Journal of Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Objectives Odontogenic tumors are lesions with unique microscopic patterns and clinical behavior. They are divided into three groups: epithelial, mesenchymal, and mixed. These neoplasms have several unique microscopic patterns; however, limited information exists on their infrequent features. This study aimed to enquire into the infrequent histopathologic features of odontogenic neoplasms in an oral pathology referral center in Iran.

Methods The archives of oral pathology department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, were investigated retrospectively over a 30-year period. The files with a diagnosis of odontogenic tumors were selected. All microscopic slides were re-evaluated, and cases with infrequent features were extracted. Finally, demographic data were extracted and analyzed for possible correlations with pathologic features.

Results Over 30 years, 503 odontogenic tumors were diagnosed, of which 30 (5.96%) showed infrequent microscopic features. The mean age of patients was 33.7, ranging from 15 to 69 years. Mandibular predilection (80%) was the most prominent feature, and the male-to-female ratio was 0.87. Approximately 80% of the lesions displayed painless swelling. In solid ameloblastoma, microscopic features included adenoid appearance, hyalinization, keratin pearls, dyskeratosis, and hemangiomatous appearance. Papillary patterns, pure granular cells, clear cells, hypercellular whorls, and ghost cells were also observed, while ameloblastic carcinomas most commonly showed mucous cells, keratin pearls, and sheets of spindle cells.

Conclusion Although odontogenic tumors are mostly a homogeneous group of tumors, they sometimes show diversity in several features, many of which indicate the multipotentiality of the odontogenic epithelium. In this study, although all the criteria of adenoid tumors were not observed, five samples showed some features of adenoid ameloblastoma.

          Background: Hormonal changes during pregnancy may act as a modifying factor of the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, being reported as a potential risk factor of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study was accomplished to investigate the level of periodontal disease in pregnant women and to identify associated risk factors in a population of pregnant women in Kashan in 2017.

Material and methods: A total of 128 pregnant women in the second and third trimester of pregnancy were recruited. Demographic data, oral health behaviors and socioeconomic status were determined by using a standard questionnaire. The periodontal condition was evaluated by Community Periodontal Index (CPI), Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) and Bleeding on Probing (BOP) indices.

Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of the samples was 24.35 (3.4). More than half of the participants (53.1%) were in the second trimester of pregnancy. A quarter of pregnant women had visited a dentist within the past year, of which more than 74% visit the dentist for pain or treatment. About half of the participants (50.8%) brushed their teeth daily, but only 10% of mothers had daily flossing habit. Periodontal screening is typically done using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Calculus had the highest score (49.2%) prevailing among the subjects, while prevalence of periodontitis (pocket depth>=3) was 35.2%. Pocket depth >3mm was more frequent in women with academic education, good socioeconomic status, women without history of pain, women who brush their teeth twice a day or more and women who visit the dentist  (P <0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of the present study shows that all the studied factors are considered as risk factors for periodontal disease in pregnant women.

Objectives In the field of medical and dental image analysis, the development of advanced deep learning architectures for precise classification tasks has become essential. The present study aims to introduce an innovative Attention-based Residual Connection Convolutional Neural Network (ARN-CNN) designed for accurate classification of medical images using the Med-MNIST (Medical Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology) dataset.

Methods Attention mechanisms and residual connections were integrated into the ARN-CNN model to enhance feature extraction and prediction accuracy. The model's performance was evaluated through a comparative analysis with state-of-the-art CNN architectures on the challenging MNIST medical dataset, based on key metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score.

Results The ARN-CNN model achieves a classification accuracy of 99.96% and a loss of 0.0037. These results showcase the superior performance of ARN-CNN in improving classification accuracy and its potential for enhancing medical image analysis.

Conclusion The study demonstrates the crucial role that residual connections and attention processes play in capturing intricate details and maximizing information flow in the network. It highlights the potential of deep learning techniques for revolutionizing medical image analysis and laying the foundation for future investigation into automated medical and dental diagnosis and treatment in healthcare.

Objectives Job satisfaction in dentistry plays a crucial role in treatment success. Evaluating job satisfaction among dental professionals is essential in recognizing the impact of work environment factors on performance quality. Dental prosthesis technicians are integral members of the dental treatment team. The present study aimed to assess the job satisfaction of dental technicians in Iran through a questionnaire.

Methods A questionnaire was distributed among 200 dental technicians participating in the Congress of Iranian Dental Technician Association. Descriptive statistics, including relative frequencies, means, and standard deviations, were utilized to determine job satisfaction levels. The relationship between satisfaction and independent variables was analyzed using independent t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results In this study, 190 people, including 110 (57.6%) men and 80 (42.4%) women, were evaluated in terms of satisfaction. The mean satisfaction score was 129 ± 15.09. A significant relationship was observed between satisfaction and age (p <0.001), i.e., higher satisfaction was observed in younger participants.

Conclusion Despite the moderate and high job satisfaction levels among dental prosthesis technicians in Iran, there is an urgent need for special planning by policymakers in the field of oral health to enhance their knowledge, improve their job conditions, and elevate their academic status.

Objectives Research activities are one of the main factors of knowledge production. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the barriers to research from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences academic staff ' point of view in 2022.

Methods In the form of a cross-sectional descriptive study, a two-part questionnaire (the first part containing general questions and the second part containing 22 questions in the field of research barriers) was distributed among 104 people from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in November 2022. In each faculty, people were randomly selected from the list of professors that was prepared by the education deputy. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and Fisher's exact test at p<0.05.

Results The average age and experience of the participants were 37.74 ± 8.56 and 7.16 ± 7.30, respectively. 54.8% of the participants were male, 58.7% were committed to service and 78.8% were assistant professors. Lack of materials and equipment that do not exist in Iran and must be purchased in foreign currency, failure to provide suitable funds for researchers, and lack of coordination and cooperation between different faculties of the university to conduct joint research were mentioned by the professors as the most important barriers to research. There was a relationship between the scientific rank of the professors and their opinions about the materials and equipment needed for research (p<0.001). The employment status of the professors was significantly related with their opinions about lack of suitable funds (p=0.025).

Conclusion It seems necessary to review the approval process and research budgets, establish communication between different faculties of the university, hold workshops on statistics and research methods, and facilitate the approval process of research projects to remove barriers to research.

Objectives This study aimed to synthesize an herbal remineralizing paste containing the extracts of Miswak, licorice, aloe vera, propolis, and honey and compare its effect with 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) and 1.23% acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) on demineralized enamel microhardness.

Methods This experimental study was conducted on 72 extracted sound premolars. After obtaining the extracts and synthesis of the herbal paste, the baseline microhardness was measured, and the samples underwent a 14-day pH cycling. Next, the teeth were randomly assigned to six groups (N=12) for application of (I) 5% NaF for one minute, (II) 1.23% APF for one minute, (III) herbal paste for one minute, (IV) herbal paste for five minutes, (V) herbal paste for 15 minutes, and (VI) herbal paste for six hours. The microhardness was measured again. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (alpha=0.05).

Results The mean final microhardness was significantly higher than the primary microhardness in all groups (P<0.05). The highest microhardness was noted in group IV, followed by II, VI, I, V and III. One-way ANOVA revealed no significant difference between the final microhardness of study groups (P=0.97).

Conclusion The effect of synthesized herbal paste on demineralized enamel microhardness was comparable to that of 5% NaF and 1.23% APF. Due to the lack of a significant difference in duration of application, this paste may be applied for one minute to benefit from its remineralizing effects.

Objectives Salivary gland tumors account for 3%-4% of all head and neck cancers, with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) being the most common type of salivary gland malignancy observed in adults. Intraosseous MEC, which originates in the jaws, is exceedingly rare. It is predominantly found in the posterior part of mandible and typically affects individuals aged 30-50, with a slight female predilection.

Case: A 50-year-old female patient presented with a chief complaint of mild swelling on the left side of palate. The patient did not report any difficulties in swallowing, chewing, or breathing. There was no history of pain, discharge, or bleeding associated with the swelling. During the physical examination, the patient appeared to be in good health. Intra-oral examination revealed a well-circumscribed, pale pink, oval, smooth, sessile, non-tender, and non-mobile nodule measuring 1.0 * 0.6 cm² in size. Radiographic findings showed an expansile radiolucent lesion with thinning and perforation of the buccal and palatal cortices, as well as an elevation in the maxillary sinus floor.

Conclusion A rare case of central MEC (CMEC) in the maxilla was presented in this article. The clinical presentation of CMEC in the maxilla can pose challenges in the initial diagnosis, as it may resemble benign lesions, as observed in this case. Therefore, caution is advised in diagnosing CMEC, regardless of the lesion's location, in order to establish a timely and accurate diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment, even if the clinical features do not strongly indicate malignancy.

Objectives Recently, Cold Ceramic (CC), which is a mineral trioxide aggregate-like bio-ceramic and an essential component of calcium hydroxide, has been introduced as a potential root-end filling material. The purpose of this case series was to investigate the reliability and potential periapical healing effects of CC as a root canal-filling material.

Cases: In this study, six cases were described with complaints of pain and acute periapical abscess, who were managed in one visit using CC as a root canal filling material. After two weeks of follow up, they were clinically examined, which revealed no signs and symptoms in 12.33 months on average with a mean Periapical Index score of 1.33 (compared to initial mean score of 3).

Conclusion: Root canal filling with cold ceramic introduces clinicians to an alternative treatment strategy that might improve the healing outcomes for patients presenting with complex and challenging endodontic conditions.