Objective: Implants placed in the posterior region of the maxilla have a high incidence of implant failure due to poor bone quality, especially when immediate implant loading is needed. Immediate Progressive Loading (IPL) can enhance bone quality and may offer an alternative solution when Immediate Implant loading is needed. Methods: Six patients (one male and five females; 34-62 years old) were included in this study. Twelve implants were inserted in the posterior region of the maxilla. Resonance Frequency Analysis (RFA) was performed at the time of implant placement and after 1, 2, 3 and 6 months. ISQ (Implant Stability Quotient) values were compared between the Delayed Loading (DL) group after 2 months and the Progressive Loading (PL) group and between different time points for each group. Results: At implant placement, the mean ISQ values for PL and DL implants were 63 and 57, respectively. One month after implant placement, the mean ISQ value for PL implants was 73. Two months after implant placement, the mean ISQ value for PL implants was 75. Three months after implant placement, the mean ISQ values for PL and DL implants were 76 and 69, respectively. Six months after implant placement, the mean ISQ values for PL and DL implants were 79 and 76, respectively. Conclusion: Despite its limitations, this pilot study indicated that compared to DL, PL can enhance bone density and implant stability, resulting in greater early functionality and fewer surgery sessions.

Objectives Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process that shifts cellular phenotype. It is linked to several different inflammatory diseases including periodontitis. This study was conducted to investigate the involvement of the EMT process in an experimental periodontitis (EP) model. Materials and Methods Second upper molars of Wistar albino male rats were ligated to induce periodontitis, while controls were not ligated. The animals were sacrificed after 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days (n = 6 for each time point). The maxillae were resected, posterior to the incisor teeth, and the gingival tissue surrounding teeth were analyzed. Alveolar bone loss (ABL), epithelial thickness, and the number of inflammatory cells were measured at each time point. Expressions of EMT-related biomarkers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Snail1, Twist1, and vimentin) were assessed using the immunohistochemical technique. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Statistical Analysis Inferential comparisons were performed by the kruskall-wallis test. To determine the correlation between the dependent and independent variables ,Spearman's correlation test was used. Results ABL, epithelial thickness, and inflammatory cell count were gradually increased throughout the EP study period. Switching of E-cadherin/N-cadherin was evident and associated with increased nuclear expression of Snail1 and Twist1. Additionally, positive cytoplasmic expression of vimentin was detected from day 7 and increased at subsequent time points. Histoscore of E-cadherin was negatively and significantly correlated with N-cadherin and Snail1. Furthermore, Snail1 and Twist1 histoscores were significantly and positively correlated. Conclusion The results demonstrated induction of an EMT phenotype in the EP model. This was supported by cadherin switching and positive vimentin expression along with nuclear translocation of Snail1 and Twist.

Background: Developmental anomalies affect oral hard and soft tissues, arising from genetic, prenatal, postnatal, environmental, and pathogenic influences. Environmental factors for dentists, updated on the epidemiology of developmental anomalies, would enhance the overall dental care provided by optimizing accurate diagnosis and personalizing the treatment. Objective: To investigate the prevalence and distribution of diverse developmental anomalies in a sample of the Iraqi population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by clinical examination of 745 systemically healthy Iraqi individuals (11-40 years) seeking dental treatment at teaching dental hospitals affiliated with Iraqi universities in Baghdad, Iraq. Results: Developmental abnormalities were found in 413(55%) of the cases, 67% of which were in males and 33% in females. Across all age groups examined, the most common developmental anomalies for both sexes were those related to the teeth. The most common dental anomaly, impaction, was found in 40% of males and 54% of females. The existence of a cusp of Carabelli (16% in males and 8% in females) was one of the other noteworthy anomalies. Anomalies relating to the bones were very rare; just 3% of males had torus mandibularis. Soft tissue anomalies were also uncommon; just 3% of females had Fordyce granules, and one male (0.4%) and one female (0.7%) had cleft lip and/or palate. Conclusions: The Iraqi population had a high prevalence of dental anomalies, among other developmental anomalies. These epidemiological findings emphasize the importance of early meticulous diagnosis of dental anomalies in patients pursuing dental treatment.

Objective: To determine the degree of psychological stress in undergraduate dental students & explore related gender variation. Methods: 100 5th-year dental students at Al-Rafidain University College (RUC), Iraq, participated in the study by completing The Modified Dental Environment Stress Questionnaire (DES). Results: The primary sources of stress were found to be Completing the clinical requirement, the Atmosphere created by the clinical supervisors, Full working day, Patients being late or not showing up for their appointments, Difficulty in learning precision manual skills required for clinical and laboratory work, examination, and grades & fear of unemployment. The highest score source was (patients being late or not showing), followed by (examination and grades). Regarding gender differences, the (Full working day) was the highest stressor item for the male student’s team, while female students chose (Atmosphere created by clinical supervisors) as their top stressor. Conclusion: The highest perceived sources of stress reported by students should be further explored by longitudinal studies, and strategies to minimize the resulting stress should be developed and implemented since psychological stress in study years of dentistry predicts occupational stress later.

Background It is evident from the literature that an increased body mass index (BMI) and low socioeconomic status are potential risk factors for periodontal diseases. Most related studies are international and have investigated such associations in adults, and there have been few Iraqi studies targeting school-aged children. Objective To investigate the impact of paediatric obesity and mothers’ educational levels on the periodontal health status of children. Method The study sample was composed of 300 children (152 males, 148 females) aged 6–12 years. The subjects’ weight and height were measured, and the body mass index was calculated for each child to obtain a percentile ranking; the percentiles were used to allocate the total sample population into four subgroups (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese). The children's periodontal health was assessed using the Plaque Index (PLI) and Gingival Index (GI), and the mothers’ educational level was assessed by direct parental interview. Results Compared with the other categories of children, obese male (84.35) and overweight female (82.92) children had greater values for the PLI, while overweight children of both sexes (89.47 male, 92.11 female) had greater values of the GI. Male and female children with mothers who had the lowest level of education were found to have the highest values of PLI & GI. Non-significant differences were recorded between the male-female matched study groups with regard to the body mass index and mothers’ educational levels. Conclusions Childhood obesity and socioeconomic disadvantages have negative impacts on children's gingival health in this representative sample.

Animal studies are a prerequisite for human clinical studies involving exposures to a new therapeutic approach to test the quality of observations and treatment outcomes. Owing to the possibility of studying periodontal diseases longitudinally on both cellular and molecular levels, animal models, despite their known shortcomings, are considered superior to other study models when providing information at the host level.