Background: Prosthodontic services have changed markedly due to an introduction of new materials, techniques and treatment options. The aim of this study were to identify the type of materials and the methods used by dental practitioners in their clinics to construct conventional complete dentures and to specify the type and design for removable partial dentures (RPDs); and to then compare them with those taught in dental schools. Materials and methods: A total of 153 dental practitioners in Sulaimani city completed a written questionnaire. The questionnaire included 19 questions regarding complete and RPDs fabrication. Results: Most of the practitioners provide complete dentures (81.6%) and RPDs (95.3%) in their clinics. Polyvinyl silox

Mutans streptococci (MS) are a group of oral bacteria considered as the main cariogenic organisms. MS consists of several species of genus Streptococcus which are sharing similar phenotypes and genotypes. The aim of this study is to determine the genetic diversity of the core species of clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus downei by using repitative extragenic palindromic (REP) primer. The DNA of the clinical strains of S. mutans (n=10), S. sobrinus (n=05) and S. downei (n=04) have been employed in the present study, which have been previously isolated from caries active subjects. The DNA of the clinical and reference strains was

Background: Dental calculus is mineralized dental plaque formed on teeth and dental prosthesis surfaces in the oral cavity. Urinary stone is a crystal aggregation formed in urinary system due to minerals saturation present in urine. The structure of dental calculus is similar to that of urinary stone. Objective: To assess oral hygiene and gingival status in patients with urinary stone. And compared with healthy subjects. Patients and Methods: Sixty participants, 25-40 years, were involved in this study who were divided into study and control group. The study group involved patients with urinary stone while the control group involved healthy subjects. Clinical parameters including plaque, calculus and gingival indices were recorded for al

Buffering of Local anaesthesia (LA) has been suggested as a mechanism to improve injection comfort and hasten the onset of anaesthesia. Aim This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of buffered LA in the extraction of maxillary premolars and molars. Materials and Methods This randomized controlled study included 100 patients who were indicated for extraction of maxillary posterior teeth, they were randomly divided into two groups; a study group that received infiltration of buffered 2% lidocaine hydrochloride with 1:80,000 epinephrine LA, and a control group that received non-buffered 2% lidocaine hydrochloride with 1:80,000 epinephrine LA. The buffering was performed using the Onset® LA buffering system (Onpharma®). The outcome va

Background: Halitosis represents a common dental condition, although sufferers are often not conscious of it. It is common among humans around the world and is usually caused by an accumulation of bacteria in the mouth as a result of gum disease, food, or plaque. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of oral hygiene practices, smoking habits and halitosis among undergraduate dental students and correlate the oral hygiene practices, oral health conditions to the prevalence of self perceived oral malodor. Materials and Methods: Clinical examination of 250 dental students and a self-administered questionnaire were included in this study. A questionnaire was developed to assess the self-reported perception of oral breath, awareness of b

Low-intensity laser irradiation has been explored as an alternative, non-invasive method to encourage chronic wounds to heal. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low level laser therapy (biostimulation) using semiconductor diode laser with wavelength (785 nm) on the enhancement of chronic wound healing. Fifty patients with chronic wounds were selected to be treated with Low Level Laser Therapy. Their ages ranged between 1 to 76 years. The wound sites were distributed in the lower limb, upper limb, trunk , perineum and head (70%,14%,12%,2%,2%, respectively). Application of laser therapy by noncontact method few millimeters from the skin for 15 minutes per one session twice weekly for two months ; ie,16 sessions for each patient. R

Background: Cartilage forms most of the temporary skeleton of the embryo and provides a model in which most bones develop Objective: Using laser therapy to enhance autologous cartilage grafts expansibility and to analyze whether this "enhancement" results in reduced rates of cartilage resorption and greater preservation of normal architectural features compared with "unenhanced" grafts. Type of the study: Cross sectional study. Methods: 24 New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups (control and treated with 904nm, 10mW diode laser). Auricular cartilage segments measuring 1 cm2 were harvested from both ears of each rabbit, and were implanted in to the subcutaneous region of the left flank. 3 rabbits from each group were anaesthetized a

Background: Cartilage forms most of the temporary skeleton of the embryo and provides a model in which most bones developObjective: Using laser therapy to enhance autologous cartilage grafts expansibility and to analyze whether this "enhancement" results in reduced rates of cartilage resorption and greater preservation of normal architectural features compared with "unenhanced" grafts. Type of the study: Cross sectional study.Methods: 24 New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups (control and treated with 904nm, 10mW diode laser). Auricular cartilage segments measuring 1 cm2 were harvested from both ears of each rabbit, and were implanted in to the subcutaneous region of the left flank. 3 rabbits from each group were anaesthetized

Carbonized nonwoven nanofibers composite were fabricated using the electrospinning method of a polymeric solution composite followed by heat treatment including stabilization and calcination steps. The spun polymeric solution was a binary polymer mixture/organic solvent. In this study, two types of polymers (Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and Polyethylene glycol (PEG)) were used separately as a copolymer with the base polymer (Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)) to prepare a binary polymer mixture in a mixing ratio of 50:50. The prepared precursor solutions were used to prepare the precursor nanofibers composite (PAN: PMMA) and (PAN: PEG).  The fabricated precursors nonwoven fibers composite were stabilized and carbonized to produce carbon nonw