After tooth loss, bone resorption is irreversible, leaving the area without adequate bone volume for successful implant treatment. Bone grafting is the only solution to reverse dental bone loss and is a well-accepted procedure required in one in every four dental implants. Research and development in materials, design and fabrication technologies have expanded over the years to achieve successful and long-lasting dental implants for tooth substitution. This review will critically present the various dental bone graft and substitute materials that have been used to achieve a successful dental implant. The article also reviews the properties of dental bone grafts and various dental bone substitutes that have been studied or are currently available commercially. The various classifications of bone grafts and substitutes, including natural and synthetic materials, are critically presented, and available commercial products in each category are discussed. Different bone substitute materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, or their combinations, and their chemical, physical, and biocompatibility properties are explored. Limitations of the available materials are presented, and areas which require further research and development are highlighted. Tissue engineering hybrid constructions with enhanced bone regeneration ability, such as cell-based or growth factor-based bone substitutes, are discussed as an emerging area of development.

According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide experience substantial disability due to physical, mental or sensory impairment. People with special needs require special consideration and more time or altered delivery methods when receiving dental treatments. Various factors, such as patients' lack of cooperation, cognitive impairment and complex medical status, may lead dental practitioners to recommend conscious sedation. Several pharmacological agents and administrative routes are available, which achieve varying levels of sedation ranging from minimal to deep. Pre-operative assessment and careful case selection are necessary to determine the appropriate sedative agent, route of administration and level of sedation for each patient. Thus, a thorough understanding of the pharmacokinetics, risks and benefits, and implications of various sedatives available for PSN is essential to achieve the desired clinical outcomes. This review critically presents the considerations associated with the use of various sedative agents for PSN in dentistry. Considerations include patients' pre-anaesthesia medical comorbidities, cardiorespiratory adverse effects and cooperativeness, and the viable alternative treatment modalities.

Background This study aimed to investigate the perceptions and opinions of orthodontists and periodontists on the management of gingival recession in orthodontic patients. Methods An online survey was sent to 29 periodontists and 80 orthodontists registered and currently practising in New Zealand. All participants answered questions about the timing and clinical indications of mucogingival surgeries in orthodontic patients diagnosed with mucogingival deformities. Results Most periodontists and orthodontists believed that gingival grafts should ideally be performed after orthodontic treatment. In clinical practice, 40% of periodontists indicated that they would receive referrals after completion of orthodontic treatment. However, 29.6% of orthodontists indicated that they would refer to a periodontist before orthodontic treatment in clinical practice. The most crucial factor that affected periodontists' decision-making was 'evidence-based guidelines' (35.0%), followed by 'clinical experience' (30.0%) and 'patient concerns' (15.0%). All four factors of 'gingival phenotype', 'presence of gingival recession', 'amount of keratinised tissue' and 'planning specific tooth movements' were equally considered by orthodontists regarding their decision-making. Conclusions The majority of the surveyed New Zealand periodontists and orthodontists expressed a belief that the ideal timing for the management of gingival recessions would be after the completion of orthodontic treatment.

Basic knowledge of biochemistry underpins oral and dental care. Undergraduate dental students do not always engage well with basic science teaching due to not appreciating its clinical relevance. Co‐teaching provides one approach to overcome students' disengagement and involves two lecturers, with complementary expertise, presenting the curriculum together. This study investigated student experiences and engagement using co‐teaching to integrate biochemistry with clinical sciences in the students' second‐year dental curriculum. Two successive second year dental student cohorts were co‐taught. Content was delivered by a biochemist and an oral biologist, either online (during the 2020 COVID lockdown) or in‐person (2021). Each cohort was surveyed at the end of the teaching module using an online questionnaire containing both interval scale and free‐text questions. Responses were received from 39 (42%) and 64 (85%) of students in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Students from both cohorts preferred the co‐teaching approach with a mean of 8.74 on a 10‐point interval scale. In 2020 and 2021, 77% and 76% of participants, respectively, preferred a combined biochemistry and clinical dentistry delivery, either in‐person (37%), via Zoom (19%) or via video recording (14%). Thematic analysis of responses revealed students experienced enhanced engagement when co‐taught and they attributed this to integration of the curriculum making the content more relevant and stimulating. Students preferred co‐teaching to individual subjects being taught by a single teacher. Co‐teaching established the relevance of theoretical biochemistry to clinical dental sciences and enhanced the students' learning experience.

Purpose: The lens utilizes circulating fluxes of ions and water that enter the lens at both poles and exit at the equator to maintain its optical properties. We have mapped the subcellular distribution of the lens aquaporins (AQP0, 1, & 5) in these water influx and efflux zones and investigated how their membrane location is affected by changes in tension applied to the lens by the zonules. Methods: Immunohistochemistry using AQP antibodies was performed on axial sections obtained from rat lenses that had been removed from the eye and then fixed, or were fixed in situ to maintain zonular tension. Zonular tension was pharmacologically modulated by applying either tropicamide (increased), or pilocarpine (decreased). AQP labelling was visualized using confocal microscopy. Results: Modulation of zonular tension had no effect on AQP1 or AQP0 labelling in either the water efflux, or influx zones. In contrast, AQP5 labelling changed from membranous to cytoplasmic in response to both mechanical and pharmacologically induced reductions in zonular tension in both the efflux zone, and anterior (but not posterior) influx zone associated with the lens sutures. Conclusions: Altering zonular tension dynamically regulates the membrane trafficking of AQP5 in the efflux and anterior influx zones to potentially change the magnitude of circulating water fluxes in the lens.