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Background/Aim. Appropriate selection of suture materials is a crucial step in oral, maxillofacial and periodontal surgery for uneventful healing. We have scarcity of comprehensive studies comparing mechanical properties of commonly used suture material in oral surgery. The present in vitro study sought to evaluate the effect of saliva on the strength, elongation and stiffness of the commonly used suture material over a period of two weeks. Methods. Three suture materials, silk (SL), polyglactin 910 (PG) and polypropylene (PP), were used in 4–0 gauge. A total of 120 suture samples (40 from each material) were used for the investigation. Artificial saliva was mixed with human serum in 1:1 ratio and maintained at pH of 7.4 to 8.1 to simulate oral environment. All samples were tested at pre-immersion (baseline), as well as on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day in the post-immersion period. A universal testing machine was used to test the selected mechanical properties. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis. Results. The distribution of mean baseline strength and percentage elongation was significantly higher in the PP group (p < 0.001), whereas stiffness score was the highest in the SL group (p < 0.001). Inter-group comparison revealed that the PP group had maximum tensile strength compared to the PG and SL groups at all time points. When percentage elongation was compared, the PP and PG groups showed the highest values on the 7th and 14th day, respectively. The PP group exhibited the highest stiffness values compared to the SL and PG groups on the 7th and 14th day in the post-immersion period (p < 0.001). Intra-group comparison showed that all suture materials had significant difference in mechanical properties when pre-immersion values were compared to the 14th day post-immersion values (p < 0.001). Conclusion. PP sutures are the strongest and have the highest tensile strength and elongation property. PP seems to sustain its tensile strength better than SL and PG at the end of the 14th day. Controlled clinical studies are necessary to verify this finding in an in vivo set-ting.

Ethylene Glycol (EG) and diethylene Glycol (DEG) are two contaminants known to cause various human health problems. These glycols might be present in drug syrups that are based on glycerol, sorbitol, or polyethylene glycol. In late 2022, several batches of cough, antipyretics, and antihistamine syrups were reported to contain toxic levels of EG and DEG in multiple countries; this incident concerned the World Health Organization (WHO). From an analytical perspective, several methods of glycols analysis in pharmaceuticals have been reported in the literature, with the majority being dedicated to raw material analysis. This study aims to develop a selective method capable of evaluating a wide range of paediatric syrups in order to assess the safety of commercially available paediatric syrups currently distributed in the local market. This research introduces a method for determining glycols utilizing gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), which offers significantly higher selectivity than conventional single quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The developed method meets the current International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines for validation. The absence of any interfering peaks in both the unspiked sample of promethazine syrup and the reference standard solutions proved the method's selectivity. Furthermore, 2,2,2-trichloroethanol was used as an internal standard, and a new GC-MS/MS method was developed to analyze it. The calibration curves for EG and DEG were linear within the selected concentration range of 1-10 μg/mL. The detection limit for both EG and DEG was 400 ng/mL, while the quantification limit was 1 μg/mL. Recovery values for both EG and DEG met the accuracy acceptance criterion. Thus, the developed method proved to be efficient and accurate for determining EG and DEG levels in suspected contaminated syrups., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to identify the demographic and clinical variations of keratoconus (KC) in Saudi Arabia., Methods: A self-administered survey was completed by patients in Saudi hospitals. The survey included questions on demographics, educational level, treatment options, dry eye, eye rubbing because of allergy, residence, family history, and consanguineous marriage., Results: Six hundred and forty-eight patients (375 - male, 273 - female; mean age: 26.89 [standard deviation: 7.04] years; range: 11-50 years) were conducted at 13 central hospitals in all 13 administrate areas of Saudi Arabia over a 1-year period. Five hundred and forty-three (83.8%) patients had a secondary school diploma or diploma's degree of education and mostly were from the Aseer and Riyadh regions. The geographical distribution rate of KC was highest in the mountainous areas. For dry eye, 21.9% and 44.8% of the patients, respectively, reported frequent or occasional dryness and 13.4% and 48.9% of the patients, respectively, reported frequent or occasional bouts of eye allergy. Furthermore, 17.9% and 61.9% of the patients, respectively, reported that they constantly or sometimes rubbed their eyes. Marriages were endogamous in 53.5% of the patients and the family history was positive by 56.8%. There was a history of ocular disease in 27% of the patients and the systemic disease was 13%., Conclusion: This study is the first to describe the regional demographic and clinical variations of KC in Saudi Arabia. Its findings suggest that the different distribution of keratoconic patients between provinces is attributable to genetic and/or environmental factors., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology.)

Objective: We aimed to determine if there was any association between geographic tongue (GT) and fissured tongue with ABO blood group among adult psoriasis patients in Saudi Arabia., Study Design: This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 100 consecutive new adult patients diagnosed with psoriasis and 100 case-matched participants in the control group (nonpsoriatic). Sociodemographic and dermatologic parameters, intraoral lesions (GT and fissured tongue), and ABO blood grouping and immunoglobulins were recorded and evaluated using χ 2 or Fisher's exact test., Results: A total of 74% of patients had an early age of onset, and 48% of them reported this disease in their parents. A total of 76% of those with generalized psoriasis had plaque type, whereas 78% with the localized type had pustular lesions. A total of 70% of psoriatic patients had O Rh-positive blood; 63% of tongue lesions seen in these patients were GT, and it was most prominent in O Rh-positive (64.28%) and O Rh-negative (62.50%) blood types. GT was prevalent among women (75.6%)., Conclusions: This study found a positive association of both GT and fissured tongue in this population of adult patients with psoriasis compared with a case-matched control population without psoriasis., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background The periodontal flap is one of the most frequently employed procedures. Closure of reflected flap is important step in flap surgery. Black silk sutures are most often used material in routine surgical procedures. These suture materials demand more time and effort and expertise from the surgeon. Tissue adhesives have been developed as alternatives to overcome these problems such as cyanoacrylates. Objective The present study is an attempt to compare effectiveness of the black silk suture with cyanoacrylate adhesives in closing reflected periodontal flap. Method Thirty systemically healthy patients who underwent bilateral flap surgery were given 3-0 black silk sutures on one side and N-butyl cyanoacrylate adhesive on the other side to close a surgical incision. All the participants in the study were recalled on the seventh, 21st, 42nd day. Participants were evaluated for healing and plaque accumulation by assessing the gingival index, plaque index, wound healing index. Biopsy specimens were obtained on seventh and 42nd postoperative day. Result The amount of inflammation was less during the first week of healing when cyanoacrylate was compared with silk. However, over a period of 21 days to 42 days, the sites treated with both the materials showed similar healing patterns without any significant difference in the evaluated parameter. Conclusion The result of the study showed that the use of cyanoacrylate for the closure of periodontal flaps results in better initial post-operative healing as compared to closure with silk suture and that this method of closure can be advocated in a routine surgical periodontal practice.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare effects of smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco consumption (tobacco chewing) on periodontal disease parameters and response of these subjects to non-surgical periodontal therapy., Methods: One hundred sixty-eight patients with chronic periodontitis were screened for the study. Eighteen patients were excluded as they decided to quit the tobacco habit. One hundred fifty patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were grouped as: Group 1, 50 smokers; Group 2, 50 tobacco chewers; and Group 3, 50 non-smokers, non-tobacco chewers (controls). Scaling and root planing was performed at the initial visit as a part of initial therapy. The clinical parameters recorded at baseline, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months were plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) measurement., Results: With respect to the comparison between smokers and tobacco chewers, smokers had significantly more probing depth at baseline examination, while tobacco chewers had more gingival recession. Gingival inflammation, response to non-surgical treatment and oral hygiene maintenance were more suppressed in smokers as compared to tobacco chewers., Conclusion: Tobacco consumption in both forms affects the severity of periodontal disease. It affects the response of periodontal tissues to non-surgical treatment. In addition it leads to poorer oral hygiene and hampers maintenance of oral hygiene., (Copyright© by the International Academy of Periodontology.)

Background: In general, it is important to assess the medical history of patients before initiating any treatment. In particular, patients seeking dental treatment could possibly have significant medical conditions that may affect the diagnosis and/or alter the treatment provided. However, many dentists assume that their patients are systemically healthy, and thus they do not record the medical history of their patients., Aim and Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of medical conditions in patients seeking periodontal treatment at the dental teaching hospital of King Khalid University., Materials and Methods: Upon presentation at the periodontal clinics of the dental teaching hospital of King Khalid University, Asir Region, Saudi Arabia, patients' history from medical records was screened., Results: The medical history was taken for 455 periodontal patients. The most frequently encountered medical conditions were diabetes mellitus and hormonal disorders, followed by respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases., Conclusion: The results of our study found a high prevalence of medical conditions among patients seeking periodontal treatment, thereby highlighting the need to record patients' medical and dental care history in detail., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of chronic periodontitis and its determinants among patients in the Aseer Region of KSA., Methods: A total of 1000 consecutive new female patients between 25- to 75-years of age were screened for the presence of any periodontal disease. The various demographic characteristics of the study participants included age, educational level, occupation, presence of diabetes mellitus, family history of periodontal disease, and oral hygiene practices per subject were recorded. The parameters addressing periodontal prevalence and severity were also recorded., Results: Of these patients, 457 were found to have evidence of periodontal disease. These patients were considered for a further detailed periodontal examination. The chi-square test for goodness of fit showed that 46.6% have localized chronic gingivitis while 2.2% have generalized chronic gingivitis. Localized chronic periodontitis ranged from 4.2% to 12%, whereas generalized chronic periodontitis varied from 3.1 to 14.7%. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis chi-square statistics showed that factors such as age, education, occupation, infrequent last dental visit, presence of diabetes mellitus and bleeding on probing were significant risk determinants for periodontal disease in the selected cohort., Conclusion: The majority of the population showed the presence of localized chronic gingivitis. Age, education, occupation, infrequent dental visits and presence of diabetes mellitus are significant risk determinants for the occurrence of chronic periodontitis. Information concerning individual risk for developing periodontal disease should be carefully evaluated for proper patient management and for better overall general health.