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Item Barriers to Dental Care in Individuals with Special Healthcare Needs in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Caregiver’s Perspective(Dove Press, 2021-01-22) Alfaraj, Amal; Halawany, Hassan S.; Al-Hinai, Muntasar T.; Al-Badr, Abid H.; Alalshaikh, Marwa; Al-Khalifa, Khalifa S.; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryObjective: Access to dental care is a key factor influencing oral health outcomes. Individuals with special healthcare needs are at risk of not having access to dental care services which they need to maintain their oral health. This study assessed the magnitude of this problem and identified barriers responsible for the difficulties in accessing dental care in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, as reported by caregivers of individuals with special healthcare needs. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data using a self-administered survey questionnaire from caregivers of individuals with special healthcare needs across 11 centers (eight special needs centers and three schools) in Qatif, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, between February and April 2019. Results: A total of 186 caregivers participated in the study, 102 (54.8%) of whom reported difficulties in getting access to dental care. The key barriers included lack of time on the part of caregivers (60.8%), unsuitable clinic environment (53.9%), difficulties with transportation (51.9%), medical/health status of the individual with special healthcare needs (51.0%), and geographically distant dental clinics (51.0%). Caregiver demographics (age, gender, and educational level) had no significant influence on the difficulties reported by caregivers in getting access to dental care for individuals with special healthcare needs (p>0.05). Conclusion: A large proportion of caregivers in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, experience difficulties with access to dental care services for individuals with special healthcare needs. The most common barriers are physical accessibility of dental facilities (for individuals with special healthcare needs), affordability, and lack of skills and knowledge of dental care providers.Item The effects of manufacturing technologies on the surface accuracy of CAD-CAM occlusal splints(Wiley, 2023-10) Orgev, Ahmet; Levon, John A.; Chu, Tien-Min G.; Morton, Dean; Lin, Wei-Shao; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryPurpose To investigate the effects of the manufacturing technologies on the surface (cameo and intaglio) accuracy (trueness and precision) of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) occlusal splints. Materials and methods The digital design of the master occlusal splint was designed in a CAD software program. Six groups (n = 10) were tested in this study, including Group 1 – Milling (Wax), Group 2 – Heat-polymerizing, Group 3 – Milling (M series), Group 4 – Milling (DWX-51/52D), Group 5 – 3D-printing (Cares P30), and Group 6 – 3D-printing (M2). The study samples were placed in a scanning jig fabricated from putty silicone and Type III dental stone. The study samples were then scanned with a laboratory scanner at the intaglio and cameo surfaces, and the scanned files were exported in standard tessellation language (STL) file format. The master occlusal splint STL file, was used as a reference to compare with all scanned samples at the intaglio and cameo surfaces in a surface matching software program. Root mean square (RMS, measured in mm, absolute value) values were calculated by the software for accuracy comparisons. Group means were used as the representation of trueness, and the standard deviation for each group was calculated as a measure of precision. Color maps were recorded to visualize the areas of deviation between study samples and the master occlusal splint file. The data were normalized and transformed to rank scores, and one-way ANOVA was used to test for the differences between the groups. Pairwise comparisons were made between different groups. Fishers least square differences were used to account for the family-wise error rate. A 5% significance level was used for all the tests. Results The null hypotheses were rejected. The manufacturing technologies significantly affected the trueness of occlusal splints at both intaglio and cameo surfaces (p < 0.001). At the cameo surfaces, Group 1 – Milling (Wax) (0.03 ± 0.02 mm), Group 3 – Milling (M series) (0.04 ± 0.01 mm), and Group 4 – Milling (DWX-51/52D) (0.04 ± 0.01 mm) had the smallest mean RMS values and highest trueness. Group 3 had the smallest standard deviation and highest precision among all groups (p < 0.001, except p = 0.005 when compared with Group 2). Group 5 had the largest standard deviation and lowest precision among all groups (p < 0.001). At the intaglio surfaces, Group 1 – Milling (Wax) (0.06 ± 0.01 mm) had the smallest RMS values and highest trueness among all groups (p < 0.001), and Group 2 – Heat-polymerizing (0.20 ± 0.03 mm) and Group 5 – 3D-printing (Cares P30) (0.15 ± 0.05 mm) had significantly larger mean RMS and standard deviation values than all other groups (p < 0.001), with lowest trueness and precision. In the color maps, Group 2 – Heat-polymerizing and Group 5 – 3D-printing (Cares P30) showed the most discrepancies with yellow and red (positive discrepancies) in most areas, and Group 1 – Milling (Wax) showed the best and most uniform surface matching with the most area in green. Conclusion The manufacturing technologies significantly affected the trueness and precision of occlusal splints at both intaglio and cameo surfaces. The 5-axis milling units and industrial-level CLIP 3D-printer could be considered to achieve surface accuracy of occlusal splints.Item Translucency parameter and color masking ability of CAD-CAM denture base materials against metal substrates(Wiley, 2023-04) Wang, Yun-Ju; Chu, Tien-Min G.; Lin, Wei-Shao; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryPurpose To investigate the translucency parameters of traditional, milled, and 3D-printed denture base materials at 3 different thicknesses and the color masking ability of each material against a metallic background between different thicknesses. Material and methods A traditional heat-polymerizing polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (H-Lucitone) material was used as the control group. Two milled pre-polymerized resin blocks (M-Lucitone and IvoBase) and five 3D-printed denture base materials (P-Lucitone, Dentca LP, Dentca OP, Formlabs, and Kulzer) were used as experimental groups. A total of 240 samples, (n = 30, per material) were fabricated to a final specimen dimension of 12×12 mm and in thicknesses of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mm (n = 10 per thickness/material) according to the manufacturers’ recommendations. The color coordinates (L*, a*, b*) in CIELab color space for all specimens placed against a white, black, and metallic background were measured with a spectrophotometer. The translucency parameters (TP00) at each thickness and the color differences between 1 mm and 2 mm (dE00M1-2) and between 2 mm and 3 mm (dE00M2-3) against the metallic background were calculated with the CIEDE2000 color matrix. Comparisons between the groups for differences in TP00 were made using One-way ANOVA separately for each thickness. Comparisons of groups and materials for differences in dE00M1-2 and dE00M2-3 were made using Two-way ANOVA and Fisher's Protected Least Significant Differences (α = 0.05). Results The TP00 decreased with increasing thickness in all 8 material groups. All 3D-printed materials, except P-Lucitone, had higher TP00 than milled pre-polymerized resin materials (M-Lucitone and IvoBase), and traditional heat-polymerizing PMMA (H-Lucitone) material (P<.001) at all thicknesses. In the 1 mm and 2 mm thickness, heat-polymerizing acrylic resin (H-Lucitone) had the lowest TP00, and in the 3 mm thickness, milled acrylic resin (M-Lucitone and IVOBase) had had lowest TP00 (p < 0.001). All material groups had significantly lower values of dE00M2-3 than dE00M1-2 (p < 0.001). The color differences dE00M2-3 were significantly lower in H-Lucitone, M-Lucitone, P-Lucitone, and IvoBase groups than in other materials, while the color difference of dE00M1-2 was significantly lower in H-Lucitone, P-Lucitone and Dentca LP than other materials (p < 0.001). Conclusions The results from this study provide clinicians and dental technicians with information regarding the selection of denture base materials to achieve desired color masking outcomes, according to available prosthetic space. Thicker prostheses significantly improved the color masking abilities of denture acrylic resins against a metallic background. In a thickness of 1 and 2 mm, the heat-polymerizing acrylic resin had a lower translucency parameter and better color masking ability. When the prosthesis thickness reached 3 mm, the milled acrylic resin had a lower translucency parameter and better color masking ability. When compared to the heat-polymerizing resin and milled acrylic resin materials, except for one 3D-printing resin (P-Lucitone), the color masking abilities of the remaining 3D-printing resin materials were low, regardless of prosthesis thickness.Item Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoid Modulation of Nociception and Inflammation Associated with a Rat Model of Pulpitis(MDPI, 2023-05-16) Laks, Elana Y.; Li, Hongbo; Ward, Sara Jane; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryDespite advancements in dental pain management, one of the most common reasons for emergency dental care is orofacial pain. Our study aimed to determine the effects of non-psychoactive Cannabis constituents in the treatment of dental pain and related inflammation. We tested the therapeutic potential of two non-psychoactive Cannabis constituents, cannabidiol (CBD) and β-caryophyllene (β-CP), in a rodent model of orofacial pain associated with pulp exposure. Sham or left mandibular molar pulp exposures were performed on Sprague Dawley rats treated with either vehicle, the phytocannabinoid CBD (5 mg/kg i.p.) or the sesquiterpene β-CP (30 mg/kg i.p.) administered 1 h pre-exposure and on days 1, 3, 7, and 10 post-exposure. Orofacial mechanical allodynia was evaluated at baseline and post-pulp exposure. Trigeminal ganglia were harvested for histological evaluation at day 15. Pulp exposure was associated with significant orofacial sensitivity and neuroinflammation in the ipsilateral orofacial region and trigeminal ganglion. β-CP but not CBD produced a significant reduction in orofacial sensitivity. β-CP also significantly reduced the expression of the inflammatory markers AIF and CCL2, while CBD only decreased AIF expression. These data represent the first preclinical evidence that non-psychoactive cannabinoid-based pharmacotherapy may provide a therapeutic benefit for the treatment of orofacial pain associated with pulp exposure.Item Digital Gothic Arch Tracing Device with Open-Source Software for CAD/CAM Denture Fabrication(Quintessence Publishing, 2022) Orgev, Ahmet; Lin, Wei-Shao; Morton, Dean; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryDigital or CAD/CAM workflows and protocols are being increasingly utilized because of their improved efficiency and reproducibility. For the fabrication of complete dentures, digital workflows can reduce treatment time and clinical visits while enhancing the reliability and reproducibility of the laboratory phase and materials. However, establishing centric relation (CR) and vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) in a reproducible way is still a challenging step for complete denture fabrication in both analog and digital workflows. This clinical report describes a digital workflow utilizing an individualized gothic arch tracing device (GATD) using open-source software for the fabrication of complete dentures. With this workflow, clinicians can offer customized solutions according to patient rehabilitation, with good reproducibility using gothic arch tracing to be implemented in the digital workflow.Item Marginal Fit, Mechanical Properties, and Esthetic Outcomes of CAD/CAM Interim Fixed Dental Prostheses (FDPs): A Systematic Review(MDPI, 2023-02-28) Al-humood, Hussain; Alfaraj, Amal; Yang, Chao-Chieh; Levon, John; Chu, Tien-Min Gabriel; Lin, Wei-Shao; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryThis systematic review aimed to study the outcomes of CAD-CAM (milled and 3D-printed) interim dental prostheses when compared to conventional ones. The focused question of "In natural teeth, what are the outcomes of CAD-CAM interim FDPs compared to the conventionally-manufactured ones regarding marginal fit, mechanical properties, esthetics, and color stability" was formulated. The systematic search was conducted electronically in the PubMed/MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Web of Science, New York Academy of Medicine Grey Literature Report, and Google Scholar databases by using the MeSH keywords and keywords associated with the focused question and limiting articles to those published between 2000 and 2022. A manual search was conducted in selected dental journals. The results were analyzed qualitatively and are presented in table format. Of the included studies, 18 studies were in vitro and 1 was a randomized clinical trial. Of the eight studies analyzing the mechanical properties, five studies favored the milled interim restorations, one study favored both 3D-printed and milled interim restorations, and two studies reported better mechanical properties in conventional interim restorations. Among four studies evaluating the marginal discrepancies, two studies favored the marginal fit in milled interim restorations, one study reported a better marginal fit in both milled and 3D-printed interim restorations, and one study found conventional interim restorations have a better marginal fit and smaller marginal discrepancy when compared to both milled and 3D-printed restorations. Among five studies that evaluated both the mechanical properties and marginal fit, 1 study favored 3D-printed interim restorations and four studies favored milled interim restorations over the conventional ones. Two studies analyzing the esthetics outcomes demonstrated better results with milled interim restorations compared to conventional and 3D-printed interim restorations in terms of their color stabilities. The risk of bias was low for all the studies reviewed. The high level of heterogeneity within the studies excluded meta-analysis. Most of the studies favored the milled interim restorations over the 3D-printed and conventional restorations. The results suggested that milled interim restorations offer a better marginal fit, higher mechanical properties, and better esthetic outcomes in terms of color stabilities.Item Enhanced Antibacterial Effect on Zirconia Implant Abutment by Silver Linear-Beam Ion Implantation(MDPI, 2023-01-13) Yang, Yang; Liu, Mingyue; Yang, Zhen; Lin, Wei-Shao; Chen, Li; Tan, Jianguo; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryPeri-implant lesions, such as peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis, are bacterial-derived diseases that happen around dental implants, compromising the long-term stability and esthetics of implant restoration. Here, we report a surface-modification method on zirconia implant abutment using silver linear-beam ion implantation to reduce the bacterial growth around the implant site, thereby decreasing the prevalence of peri-implant lesions. The surface characteristics of zirconia after ion implantation was evaluated using energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a contact-angle device. The antibacterial properties of implanted zirconia were evaluated using Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. The biocompatibility of the material surface was evaluated using human gingival fibroblasts. Our study shows that the zirconia surface was successfully modified with silver nanoparticles by using the ion-implantation method. The surface modification remained stable, and the silver-ion elution was below 1 ppm after one-month of storage. The modified surface can effectively eliminate bacterial growth, while the normal gingiva’s cell growth is not interfered with. The results of the study demonstrate that a silver-ion-implanted zirconia surface possesses good antibacterial properties and good biocompatibility. The surface modification using silver-ion implantation is a promising method for future usage.Item Bead-anchored surgical templates for static computer-assisted implant surgery: A dental technique(Wiley, 2022-10) Orgev, Ahmet; Pellerito, John; Polido, Waldemar; Morton, Dean; Lin, Wei-Shao; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryThis technique report describes an alternative method to stabilize surgical templates throughout full-arch static computer-assisted implant surgery (FA s-CAIS). In FA s-CAIS, remaining teeth, mucosa, existing implants, custom occlusal device, bone, or any combination thereof, could be used as an initial positioning mechanism to position surgical templates. Different anchoring mechanisms are then used to stabilize the surgical templates during surgery. In this report, a novel design of surgical templates using remaining dentition and opposing occlusal surfaces as initial positioning mechanism followed by the combination of bone block fixation screw and stainless-steel beads as secondary anchoring mechanisms is described. The advantages, limitations, and comparisons with surgical templates using other anchoring mechanisms are also discussed.Item The effects of manufacturing technologies on the surface accuracy of CAD-CAM occlusal splints(Wiley, 2022) Orgev, Ahmet; Levon, John A.; Chu, Tien-Min G.; Morton, Dean; Lin, Wei-Shao; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryPurpose To investigate the effects of the manufacturing technologies on the surface (cameo and intaglio) accuracy (trueness and precision) of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) occlusal splints. Materials and methods The digital design of the master occlusal splint was designed in a CAD software program. Six groups (n = 10) were tested in this study, including Group 1 – Milling (Wax), Group 2 – Heat-polymerizing, Group 3 – Milling (M series), Group 4 – Milling (DWX-51/52D), Group 5 – 3D-printing (Cares P30), and Group 6 – 3D-printing (M2). The study samples were placed in a scanning jig fabricated from putty silicone and Type III dental stone. The study samples were then scanned with a laboratory scanner at the intaglio and cameo surfaces, and the scanned files were exported in standard tessellation language (STL) file format. The master occlusal splint STL file, was used as a reference to compare with all scanned samples at the intaglio and cameo surfaces in a surface matching software program. Root mean square (RMS, measured in mm, absolute value) values were calculated by the software for accuracy comparisons. Group means were used as the representation of trueness, and the standard deviation for each group was calculated as a measure of precision. Color maps were recorded to visualize the areas of deviation between study samples and the master occlusal splint file. The data were normalized and transformed to rank scores, and one-way ANOVA was used to test for the differences between the groups. Pairwise comparisons were made between different groups. Fishers least square differences were used to account for the family-wise error rate. A 5% significance level was used for all the tests. Results The null hypotheses were rejected. The manufacturing technologies significantly affected the trueness of occlusal splints at both intaglio and cameo surfaces (p < 0.001). At the cameo surfaces, Group 1 – Milling (Wax) (0.03 ± 0.02 mm), Group 3 – Milling (M series) (0.04 ± 0.01 mm), and Group 4 – Milling (DWX-51/52D) (0.04 ± 0.01 mm) had the smallest mean RMS values and highest trueness. Group 3 had the smallest standard deviation and highest precision among all groups (p < 0.001, except p = 0.005 when compared with Group 2). Group 5 had the largest standard deviation and lowest precision among all groups (p < 0.001). At the intaglio surfaces, Group 1 – Milling (Wax) (0.06 ± 0.01 mm) had the smallest RMS values and highest trueness among all groups (p < 0.001), and Group 2 – Heat-polymerizing (0.20 ± 0.03 mm) and Group 5 – 3D-printing (Cares P30) (0.15 ± 0.05 mm) had significantly larger mean RMS and standard deviation values than all other groups (p < 0.001), with lowest trueness and precision. In the color maps, Group 2 – Heat-polymerizing and Group 5 – 3D-printing (Cares P30) showed the most discrepancies with yellow and red (positive discrepancies) in most areas, and Group 1 – Milling (Wax) showed the best and most uniform surface matching with the most area in green. Conclusion The manufacturing technologies significantly affected the trueness and precision of occlusal splints at both intaglio and cameo surfaces. The 5-axis milling units and industrial-level CLIP 3D-printer could be considered to achieve surface accuracy of occlusal splints.Item The trueness of scans using one intraoral scanner in different partially edentulous conditions(Wiley, 2023) Majeed-Saidan, Ahmad; Dutra, Vinicius; Levon, John A.; Chu, Tien-Min G.; Morton, Dean; Alfaraj, Amal; Lin, Wei-Shao; Prosthodontics, School of DentistryPurpose To investigate the trueness of intraoral scanning in 8 commonly seen partially edentulous conditions. Materials and methods A maxillary dentoform was modified into the 8 commonly seen partially edentulous conditions. Each modification was scanned with a laboratory desktop scanner. Each modification was then scanned 10 times (n = 10) with an intraoral scanner. All scans were exported as STL files and then imported into a surface matching software using the best-fit alignment method. The dimensional differences between the study STL files from the intraoral scanner were compared to the corresponding reference STL files. The measurements were calculated as the root mean square (RMS) and defined as the trueness of the intraoral scans. In addition to the RMS values, qualitative assessments were completed on the color maps. The color maps produced by the surface matching software were used to visualize the areas of deviation between scans from the intraoral scanner and their corresponding reference files. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by pair-wise comparisons using Fisher's Protected Least Significant Difference were utilized to compare the differences between the groups in RMS values (α = 0.05). Results Partially edentulous condition significantly affected the trueness of the intraoral scans. Group 8 (Class IV) had significantly lower RMS (0.1878 ± 0.0455 mm) than all other groups (p < 0.001). Group 2 (Class II) and Group 7 (Class III modification I) are not significantly different from each other (Group 2: 0.5758 ± 0.0300 mm; Group 7: 0.5602 ± 0.0231 mm, p = 0.571), while they both had significantly higher RMS than all other groups (p < 0.001). The remaining groups showed the RMS values were within the range of 0.3001 ± 0.0891 mm (Group 6 – Class III with Long Edentulous Span) and 0.4541 ± 0.1039 mm (Group 1 – Class I). Conclusion Different partially edentulous conditions affected the trueness of the scans generated from the selected intraoral scanner. Class IV edentulous condition had the highest intraoral scan trueness. It is unknown if RMS values are clinically significant, and the validity of using intraoral scans directly for PRDP fabrication will need further studies.