Objective:This study aims to evaluate the awareness level of the individuals with hearing and speech impairments (deaf and dumb individuals), in relation to their oral health and dental treatment needs.Materials and Methods:The approach of stratified randomization method of sampling was used for the selection of participants. About 240 people with hearing and speech impairments (deaf and dumb) were selected from four cities of Saudi Arabia, which includes AlKharj, Riyadh, Dammam and Abha. A questionnaire of two sections was distributed among the participants for collecting data. A simple descriptive analysis was done, and the data were expressed in terms of frequencies and percentages. Microsoft Excel has been used for compilation of data and execution of graphs. Moreover, the questionnaire data were subject to SPSS data analysis (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0, Armonk, IBM Corp. NY).Results:Most of the participants were not aware of the importance of oral health. Majority of the participants described that they did not visit qualified dentists in the past and many of them did not know the right way of doing tooth brushing. Hence, deaf and dumb individuals lack basic knowledge about oral health and dental treatment needs.Conclusion:The study concluded that the awareness level of oral health and dental treatment needs is low among individuals with hearing and speech impairments (deaf and dumb) in Saudi Arabia.

Objective:Studies about the dispersion of hydroxyl ions through dentin of endodontically retreated teeth are scarce. The present study aims at examining the diffusion of calcium hydroxide in vitro by recording the pH changes of retreated root canal using two types of calcium hydroxide preparations.Materials and Methods:A total of 45 recently extracted single-rooted mandibular first premolars were collected and cleaned from calculus and remains of periodontal tissue. The teeth so collected were stored in thymol 10% solution till use. During collection, teeth with cracks, open apices, and restorations were excluded. Root canal preparations were performed using Protaper rotary system files, till #F3 file. All canals were obturated using cold lateral condensation and zinc oxide-based sealer. After 7 days, all gutta-percha were removed and the canals were irrigated with normal saline. The teeth were then randomly distributed into three groups. Canals in Group I were kept empty without any dressing to serve as a negative control group, Canals in Group II were filled with a freshly prepared mixture of calcium hydroxide powder with normal saline solution, and Group III was filled with Metapex. Periodically, the calcium hydroxide material was removed and the pH was measured using pH meter at 7, 10, 14, and 30 days.Results:The pH values of Group II and III ranged between 9.2 and 11.2. This was found to be highly significant against the negative control group. After 7 and 10 days, freshly mixed Ca(OH)2 showed the higher pH than the creamy Metapex, and statistically the difference was highly significant after 10 days (P<0.001). After 14 days, Metapex group pH was higher than freshly mixed Ca(OH)2, but it was not statistically significant as they reached nearly the same pH after 30 days (P>0.05).Conclusion:All Ca(OH)2 preparations had high pH around the roots after 7 and 10 days. Metapex continued to have higher pH after 14 days.

Background: Silane-containing universal adhesives (UAs) are marketed as adhesion promotors for glass-ceramics. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the priming capacity of γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (γMPTS)-containing and γ-methacryloxypropyltriethoxysilane (γMPTES)/3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)-containing universal adhesives (UAs) for lithium disilicate ceramic (LDC). Materials and Methods: Etched LDC discs were distributed into four groups according to the priming material used: (control), no priming; (MBN), LDC was primed with a universal primer (Monobond N); (SBU), γMPTS-containing UA (Single Bond Universal Adhesive) was used as a primer; and (SBP), γMPTES/APTES-containing UA (Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive) was used as a primer. LDC discs were cemented using a dual-cure resin cement, then sectioned into microbeams for microtensile bond strength (μTBS) evaluation. Failure modes were assessed. Results: MBN application showed the highest μTBS among all groups. γMPTES/APTES-containing UA (SBP) resulted in considerably higher μTBS compared with γMPTS-containing UA (SBU) or the control group. The mixed failures were the most predominant among all groups. Conclusions: The effect of silane-containing UAs on resin-ceramic μTBS is material dependent. Although γMPTES/APTES-containing UA improved bonding to LDC, the priming of LDC with either of the UAs tested cannot be considered as an alternative to a separate silanization (priming) step using a universal primer.

The success of dental restorations depends mainly on the ability to bond to other filling materials and tooth substances, in order to resist the multitude of forces acting on the bond within the oral cavity. Although the shortcomings of composite resins have been significantly reduced over the past three decades, microleakage due to shrinkage under masticatory loads is unavoidable. In order to overcome such problems, two materials laminated with matched properties can be used to achieve optimum results. The sandwich technique is an approach in which dentine is replaced by glass ionomer cement (GIC), and enamel is replaced by composite resin. In the past, numerous materials have been proposed with adequate properties to be used in this manner, but the results are conflicting in terms of bonding to the various forms of GIC, and the appearance of microcracks or gap formation during functional loading. This study aimed to evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) and mode of failure between the following core materials: composite resins (CR) (Methacrylate Z350™, Ceram X™, and Spectrum™) with a base material of glass ionomer cement (GIC, Ketac Molar™). Eight samples were made with the help of polytetrafluoroethylene sheets (TEFLON, Wilmington, DE, USA). Each sheet consisted of holes which were 4 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness. The combination of materials was sandwiched. The samples were stored in distilled water and then placed in an incubator for 24 h in order to ensure complete polymerization. The samples were thermocycled for 500 cycles between 5–55 °C/ 30 s. Following thermocycling, SBS testing was performed using a universal testing machine. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed on representative samples for the bond failure analysis between GIC and the composite resins. The Ceram-X™ nanocomposite showed significantly higher bond strength than Methacrylate Z350™ or Spectrum™ (p = 0.002). The Methacrylate Z350™ and the Spectrum™ composite specimens demonstrated a similar SBS (p = 0.281). The SBS of the Ceram X™ to GIC was the highest compared to Methacrylate Z350™ and Spectrum™. Therefore Ceram X™ may produce a better bond with GIC, and may protect teeth against recurrent caries and failure of the restoration. Methacrylate Z350™ is comparable to Spectrum™ CR and can be used as an alternative. A combination of adhesive and mixed failure was observed in Methacrylate Z350™ CR and GIC, while adhesive failure was predominantly found in both Ceram X™ and Spectrum™ with GIC restorations.

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