Tooth wear—attrition, erosion and abrasion—is perceived internationally as an ever-increasing problem. Clinical and epidemiological studies, however, are difficult to interpret and compare due to differences in terminology and the large number of indices that have been developed for diagnosing, grading and monitoring dental hard tissue loss. These indices have been designed to identify increasing severity and are usually numerical. Some record lesions on an aetiological basis (e.g. erosion indices), others record lesions irrespective of aetiology (tooth wear indices); none have universal acceptance, complicating the evaluation of the true increase in prevalence reported. This article considers the ideal requirements for an erosion index. It reviews the literature to consider how current indices have evolved and discusses if these indices meet the clinical and research needs of the dental profession.

ObjectivesSquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is by far the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity. A number of etiologic factors have been implicated in its development. During the past few decades, a particular focus has been placed on the investigation of valid biomarkers predictive of cancer behavior and cervical lymph node metastasis in head and neck Squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).The present study was designed to investigate the expression of epidermal growth factor in these tumors in relation to proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis.Materials and methodsImmunohistochemical (IHC) evaluation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in 40 retrospective OSCC specimens and its correlation with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), antiapoptotic antibody (P53), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and D2-40 monoclonal antibodies (Mab), in relation to the clinicopathological parameters.ResultsData revealed positive EGFR immunoreactivity in 35(87.5%) cases. There was a statistically significant correlation regarding EGFR extent score with respect to intratumoral lymphatic vessel density (ILVD) (r = 0.35) as well as EGFR intensity score with respect to ILVD and peritumoral lymphatic vessel density (PLVD) (r = 0.33, r = 0.36 respectively). EGFR expression was not correlated with the clinicopathological parameters. Conclusions: EGFR is expressed by most of the cases. EGFR correlation with D2- 40 positive lymphatic vessels suggests a higher tendency of OSCC for lymphatic dissemination. Lack of correlation among the studied markers suggests their independent effect on tumor behavior.

Oral cancer is one of the most debilitating and disfiguring of all malignancies; it is one of the most frequently occurring cancers in the body. This study is designed to achieve a retrospective and a prospective epidemiological study on oral cancer in Sulaimani city . In the retrospective cases of oral cancer in ten years (1995-2004) were reviewed, and the prospective study included oral cancer cases diagnosed during the study period. Seventy three cases in the retrospective part and 18 cases in the prospective part were recorded. All cases were analyzed according to age, sex, site and histopathological presentation. In the retrospective part, the patients were 44 males and 29 females with male to female ratio 1.5:1. The lip was the most commonly affected site by oral cancer (32 cases 43.84%), followed by tongue (16 cases, 21.92%).The peak onset of oral cancer seen in age groups (51-60) and (61-70) years .Squamous cell carcinoma was the major histopathological version, followed by tumor of salivary gland region. In the prospective part of the study the patients were15 males, and 3 females. Age group (41-50) was the most commonly affected. The lip was the most commonly affected site. The most frequent histopathological type was squamous cell carcinoma. It was obvious that almost all the cases were seen in an advanced stage, the delay was found to be mainly due to ignorance of the patients, and delay in diagnosis and referral by dental practitioners. Lack of information about habitual smoking and drinking, were noticed. Necessity of cancer registry in Sulaimani is suggested.

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