All-Carbon Electrode Consisting of Carbon Nanotubes on Graphite Foil for Flexible Electrochemical Applications

We demonstrate the fabrication of an all-carbon electrode by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for use in flexible electrochemical applications. The electrode is composed of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes that are grown directly on a flexible graphite foil. Being all-carbon, the simple fabrication process and the excellent electrochemical characteristics present an approach through which high-performance, highly-stable and cost-effective electrochemical applications can be achieved.     

Efficacy of Alternative Medicaments for Pulp Treatment in Primary Teeth in the Short Term: A Meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the overall, clinical, and radiographical success rates of alternative pulpotomy medicaments in primary teeth.MethodsA systematic search of five databases was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Prospective clinical trials using alternative pulpotomy medicaments in children were included. The outcome measures were overall, clinical, and radiographic success, expressed in percentages and converted to odds ratios. Fifteen articles were included in the meta-analysis.ResultsCombined odds ratios for overall, clinical, and radiographic success was 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-2.41; P = .42; I² = 76%), 1.03 (95% CI: 0.57-1.86; P = .92; I² = 0%), and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.54-1.47; P = .66; I² = 34%), respectively. The results suggest an inconclusive outcome in the success rate of alternative medicaments.ConclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy of alternative pulpotomy medicaments for use in primary teeth. Further robust studies are required before such alternative medicaments should be used in clinical practice.     

Analysis of oral microbiota in Japanese oral cancer patients using 16S rRNA sequencing

ObjectivesIt is important to determine the cause of increasing oral cancer occurrence and mortality rates in Japan, because the mortality rate has recently decreased in other developed countries. The impact of microbiota in carcinogenesis, especially in the digestive tract has been reported. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between oral cancer and oral microbiota in Japanese patients.MethodsDNA was extracted from salivary samples of 60 oral cancer patients and 80 non-cancer individuals as controls. We performed metagenomic analysis using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Statistical analysis in this study was performed using R (version 3.5.0).ResultsOral cancer patients showed higher α-diversity compared to the control group, and the β-diversity between the two groups differed significantly. Further, there was a significant difference in the abundance ratio of bacterial genera between the two groups. Peptostreptococcus, Fusobacterium, Alloprevotella, and Capnocytophaga were more abundant in the cancer group compared to the control, whereas Rothia and Haemophilus were less abundant (p < 0.01). A negative correlation in the microbiota composition was confirmed between the operational taxonomic units (OTU) of genus Rothia and T-stage progression using the TNM classification method. We performed logistic regression analysis to investigate the impact factor for the oral cancer group, and the result showed that Chao 1 index and sex are statistically significant variables.ConclusionsIn this study, we observed an increased bacterial diversity in oral cancer patients and found distribution changes for some bacteria.     

Integration of intraoral digital scans with a 3D facial scan for anterior tooth rehabilitation

This article describes a digital technique that combines intraoral digital scans with a 3-dimensional facial scan to predict the outcome of prosthodontic treatment of anterior teeth at the treatment planning phase. This approach may increase patient acceptance of the definitive treatment, as the altered facial appearance is visualized with definitive prosthodontic restorations, thereby improving communication before treatment begins.