Shaping the Future of Dentistry: How Digital VR-Haptic Thinkers Are Revolutionizing Education by Thinking Big for Better Future in Oral Care.

Integrating digital, virtual reality (VR), and haptic technologies into dental education transforms training by fostering immersive, student-centered environments. These tools bridge theoretical knowledge and clinical practice, enhancing psychomotor skills, reducing anxiety, and enabling standardized assessments in risk-free settings. The Digital, VR, and Haptic Thinkers Network drives global collaboration and innovation.

Predicting novice dental students' performances in conventional simulation: A prospective pilot study using haptic exercises.

Background/purpose: While haptic simulators in preclinical dentistry show promise, few studies predict novice dental students' performance in conventional simulations using haptic exercises. This study aimed to explore associations between (i) the number of failures in haptic exercises, (ii) the haptic performance index, and (iii) the quality of prosthetic preparation for cast crowns. Additionally, the students' perceptions regarding the use of the VirTeaSy Dental® haptic simulator was analyzed.

Different Polymers for the Base of Removable Dentures? Part II: A Narrative Review of the Dynamics of Microbial Plaque Formation on Dentures.

This review focuses on the current disparities and gaps in research on the characteristics of the oral ecosystem of denture wearers, making a unique contribution to the literature on this topic. We aimed to synthesize the literature on the state of current knowledge concerning the biological behavior of the different polymers used in prosthetics. Whichever polymer is used in the composition of the prosthetic base (poly methyl methacrylate acrylic (PMMA), polyamide (PA), or polyether ether ketone (PEEK)), the simple presence of a removable prosthesis in the oral cavity can disturb the balance of the oral microbiota.

Impact of haptic simulators in preclinical dental education: A systematic review.

Background: Haptic technologies have opened a new avenue in preclinical dental education, with evidence that they can be used to improve student performance. The aim of this systematic review was to (1) determine the effect of haptic simulators on motor skill acquisition during preclinical dental training, (2) explore students' perception, and (3) explore the ability of haptic systems to distinguish users based on their initial level of manual dexterity.

Methods: A comprehensive search of articles published up to February 2023 was performed using five databases (i.

Different Polymers for the Base of Removable Dentures? Part I: A Narrative Review of Mechanical and Physical Properties.

Even before considering their introduction into the mouth, the choice of materials for the optimization of the prosthesis depends on specific parameters such as their biocompatibility, solidity, resistance, and longevity. In the first part of this two-part review, we approach the various mechanical characteristics that affect this choice, which are closely related to the manufacturing process. Among the materials currently available, it is mainly polymers that are suitable for this use in this field.

The Effectiveness of Calcium Phosphates in the Treatment of Dentinal Hypersensitivity: A Systematic Review.

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) pain is a persistent clinical problem, which is a common condition known to affect patients' quality of life (QoL), but no treatment has ever been agreed upon. Calcium phosphates, available in different forms, have properties that allow sealing the dentinal tubules, which may relieve dentin hypersensitivity. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the ability of different formulations of calcium phosphate to reduce dentin hypersensitivity pain level in clinical studies.

Marginal and internal fit of five-unit zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses fabricated with digital scans and conventional impressions: A comparative in vitro study.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the marginal and internal fit of five-unit zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) fabricated using digital scans and conventional impressions.

Materials And Methods: Nine master models with three zirconia abutments were scanned with an intraoral scanner (test group), and nine conventional impressions (control group) of these same models were also made. The stone casts from these impressions were scanned with a laboratory extraoral scanner (D700, 3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark).

Current Data on Oral Peri-Implant and Periodontal Microbiota and Its Pathological Changes: A Systematic Review.

The 5- and 10-year implant success rates in dentistry are nearly 90%. Prevalence of peri-implant diseases is 10% for peri-implantitis and 50% for peri-implant mucositis. To better understand these inflammatory pathologies of infectious origin, it is important to know if the composition of the peri-implant microbiota is comparable with the periodontal microbiota in healthy and pathological conditions.

Host's Immunity and Species Associated with Denture Stomatitis: A Narrative Review.

Denture-related stomatitis, which has been described clinically in the literature, is either localized or generalized inflammation of the oral mucosa in connection with a removable prosthesis. During this inflammatory process, the mycobacterial biofilm and the host's immune response play an essential role. Among microorganisms of this mixed biofilm, the species proliferates easily and changes from a commensal to an opportunistic pathogen.

Another Look at the Contribution of Oral Microbiota to the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review.

Although autoimmunity contributes to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), several lines of evidence challenge the dogma that it is mainly an autoimmune disorder. As RA-associated human leukocyte antigens shape microbiomes and increase the risk of dysbiosis in mucosae, RA might rather be induced by epigenetic changes in long-lived synovial presenting cells, stressed by excessive translocations into joints of bacteria from the poorly cultivable gut, lung, or oral microbiota (in the same way as more pathogenic bacteria can lead to "reactive arthritis"). This narrative review (i) lists evidence supporting this scenario, including the identification of DNA from oral and gut microbiota in the RA synovium (but in also healthy synovia), and the possibility of translocation through blood, from mucosae to joints, of microbiota, either directly from the oral cavity or from the gut, following an increase of gut permeability worsened by migration within the gut of oral bacteria such as ; (ii) suggests other methodologies for future works other than cross-sectional studies of periodontal microbiota in cohorts of patients with RA versus controls, namely, longitudinal studies of oral, gut, blood, and synovial microbiota combined with transcriptomic analyses of immune cells in individual patients at risk of RA, and in overt RA, before, during, and following flares of RA.

Effect of 970 nm low-level laser therapy on orthodontic tooth movement during Class II intermaxillary elastics treatment: a RCT.

This prospective randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy on tooth movement during Class II intermaxillary elastics treatment. Forty-two patients with Class II malocclusion were included, and their maxillary quadrants were allocated into two groups: treatment with an active diode laser and a placebo group. In each group, the time taken to obtain Class I occlusion after 6 months, rate of movement, total displacement of the maxillary canine to Class I occlusion and pain were recorded.

Subgingival Microbiota and Cytokines Profile Changes in Patients with Periodontitis: A Pilot Study Comparing Healthy and Diseased Sites in the Same Oral Cavities.

Periodontitis is a common condition characterized by an exacerbated pro-inflammatory response, which leads to tissue destruction and, ultimately, alveolar bone loss. In this pilot study, we assess the microbiota composition and cytokine profile changes in patients with stage III/IV, grade B/C periodontitis, specifically by comparing healthy and diseased sites in the same oral cavity. Overall, we found that microbiota architecture was significantly disrupted between diseased and healthy sites, and that the clustering was driven, in part, by the increased relative abundances of Synergistetes in diseased sites, as well as the increased abundances of Firmicutes in healthy sites.

Comparative assessment of complete-coverage, fixed tooth-supported prostheses fabricated from digital scans or conventional impressions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Statement Of Problem: Intraoral scanners have significantly improved over the last decade. Nevertheless, data comparing intraoral digital scans with conventional impressions are sparse.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the impact of impression technique (digital scans versus conventional impressions) on the clinical time, patient comfort, and marginal fit of tooth-supported prostheses.