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We are examining the impact of a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) at a land-grant, Hispanic-serving institution in the southwestern United States. Students in our CURE completed one or two extended research projects over a single semester. Our CURE enrolled a high proportion of underrepresented minority students (70.3%), including 60.2% Hispanic students. One year after CURE completion, 31.5% of CURE students had graduated with a STEM degree, and 54.3% were enrolled in a STEM major. Pre- and post-course surveys of indicators of persistence including scientific self-efficacy, scientific identity, valuing scientific community objectives, and intention to persist showed positive shifts. Impacts on STEM persistence have implications for the role of our CURE in diversifying the STEM pipeline, particularly for students historically underrepresented in STEM.

Objective: The prevalence of bruxism in the literature has been reported differently. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of bruxism in patients aged 25-40 who were referred to Kerman Dental School. Methods: This analytical descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 320 patients referred to the Department of Oral Medicine of Kerman Dentistry Faculty in the age range of 25 to 40 years old. The prevalence of bruxism as well as TMJ disorders were evaluated. Data were collected in a questionnaire and entered into SPSS version 24. Analyzing was done by a chi-square test at a significant level of 0.05. Results: The prevalence of bruxism was 23.8%, with superiority in women. Although clenching was observed in 95.5% of the patients, 84.4% showed premature contacts on teeth, most of them related to the non-working side, and 82.9% presented premature contacts on restorations, especially on the non-working side. Regarding TMD symptoms, pain was the most common (83.4%), and clicking and crepitus were seen in 42% and 6% of the patients, respectively. Also, in 63.7% of the subjects with bruxism, jaw deviation was observed, and 18.7% showed restricted jaw movement. Conclusion: The prevalence of bruxism in the studied population is in the range of similar studies. Regarding TMD, troublesome symptoms such as pain, jaw deviation, and limited mouth opening were the only ones significantly related to bruxism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Psychological damage caused by disability is associated with personal, social, and occupational challenges of disabled people, and these people face various negative consequences. The present study aims to assess the effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the cognitive emotion regulation of people with physical and motor disabilities. Methods This is a quasi-experimental study with pretest/posttest design. Participants were 30 people with physical and motor disabilities (15 in the intervention group and 15 in the control group) who were selected using a purposive sampling method and random allocation. The intervention group received ACT. The data collection tool was Garnevsky's cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ). The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software. Results The results of the analysis of covariance showed that the mean post-test CERQ scores of the intervention group were significantly lower compared to the control group, indicating the effectiveness of the ACT in improving the cognitive emotion regulation. Conclusion The ACT is effective in improving the cognitive emotion regulation of people with physical and motor disabilities. Further studies are recommended in other age, gender, and disease groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe forms of dental fluorosis is commonly reported in Kuhbanan, Iran. The extensive discoloration can be justified to a large extent by the high fluoride levels in drinking and agricultural water of the region. However its high intensity brings other factors to mind, such as the level of fluoride in the breathing air of inhabitants. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess fluoride levels in the air of Kuhbanan region. Twelve air samples were obtained from different areas of Kuhbanan region (center of the city and village of Jevar) and city of Kerman. The NIOSH7902 method was used to determine the concentration of air fluoride in the target areas. Fluoride levels of each sample were obtained with the two following methods to increase the accuracy; 1-Fluoride Ion-Selective Electrode system and 2-additive system of Zirconium-Cyanine reagent and spectrophotometer. Finally data were analysed using SPSS software version 26 and the statistical test: Mann-Whitney test. Significance level was set at 0.05. Fluoride levels in the air of Kuhbanan and the village of Jevar was significantly higher than the city of Kerman. Mean±SD of fluoride level in the air in Kuhbanan city and Jevar village was 0.520±0.033 and 0.905±0.104 mg/m³, respectively. In contrast, in the air of Kerman city it was 0.141±0.041 mg/m³. The differences are statistically significant (P<0.05). Fluoride levels in the air of Kuhbanan and the village of Jevar is more than the city of Kerman. Many coal mines exist close to Kuhbanan and the village of Jevar and high levels of fluoride are emitted into the air. It is suggested that the fluoride level in the soil of this region also be determined. The findings of this study are important for the inhabitants and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of the Problem: Camelia Sinenis or green tea (GT) and Teucrium polium (TP) are known to have a great antimicrobial potential on salivary Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans).Their efficacy should be examined compared to the gold standard antimicrobial agents. Purpose: To evaluate the effects of Camelia Sinenis or green tea (GT) and Teucrium polium (TP) extracts in comparison with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) on salivary S. mutans levels. Materials and Method: This double-blinded randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 90 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years and assigned randomly (simple randomization) to three groups as GT, TP, and CHG. Unstimulated saliva samples were then collected in three times as before application of agents, after half an hour, and after one week. To determine S. mutans levels, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique was additionally utilized. Statistical analysis was also fulfilled using Shapiro-Wilk test, Friedman test, Chisquare test, paired sample t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Mann-Whitney U test at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The results of this study established a significant difference between mean salivary S. mutans levels after administration of the three compounds. Although the mean of S. mutans levels reduced significantly following the application of CHG and TP after half an hour, the mean salivary S. mutans levels in the group receiving GT declined in a significant manner only one week later (p< 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that GT and TP extracts had considerable effects on salivary S. mutans levels compared with CHG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of the Problem: Severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) is common among infants and toddlers. It has many problems and challenges for families as well as dentists in fields of prevention and treatment. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between occurrence of S-ECC and level of lactose in breast milk, in infants aged 12 to 24 months. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was carried out from April to July 2020 on 30 children aged 12 to 24 months with or without S-ECC, who were sol-ely breastfed; their mothers answered questions about their breastfeeding habits. After the child's dental visit, the mother was asked to express 10 to 20ml of her milk as a sample and give it to the researchers. The samples were immediately kept at -4°C and then they were tested for lactose measurement. Finally, the test results were analyzed by SPSS 21 software using independent t-test. Results: The average amount of lactose in the breast milk of cases with S-ECC infant was 5.74g/100 ml and the average amount of lactose in the breast milk of cases without S-ECC infant was 4.64g/100 ml. There was no significant difference in lactose concentration between the two groups (p Value=0.64). The average number of breastfeeding times in cases with S-ECC infants was 7.87 per day while in the healthy cases this was 7.33 per day. There was no significant difference between the numbers of breastfeeding times per day in two groups. Conclusion: According to this study, the amount of lactose in breast milk of children with S-ECC was slightly higher than the amount of lactose in breast milk in children with healthy teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The levels of evidence (LOE) of dental education texts is critical from the educational point of view. The present study aimed to evaluate the levels of evidence of references used in three clinical chapters in the textbook Pathways of the Pulp. Material & Method: The references of three clinical chapters in the text book Pathways of the Pulp were assessed in five of its editions. The levels of evidence were ranked according to study type and the Oxford scale from 0 to 5. The chi-square test was used to compare the level of evidence between different editions of the "Retreatment," "Trauma," and "Surgery" chapters. Results: A total of 3656 references were reviewed and analyzed from the "Trauma" (928 references), "Re-treatment" (1906 references), and "Surgery" (822 references) chapters in the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2011, and 2016 editions. The percentage of the LOE 0 (no evidence) was high (>60%) in all three chapters in all editions (PcO.OOl). The levels of evidence had the same distribution in all editions (P=0.871). The LOE of the "Re-treatment" (P=0.044) and "Surgery" (P<0.001) chapters changed in some editions. Conclusion: The majority of references in the three clinical chapters of the book are low-level evidence. Encouragement policies for researchers to conduct studies with high LOE are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this article was to evaluate the quality of sample size calculation reports in published clinical trials in Journal of Endodontics and International Endodontic Journal in years 2000-1 and 2009-10. Materials and Methods: Articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria were collected. The criteria were: publication year, research design, types of control group, reporting sample size calculation, the number of participants in each group, study outcome, amount of type I (α) and II (β) errors, method used for estimating prevalence or standard deviation, percentage of meeting the expected sample size and considering clinically importance level in sample size calculation. Data were extracted from all included articles. Descriptive analyses were conducted. Inferential statistical analyses were done using independent T-test and Chi-square test with the significance level set at 0.05. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in years between 2009 and 10 compared to 2000-1 in terms of reporting sample size calculation (P=0.002), reporting clinically importance level (P=0.003) and in samples size of clinical trials (P=0.01). But there was not any significant difference between two journals in terms of reporting sample size calculation, type of control group, frequency of various study designs and frequency of positive and negative clinical trials in different time periods (P>0.05). Conclusion: Sample size calculation in endodontic clinical trials improved significantly in 2009-10 when compared to 2000-1; however further improvements would be desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims. Despite the increasing demand for adhesive restorations in pediatric dentistry, polymerization shrinkage and subsequent marginal microleakage remains a problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate of the sealing ability of novel low-shrinkage composite silorane in class V cavity of primary canines in comparison with three types of composite resin. Materials and methods. Ninety-one non-carious extracted primary canines were randomly divided in six groups (n=15). Standard class V cavities were prepared on the buccal surface of each tooth that the occlusal margin was in the enamel and the cervical margin extending 1 mm below the cemento-enamel junction. The preparations were restored with the different composite materials in normal consistency with application the bonding in six groups (Filtek silorane; etch + Filtek Silorane; Z250; Filtek supreme; els saremco; Aelite LS). Teeth were then exposed to thermal cycles (1000 cycles, 5°C and 55°C), sealed and immersed in a 0.5% basic fuchsine for 24 hours, and finally sectioned. Buccolingual and marginal leakage was assessed with dye penetration. Results. The best seal were obtained with etch + Filtek Silorane (P < 0.05) and the weakest seal with Z250 composite restorations (P > 0.05). Except for etch + silorane, there was no significant differences in sealing ability (P > 0.05), and in the microleakage degree at the cementum and enamel margins (P > 0.05) between the groups. Conclusion. According to the results, low-shrinkage silorane composite restorations with etching the cavity provide the highest seal in primary teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurologic and adaptive capacity scoring (NACS) is considered as a screening test for recognizing the central nervous system depression due to the effects of medications in neonates. This test is able to show the neurologic and behavioral changes even in the presence of normal apgar score. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the NACS with maternal, fetal and anesthetic factors. Methods: This descriptive analytical cross sectional study was performed on 100 cesarean born neonates. Data were collected simply and by filling the questionnaire. NACS score ≥ 34 supposed as abnormal and score ≥ 35 supposed as normal. Findings: NACS mean Score in 3 different times (15 min, 2 hours and 24 hours after birth) was more than 35. The correlation between anesthetic method and the used drugs with NACS was significant. There were also a significant relation between NACS and studied fetal factors (gestational age, apgar score in 1.5 minutes, sex) and also some maternal factors (gravity, maternal heart disease, twin or multifetal pregnancies). Conclusion: The normal NACS in 3 different times (15 min, 2 hours and 24 hours after birth) showed a good maternal, fetal and anesthetic conditions in Shahid Beheshti hospital, Isfahan. Spinal anesthesia with lidocaine is recommended for caesarean section instead of general anesthesia for having a better NACS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]