Background: Plagiarism is the theft of intellectual property with lack of source acknowledgment. The objective of this study was to determine the information regarding Baqai Medical University student's exposure about knowledge, attitude and practices and their awareness of the repercussions and the policies, systems and procedures of the BMU regarding plagiarized matter. Methods: A study for duration of 6 months was conducted in Baqai Medical University where volunteers answered questionnaires anonymously. There were following four sections in the questionnaire: (a) demographic data, such as gender, level of education; (b) five questions regarding knowledge; (c) five questions regarding practice; and (d) five questions regarding policies, awareness and outcomes. Results: The sample size of the study was 150 participants, among which 61 were males and 89 females, with 70 BDS students, 50 MBBS students and 30 House officers. Overall, 90% of the participants were aware of the meaning of plagiarism. Approximately 20% of the participants were not aware of the standard referencing criteria. 88% of the correspondents considered continuous assessments to improve their writing skills. When asked on how the students believed to improve their skills and avoid plagiarism. Majority of the participants (75.3%) considered time ample enough to work with almost equal correspondence among males and females. 81.3% of the students reported lack plagiarism workshop. 82.7% of the respondents agreed to the consequences of plagiarism. Nevertheless, both males (72.1%) and females (73%)) equally shared their work with friends before submission. Even though 68% of them were aware of the college / university policies, systems and procedures for involving plagiarism, men exhibited an increased awareness ratio (70.5%) as compared to females (66.3%). Conclusion: With the help of this questionnaire, the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the BMU students was determined regarding plagiarism. In the end, recommendations for such type of studies in the future were also provided.

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Over time, much attention has been given to the use of bioceramics for biomedical applications; however, the recent trend has been gaining traction to apply these materials for dental restorations. The bioceramics (mainly bioactive) are exceptionally biocompatible and possess excellent bioactive and biological properties due to their similar chemical composition to human hard tissues. However, concern has been noticed related to their mechanical properties. All dental materials based on bioactive materials must be biocompatible, long-lasting, mechanically strong enough to bear the masticatory and functional load, wear-resistant, easily manipulated, and implanted. This review article presents the basic structure, properties, and dental applications of different bioactive materials i.e., amorphous calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, tri-calcium phosphate, mono-calcium phosphate, calcium silicate, and bioactive glass. The advantageous properties and limitations of these materials are also discussed. In the end, future directions and proposals are given to improve the physical and mechanical properties of bioactive materials-based dental materials.

This study aimed to fabricate nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) grafted/non-grafted E-glass-fiber-based (nHA/EG) and E-glass fiber (EG) orthodontic retainers and to compare their properties with commercially available retainers. Stainless-steel (SS) retainers and everStick Ortho (EST) were used as control groups. The retainers were evaluated with Raman spectroscopy and bonded to bovine teeth. The samples were fatigued under cyclic loading (120,000 cycles) followed by static load testing. The failure behavior was evaluated under an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The strain growth on the orthodontic retainers was assessed (48h and 168h) by an adhesion test using Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. The characteristic peaks of resin and glass fibers were observed, and the debonding force results showed a significant difference among all of the groups. SS retainers showed the highest bonding force, whereas nHA/EG retainers showed a non-significant difference from EG and EST retainers. SS retainers’ failure mode occurred mainly at the retainer–composite interface, while breakage occurred in glass-fiber-based retainers. The strains’ adhesion to EST and EG was reduced with time. However, it was increased with nHA/EG. Fabrication of nHA/EG retainers was successfully achieved and showed better debonding force compared to other glass-fiber-based groups, whereas non-linear behavior was observed for the strains’ adhesion.

This study aimed to modify an EQUIA coat (EC; GC, Japan) by incorporating 1 and 2 wt.% of zinc oxide (ZnO; EC-Z1 and EC-Z2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2; EC-T1 and EC-T2) nanoparticles, whereby structural and phase analyses were assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry, micro-hardness, and water absorption analyses were conducted, and the microstructure was studied by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy. FTIR spectra showed a reduction in peak heights of amide (1521 cm−1) and carbonyl (1716 cm−1) groups. XRD showed peaks of ZnO (2θ~31.3°, 34.0°, 35.8°, 47.1°, 56.2°, 62.5°, 67.6°, and 68.7°) and TiO2 (2θ~25.3°, 37.8°, 47.9, 54.5°, 62.8°, 69.5°, and 75.1°) corresponding to a hexagonal phase with a wurtzite structure and an anatase phase, respectively. Thermal stability was improved in newly modified materials in comparison to the control group. The sequence of obtained glass transitions was EC-T2 (111 °C), EC-T1 (102 °C), EC-Z2 (98 °C), EC-Z1 (92 °C), and EC-C (90 °C). EC-T2 and EC-T1 showed the highest (43.76 ± 2.78) and lowest (29.58 ± 3.2) micro-hardness values. EC showed the maximum water absorption (1.6%) at day 7 followed by EC-T1 (0.82%) and EC-Z1 (0.61%). These results suggest that EC with ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles has the potential to be used clinically as a coating material.