Dentistry Commons^™

Development Of Bar-Peptide Nanoparticles And Electrospun Fibers For The Prevention And Treatment Of Oral Biofilms., Mohamed Yehia Mahmoud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Periodontal diseases are globally prevalent inflammatory disorders that affect ~47% of U.S adults. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) has been identified as a “keystone” pathogen that disrupts host-microbe homeostasis and contributes to the initiation and progression of periodontitis. Pg associates with oral streptococci in supragingival plaque and this interaction represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Previously our group developed a peptide (designated BAR), that potently inhibits Pg/Streptococcus gordonii (Sg) adherence in vitro and Pg virulence in a murine model of periodontitis. While efficacious, BAR (SspB Adherence Region) provided transient inhibition and required higher concentrations of BAR to disrupt established …

Dentistry: Are Stem Cells The Future?, Tova Zemel

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Stem cell research is currently advancing in every area of medicine. New information about regenerating stem cells is being uncovered on a daily basis. An area of stem cells that has not been focused on until recently is the use of dental stem cells. The objective of this paper is to elucidate the most current research about dental stem cells. Much of what is discussed in this paper has not been implemented yet, and is still in clinical trials. Dental stem cells are important because they could be an alternative way of treating caries, performing root canals, and other traumas …

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Reforming Organized Dentistry To Address Persistent Oral Health Disparities In The U.S., Aparna Chintapalli

Pomona Senior Theses

The importance of oral health has been largely neglected from the conventional standards of healthcare in terms of public understanding & prioritization, the industrial infrastructure, and the scope of prevention & early-intervention services. Its adjunctive locus to the field of medicine has lead to the bifurcation of the oral cavity from the rest of the human body. As a result of this divide, there have been multiple factors that have allowed socially stratified oral health outcomes to manifest. This thesis examines the determinants of oral health disparities through a multidisciplinary lens (i.e. biology, public policy, infrastructure), and offers evidence of …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Targeted Bar Encapsulated Polylactic-Co-Glycolic Acid Nanoparticles To Inhibit Porphyromonas Gingivalis Biofilm Formation., Ranjith Radha Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide. Between 30-50% of the global adult population suffers from periodontal disease. Some form of periodontitis is present in 46% of American adults, corresponding to annual expenditures in excess of 14 billion dollars for treatment and prevention. Current treatments for periodontal diseases involve mechanical removal of plaque, correction of risk factors, gingival surgery and/or antibiotic therapy. To our knowledge there is no effective therapeutic approach that aims to limit pathogen colonization of the oral biofilm or re-colonization after treatment. Interaction of the pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis with oral streptococci is critical …

The Phylogenetic Signal In Tooth Wear: What Does It Mean?, Larisa Desantis, Mikael Fortelius, Frederick E Grine, Christine Janis, Thomas M Kaiser, Gildas Merceron, Mark A Purnell, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Juha Saarinen, Mark F. Teaford, Peter S Ungar, Indrė Žliobaitė

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Osteopathic Medicine

A new study by Fraser et al (2018) urges the use of phylogenetic comparative methods, whenever possible, in analyses of mammalian tooth wear. We are concerned about this for two reasons. First, this recommendation may mislead the research community into thinking that phylogenetic signal is an artifact of some sort rather than a fundamental outcome of the evolutionary process. Secondly, this recommendation may set a precedent for editors and reviewers to enforce phylogenetic adjustment where it may unnecessarily weaken or even directionally alter the results, shifting the emphasis of analysis from common patterns manifested by large clades to rare cases.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Prevent Persistent Hypersensitivity In An Orofacial Neuropathic Pain Model, Robert J. Danaher, Liping Zhang, Connor J. Donley, Nashwin A. Laungani, S. Elise Hui, Craig S. Miller, Karin N. Westlund

Oral Health Practice Faculty Publications

Chronic orofacial pain is a significant health problem requiring identification of regulating processes. Involvement of epigenetic modifications that is reported for hindlimb neuropathic pain experimental models, however, is less well studied in cranial nerve pain models. Three independent observations reported here are the (1) epigenetic profile in mouse trigeminal ganglia (TG) after trigeminal inflammatory compression (TIC) nerve injury mouse model determined by gene expression microarray, (2) H3K9 acetylation pattern in TG by immunohistochemistry, and (3) efficacy of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors to attenuate development of hypersensitivity. After TIC injury, ipsilateral whisker pad mechanical sensitization develops by day 3 and persists …

Green Tea Polyphenol Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate-Stearate Inhibits The Growth Of Streptococcus Mutans: A Promising New Approach In Caries Prevention, Amy Lynn Melok, Lee Lee, Siti Ayuni Mohamed Yussof, Tinchun Chu

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the main etiological bacteria present in the oral cavity that leads to dental caries. All of the S. mutans in the oral cavity form biofilms that adhere to the surfaces of teeth. Dental caries are infections facilitated by the development of biofilm. An esterified derivative of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin-3-gallate-stearate (EGCG-S), was used in this study to assess its ability to inhibit the growth and biofilm formation of S. mutans. The effect of EGCG-S on bacterial growth was evaluated with colony forming units (CFU) and log reduction; biofilm formation was qualitatively determined by Congo red assay, …

Self-Reported Oral Health Assessment And Attitudes Toward Oral Health For Adults With Cystic Fibrosis, Ahmed Ali Almuntashiri

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic genetic disorder that an individual has at birth. Cystic fibrosis impacts equally all races, gender and becomes worse over time. The aim of this current study was to evaluate oral health status, interaction with the oral health system, and oral health awareness in adults with cystic fibrosis. Methods: A validated survey consisting of 27 questions was distributed online through cystic fibrosis Facebook pages. Individuals with CF who were 18 years old or older, residing in the U.S. and having English as their primary language were asked to respond to the survey. Independent variables …

Managing Patient Expectations With Implant Treatment, Daniel B. Kamran, Mark Booth Dds, Eduardo Gonzalez Dds, Ed Shaw Dds

Excellence Day

This patient came to University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry to get implants and implant crowns to improve his smile, replacing his upper partial denture. Different approaches were made by the faculty to arrive at best outcomes, which took four years for the patient to receive the treatment he wanted. This abstract will further detail how the treatment was conducted and the results afterwards.

A Modified “Wound Healing” And Hypoxia Model In Vitro, Schuyler G. Tang, Isabel Kwon, Marie M. Tolarova, Mirek Tolar

Excellence Day

Closing a wound may resemble some aspects of fusion of embryonic processes during development of face. In addition, both are sensitive to oxygen supply.

Biomarkers Of Orthodontic Tooth Movement, Ellie Schwartz, Shubdeep Kaur, Mahsa Mortazavi, Marie M. Tolarova, Mirek Tolar

Excellence Day

Orthodontic tooth movement is made possible by remodeling of the alveolar bone process. Bone remodeling is carried out by cellular activities of osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and osteocytes. This in turn is regulated by a number of extracellular factors including growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, hormones and biomechanical force. This review is focused on chemical biomarkers characterizing orthodontic tooth movement.

Geometric Morphometric Shape Assessment Of Juvenile Mandibles, Tiffany Tran, Vicki Lo, Hee Soo Oh, Gary D. Richards

Excellence Day

OBJECTIVES: We explore three-dimensional data to delineate idiosyncratic and progressive growth variation in 6.0-8.0 year old mandibles (n=45).

Variation In And Assessment Of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Landmarks In Children And Adolescents, Soi Park, Younjin Lee, Younyoung Lee, Tiffany Tran, Gary D. Richards

Excellence Day

OBJECTIVES: In earlier work (Lambert et al., 2017) we demonstrated the efficacy of new landmarks for inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block injections. While the latter study focused on adult morphology, the landmarks were shown to be effective in cases where the M³/₃ were present but unerupted. Based on these result a question arose as to their applicability of the landmarks to children and adolescents, given the known changes in mandibular foramen position during growth. Here we quantify the position of the mandibular foramen relative to standard landmarks during growth and assess the new landmarks applicability for IAN …

Shear Bond Strength Of Nine Dual Cured Build-Up Materials And A Light-Curing Adhesive System On Dentin, Deepali Malla, Karen Schulze, Patrick Roetzer

Excellence Day

The purpose of this study was to measure the shear bond strength of nine different commercially available dual cured core build-up materials on human dentin in conjunction with a light curing adhesive system. The null hypothesis was that there is no statistical significant difference among the core build-up systems.

Root Analogue Implant Creation: Establishing Procedures For The General Dentist, Alicia Hazdovac, Sarah Osborne, Gary D. Richards

Excellence Day

The possibility of replacing damaged teeth with custom-made root analogue implants was initially suggested around 1969 and reintroduced by Lungren et al. in 1992. The latter authors created custom implants in titanium and reported good osteointegration and aesthetic results. Following this effort there has been an increasing focus on custom root analogue implants as a replacement for ‘screw-type’ implants. Given the availability of software to manipulate 3D image data and the rapid rise of 3D printing technology, the question arises as to whether a general dentist can produce their own implants. Here we test the feasibility of practitioners producing custom …

The Role Of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (Ahr) Signaling Pathway In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Oscc): Preliminary Results., Renee Lee, Cui Xu, Leticia Ferreira, Ana Carolina Morandini, Erivan Ramos-Junior

Excellence Day

OBJECTIVES: A large number of experimental and clinical studies suggest that the origin of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is linked to environmental carcinogenesis (tobacco, alcohol). Among these environmental factors, cigarette smoking is the most studied and has been associated with increased susceptibility to OSCC by activating signaling pathways responsible for cancer initiation and progression. Besides nicotine, cigarette smoke also contains aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, such as dioxin and benzo(a)pyrene. Aberrant AhR expression and AhR pathway activation are involved in several types of cancer. However, the relationship between AhR pathway activation and oral cancer progression is still unclear.

Socio-Economic Factors That May Contribute To Etiology Of Orofacial Clefts., Shubdeep Kaur, Mahsa Mortazavi, Geethapriya Kumar, Marie M. Tolarova

Excellence Day

Association of socio-economic status (SES) with congenital anomalies and diseases has been studied for many years. Under the umbrella of SES are several factors and they vary in different parts of the world due to differences in climate, ethnicity, and culture.

The purpose of this systematic review was to determine associations between various risk factors related to SES and prevalence of orofacial clefts (OFC).

Orofacial Clefts In The Middle Eastern Countries – A Systematic Review, Mahsa Mortazavi, Marie M. Tolarova

Excellence Day

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of orofacial clefts (OFC) in the Middle East. Recent studies of etiology of OFC in populations of different countries characterized by a specific cultural, religious, or socioeconomic status revealed that different environmental and genetic factors may participate in their etiology.

Distribution Of Malocclusions In Middle East Countries: A Systematic Review., Mahsa Mortazavi, Marie M. Tolarova

Excellence Day

High prevalence, multifactorial etiology and the effect on the esthetic, function and quality of life, make the malocclusions as a subject of debate for many years. Regarding the important role of malocclusion in treatment approaches, policy making in health organizations and understanding the etiology factors, this literature review was performed with the purpose of determining the prevalence and distribution of malocclusion in region of the Middle East.

Case Report: Use Of Non-Ridgid Connector, Veniamin Dronov

Excellence Day

Long span bridges have a tendency to experience harmful stress due to the increased surface area and of the restoration. These stresses can cause several problems including failure of the restoration or cause significant discomfort to the patient.

Treatment Planning: Facially Generated, Digitally Guided, Manually Fabricated Smile Design, Neal Atul Patel

Excellence Day

A clinical case presentation of a smile design that consists of 10 units of minimally invasive indirect restorations.

Longitudinal Cephalometric Study Of Untreated Subjects With Different Facial Types, Divya Vadlamudi, Shalaka Desai, Ambika Arun, Bhuvaneshwari Tatikonda, Shreya Penukonda, Apurva Dabak, Cindy Kim, Mai Nguyen, Heesoo Oh

Excellence Day

To examine the craniofacial morphological characteristics of different facial types based on vertical dysplasia in untreated subjects from the ages of 8 to 18.

Changes In Airway Volume In Adult Patients Following Orthodontic Treatment With Premolar Extractions Versus Non-Extraction, Sunny Jisun Lee, Allison Kawata, Hayoung Michael Shin, David Chambers, Joorok Park, Heesoo Oh

Excellence Day

Recent concerns about the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its negative sequelae have led to investigations of how manipulation of the dentofacial complex may affect airway problems. CBCT can be used to measure airway dimensions of patients. Extraction of premolars is indicated as part of orthodontic treatment for patients who have severe crowding or protrusion of incisors. Some have suggested that the reduction in arch circumference after premolar extraction would lead to decreased airway volume, which may predispose a patient for sleep disordered breathing (SDB). The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a significant …

Changes In Cephalometric Measurements In Adult Patients Following Orthodontic Treatment With Premolar Extractions Versus Non-Extraction, Byron Chou, David Dang, Adrienne Joy, David Chambers, Joorok Park, Heesoo Oh

Excellence Day

Extraction of premolars is indicated as part of orthodontic treatment for patients who have severe crowding or protrusion of incisors. CBCT can be used to locate cephalometric landmarks in 3D. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in sagittal, transverse, and vertical skeletal and dental dimensions for adult patients who were treated with premolar extractions in conjunction with orthodontic treatment compared to those who received orthodontic treatment without extractions.

Condylar Degeneration In Patients With Dental Open Bite Versus Skeletal Open Bite Utilizing Cbct, Alex Rauchle, Alston Trinh, Linda Phi, Brad Albertson, Joorok Park, Heesoo Oh

Excellence Day

Idiopathic condylar resorption (ICR) is a condition in which either one or both condyles undergo degeneration. Bilateral TMJ involvement presents as a clockwise rotation of the mandible in the posterior-inferior direction, resulting in an anterior open bite. The purpose of the study was to assess TMJ condylar degeneration in dental open bites compared to skeletal open bites.

Effect Of Bmp Treatment On Periostin Gene Expression In Pre-Osteoblastic Mc3t3-E1 Mouse Cells, Vincent Lee Khang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Periostin is a secreted, extracellular matrix (ECM) protein widely expressed within collagen-rich fibrous connective tissues of the body including the periodontal ligament (PDL), bone, skin, heart, and cornea. Periostin has been shown to serve many important regulatory functions including cell adhesion, cell motility, wound healing and of particular importance to the dental field, differentiation of osteoblasts. The deletion of periostin compromises osteoblast attachment to bone matrix and induces a reduction in mineralization and expression of bone markers, including type I collagen, osteocalcin, osteopontin and alkaline phosphatase. Periostin has also been shown to play a significant role in collagen fibrillogenesis by …

Prevalence Of Cariogenic Microbial Flora Among Scardovia Wiggsiae-Positive And Negative Patients, Amy Tam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The formation of dental caries (cavities) is a complex, multi-dimensional process that necessarily involves many risk factors – including the acquisition and colonization of cariogenic oral bacteria. The most frequently associated oral pathogens are the acid-producing and acid-tolerant oral streptococcus species, such as Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans or SM). Many studies have established and confirmed the critical role of the formation of biofilm in the virulence of S. mutans, and the critical role this may play in determining the balance of the oral microbiome towards health or disease.

More recent efforts have discovered a novel cariogenic pathogen, Scardovia wiggsiae (S. …

Screening For The Novel Cariogenic Pathogen Scardovia Wiggsiae Among Orthodontic Patients, Adam Whiteley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Screening for the Novel Cariogenic Pathogen Scardovia wiggsiae among Orthodontic Patients

by

Adam Whiteley

Dr. Karl Kingsley, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Biomedical Sciences University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine

The recent discovery of a novel cariogenic pathogen Scardovia wiggsiae has led many scientists and oral health researchers to re-evaluate and re-examine existing saliva repositories to determine the prevalence among patient populations. Recent efforts at this institution have used existing saliva samples to determine the prevalence among both adults and pediatric patients. These studies have revealed this organism may be found in approximately one-quarter of all samples …

Periodontitis In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Simran Agarwal, Deepthi Gangaram, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Periodontitis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that is characterized by swollen gums, degradation of jaw structure, and potentially tooth loss. Like Periodontitis, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is also highly prevalent and largely multifactorial. Type 2 Diabetes is a condition in which higher than normal blood glucose levels cannot be properly maintained as the body’s normal mechanism of maintaining proper blood glucose levels, the release of insulin from pancreatic islet β-cells, becomes ineffective. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the relationship between the incidences of Periodontitis and Type 2 Diabetes. The risk that Type 2 Diabetes poses for …

Salivary Biomarkers For The Diagnosis And Monitoring Of Neurological Diseases, R. Farah, H. Haraty, Z. Salame, Y. Fares, David M. Ojcius, N. Said Sadier

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Current research efforts on neurological diseases are focused on identifying novel disease biomarkers to aid in diagnosis, provide accurate prognostic information and monitor disease progression. With advances in detection and quantification methods in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, saliva has emerged as a good source of samples for detection of disease biomarkers. Obtaining a sample of saliva offers multiple advantages over the currently tested biological fluids as it is a non-invasive, painless and simple procedure that does not require expert training or harbour undesirable side effects for the patients. Here, we review the existing literature on salivary biomarkers and examine their …