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In this article, nanofibrous mats of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with different PLA/PEG ratios were prepared by solution blow spinning. Terpinen-4-ol, a major phytoconstituent from tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) was added to the fibers and their antimicrobial activity against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (ATCC 00078) was tested. Spun mats were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and cell viability tests by biofilm grown on the surface of inhibitory fibers. Fibers had average diameters dependent on polymer ratio. PEG acted as a plasticizer resulting in a reduction in PLA crystallinity. Addition of PEG lead to a faster drug release. Fibrous mats with terpinen-4-ol, whose incorporation was verified by FTIR, showed an effective antimicrobial activity against A. actinomycetemcomitans, similar to those containing 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate (P < 0.05), used as both the positive control and the dose level recommended for patient treatment. These results confirm the potential of solution blow spun fibrous mats containing terpinen-4-ol in the treatment of aggressive periodontitis. V C 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45782.

Virtual microscopy (VM) is a technology for showing microscope slides using computers and could be considered a progression of classic methodology using optical microscopes. The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and performance of dental students in oral pathology regarding the use of conventional microscopy (CM) and VM in relation to teaching and learning. All fourth-semester dental students (N=165) in an oral pathology course at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil in 2016-17 were invited to participate in the study. Students first answered a questionnaire with ten multiple-choice items on VM in comparison with CM and then took an exam divided into two sections: the first contained three virtual slides on the computer; in the second, three glass slides were positioned in an optical microscope. Each slide question, asking students to identify the oral lesion shown, was worth two points. Both conventional and virtual slides were chosen from the main lectures in the oral pathology classes. Of the students, 132 completed the questionnaire (80% response rate), and 77 completed the exam (46.7% response rate). On the questionnaire results, most students perceived that VM was a superior method for teaching and learning compared to CM. Students earned a total of 312 points on the questions with virtual slides and earned 190 points on the questions with conventional slides. In this study, the use of VM in oral pathology teaching was favored by the students over CM and also contributed to these students' learning.

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