Objective: Orofacial clefts are one of the most common abnormalities that occur in the orofacial area. Due to their high prevalence, special attention provided to risk factors and their possible involvement in the occurrence of orofacial clefts is of importance. The objective of this study was to review the current global occurrence of orofacial clefts and the possible linkage of previously investigated risk factors to the occurrence of orofacial clefts. Review: The risk factors of orofacial clefts can be classified into two groups, modifiable risk factors and non-modifiable risk factors. Due to the extent of elaboration of each risk factor in each group, this current narrative review is limited to several mostly investigated risk factors, which included a review of parental age, sexual disparities, educational attainment, and income. Studies indicate that Asians are more likely than other races to have orofacial clefts, with a higher incidence rate in men than in women. There is evidence that the age of the parents is associated with the chance of the occurrence of orofacial cleft. The prevention of orofacial clefts and the distribution of medical resources depend heavily on a thorough understanding of epidemiology on a global scale. Nevertheless, the earlier studies concentrated on more developed nations or areas, and registry data from low-income nations had significant gaps. The findings of this narrative review can be used as the scientific basis for further research within this area. Conclusion: The occurrence rate of orofacial clefts remains high in several regions. Possible associations between parental age, sexual disparities, educational attainment, and family income to the occurrence of orofacial clefts remain contradictory, indicating the importance of further research to obtain more insights.

Background: In order to minimize the possibility of unsuccessful dental extraction procedure due to dental anxiety, there are several approaches that can be used, including music intervention.Objective: The objective of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of classical and religious Islamic music on reducing dental anxiety.Materials and methods: Two hundred and twenty-five muslim participants (105 males, 120 females) were recruited for this study and randomly assigned to three groups: classical music group, religious Islamic music group, and the group with no music intervention, equally in numbers. Participant’s blood pressure (BP) and blood sample were taken prior to and after dental extraction to evaluate systolic and diastolic BP as well as nor-adrenaline plasma (NAP) level. All data were then analyzed by using t-test, ANOVA test, Mann-Whitney and Kruskawallis test.Results: There was a decrease in NAP level in the religious music group (0.110 ng/mL) and the control group (0.013 ng/mL) when initial NAP level was compared to post extraction NAP level, whilst the classical music group showed an increase of 0.053 ng/mL. There were significant differences found between the religious Islamic music group and the classical music group (p= 0.041) as well as the control group (p= 0.028) for the difference between pre and post NAP level, of which the NAP level of the religious Islamic group participants were lower.Conclusion: Religious Islamic music was proven to be effective in reducing dental anxiety in Muslim participants compared to classical music. Despite, further evaluation in a more heterogenous population with various religious and cultural background is needed.

Objectives: Being the most common type of oral malignancies, oral squamous cell carcinoma is initiated by epithelial dysplasia, which can be marked by the expression of nuclear factor kappa B and cyclooxygenase 2. Curcumin has been known for its anti-cancer potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-cancer potential of curcumin on oral squamous cell carcinoma based on the expression of the nuclear factor kappa B and cyclooxygenase 2 during epithelial dysplasia stage. Methods: This experimental study was performed on 35 Sprague Dawley rats at the Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Bogor Agricultural Institute, Indonesia. At the beginning of the experiments, all rats were induced by 100 µg 0.5% 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene every 2 days for the duration of 28 days. Once epithelial dysplasia stage was reached, all rats were then randomly divided into control group (that did not receive curcumin) or the experimental group (the group that received curcumin for the next 4 weeks). After 4 weeks, the histopathological examination of haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry examination were conducted. Data were gathered and analyzed by using the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test. Results: The results of the current study revealed that the experimental group showed significantly less nuclear factor kappa B (p < 0.01) and cyclooxygenase 2 (p = 0.03) expressions compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results of the study suggested that curcumin was effective in suppressing nuclear factor kappa B and cyclooxygenase 2 expression in experimentally induced oral squamous cell carcinoma. Future studies investigating curcumin anti-cancer potential in a further stage of oral squamous cell carcinoma, as well as the involvement of other components that might improve curcumin anti-cancer potential, are of importance.

Background: The occurrence of orofacial pain is often accompanied by comorbid conditions such as depression. Even though previous studies suggested a bidirectional correlation between orofacial pain and psychological factors, some studies still provided contradictory results. Objective: This systematic review aimed at providing scientific evidence regarding the association between orofacial pain and depression in published literature. Methods: The current study is a systematic literature review (PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023438596) that was conducted by reviewing cross-sectional studies that investigated the association between orofacial pain and depression. Article selection was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance. Articles searching was performed by using three databases, namely PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus using the Boolean operator method. Article screening was carried out by applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as duplication checking, suitability checking, and compatibility checking. Reviewed articles went through the risk of bias evaluation form from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Extracted data were analyzed in a qualitative method. Results: Twelve studies that were conducted on 5557 participants were included in the final review. After all articles were analyzed, the correlation between orofacial pain and depression was revealed. Most articles revealed a positive correlation between orofacial pain and depression, and the rest showed how orofacial pain patients showed significantly higher depression scores compared to those individuals without orofacial pain. Conclusion: The results of this systematic review suggested a correlation between orofacial pain and depression with varying degrees. Incorporating potential depressive symptoms’ treatment, when treating orofacial pain patients, should be part of the treatment plan.