Background: The bonded orthodontic retainer constructed from multistrand wire and composite is an efficient esthetic retainer, which can be maintained long-term. Clinical failures of bonded orthodontic retainers, most commonly at the wire/composite interface, have been reported. This in vitro investigation aimed to evaluate the tensile forces of selected multistrand wires and composite materials that are available for use in the construction of bonded fixed retainers. Materials and Methods: The study sample includes 120 wires with three types of retainer wires (3 braided strands\ Orthotechnology, 8 braided strands\ G&H Orthodontics, 6 coaxial strands\ Orthoclassic wires), two types of adhesive (flowable\ Orthotechnology, non flowable\ G&H Orthodontics composites) and two thickness of the adhesive (1mm, 2mm). The samples were prepared for each composite in which a wire was embedded; then the composite was light cured for 40 seconds and the specimens were stored in artificial saliva at 37°C in the incubator for 24 hours. The ends of the wire were drawn up and tensile force was applied through Tinius-Olsen universal testing machine until the resin failed and the results were recorded in Newton (N). Results: Statistical analysis showed that there was a highly significant difference (P ≤ 0.01) among the mean values of tensile forces of the three types of retainer wires in each thickness of composite with exception of a non significant difference (P > 0.05) between (3 braided) and (8 braided) and a non significant difference (P > 0.05) between (3 braided) and (6 coaxial) in both thickness of composite, a highly significant difference (P ≤ 0.01) between the two thickness of both composite types in each wire type and a highly significant difference (P ≤ 0.01) between the two types of composite in each wire type of both thickness of composite. Conclusion: The result of this study revealed that the 8 braided strands retainer wire shows the highest values of tensile force among the tested retainer wires, the non flowable composite demonstrates a higher tensile force than the flowable composite and increasing the thickness of composite overlying the wire increased the force required to detach the wire from the composite.
Millions of pilgrims and visitors from numerous parts of the world flock to Karbala (one of the most prominent ideological and religious places in central Iraq) each year to visit the holy shrines in Karbala due to their sanctity. Many improvements have been made to the Two Holy Shrines (THS), the Shrines of Imam Husayn and Imam Abbas, and the area between them (ATHS), due to the high temperatures in this region and to improve pedestrian thermal comfort. Studies on improving outdoor thermal comfort in Karbala are scarce. Hence, this research aims to look into historical and current architectural changes and how they affect thermal comfort. On the hottest summer day, the ENVI-met software program was used to simulate the building des
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis (AA) remains a complex case even for experienced surgeons. Rate of negative appendectomy is 5–40% and delayed intervention result in perforated appendicitis in 5–30% of cases. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate NPT as a marker for the diagnosis of AA concerning its severity. And compare the diagnostic value of it with the ALV scoring system. METHODS: One hundred twenty patients presented with signs and symptoms of AA and underwent appendectomy, only 84 patients proved to be AA by histopathological examination, were included in the study. Blood samples for neopterin (NPT) estimation and Alvarado (ALV) score was calculated. Control group consists of 45 healthy individual. RESULTS: NPT levels were s
... Show MoreIntroduction: The mammals digestive system demonstrates various structural and functional adaptations to their diverse offeeding habits, and the digestive system representing a function link between food-seeking activities and energy conservationby allocating energy to different events.Aim of the Work: This study was aimed to compare the histological structure of the liver in the domestic cat ( F. catus) andCaucasian squirrel (S. anomalus), which differ in their feeding pattern.Materials and Methods: In the present study, ten adult animals were used including five of F. catus and five of S. Caucasian,Samples were obtained from local market in Baghdad . Samples fixed using formalin (10%) to prepare all specimens for thehistological study. Th
... Show MoreBackground: Smoking is considering a major risk factor for development and progression of periodontal disease. Investigations regarding the association between smoking and periodontal disease have consistently demonstrated negative periodontal effects and greater probabilities of established periodontal disease among smokers in comparison with non smokers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of smoking on periodontal health status and on the salivary levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), and to correlate the clinical parameters of periodontal health with the biochemical findings in smokers and non-smokers. Materials and methods: Unstimulated saliva sample was collected
... Show MoreBackground: The irradiation of teeth with a laser results in an interaction between the light and the biological constituents of the dental hard substance, which is converted directly into heat.This thermal effect is the cause of the structural and chemical enamel changes.The combined treatment of topical fluoride agent with laser may increase fluoride uptake, and reduce progression of caries-like lesions. The aim of this study was to measure the uptake of the acidulated phosphate fluoride and sodium fluoride to the buccal and lingual caries-like lesion enamel surfaces before and after irradiated by Nd-YAG laser in comparison with matching control group. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 30 human healthy upper premolar teeth wh
... Show MoreObjective(s): To evaluate primary health care services at primary health care centers in Baghdad City and to compare between these primary health care centers relative to such quality. Methodology: A descriptive design, using the evaluation approach, is study to Evaluation of quality of primary care services at primary health care centers in Baghdad City. A multistage probability sample of (36) health care centers was selected. The sample consists of (12) model centers, (12) urban centers, and (12) rural centers.A constructedquestionnaire is composed of (23) items. It consisted of (5) parts that include inta
Introduction: Surgical removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth is one of the most commonly performed proce- dures in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the operative and post-operative outcomes of 2 flap designs (limited vs. extended 2-sided flap) in surgical extractions of lower third molars (M3) regarding fully impacted teeth. Material and methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled split-mouth trial was designed, and included 27 patients with bilateral (symmetrically positioned) impacted M3. Limited 2-sided flap was performed on one side (group 1) and extended 2-sided flap on the other side (group 2). The effect of flap design on intra-operative (visibility, accessibility, and duration of surgery) a
... Show MoreBackground and objectives. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is a highly conserved stress-responsive protein that plays an important role in the survival and adaptation of Leishmania parasites under adverse environmental conditions. Thermal stress is one of the key challenges encountered by Leishmania donovani. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of elevated temperature on HSP70 gene expression and parasite viability under thermal stress conditions. Materials and methods. Promastigotes of L. donovani were cultivated and exposed to different temperatures (37, 40, and 42°C) for defined periods, while parasites cultivated at 26°C were considered the control group. Total RNA was extracted, and HSP70 gene expression levels were assesse
... Show MoreCommercially pure titanium (cpTi) is widely used as dental implant material although it was found that titanium exhibited high modulus of elasticity and the lower corrosion tendency in oral environment. Niobium(Nb) was chosen for this study as an alternative to cpTi implant material due to its bioinert behavior and good elastic modulus and moderate cost in addition to corrosion resistance. This study was done to evaluate the effect of biomimetic coating on the surface properties of the commercially pure titanium and niobium implants by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The in vitro study was involved etching the samples of each material in HCl then soaking in 10M NaOH aqueous solution. These samples were then immersed in a 5 times concent
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