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Objective. This retrospective study was aimed at determining the incidence of dental pulp stone formation during fixed orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods. A total of 100 patients who received fixed orthodontic treatment were included in this study. Pre- and posttreatment panoramic radiographs of the patients were examined to identify pulp stones. The data were analyzed using McNemar’s and Pearson’s chi-square tests to investigate the correlations between having a dental pulp stone and gender, age, treatment type, and duration. Results. Dental pulp stones were detected in 17% of patients on pretreatment panoramic radiographs and 35% of patients on posttreatment panoramic radiographs. The incidence of pulp stones sharply increased in the pre- and posttreatment radiographs (38%) ( P < 0.001 ). In addition, there were associations between age, treatment duration, and the incidence of pulp stones ( P < 0.05 ). Nevertheless, no associations were found between treatment type, gender, and the presence of pulp stones. Dental pulp stones were most frequently observed in first molars (62%), followed by second molars (36%). Conclusion. Fixed orthodontic treatment may trigger pulp irritation and calcification, resulting in the formation of pulp stones. Although pulp stones have no serious consequences, an orthodontist must consider the probability of pulp stone formation because it can cause difficulties in endodontic treatment.

Objectives. The current study is aimed at evaluating epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) in the south of Iran. Methods. Data were extracted from the 1840 medical records of patients who were referred to the Cleft Lip and Palate Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, from January 1, 2011, to September 1, 2022. The collected variables included demographic data (gender, birth date and season, place, birth order, and weight), cleft types and the subtypes, parental information (health status, education level, marital status, and age during the pregnancy), and other basic parameters. The chi-square test at a significance level of 0.05 was used to analyze collected data. The geographic information system (GIS) analysis was also used for analyzing the spatial distribution of CL/P patients. Results. Based on our inclusion criteria, 1281 nonsyndromic patients were included in this study. The most common type was cleft lip and palate (CLP) with 48.32%, whereas cleft palate (CP) and cleft lip (CL) accounted for 40.75% and 10.93% of the patients, respectively. There was a progressive increase in the frequency of all types of clefts, and most of them were male ( P ≤ 0.001 ). The urban population outnumbered the rural ones in all provinces. Parents were mostly healthy (>80%) with low educational status (47.5%). Most born CL/P patients were from consanguineous marriages (58.9%), especially between first-degree relatives. A majority of CL/P patients (73.1%) were born in the first two gestations with a birth weight of 2500-4000 g (77.4%). Most infants with CL/P (84.3%) were born from mothers who had at least one of the predisposing factors. Conclusion. In this study, the frequency of cleft types and subtypes was similar to the existing literature. However, high rate of consanguineous marriage, especially between first-degree relatives, was the most notable feature of this population.

Objective: The purpose of the current study is to determine the prevalence and pattern of maxillofacial trauma. Methods: This is a cross sectional study of maxillofacial trauma cases treated in the referral trauma center of south of Iran. Data of 264 patients were extracted from patients’ records and analyzed. Data included patient’s demographics, injury mechanism, types of maxillofacial injuries, Injury Severity Score (ISS), associated injuries, length of hospital stay and outcome. Binary logistic regression by backward method was applied to determine the effects of independent variables on mortality odds ratio. Results: 85.23% of patients were males and of all patients 87.5% survived. The mean of age was 34.95 ± 16.51. The commonest cause of maxillofacial injury was road traffic accidents (86.31%). The median of ISS was 20.39± 10.24 and patients aged 30-39 years had the highest ISS. Overall, the most common maxillofacial injuries were orbital (59.47%, n=157) followed by maxillary (48.11%, n=127); common associated injuries were related to head (81.44%, n=215) followed by thorax (58.33%, n=154). Age and gender (being male) increased the odds ratio of mortality. An increase in ISS decreased the odds ratio of mortality, but it was not significant. Conclusion: Most of maxillofacial trauma patients suffered from orbital injuries and there were a huge percentage of associated injuries. Gender (male), age and length of hospital stay were the significant variables of mortality in maxillofacial patients. The findings of the current study sheds light on further investigation to treat these patients and enforce road traffic legislation and public education to prevent these traumas.

Background Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), a common disease of the oral mucosa, can be painful and reduce the quality of life. Since many investigations have focused on the autoimmune origins of RAS, we aimed to investigate the relationship between RAS and autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) in an Iranian population. Methods A cross-sectional study was done on 102 patients diagnosed with ATD (case) and 102 healthy patients (control) who had been referred for their routine dental treatments. All participants were asked for the history of RAS and their age, gender, other systemic diseases, medications, and frequency of RAS in a year. Matching was done based on propensity score for age and gender. Also, the number of lesions in each recurrence in both groups has been assessed and compared. The type of thyroid disease has been assessed for case participants and has been confirmed by the endocrinologist. The chi-square test, T-test, and Man-Whitney test were used to analyze the data by SPSS 18. Results The patients with ATD had more RAS in comparison to healthy controls (P = 0.040). ATD patients had 1.93times more risk for RAS, and the frequency of RAS in a year was 3.15times higher in these patients (P = 0.011). Moreover, the frequency of RAS was higher in patients with hypothyroidism than in patients with hyperthyroidism (P = 0.03). However, there were no significant differences regarding the size and the number of lesions between the groups. Conclusion The risk and frequency of RAS was significantly higher in patients with ATDs. However, the size and the number of lesions had no relationship to ATD.