The aims of this study were to compare nitric oxide (NO) levels in stimulated whole saliva from individuals with and without generalized chronic periodontitis (GCP), and to evaluate correlations between these levels with a clinical diagnostic parameter. According to specific criteria, 30 individuals were divided into three groups: one comprising individuals without periodontitis (GC), a second comprising individuals with moderate GCP (GM), and a third comprising individuals with advanced GCP (GA). Samples were collected and NO levels measured. NO in the GCP group (GM: 7.78 µM; GA: 15.79 µM) was higher than in the GC group (5.86 µM). NO levels in the GA group were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than in the GC group, and could also differentiate (P < 0.0001) the moderate and advanced forms of the disease.

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Healing is a specific biological process related to the general phenomenon of growth and tissue regeneration and is a process generally affected by several systemic conditions or as detrimental side-effects of chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced inflammation of the oral mucosa. The objectives of this study is to evaluate the novel chitosan based functional drug delivery systems, which can be successfully incorporated into “dual action bioactive restorative materials”, capable of inducing in vitro improved wound healing prototype and containing an antibiotic, such as nystatin, krill oil as an antioxidant and hydroxyapatite as a molecular bone scaffold, which is naturally present in bone and is reported to be successfully used in promoting bone integration when implanted as well as promoting healing. The hydrogels were prepared using a protocol as previously reported by us. The physico-chemical features, including surface morphology (SEM), release behaviors, stability of the therapeutic agent-antioxidant-chitosan, were measured and compared to the earlier reported chitosan-antioxidant containing hydrogels. Structural investigations of the reactive surface of the hydrogel are reported. Release of nystatin was investigated for all newly prepared hydrogels. Bio-adhesive studies were performed in order to assess the suitability of these designer materials. Free radical defense capacity of the biomaterials was evaluated using established in vitro model. The bio-adhesive capacity of the materials in the in vitro system was tested and quantified. It was found that the favorable synergistic effect of free radical built-in defense mechanism of the new functional materials increased sustainable bio-adhesion and therefore acted as a functional multi-dimensional restorative material with potential application in wound healing in vitro.

Background: Enamel etching for brackets is usually done with phosphoric acid. Er:YAG lasers have been recently used for this purpose with conflicting results. The effects of lasers on tooth demineralization and the effects of different combinations of laser treatments and bonding agents were evaluated in this study. Methods: The enamel contents of fluorine, calcium oxide and phosphorus pentoxide (P 2 O 5 ) were analysed using acid etching, laser treatment or both. The tensile bond strength of metallic and ceramic brackets using Transbond Ò XT and Fuji Ortho Ò LC were also tested, using acid etching, laser treatment or a combination of both. Results: All treatments reduced the contents of fluorine, P 2 O 5 and calcium oxide, and acid reduced P 2 O 5 levels more than laser. The bond strength with laser was weaker than with acid, and stronger when combining both. When using laser, the best adhesive was the Fuji Ortho Ò LC. The combination of laser and acid produced the best results when using Transbond

In this work, Bioactive-functionalized interpenetrating network (IPNs) hydrogel (BIOF-INPs) were prepared and investigated in vitro for the free radical detection/defense, therapeutic release as well as shear bond strength to dentine, ability to re-mineralize surface of the dentin after application of these bio-inspired materials using a biologically inspired mineralization process in vitro as well as investigating antimicrobial properties of the BIOF-INPs against S. aureous. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the suitability and flexibility of the designer materials to act as an "in vitro" probe to gain insights into molecular origin of TMD and associated disorders.

Objectives Technology‐enhanced learning (TEL) has been suggested as a suitable learner‐centered pedagogical approach in dental education. However, the results of TEL effectiveness in periodontics education are controversial. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of TEL to improve educational outcomes in the periodontics field compared to traditional learning methods. Methods The search comprised randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and crossover studies that were related to periodontics education from the following databases: MedLine, PsycINFO, Eric, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Two authors independently performed study selection, data extraction, and assessed risk of bias. Kirkpatrick's 4‐level evaluation model was used to evaluate educational outcomes. Results From 1642 studies, after applying inclusion criteria, 7 studies remained for analysis. On level 1 (Reaction), undergraduate dental students reported positive attitudes related to TEL. On level 2 (Learning), 3 studies found that TEL improved knowledge gain compared to traditional learning methods. Three other studies did not show any difference between TEL and conventional learning methods, and one found that traditional learning methods presented superior results. On level 3 (Behavior), 1 study found that TEL application improved students’ performance. On level 4 (Results), 5 studies suggested that the implementation of TEL would improve educational outcomes in periodontics education if combined with traditional learning methods. Conclusion The findings showed that the exclusive use of TEL does not significantly improve periodontics educational outcomes when compared to traditional learning methods. However, the combination of TEL and traditional learning methods can be the key to enhancing periodontics education.

Background:The Australian Dental Council's (ADC) competency framework requires graduating dental practitioners to be competent in a number of transferable skills, which includes: being scientifically versed, technically skilled and capable of safe independent work and teamwork, whilst adhering to high ethical standards (Australian Dental Council.Professional Competencies of the Newly Qualified Dentist. Melbourne, Australia: ADC; 2016). Part of the role of dental educators is to ensure graduating students acquire requisite transferable skills, in line with regulatory requirements (Chuenjitwongsa et al. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018;22:1). In order to achieve this, it is imperative to assess students' own understanding or perception of transferable skill requirement upon graduation. The objective of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for this assessment.Method: A cohort of students drawn across three different dental programmes: undergraduate dentistry (years 1-3); post-graduate dentistry (years 4-5); and Bachelor of Dental Technology/Prosthesis, participated in this study. A self-assessment questionnaire containing relevant open-and closed-ended questions was administered.The questionnaire assessed students' perception of transferable skills for their future career and attitude towards learning and developing transferable skills. Result:In total, we successfully assessed 388 of the 391 students sampled (99.2% response rate), their mean age was 24.3 years (SD ± 5.7), and 53.3% were females, whilst 46.7% were males. Overall, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted five factors for students' perception of current skill level, and four factors for future skill requirements. The factor structures were confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the structure had a good model fit and high levels of reliability, with respect to individual dimension and content validity. Conclusions:The structure derived from the transferable skill survey administered to a cohort of dental students suggests that the transferable skill survey can be utilised as a valid and reliable screening tool to test students' perception of transferable skill requirements. K E Y W O R D Scompetency, dental students, self-assessment, transferable skills

Restorative materials in the new era aim to be "bioactive" and long-lasting. It has been suggested that the anti-inflammatory activity of some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be partly due to their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), as well as to inhibit the respiratory burst of neutrophils triggered by various activating agents. As a part of our continuous interest of developing functional dual action restorative materials capable of being "bio-active" and long-lasting, we design and evaluate novel chitosan hydrogels containing krill oil (antioxidant containing material), naproxen, ibuprofen (non steroidal anti-inflammatory medication), aspirin (pain relieve medication and free radical scavengers) and combinations thereof (chitosan-H-krill oil, chitosan-H-krill oil-aspirin and chitosan-H-naproxen, chitosan-H-naproxen-krill oil, chitosan-H-krill oil-ibuprofen and chitosan-H-ibuprofen) as functional additive prototypes for further development of "dual function restorative materials"; secondly, determine their effect on the dentin bond strength of a composite and thirdly, evaluate the capability of newly designed hydrogels to play an integral role of "build in" free radical defense mechanism by using BSA solubility as a "molecular prototype" of the site of free radical attack in vitro. Materials and Methods: The above mentioned hydrogels were prepared by dispersion of the corresponding component in glycerol and acetic acid with the addition of chitosan gelling agent. The surface morphology (SEM), release behaviors (physiological pH and also in acidic conditions), stability of the therapeutic agent-antioxidant-chitosan and the effect of the hydrogels on the shear bond strength of dentin were also evaluated. Results: The release of aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen confers the added benefit of synergistic action of a functional therapeutic delivery when comparing the newly designed chitosan-based hydrogel restorative materials to the commercially available products alone. Neither the release of aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen nor the antioxidant stability was affected by storage over a 6month period. The hydrogel formulations have a uniform distribution of drug content, homogenous texture and yellow color (SEM study). All chitosan dentin treated hydrogels gave significantly (P < 0.05; non-parametric ANOVA test) higher shear bond values (P < 0.05) than dentin treated or not treated with phosphoric acid. The model protein (BSA) was adopted to evaluate the chitosan-based functional biomaterials as defense for undesired free radical formation under in vitro conditions. Conclusion: The added benefits of the chitosan treated hydrogels involved positive influence on the aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen release, increased dentin bond strength as well as demonstrated in vitro "build in" free radical defense mechanism, therefore acting as a "proof of concept" for the functional multi-dimentional restorative materials with the build in free radical defense me-V....