adverse effects on physiological processes including learning and memory. Regular exercise is known to be effective on cognitive function as well as pain processing in the central nervous system. Here, the possible effects of regular exercise on pulpal pain response as well as pain-induced changes in learning and memory efficiency in rats were investigated.MethodsTwenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the control, capsaicin, exercise, and exercise plus capsaicin groups. Rats in exercise groups were forced to run on a treadmill with a moderate exercise protocol for 4 weeks. Capsaicin was used to induce dental pulp pain. Passive avoidance learning and memory performance was assessed by using a shuttle box apparatus.ResultsAccording to the results, regular exercise could decrease the time course of capsaicin-induced pulpal pain (P < 0.001). Moreover, in capsaicin-treated rats, passive avoidance acquisition was impaired as compared to the control (P < 0.05) and exercise (P < 0.001) groups. Additionally, regular exercise before capsaicin injection could attenuate capsaicin-induced memory impairments (P < 0.05).ConclusionsTaken together, the present data showed that regular exercise has inhibitory effects on capsaicin-induced pulpal pain as well as pain-induced cognitive dysfunction in rats.

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Oral mucocutaneous diseases (MCDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders that could involve oral mucous membrane frequently. The purpose of this study was analysis of clinicopathologic features and relative frequency of MCDs with emphasize on malignant transformation of oral lichen planus (OLP). In this retrospective study, clinical data regarding to site of involvement, patient's age and sex, and accompanied symptoms were noted, and pathologic slides of OLP were reviewed for the detection of dysplastic changes. Among 309 patients, OLP and pemphigus vulgaris were the first and second most common MCDs. Buccal mucosa was the most frequent affected site. Female predominance (70.23%) and mean age of 45.3 years were seen. Approximately 12.4% of OLPs showed dysplastic and neoplastic changes. In conclusion, MCD with oral manifestation is most probably to be OLP and pemphigus vulgaris rather than other rare disorders. Malignant transformation may occur in all forms of OLP, and hence, regular, exact follow-up of the patient is necessary for enhancing quality of life.

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Today, ultrasound imaging is being widely used to assess soft tissue lesions in the maxillofacial region. However, ultrasound investigations of intra-osseous lesions are rare, especially for tumors of the jaws. This report emphasized the capability of this useful imaging modality in identification of the characteristics of malignant conditions involving the bone. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoama, one of the unusual malignant conditions of the jaw, was presented in a young male with significant facial swelling. Different imaging modalities parallel with the histopathologic investigation confirmed the diagnosis. Interestingly, destruction of the bony cortex and new bone formation with a characteristic "sun ray appearance", highly suggestive of sarcomas, was manifested on the ultrasonograph. Thus, this report presented the ultrasonographic features of chondrosarcoma of mandible and considered the ultrasonography to be a useful imaging modality to evaluate intra-osseous jaw lesions.

Background and Objectives:Happiness is one of the basic human needs and a component of mental health which is the cause of increase of social capital. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of happiness in students of Kerman Dental School. Materials and Methods:In this descriptive study, the statistical population included students of Kerman Dental School in the academic year 2017-2018. Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was used to collect data and 241 students who were selected randomly with the proportionate stratification method participated in the study. Data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests.Results: 151 (62.7%) of the students were girls and 90 (37.3%) were boys. The mean score of student's happiness was 40.04±0.78. Students' happiness status in different demographic variables such as gender (p=0.779), academic year (p=0.092), marital status (p=0.865) and residence (p=0.425) did not show any significant difference. Conclusion:The happiness status of Kerman Dental students was at an acceptable level, but necessary measures must be taken to upgrade it to the excellent level.