Vol 27, No 5 (2023)

BACKGROUND: Given the high prevalence of caries in preschool children, additional methods for diagnosing hidden carious foci with deep structural demineralization of the hard tissues of temporary teeth without generating X-rays must be updated.

AIM: To improve methods for studying the demineralization of hard tissues of primary teeth using ultrasonic shadow velosymmetry and autofluorescence microscopy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included primary second molars (n=11). Samples of primary teeth were placed in a test tube with a demineralizing solution on days 1, 4, 8, 21, and 31. The samples were examined by autofluorescence microscopy and ultrasonic shadow velosymmetry according to the exposure time. The rate of acid demineralization of the primary teeth samples was assessed using our score scale. The averages were compared using the Wilcoxon W-test (p <0.05). Pearson correlation analysis was used, taking into account the statistical significance of the correlation coefficients for p <0.05.

RESULTS: Analysis of samples of hard tissues of primary teeth by ultrasonic shadow velosymmetry showed that the velocity of the ultrasonic wave passage decreases with increasing exposure to the demineralizing solution and acquires a linear character with a negative regression coefficient. The decrease in the ultrasonic wave velocity in the enamel and dentin of the samples directly correlated with the degree of demineralization.

CONCLUSION: The conducted experiment on the hard tissues of primary teeth showed that demineralization not only leads to micromorphological structural changes in the hard tissues of enamel and dentin but also affects the physical and acoustic properties of the samples.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity with a temporary disability is an informative objective criterion for assessing the health status of the working population. The special literature describes data on research activities of temporary disability examination services; however, the issues of clinical and statistical analyses of the duration of temporary disability in dental diseases and factors affecting it at the regional level have not been sufficiently investigated.

AIM: To determine the average duration of temporary disability for each class of dental morbidity at the regional level through clinical and statistical analyses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases of temporary disability established by dental medical organizations of the Republic of Tatarstan for 11 years were analyzed retrospectively. To calculate the intensive indicators, data of working patients who received dental treatment during the study period were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.

RESULTS: The average duration of temporary disability for each class of dental morbidity in the Republic of Tatarstan was 7.02±0.09 days. In addition, the duration of temporary disability in each group of dental diseases was influenced by the following factors: type of nosology, sex and age of the patient, and doctor’s experience. The duration was statistically significantly different depending on the nosological group of dental diseases (p <0.001). The average duration of cases was the greatest in patients with developmental abnormalities and injuries of the maxillofacial region, in whom surgical treatment and follow-up were performed on an outpatient basis (12.18±1.26 and 12.16±0.36 days, respectively).

CONCLUSION: This clinical and statistical study allows us to obtain reliable information about the state of dental morbidity in the economically active population of the Republic of Tatarstan, which is the basis for planning preventive measures, appropriate comprehensive treatment, and rehabilitation of patients.

BACKGROUND: Psychological factors negatively affect the development and course of chronic oral mucosal diseases.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of psychological support on the effectiveness of therapy for lichen planus and chronic recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cohort of a nonrandomized clinical trial involved 64 patients, including 46 women (71.8%) and 18 men (28.2%). The average patient age was 60.3±3.0 years. The patients were divided into groups based on their consent to work with a psychologist. The study group provided consent for psychological support, whereas the comparison group refused psychological support. Anamnestic examination included an assessment of the quality of life, severity of pain syndrome on a visual analog scale, and anxiety on the Beck anxiety inventory. Clinical examination was performed according to the standard method of dental examination.

RESULTS: After treatment in the study group, a significant decrease in anxiety, a decrease in the severity of pain syndrome, and an improvement in the quality of life were observed. In the comparison group, a tendency to decrease the severity of pain syndrome, without a statistically significant change in the level of anxiety or an improvement in the quality of life, was noted.

CONCLUSION: Psychological correction in the complex treatment of patients with chronic diseases of the oral mucosa increases patient compliance and the effectiveness of treatment of the underlying disease.

BACKGROUND: Civil aviation pilots are under constant psychological stress, which is chronic stress. Chronic stress and overexertion are assumed to negatively affect the entire body in general and the maxillary system in particular, changing the morphofunctional condition of maxillofacial muscles and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

AIM: To conduct a comprehensive comparative study of the functional state of the dental system of civil aviation pilots and flight attendants, which includes a clinical examination using a simple Hamburg test and TMJ sound vibrography.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study enrolled 30 pilots and 30 flight attendants in the comparison group. The standard clinical examination was performed using the Hamburg test. Vibrographic examination of the TMJ using the BioJVA device from the BioPAK complex (BioResearch, USA) was also conducted.

RESULTS: In the Hamburg test, joint clicks and traumatic eccentric occlusion were detected more often in pilots than in flight attendants. According to the results of vibrography, cases with an integral index of >80 PaHz were observed two times more often among pilots than among flight attendants. This indicates possible TMJ pathology.

CONCLUSION: Clinical examination combined with the Hamburg test and vibrography revealed that symptoms of TMJ dysfunction occur much more often among civil aviation pilots than among flight attendants.

BACKGROUND: Dental implantation is an effective method for rehabilitating patients without teeth. The long-term survival of implants is influenced by various factors, one of which is the condition of the soft tissue surrounding the implant.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of cross-linked collagen matrix for soft tissue augmentation in the implant area.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with soft tissue thickness deficiency were examined. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the method of surgery. Group 1 received a cross-linked collagen matrix, whereas group 2 underwent the transplantation of a free connective tissue graft. The increase in soft tissue thickness was assessed 3 and 6 months after surgery.

RESULTS: Soft tissue thickness 3 months after surgery increased by 1.77±0.61 and 1.26±0.41 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p <0.001). Moreover, 6 months after surgery, soft tissue thickness increased by 1.11±0.44 and 1.43±0.81 mm compared with the initial value (p=0.012).

CONCLUSION: The use of the collagen matrix increases the soft tissue thickness in the implant area; however, the effect size is lower than that obtained by autograft transplantation.

Despite the progress in the development of modern dentistry and maxillofacial surgery and significant improvements in diagnostic, surgical, and restoration methods, currently, the number of patients with tooth loss is not decreasing. This trend is also characteristic of modern Russia. The number of implants installed to replace lost teeth in our country is increasing annually; despite this, the share of implantation systems with full localization in the territory of the Russian Federation is small. This study aimed to demonstrate the possibilities and effectiveness of using a Russian-made innovative system of dental implants made of nanostructured titanium in various clinical cases. The results of dental rehabilitation of patients with orthopedic structures supported by dental implants with a follow-up period of up to 5 years were analyzed. The results were presented with an indication of all stages of treatment of patients using modern methods of complex dental rehabilitation.

Not much information is available about the provision of dental care during the Great Patriotic War, and publications concerning dental care in besieged Leningrad are even limited. All dental care during the war in the country was mainly aimed at treating wounds on the face. On the home front, dental care was provided to workers and employees working in the defense industry. Therefore, medical and sanitary units were created at large defense enterprises, which included closed hospitals, polyclinics, and outpatient clinics. Three frontline evacuation hospitals were located in the clinics of the Military Medical Academy, where the doctors and entire medical staff of the academy worked. The chief dentist of the Red Army, David Abramovich Entin, and the chief dentist of the navy, Vladimir Mikhailovich Uvarov were primarily responsible for the organization of dental care and specialized assistance to servicemen with maxillofacial wounds. The hospitals were formed based on the clinics of the 1st Leningrad Medical Institute, including clinics for maxillofacial surgery. At the 2nd Leningrad Medical Institute during the blockade, extremely urgent problems related to combating scurvy developed. The Central State Institute of Traumatology named after Professor R.R. Vreden, where A.A. Limberg and his colleagues worked, occupied an important place in the provision of surgical and orthopedic care in besieged Leningrad. Dental care in besieged Leningrad was provided as part of medical and preventive institutions. As of November 1, 1942, dental outpatient clinics of Vasileostrovsky, Volodarsky, Kuibyshevsky, and Petrogradsky districts were successfully functioning. After the end of the siege in 1944, active work began on the restoration of the city. During the reconstruction of the city, the number of new medical institutions has also increased. In the autumn of 1944, the construction of the second clinical base of the State Institute for Further Training of Physicians was completed, in which the clinic of reconstructive maxillofacial surgery was located. The problem of the health of people who survived the blockade of Lenin remains relevant today, many decades later. Numerous publications have been devoted to generalizing the experience of treating wounded with maxillofacial injuries in combat conditions.