When fabricating a restoration, patient satisfaction with the shade match is essential. The patient's level of satisfaction may not be the same as that of the dental practitioner. Esthetic expectations have dramatically increased in the last few years. Color and shade determination are generally considered difficult in dental practice. Most prostheses fail esthetically owing to improper shade selection. A good understanding of color shade guides is essential for precise shade matching, but the paucity of dental practitioners’ knowledge of color science because of the numerous available shade guides creates a challenge. This comprehensive review sheds light on shade selection, different shade guides, and shade matching devices commonly used in dental practice. Studies published in PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Dentistry and Oral Science Source from the past 15 years were included.

The condylar guidance value (CGV) measurement constitutes an important part of a holistic prosthodontic treatment plan, with horizontal CGVs (HCGVs) and lateral CGVs (LCGVs) being two of the most prominently recognized. This systematic review aimed at evaluating the efficacy of two different types of CGV measurement protocols—articulators (both arcon and non-arcon) and panoramic radiographs. Additionally, it attempts to determine which of the mentioned methods performs better across several parameters. Several important web databases were searched using search terms derived from medical subject headings (MeSH), using keywords linked to “Arcon articulator”, “Condylar guidance angle”, “non-arcon articulator”, “Panoramic x-ray” and “Radiographic examination”, which constituted the first step in the study selection strategy. After completion, the search strategy which initially turned up to 831 papers, eventually ended up with 13 studies. The review and subsequent meta-analysis revealed that panoramic radiographs had noticeably greater efficacy in terms of the CGVs as compared to the articulators in the majority of the studies. Within the articulators, the arcon types recorded slightly higher CGVs than the non-arcon variety owing to the precision of jaw movement simulation in the former. However, further studies are required to validate these findings and establish more precise guidelines for the use of CGV measurement protocols in prosthodontic practice.

This research aimed to evaluate the difference between self-reported and actual work postures among dental clinical trainees and the effect of health education on their ergonomic postures. Bad postures induce fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, errors, a negative attitude, and job dissatisfaction. It is necessary to evaluate the awareness of posture ergonomics among clinical trainees as the bad postures captured during their learning years transform into habits that could affect future productivity. Hence, a three-level quantitative study was conducted among the dental trainees at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. The first level comprised a self-reported survey and an observational study to record the working postures of the participants. At the second level, appropriate health education is customized based on the findings observed at the first level. An unannounced observational study was conducted at the third level to assess the impact of ergonomic education on the working postures of the participants. Gender and the academic year level of the participants were the variables considered in the study. The study found that the participants overrated their correct postures (P = 0.005). Fortunately, the final post-ergonomic education observations found a significant improvement in work posture (8.6 vs 12.4), regardless of the variables considered in the study (P = 0.001). The three best correct postures were placing the feet resting on the floor (52.6 vs 92.8 %), using the seat of a dental chair (57.9 vs 89.5 %), and using an upright position of the legs at the thigh-to-leg angle (53.9 % vs 86.2 %). Therefore, the study emphasizes the importance of training in ergonomics and regular, periodic observation to eradicate bad postures before they become a habit among young dentists.

Aim: Biofilm bacteria show coordinated behavior with heterogeneous bacterial communities and complex three-dimensional structures. Biofilm formation on dental implants occurs in a manner similar to that of a natural tooth. Bacterial adhesion occurs after pellicle formation. Therefore, to reduce bacterial adhesion, the biomaterial surface can be modified, thereby lowering the scope of biofilm formation. This review aimed to understand the mechanism of biofilm formation; the most common microorganisms associated with a biofilm, nature of the bonds to the host tissue, and the methods to overcome biofilm formation and associated infectious diseases from dental materials and implants. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on published articles using internet search databases such as PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane library, Embase, HMIC, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Directory of Open Access using keywords such as biofilm, quorum sensing, implant-related biofilm formation, and biofilm control. Results: A total of 121 articles published from March 2007 to May 2020 were screened during the review process, of which only 33 articles were selected for this study. Surface roughness is directly proportional to bacterial aggregation. PEEK is a modified functional peptide nanoparticle-coated biomaterial that manifests antibacterial activity against gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions: New strategies are to be followed to control biofilm-mediated implant infections. Clinicians should extensively adopt newer techniques to deal with biofilm-mediated therapeutic challenges.

Introduction: prevalence of smoking in school children is alarming in Saudi Arabia and little is well-known about the aspects stimulating such behaviours in secondary school children. The aim of this study was to assess the association between influence of parent/sibling/peer smoking and future intentions to initiate smoke among 13-15 years old school children in Al Ras town, Saudi Arabia. Methods: a cross sectional survey was conducted in Al Ras city during first quarter of 2019. Data was collected from 492 secondary school children who were selected through multistage stratified cluster sampling. Pretested, self-administered Arabic questionnaire was used to collect data about socio-demographic and prevalence of current smoking behaviours and associated factors. Descriptive statistics was done initially, following by binomial regression to assess the predictors of current smoking and future smoking intentions. Results: the overall prevalence of smoking in respondents was 22.7% and statistically significant difference in smoking prevalence's between boys and girls was observed (40% vs 5.6%). Among the predictors of current smoking, smoking habits in siblings and getting pocket money over 200 Saudi riyals are found to be significant. Siblings smoking (odds ratio: 6.4) and poor academic performance (odds ratio: 3.2) were the two most important factors influencing children's intentions of smoking. Conclusion: smoking prevalence in secondary school children of Al Ras was similar to national data. Since, influence of siblings, getting more pocket money and poor academic performance were found to important predictors of children smoking behaviours and attitudes, health education programs should address these factors to be effective.

Aim: Dental cements are used extensively in various dental restorative procedures and are susceptible to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. Streptococcus mutans are the causative organism for dental caries and associated problems. This study aimed to develop an antibacterial activity for four types of dental cements by incorporating the leaves, fruit, and bark extract of the Ziziphus spina-christi, a well-known medicinal plant found mainly in the Middle East region. Materials and Methods: This in vitro study was conducted by using a systematic sampling method. A total of 312 samples were prepared for both control and test groups for this study. Negative control samples were prepared using four dental cements alone (n = 24) and positive control (n = 72) using gentamicin incorporated into these four different types of dental cements. The collected plant materials were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus with methanol as a solvent. Obtained extracts were incorporated in various percentages (5, 10, and 15 wt%) into dental cements to prepare test samples (n = 216). Antibacterial efficacy of the extracts selected was measured by using well diffusion method. The antibacterial activity of all the prepared samples was measured using the disk-diffusion method. The null hypothesis was that the extract incorporation did not inhibit bacterial growth on the selected dental cements. Results were analyzed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey–Kramer multiple comparison tests using GraphPad InStat software. Level of significance was set at P = 0.05. Results: All extracts showed antibacterial activity for gentamicin. Zone produced was superior for leaf extract compared to stem and fruit extract (P < 0.001). Negative control samples showed bacterial growth. The test samples did not support bacterial growth. However, the inhibition zone was absent. Conclusion: Ziziphus spina plant extracts can inhibit the growth on S. mutans. The efficacy of each extracts against the bacteria was varied.