Aims: Familial aggregation of the metabolic syndrome has been reported in some nations. The aim of this study was to evaluate familial aggregation of the metabolic syndrome in Tehranian families. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, anthropometry, blood pressure and biochemical data were collected for 4,558 individuals in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Variables of the metabolic syndrome in offspring were correlated with those of their parents. Results: There were 1,274 fathers, 1,576 mothers, 802 sons and 906 daughters. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 24.4% for fathers, 39.7% for mothers, 9.0% for sons and 7.6% for daughters. Triglycerides and HDL-C of children whose fathers had metabolic syndrome, and BMI, triglycerides and HDL-C of those whose mothers had it were significantly different from those adolescents whose parents were free of metabolic syndrome. Compared with children whose parents did not have metabolic syndrome, the odds ratio (confidence interval) for children with both parents having metabolic syndrome was 4.53 (2.42–8.8) for metabolic syndrome, 2.22 (1.17–4.19) for abdominal obesity, 1.90 (1.15–3.13) for high blood pressure, 2.66 (1.77–4.00) for low HDL-C and 3.16 (2.10–4.75) for high triglyceride levels. Conclusion: This survey provides evidence suggesting that there is a familial aggregation of the metabolic syndrome among Iranian families.

Regarding the common use of calcium silicate cements (CSCs) in root canal therapy, their position in the context of past and present dentistry agents can provide a better understanding of these materials for their further improvement. In this context, the present review article addresses a wide range of recent investigations in the field of CSC-based products and describes details of their composition, properties, and clinical applications. The need for maintaining or reconstructing tooth structure has increased in contemporary endodontic treatment approaches. This research thus discusses the attempts to create comprehensive data collection regarding calcium ion release, bond strength, alkalinizing activity and bioactivity, and the ability to stimulate the formation of hydroxyapatite as a bioactive feature of CSCs. Sealing ability is also highlighted as a predictor for apical and coronal microleakage which is crucial for the long-term prognosis of root canal treatment integrity. Other claimed properties such as radiopacity, porosity, and solubility are also investigated. Extended setting time is also mentioned as a well-known drawback of CSCs. Then, clinical applications of CSCs in vital pulp therapies such as pulpotomy, apexification, and direct pulp capping are reviewed. CSCs have shown their benefits in root perforation treatments and also as root canal sealers and end-filling materials. Nowadays, conventional endodontic treatments are replaced by regenerative therapies to save more dynamic and reliable hard and soft tissues. CSCs play a crucial role in this modern approach. This review article is an attempt to summarize the latest studies on the clinical properties of CSCs to shed light on the future generation of treatments.

Background This study aimed to compare the efficacy of EndoActivator, passive ultrasonic irrigation, and Ultra X in removing calcium hydroxide from the artificial grooves in root canal walls. Methods The root canals of 50 extracted human maxillary incisors were instrumented by using the ProTaper rotary system up to #F4 (size 40/0.06 ProTaper) and the teeth were split longitudinally. Lateral grooves were created in the apical and coronal parts of one half and the middle part of the other half. Calcium hydroxide paste was applied to the grooves and the root halves were reassembled. After seven days, the calcium hydroxide was removed from the canal by using one of the EndoActivator, passive ultrasonic irrigation, and Ultra X devices; one group went without irrigation (control group). The CH remnants in the grooves were scored at 20× magnification. The data were analyzed by using the Kruskal–Wallis, Dunn’s post hoc, and Friedman tests. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results No statistically significant difference existed among the experimental groups at the coronal and middle grooves (P > 0.05). However, Ultra X was significantly more effective than passive ultrasonic irrigation at the apical grooves (P = 0.023). Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, Ultra X can be reported to remove the calcium hydroxide from the apical third more efficiently than passive ultrasonic irrigation.

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Background Inter-appointment medication of the root canals with appropriate intracanal medicaments has been advocated to improve root canal disinfection. Graphene oxide (GO) has shown promising antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms, besides the capability of carrying antibiotics. The current study aimed to compare the antibacterial activity of double antibiotic paste (DAP) and GO per se and in combination (GO-DAP) against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). Methods A total of 108 extracted human mandibular premolars were contaminated with three-week-old E. faecalis and subjected to a primary microbial assessment. The samples were categorized into 15 groups concerning the intracanal medicament (DAP, GO, GO-DAP, and control) and contact time (1, 7, and 14 days). Then, the root canals were medicated, incubated, and resubjected to a secondary antimicrobial evaluation. The colony-forming units (CFU) were counted to calculate the antimicrobial efficacy. The data were analyzed via the Kruskal–Wallis test (α = 0.05). Results GO-DAP was the only medicament that completely eradicated E. faecalis in 1 day. The percentage reduction of CFU/ml in the GO-DAP and DAP groups was higher than that in the GO group at all allocated contact times. Furthermore, a significant decrease of the CFU/ml was seen in the GO and DAP groups after 7 and 14 days of being medicated (P < 0.05). Conclusion Since GO-DAP improved root canal disinfection, this novel material can be introduced as a promising intracanal medicament against E. faecalis even in the short run.