Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the preventive orientation of Iraqi dentists in terms of their “knowledge” and “attitude” towards caries prevention and to explore their “preventive practice”.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among 159 dentists who worked in Baghdad during the summer of 2016. The questionnaires obtained information on variables such as knowledge and attitude towards preventive dentistry, preventive practice and demographic variables and were distributed during the official working time. Logistic and multiple regressions served for statistical analyses.
Results: From all the respondents, 71% were females and the response rate was 94% (n=150). The mean age was 40.75±9.88 years (range 27-65 years). After checking for completeness, 90 questionnaires remained for data analysis. The most positive attitude towards preventive dental care was related to the question: “whether preventive dentistry is essential for the community” (n=75, 83%). The highest knowledge was reported in response to three questions: “frequency vs. amount of sugar consumption”, “effect of sealant on caries prevention of newly erupted molars” and “effect of dental problems on general health” (n=83, 92.2%). The regression analysis showed a significant association between attendance in the continuing educational courses and preventive practice (P=0.03).
Conclusions: To improve preventive dental orientation of Iraqi dentists, dental schools should put more emphasis on the topics about preventive dentistry. This will consequently improve their practice and oral health of the community.

Objectives: The friction between the brackets and orthodontic wire during sliding mechanics inflicts difficulties such as decreasing the applied force and tooth movement and also the loss of anchorage. Therefore, many studies have focused on the factors that affect the friction. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash on the friction between orthodontic brackets and wire.
Materials and Methods: Four types of orthodontic wires including rectangular standard stainless steel (SS), titanium molybdenum alloy (TMA), nickel-titanium (NiTi) and copper-nickel-titanium (Cu-NiTi) were selected. In each group, half of the samples were immersed in 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash and the others were immersed in artificial saliva for 10 hours. An elastomeric ligature was used for ligating the wires to brackets. The frictional test was performed in a universal testing machine at the speed of 10 mm/minute. Two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis of the friction rate.
Results: The friction rate was significantly higher after immersion in 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash in comparison with artificial saliva (P=0.00). Cu-NiTi wire showed the highest friction value followed by TMA, NiTi and SS wires.  
Conclusions: According to the results of the current study, 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash increased the frictional characteristics of all the evaluated orthodontic wires.

Objectives: This study sought to compare enamel cracks after orthodontic bracket debonding in the surfaces prepared with erbium, chromium: yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser and the conventional acid-etching technique.
Materials and Methods: This in-vitro experimental study was conducted on 60 sound human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes. The teeth were randomly divided into two groups (n=30). The teeth in group A were etched with 37% phosphoric acid gel, while the teeth in group B were subjected to Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation (gold handpiece, MZ8 tip, 50Hz, 4.5W, 60µs, 80% water and 60% air). Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the enamel surfaces and were then debonded in both groups. The samples were inspected under a stereomicroscope at ×38 magnification to assess the number and length of enamel cracks before bonding and after debonding. Independent-samples t-test was used to compare the frequency of enamel cracks in the two groups. Levene’s test was applied to assess the equality of variances.
Results: No significant difference was noted in the frequency or length of enamel cracks between the two groups after debonding (P>0.05).
Conclusions: Despite the same results of the frequency and length of enamel cracks in the two groups and by considering the side effects of acid-etching (demineralization and formation of white spot lesions), Er,Cr:YSGG laser may be used as an alternative to acid-etching for enamel surface preparation prior to bracket bonding.  

Objectives: About two-thirds of cancer patients undergo radiotherapy. Oral mucositis represents a major complication of radiotherapy, causing morbidity and mortality and decreasing the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to assess the preventive effect of Glycyrrhiza aqueous extract on oral mucositis in cancer patients under head and neck radiotherapy.
Materials and Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 37 head and neck cancer patients were divided into intervention (n=19) group receiving Glycyrrhiza aqueous extract and control (n=18) group receiving placebo. Patients in the test group used Glycyrrhiza aqueous extract topically twice a day from the first day of starting radiotherapy until the end of the second week. Patients were examined in the first day of radiotherapy for any type of wound before treatment and those with oral ulcers before radiotherapy were excluded from the study. The grade of mucositis was determined using the classification by the World Health Organization. ANCOVA was performed to assess any difference between the two groups with regard to oral mucosal irritation and wound size after the intervention while controlling for the covariates such as sex and age.
Results: Significant differences were found in the maximum grade of mucositis and oral mucosal irritation between the intervention and control groups (P<0.001).
Conclusions: This study showed that aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza can be effective for decreasing the severity of oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different types of toothpaste on the frictional resistance between stainless steel brackets and archwires.
Materials and Methods: Ninety stainless steel orthodontic brackets with stainless steel wires were bonded to bovine teeth and were divided into 6 groups for application of the following toothpastes: Colgate® Total® Advanced Whitening, Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health, Colgate® Anticavity, Ortho.Kin®, and Sunstar GUM® Ortho toothpastes. No toothpaste was applied in the control group. Each group was brushed by a brushing machine with the use of the designated solution for 4.5 minutes. The frictional force was measured in a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 10 mm/minute over a 5-mm archwire. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the 0.05 significance level.
Results: The frictional resistance values of Ortho.Kin® and GUM® Ortho toothpastes and the control group were not significantly different (P>0.05). However, there were significant differences between the frictional resistance values of Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health and Colgate® Anticavity toothpastes with that of the control group (P<0.05). The highest and lowest frictional resistance values were related to Colgate® Total® Pro Gum Health toothpaste and the control group, respectively.
Conclusions: Among the evaluated toothpastes, the orthodontic toothpastes did not increase the frictional resistance between the orthodontic stainless steel brackets and wires.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the relation between dimensional changes and object location in the field of view (FOV) using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). 
Materials and Methods: A custom-made phantom was fabricated from base plate wax. To analyze the accuracy of measurements in horizontal and longitudinal dimensions, aluminum squares (0.5 mm thickness, 10×10 mm dimensions) were constructed and placed in three levels (upper, middle, and lower) and five positions (central, right, left, anterior and posterior). This phantom was scanned using Asahi, Planmeca and NewTom CBCT systems. CBCT scans were measured three times by use of their corresponding software. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA, post-hoc test and two-way ANOVA (P<0.05).
Results: The differences between the mean horizontal dimensions of different systems were not significant (P=0.296). However, the differences between the mean longitudinal dimensions of different systems were significant (P=0.039). The differences between the different positions and the mean horizontal and longitudinal dimensions were significant (P<0.001, and P<0.001, respectively). The differences between the mean horizontal dimensions and different levels were not significant (P=0.51), but the differences between the mean longitudinal dimensions and different levels were significant (P<0.001). The interaction effect of level and position on the accuracy of horizontal and longitudinal measurements was significant (P<0.0001).
Conclusions: We found statistically significant differences in most of our comparisons; however, these differences were not clinically significant. Therefore, CBCT could be an accurate device for measurement of dimensions of objects placed in different positions in the FOV. 

Objectives: It has been reported that the water, solvents, or the primer incorporated into adhesive resins decrease the polymerization, compromise the mechanical properties, reduce the bond strength, and lead to a poor bonding performance of self-etch adhesives. This article evaluated the effect of air-drying and light-curing duration of self-etch adhesives on the micro-shear bond strength between composite resin and dentin.
Materials and Methods: A total of 120 extracted sound human third molars were randomly divided into twelve groups (n=10). The occlusal dentin in each tooth was exposed. Clearfil SE Bond (CSEB) and Clearfil S3 Bond (CS3B) were used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, followed by air-drying for 3 and 10 seconds in different groups. The adhesives were light-cured for 10, 20 and 40 seconds in different subgroups. Next, the composite resin (Clearfil AP-X) was placed on the dentin surface and was polymerized for 40 seconds. The micro-shear bond strength values were determined using a universal testing machine, and the results were statistically analyzed by three-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test (α=0.05).
Results: CSEB exhibited a significantly higher dentin bond strength than CS3B. Increasing the curing time of CSEB resulted in an increase in the bond strength, whereas an increase in the air-drying time did not affect the bond strength of the two adhesives.
Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, an increase in the curing time improved the bond strength of CSEB, whereas the air-drying time did not affect the bond strength of the evaluated adhesives.

Subcondylar fractures are common in the maxillofacial region following direct trauma to the mandibular ramus. The literature is replete with articles written on the treatment of subcondylar fractures, encompassing a plethora of various surgical approaches; however, the best treatment procedure has remained controversial. Such fractures are either treated by open reduction with internal fixation or closed reduction with maxillomandibular fixation. In this article, we describe a new surgical method for treatment of subcondylar fractures.