The field of dentistry covers a variety of topics in oral health, including prevention and treatment of dental diseases, orthodontics, oral surgery, as well as managing dental trauma.
The following collection of article lay summaries from International Journal of Dentistry and International Journal of Pediatrics, created by Research Square, features the latest research in areas such as dental materials, dental public health and dental trauma.
Dental treatment is one of the most important subjects in dentistry. Recent research evaluates the efficacy of some of the new dental products and technologies such as using Bio-Oss as bone grafts in dental implants and inserting a protein “glue” extracted from patients’ own blood to treat “dry socket”, as well as reviewing the latest developments in orthodontic bonding.
Researchers have also reviewed the latest understanding of patient satisfaction in medicine and dentistry, and provided recommendations on how to improve local healthcare systems such as developing an infrastructure of home dental care for the ageing Japanese population and mandating traumatic dental injuries training in Saudi Arabia. Day-to-day treatment has also been investigated from the prioritization of tasks for dental hygienists in Japan to how to manage dental trauma.
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Dental materials
Bone Formation in Grafts with Bio-Oss and Autogenous Bone at Different Proportions in Rabbit Calvaria
Dental implants may restore tooth function and appearance, but patients without enough bone to support implants can't receive this treatment. Bone grafts can help, and the biomaterial Bio-Oss has shown good results. In this study on rabbits, Bio-Oss grafts fostered new bone growth and maintained their size and structure better than grafts harvested from the animals’ own bone.
The Efficacy of Concentrated Growth Factor in the Healing of Alveolar Osteitis: A Clinical Study
“Dry socket” is a painful dental complication. It’s caused by the loss or impaired formation of a blood clot after tooth extraction, leaving the underlying bone exposed. This study showed that the insertion of a protein “glue” extracted from patients’ own blood offered measurable pain relief compared to traditional disinfection therapy.
Orthodontic Bonding: Review of the Literature
As the number of patients seeking orthodontic treatment increases, it is important for clinicians to have a broader understanding of orthodontic bonding. This study aims to present clinical guidelines for the most effective approaches for bonding orthodontic brackets to various surfaces, but the authors point out that many laboratory studies have yet to be tested in vivo.
Healthcare and professional development
Patient Satisfaction in Medicine and Dentistry
Patient satisfaction is crucial in delivering quality healthcare. But do dental professionals have the means to understand patient satisfaction? This review of more than 50 patient satisfaction studies suggests that there’s much room for improvement. Defining satisfaction on patients’ own terms, instead of terms borrowed from consumer marketing theories, is one promising approach.
Workforce and Contents of Home Dental Care in Japanese Insurance System
A survey of 354 dental clinics in Japan revealed that more than half did not offer at-home dental care. With an aging population of more than 35 million, Japan could be facing a critical gap in its dental care. Developing a more advanced infrastructure for care delivery and increasing staff levels are recommended as possible solutions.
The Incidence of Complications of Dental Trauma and Associated Factors: A Retrospective Study
To avoid serious complications, patients with a loose or damaged tooth caused by injury should see a dental specialist as soon as possible. That’s the conclusion drawn by researchers who examined complications (e.g. tooth breakdown) in 125 traumatized teeth. They discovered that these complications were associated with a delay in treatment caused by roundabout referral, where injured patients visited an emergency or surgery department before seeing a dental specialist.
Prioritization of the Skills to Be Mastered for the Daily Jobs of Japanese Dental Hygienists
Dental hygienists take on numerous jobs in the clinic. This study counted 77 daily jobs and classified them into 11 clusters based on frequency of performance and required proficiency. The results hint at a natural order of skills dental hygienists should learn during training to maximize proficiency.
Knowledge of General Dental Practitioners and Specialists about Emergency Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries in Qassim, Saudi Arabia
It’s estimated that more than half of all school children experience dental emergencies but how well are dental health professionals in Saudi Arabia equipped to address this problem? To find out, researchers quizzed 239 dental health generalists and specialists in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. While specialists scored higher than generalists, both groups demonstrated moderate knowledge; the authors suggest continued mandatory training to improve clinical management of TDIs in children in Saudi Arabia.
This blog post is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY). Illustration adapted from Adobe Stock by David Jury.