Background: Identifying human remains which are skeletonized, carbonized, disfigured, or fragmentized is a common task for forensic anthropologists and odontologists. Case presentation: A case of unknown skeletonized remains is reported in this investigation, which was found in a mass grave in Damascus Countryside governorate, Syria, in 2017. The post-mortem (PM) examination of bones and teeth was completed in al-Muwasat University Hospital in Damascus. Skull and pelvic bones showed Caucasoid male traits: the fourth rib and teeth examination estimated the age to be between 30 and 40 years, and the long bone estimated the stature in centimeters to be between 172 and 179. Intact dentition with tiny fracture in the incisal edge of the upper right central incisor-along with pathological fracture of right patella-was noted. Matching with ante-mortem (AM) smile photograph and radiograph of the right knee led to positive identification. Conclusions: The present study highlights the importance of maintaining and storage of medical radiographs or any other records that show the teeth or bones of the person.

The application of an 810 nm diode laser either alone or in combination with sodium fluoride gel in treating dentin hypersensitivity is effective and better than the application of a 650 nm diode laser either alone or in combination with sodium fluoride gel. In addition, applying a 650 nm diode laser either alone or in combination with sodium fluoride gel has slight effectiveness in treating dentine hypersensitivity, and it is believed that a single treatment session with a 650 nm diode laser was not enough to obtain the required pain reduction.

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Objectives: This study aimed to develop metrical and angular indices to predict the sex of unknown skeletonized human remains in Syria using the mandibular bone. Materials and Methods:The sample consisted of 99 CBCT scans of the Syrian population (43 males, 56 females) aged between 18-25 years. The collected CBCT images were analyzed on two occasions and by two examiners to test the reliability of measurements. Four measurements were analyzed to be used for sexual prediction analysis as following: Coronoid-Gonion length (the distance between Gonion and the highest lateral point on the Coronoid process), minimum ramus breadth, Gonial angle, and Bigonial width.Results: All the aforementioned measurements showed significant statistical sex-related differences. The Bigonial width showed the highest difference with (P < 0.01 _ mean: 95.17 ± 6.45 mm for males, 86.84 ± 4.81 mm for females), followed by the gonial angle (P<0.01_ mean: 127.11º ± 7.87º for males, 131.52º ± 6.08º for females). Coronoid-gonion length (P < 0.01 _ mean: 58.61 ± 6.78 mm for males, 53.97 ± 5.26 mm for females) and minimum ramus breadth (P < 0.01 _ mean: 29.63 ± 2.90 mm for males, 27.89 ± 2.73 mm for females). specificity and sensitivity for the four indices derived function were 79 % and 80 % respectively and the diagnostic accuracy was 79.6 %. Conclusions:The present study suggested that the sex of mandible in Syrian population could be assessed using metrical and angular measurements which considered as an additional tool for sex identification.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to compare the effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO2) laser vaporisation versus intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in the management of oral lichen planus (OLP).MethodsA randomised clinical trial with a split‐mouth design was conducted on 16 patients with bilateral symptomatic OLP lesions. One side was treated with CO2 laser vaporisation, and the counterpart was treated with TA intralesional injection. The reticular–erythematous–ulcerative (REU) score, Thongprasom sign scoring (TSS), visual analogue scale (VAS) and lesion area were used to evaluate the lesions at weeks 0, 4 and 9. All participants were followed up for 9 months.ResultsReduction in the REU, TSS scores and lesion area from baseline to the end of treatment was significantly greater in the CO2 group than in the TA group (p values were 0.001, 0.002 and 0.048 respectively). However, the reduction in VAS score did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.54). The recurrence rate was significantly higher in the TA group than in the CO2 group (75% vs. 31.1%; p = 0.016).ConclusionsCO2 laser vaporisation was more effective than TA intralesional injection in managing OLP and decreased recurrence rates.