BACKGROUND: Propolis is a resinous substance obtained from the beehives that has antioxidant, anti-bacteria, anti-virus, antifungal, anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of this study was to review the studies about the role of propolis in improving dental and oral health.METHODS: This study reviewed the published articles regarding the applications of propolis in dentistry. An electronic search of the literature was carried out in Farsi electronic databases includingGoogle, Medlib.ir, SID, Iranmedex and Magiran as well as English electronic databases such as PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge.These databases were searched for articles published between 1997and October 20, 2017. Non-dental books and journals were also manually searched.RESULTS: This study reviewed published articles on the efficacy of propolis for surgical wound healing, caries prevention, treatment of dentin hypersensitivity, treatment of aphthous ulcers and propolis as a storage medium for avulsed teeth, root canal irrigating solution and mouthwash.CONCLUSION: The result of the reviewed article showed that propolis is effective an agent that is used for multiple purpose in oral health.KEYWORDS: Propolis, Dentistry, Honeybee, Oral health

In this paper, the crack tip parameters including the stress intensity factors (KI and KII), T‐stress and the third terms of the stress field (A3 and B3) are determined comprehensively for a disk‐type sample named holed‐cracked flattened Brazilian disk (HCFBD) under various combinations of mode I and mode II loading. The HCFBD specimen is a circular disk containing a central hole in which the initial cracks are created radially from the hole circumference. Moreover, the ends of HCFBD are flattened for the sake of convenient loading. Performing enormous finite element analyses and calculating the stress intensity factors KI and KII, the states of pure mode II are determined for different configurations of HCFBD. Furthermore, the sign and magnitude of parameter A3 which plays an important role to justify the geometry and size effects on the fracture toughness of quasi‐brittle materials are also determined for HCFBD with different geometrical ratios.

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Objectives:This study aimed to assess the effect of 0.05% sodium fluoride (NaF) mouthwash on the surface roughness and friction between ceramic brackets and rhodium-coated (RC) and uncoated stainless steel (SS) wires.Materials and Methods:This experimental study was performed on 48 maxillary premolar ceramic brackets. Twenty-four pieces of RC-SS wires were used. Samples were divided into four groups. Groups 1 and 2 were immersed in artificial saliva, and groups 3 and 4 were immersed in a solution consisting of artificial saliva (9%) and mouthwash (91%). To assess surface roughness, images were obtained from the surface of wires and brackets with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after the intervention. To assess friction, the wires were ligated into brackets, and friction was measured at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute using a universal testing machine. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 significance level.Results:Friction during sliding in RC wires was significantly less than that in SS wires (P<0.05). Increase in the friction in SS wires by mouthwash was significantly greater compared to RC wires (P<0.05). Surface roughness coefficients of the wires before the intervention were not significantly different. The surface roughness of the wires significantly increased after the intervention and it was greater in SS wires than in RC wires (P<0.05).Conclusion:Considering the lower friction and surface roughness of SS-RC wires compared to SS wires, SS-RC wires may be a better alternative for use with ceramic brackets.

Introduction: Remineralizing agents may be used for the treatment of white spot lesions (WSLs) prior to bracket bonding. However, some concerns exist regarding their possible interference with the etching and bonding process, negatively affecting the bond strength. This study aimed to assess the effect of two remineralizing agents with/without CO2 laser irradiation on the mechanical properties and shear bond strength (SBS) of demineralized enamel to the orthodontic bracket. Methods: This study evaluated 60 premolar teeth in 6 groups (n=10) as follows: (I) sound enamel, (II) demineralized enamel, (III) Nupro remineralizing agent (N), (IV) Nupro and CO2 laser (N/L), (V) Teethmate remineralizing agent (T), and (VI) Teethmate and CO2 laser (T/L). The remineralizing agents were applied to the enamel surfaces after their immersion in a demineralizing solution for 5 days. In groups IV and VI, the CO2 laser with a 10.6 μm wavelength, 10 ms pulse duration, a 50 Hz repetition rate, 0.3 mm beam diameter and 0.7 W power was irradiated after applying the remineralizing agents. Brackets were bonded to the enamel surfaces and SBS was measured by a universal testing machine. For the assessment of enamel microhardness, 20 sections of molar teeth were divided into 4 groups (n=5; N, N/L, T, T/L) and their microhardness was measured before demineralization, after demineralization and after remineralization. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) were carried out to assess the formation of hydroxyapatite. The atomic percentages of the C, O, P, Ca, Na, Si, F and Ca/P ratio were determined by EDS analysis. Results: The SBS significantly decreased in group II (P<0.001). There was no significant difference among the groups I, III, IV, V and VI (P<0.05). This finding was similar to the microhardness results, which showed an increase in microhardness after remineralization (P<0.05), with no difference among the remineralizing agents. The Ca/P ratio was the highest in the Nupro group and the lowest in the demineralized group. Conclusion: Remineralizing agents can significantly improve the microhardness and structural properties of demineralized enamel to a level similar to that of sound enamel with no adverse effect on SBS to orthodontic brackets.