Journal of Research in Dental

Background and Aim: The reduction of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) is one of the most significant concerns in dentistry. In contrast to initial treatments, such as pharmacotherapy and physiotherapy, which act as temporary tranquilizers, growth factors have shown promising results in the stimulation of cell division. Given the limited research on the positive impact of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the permanent treatment of joint disorders in the knee and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), we sought to investigate the effect of PRP on TMD.
Materials and Methods: Twenty patients (40 sides) presenting with TMD from 2011-2016 were included in this split-mouth clinical trial. TMD was documented by evaluating pain, limitation in movement, joint sounds, and deviation of the mandible during mouth opening. Next, 0.6 ml of PRP prepared from subjects’ blood was injected into the joints. Patients were followed-up 2, 4, and 6 months postoperatively. The severity of pain was evaluated using Mann-U-Whitney test. The other criteria were analyzed using chi-square test at the follow-up sessions and McNemar's test within each group.
Results: The analysis of the results showed no difference between the two groups at the two-month follow-up. The pain intensity reduced significantly at 4- and 6-month follow-ups (P<0.05). Limitation in movement and joint sounds decreased from the second- to the sixth-month follow-up (P<0.05 and <0.02). The treatment seemed to have no impact on mandibular deviation (P<0.9).
Conclusion: Treatment with PRP seems to be a favorable adjunct in several criteria of TMD.

Oral cancer is a major public health problem worldwide and is among the ten most common cancers. Despite the advances in research and treatment, oral cancer is still one of the major challenges in medical science. Common treatments for this cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, as well as adjuvant photodynamic therapy (PDT). The aim of this study was to evaluate oral cancer and its treatment methods with an emphasis on the use of adjuvant PDT. The present study is a review performed by searching the articles published in the past 20 years (2000-2020) in Elsevier, PubMed, Springer, and Wiley databases with “oral cancer”, “photodynamic therapy”, and “treatment modalities” keywords. Research shows that PDT can be an effective way to treat oral cancer due to its few side effects and minimal invasion. However, accurate evaluation of the efficacy of PDT requires further studies.

Background and Aim: Mucormycosis is an aggressive and life-threating fungal infection that affects patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM) or compromised immune system. The most common symptom of rhinocerebral mucormycosis is sinusitis, and if the infection spreads beyond the sinus, more severe symptoms such as blindness, seizure, and death may occur. Case Presentation: We describe a case of rhinocerebral mucormycosis successfully treated in an 11-year-old boy with uncontrolled DM and neglected sinusitis with sudden blindness. Conclusion:  Patients with poorly controlled or insulin-dependent DM who experience periods of ketoacidosis are more likely to develop mucormycosis. Therefore, correct diagnosis and timely referral of patients greatly affect the prognosis of the disease and the treatment process.

Background and Aim: Nowadays, facial esthetics has become the main concern for many people. Gummy smile (GS) is a common complaint that affects the esthetics and psychological status of patients. The aim of this study was to review GS treatment options.   Materials and Methods: An electronic search was conducted in three databases of PubMed, Wiley and Cochrane Library from January 2015 up to August 2021. According to the eligibility criteria, a total of 41 relevant papers were retrieved and reviewed. Results: Based on the available data, several techniques have been reported for GS treatment, such as lip repositioning, crown lengthening, orthognathic surgery, laser application, botulinum toxin (BT) injection, hyaluronic acid injection, and micro autologous fat transplantation (MAFT). Combination of two or three of these techniques may yield a better result. Conclusion: A wide variety of procedures are available based on the cause of GS. The new, less invasive, faster and safer alternative techniques were shown to be feasible with a long-lasting result and minimal postoperative sequelae. Such treatment options for various types of GS can lead to significant improvement in smile esthetics with high patient satisfaction.

Background and Aim: Oral health neglect could be an indicator of more serious mistakes in medicine. This study was conducted to assess the referral pattern and attitude of physicians towards oral medicine specialty, and their performance in dealing with oral lesions.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, validated questionnaires were administered among 180 medical practitioners with different specialties working in Yazd, Iran. The questions were about the referral pattern, attitude towards oral medicine specialty, and their performance in dealing with oral lesions. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test, paired t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation test (alpha=0.05). 
Results: Of all, 81.1% of the participants had at least one encounter with an oral lesion. One hundred respondents (82.6%) were aware of oral medicine as an independent specialty. The most referred cases were oral lesions in pregnant women (59%), followed by oral ulcers, and red-white lesions (54.1%). The mean score of referral pattern had no significant association with specialty, gender, age, experience, and workplace, but the highest score was acquired by surgeons. The difference in attitude based on specialty was significant (P=0.02), and the highest score was acquired by ENT specialists. Males had a significantly more positive attitude towards oral medicine specialists. There was a significant positive correlation between practice and attitude (P=0.001, r=0.285).
Conclusion: Considering the unfavorable attitude and poor practice of medical specialists, it is time to reiterate and enhance the knowledge of physicians about oral medicine specialty.