Dental caries (tooth decay) is one of the most prevalent infectious disease and although of multifactorial origin, Streptococcus mutans is considered the principal pathogen in its development (i.e. bacterial processes damage hard tooth structure (enamel, dentine and cementum), producing dental cavities (holes in the teeth). The bactericidal properties of the Nd:YAG laser has been researched analyzing its use in caries prevention and bacterial reduction. One hundred twenty five samples were collected from carious teeth and isolated bacteria were diagnosed using microscopic examination, culture, biochemical tests, and Api 20 strep system. The results of this study showed that a noticeable decrease in the viability of Streptococcus mutans w

Background: One common undesirable side effect of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances is the development of incipient caries lesions around brackets, particularly in patients with poor oral hygiene. Different methods have been used to prevent demineralization; the recent effort to improve the resistance against the demineralization is by the application of lasers. Materials and method: Thirty human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were used to test the effect of two energy level of ER-YAG laser on enamel resistance to demineralization. The brackets were bonded on the teeth and all the labial surface excluding 2 mm area gingival to the brackets were painted with acid resistance varnish. Three groups were generated. The fi

Background:Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems refer to a group of heterogeneous pain and dysfunction conditions involving the mastication, reducing life quality of the patients. Arthrocentesis is a simple and less invasive surgical method for the treatment of inflammatory-degenerative disease than other conservative procedures and better than arthroscope. This clinical study aimed at evaluating the benefit of arthrocentesis with injection of hyaluronic acid in the management of inflammatory-degenerative disease of the TMJ. Material and methods: Eighty consecutive patients were enrolled in this study with pain symptoms of TMJ, insufficient masticatory efficiency during function and limitation of mouth opening; they were assessed with

Background: Herbs are being widely explored to discover alternatives to synthetic antibacterial agents.Small Cardamom often referred to as queen of spices because of its very pleasant aroma and taste, have a history as old as human race. Most people use cardamom as a spice and are largely unaware of its numerous health benefits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of water and alcoholic cardamom extracts on sensitivities, growth, and adherence of Mutans streptococci in vitro. Materials and Methods: In this study, saliva was collected from ten volunteers (College students 18-22 years). Agar well technique was used to study the sensitivities of Mutans streptococci to different concentrations of s

Background: Propolis has received great interest because of its wide range antimicrobial activity. Propolis also called (bee glue) due to its collection by (Apismellifera) honeybees from various plants resinous substance. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial effect of propolis extracts (aqueous and alcoholic) on anaerobic periodontal pathogen namely Aggregatibacteractinomycetemcomitans. Materials and Methods: Strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans wasisolated from pockets of systemically healthy patients aged between 35-55 years old suffering from chronic periodontitis with pocket depths of 5-6 mm, the bacteria cultured on special blood Agar plates solid media. Propolis was extracted by using water and alcohol.

Background: Spices and herbs have been used by many cultures to enhance the flavor and aroma of food and for their medicinal value. Black cardamom is one of these spices widely used in cooking because of its unique taste and powerful flavor. The aim of study was to test the effect of black cardamom on Mutans Streptococci in comparison to chlorhexidine gluconate (0.2%) and de-ionized water. Materials and methods: Dried fruits of black cardamom were extracted by using alcohol (70% ethanol). Saliva was collected from seven volunteers. Agar well technique with different concentrations of black cardamom extracts was used to test the sensitivities of Mutans Streptococci, as well black cardamom extracts effect on viable counts of Mutans Streptococ

Background: Although they are not life threatening, dental caries and periodontal disease are the most predominant and widely spread oral diseases throughout the world. Another most common dental problem seen in children is dental trauma. The aims of the study included the investigation of the prevalence and severity of dental caries, gingivitis and dental plaque in relation to gender, furthermore, the prevalence and severity of the traumatized anterior teeth were assessed. Materials and Methods: This oral health survey was conducted among primary school children aged 9 years old in Al-Diwaniyah city in Iraq. The total sample composed of 600 child (320 males and 280 females) selected randomly from different school in Al-Diwaniyah city. Dia

     This research aims to investigate the color distribution of a huge sample of 613654 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Those galaxies are at a redshift of 0.001 - 0.5 and have magnitudes of g = 17 - 20. Five subsamples of galaxies at redshifts of (0.001 - 0.1), (0.1 - 0.2), (0.2 - 0.3), (0.3 - 0.4) and (0.4 - 0.5) have been extracted from the main sample. The color distributions (u-g), (g-r) and (u-r) have been produced and analysed using a Matlab code for the main sample as well as all five subsamples. Then a bimodal Gaussian fit to color distributions of data that have been carried out using minimum chi-square in Microsoft Office Excel. The results showed that the color distributions of the main sample and

The researchers have discovered weaknesses in the rotational phase of the 100-meter freestyle event, including a lack of proper movement direction and control of biomechanical variables necessary for swimmers to achieve high rotational accuracy, which leads to outperforming competitors. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of using a laser device on improving the performance of the rotational phase among swimmers on the Iraqi national team. The experimental approach was conducted on a sample of 6 swimmers, representing 100% of the target population. The researchers concluded that the utilization of a proposed laser device in the rotational phase resulted in positive differences in biomechanical variables, contri

Introduction: Articaine was developed in 1969, with reported advantages which are increased potency, increased duration of its anesthetic effect and superior diffusion through bony tissue. The effectiveness of using 4% articaine infiltration for extraction of mandibular molar teeth in comparison to 2% lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block is not settled yet. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using 4% articaine infiltration for extraction of mandibular molars by comparing it to the use of 2% lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block in terms of success, the volume of local anesthetic agents and the pain experienced during the procedure. Materials and methods: A prospective randomized controlled study included