There has been a considerable increase in natural calamities such as earthquakes and floods occurring across various parts of the world. Apart from causing a high number of fatalities, victim identification poses a significant challenge in mass disaster scenarios. In forensic odontology, biometric information plays a crucial role in identifying deceased individuals. However, soft tissues undergo rapid deterioration following such disasters, making hard tissues a more reliable source for identification. To evaluate the usefulness of enamel rod end patterns for forensic identification after exposure to conditions simulating flood and earthquake scenarios. Human teeth were subjected to simulated disaster conditions by immersing them in seawater to mimic flood situations and burying them in soil to simulate earthquake conditions. After exposure, enamel rod end patterns were recorded and analyzed using VeriFinger software. Enamel rod end patterns were successfully recorded following exposure to both simulated conditions. The pat- terns demonstrated identifiable characteristics, indicating their resistance to environmental degradation. Tooth enamel, owing to its highly crystalline nature and negligible organic content, serves as a reliable hard tissue for forensic identification. Enamel rod end pattern analysis can be effectively used as a biometric tool for victim iden- tification in mass disaster situations such as floods and earthquakes.
The aim of this study was to evaluate trabecular bone structure in periodontal disease using fractal dimension (FD) and lacunarity analysis (LA) in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). A total of 120 CBCT images from the archives of our college were collected after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Regions of interest were preprocessed and subjected to fractal analysis and LA using the ImageJ software and statistical comparisons were performed between healthy individuals and periodontitis patients. Lacunarity values were significantly greater (p < 0.001) and FD values were significantly lower in patients with periodontitis than in healthy controls. Differences by gender were noted, with larger lacunarity values seen in females in the periodontitis group. In cases of periodontitis, FD and lacunarity were found to be inversely correlated by Kendall's tau correlation. Increased heterogeneity and decreased trabecular bone complexity are linked to periodontitis. Even before severe bone loss is radiographically apparent, FD and LA on CBCT images can identify modest trabecular alterations. In the context of periodontal care, these measures can be sensitive supplementary instruments for early diagnosis, disease surveillance, and treatment planning.
Osteointegration of dental implants is significantly influenced by surface treatment. The success of dental implants is largely dependent on osseointegration. Therefore, it is of interest to examine how four frequently applied surface treatments affected implant osseointegration. Based on the surface treatment used, standardized dental implants were split into four groups. Group I received a plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coating; Group II received a titanium oxide nanocoating; Group III received a sandblast and acid etching; and Group IV received a UV light treatment. Following a nine-week simulated healing period under controlled settings, implants were placed in bovine bone blocks. Then they were subjected to biomechanical testing. Superior outcomes were shown by plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite, sandblasted, acid-etched and titanium oxide nano coating group.
Background:Local anesthesia provides prolonged soft tissue numbness, which can interfere with the ability to perform functional activities such as mastication and speech. Aim:To assess the role of low-level laser therapy as a local anesthesia reversal agent in 5- to 8-year-old children. Materials and methods:Twenty-four children within the age-group of 5-8 years, requiring restorations, extractions, or crowns on both sides of the mandibular arch, were recruited in the trial. They were assigned randomly into group A and group B. Children in group A received sham laser treatment, and children in group B received low-level laser therapy. Preoperative and postoperative assessments were performed using the periodic functional assessment battery (pFAB) test by a single-blinded assessor. The incidence of soft tissue injuries was recorded before the patient's disposal from the dental office. All the data were collected, tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis. The data showed a normal distribution; therefore, the Chi-square test was used. Results:Periodic functional assessment battery test revealed a mean difference in reversal time of 31 minutes between the sham laser group and the low-level laser group, which was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion:Low-level laser therapy with 810 nm proved to be an effective tool in reversal of soft tissue local anesthesia among 5-8-year-old children. Clinical significance:Low-level laser therapy can be employed as a noninvasive soft tissue local anesthesia reversal agent. Reversal of prolonged soft tissue numbness helps to reduce discomfort to the children postoperatively and can decrease the incidence of self-inflicted soft tissue injuries. How to cite this article:Kiruthika D, Hemalatha R, Shankar P, et al. Effectiveness of Low-level Laser Therapy on Reversing Soft-tissue Local Anesthesia among 5- to 8-year-old Children: A Randomized Split-mouth Clinical Trial. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2026;19(4):480-485.
Background:Despite successful immediate dentin bonding, its stability remains challenging due to its susceptibility to protease-induced degradation. Aim:This study aimed to comparatively evaluate microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of resin composite to dentin pretreated using 2% chlorhexidine (CHX), 0.05% trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCA), their combination (2% CHX/0.05% TCA) and 50% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) immediately (24 h) and after long-term aging (6 months) under in vitro conditions. Materials and Methods:Superficial dentin was exposed in 75 extracted human molars. Following etching with 37% phosphoric acid, the specimens were randomly allocated (n = 15) according to the pretreatment agent used. Universal adhesive (Single Bond Universal, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, USA) was utilized in etch-and-rinse mode and resin composite (4 mm) was built in two increments. From each tooth, dentin-composite beams (1 mm × 1 mm) were sectioned, exposed to tensile load at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min to evaluate immediate and long-term μTBS. Data was analyzed statistically by Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P < 0.05). The failure modes were verified with a stereomicroscope (×40). Results:At 24 h, DMSO showed significantly higher mean μTBS than CHX (P < 0.05). Following aging, DMSO remained the highest while the mean μTBS of control was significantly lower than CHX and CHX/TCA (P < 0.05). Intragroup comparisons showed that μTBS decreased over time in control and increased in CHX (P < 0.05). Conclusion:Within the limits of this study, DMSO pretreatment significantly improved both the immediate and long-term μTBS of composite to dentin.
