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Complete dentures should satisfy patients' needs for comfort, function and aesthetics. Thirty edentulous patients were enrolled in this study. Two sets of complete dentures were made for each patient: one with bilaterally balanced occlusion and the other with lingualised occlusion. The patients used each type of denture for 6 months. A single-blind study design was used in which the patients were not aware of the exchange of dentures. In each 3-month period, electromyographic measurements of the anterior temporalis and masseter muscles were performed. At the end of 6 months, patient satisfaction was evaluated. The second measurement of lingualised occlusion showed the greatest muscle activity, while chewing gum in both the anterior temporalis and masseter muscles (174·5 and 208·19 μV, respectively). The greatest maximum voluntary contraction was also found for the second measurement of lingualised occlusion for both the anterior temporalis and masseter muscles (142·91 and 187·55 μV, respectively). The mean chewing time decreased with lingualised occlusion. The percent distribution of the patients' ratings of their complete dentures and patient satisfaction with lingualised occlusion were higher than those for bilaterally balanced occlusion. Complete dentures with lingualised occlusion increased masticatory performance, maximum voluntary contraction and patient satisfaction and decreased chewing time.

BackgroundPregnancy-related low back pain is a common condition during pregnancy. Kinesio tape is a drug-free elastic therapeutic tape used for treating various musculoskeletal problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of lumbar Kinesio taping on pain intensity and disability in women with pregnancy-related low back pain.Material/MethodsA total of 65 patients with pregnancy-related low back pain were randomly allocated into either Kinesio taping (n=33) or control (n=32) groups. The intervention group was treated with paracetamol plus Kinesio taping, while the control group received only paracetamol. Kinesio taping was applied in the lumbar flexion position, and four I-shaped bands were used. Two bands were attached horizontally, with space correction technique. The remaining 2 bands, 1 on each side of the lumbar spine, were placed vertically, with inhibition technique. Low back pain intensity was measured on a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS), and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) was used for evaluation of disability.ResultsPain intensity and RMDQ scores improved significantly in both groups at 5 days compared with baseline. Considering the degree of treatment effect (the change from baseline to day 5), the Kinesio taping group was significantly superior than the control group in all outcome measures (for all, P<0.001).ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that Kinesio taping can be used as a complementary treatment method to achieve effective control of pregnancy-related low back pain.

Ankylosing spondylitis is one of the subgroup of diseases called “seronegative spondyloarthropathy”. Frequently, it affects the vertebral colon and sacroiliac joint primarily and affects the peripheral joints less often. This chronic, inflammatory and rheumatic disease can also affect the extraarticular regions of the body. The extraarticular affections can be ophthalmologic, cardiac, pulmonary or neurologic. The cardiac affection can be 2-10% in all patients. Cardiac complications such as left ventricular dysfunction, aortitis, aortic regurgitation, pericarditis and cardiomegaly are reviewed.

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The effectiveness of topical chlorine dioxide and chlorhexidine gluconate in the management of N2DS was demonstrated.

This study evaluated the marginal adaptation and fracture resistance of CAD/CAM-fabricated zirconia crowns luted using different luting agents. Twenty crown restorations were produced using IPS ZirCAD zirconium oxide blocks (IZC), and another 20 using Lava zirconium oxide blocks (L). Ten teeth were used as control. Luting agents used were an etch-and-rinse adhesive (Variolink II) and a self-etch adhesive (Multilink Automix). Internal and marginal adaptation was evaluated using silicone replica technique. Fracture resistance was evaluated using a compression test. Marginal discrepancy was 89.26 μm for L crowns and 88.84 μm for IZC crowns, and difference was statistically insignificant. However, L crowns showed significantly larger axial and occlusal gaps than IZC crowns (p<0.05). Fracture resistance of IZC-Multilink was higher than the other groups, although the difference was not significant. Results showed that CAD/CAM-fabricated crowns showed acceptable in vitro marginal discrepancies and fracture strengths.

ObjectiveEffective cleaning of dentures is important for the maintenance of good oral hygiene for denture stomatitis patients. The in vivo efficacy of three different brands of alkaline peroxide tablets (Polident, Efferdent, and Fittydent) and two mouthwashes (CloSYS II and Corsodyl) to eliminate Candida albicans on dentures was evaluated in this in vivo study.Material and methodsNinety denture wearers with clinical evidence of denture stomatitis were randomly divided into 5 test groups and 1 control group. Each group was further divided into three subgroups in which the dentures were subjected to 15-, 30-, and 60-min disinfection procedures. The dentures of each test group were treated with one of the cleaners, while those of the control group were treated with distilled water. Swab samples from the palatal surfaces (2 cm x 2 cm template delimited area) of the upper dentures were obtained before and after 15, 30, and 60 min periods of cleaner use and examined mycologically.ResultsThe reduction in the number of colony-forming units (CFU) of C. albicans before, and after 15, 30, and 60 min of use of CloSYS II and Corsodyl was significantly greater than that of the control group (p<0.05). Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) among Polident, Efferdent and the control group in any of the treatment periods. Dentures treated with Fittydent appeared to have a significantly greater reduction in the number of Candida spp. only after 60 min of treatment.ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that the use of mouthwashes significantly reduced the number of microorganisms on dentures.