Introduction: Salivary melatonin is a critical antioxidant that contributes to oral health by mitigating oxidative stress. Psychological stress linked to thumb sucking may disrupt oral homeostasis, leading to conditions such as dental caries and fungal infections. Aim: This study explores the relationships between thumb sucking, salivary melatonin levels, dental caries, and the presence of Candida albicans (CA) in children. Materials and methods: A case-control study was conducted with 60 children aged 4-5 years at the University of Baghdad’s College of Dentistry. Participants were divided into thumb-sucking (n=30) and non-thumb-sucking (n=30) groups. Salivary melatonin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), dental caries were assessed via the dmfs index, and CA counts were quantified on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Statistical analyses were performed, including t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation assessments. Results: Thumb-sucking children exhibited significantly lower salivary melatonin levels (28.620±2.278 pg/mL) compared to controls (34.525±2.142 pg/mL; p=0.044). The thumb-sucking group also had higher dmfs scores (15.033±1.449 vs. 8.667±0.899; p=0.000) and greater CA counts (18.900±1.048 vs. 13.583±0.549; p=0.000). Negative correlations were observed between salivary melatonin levels and the severity of dental caries, while positive correlations linked CA with dental caries. Conclusions: Thumb sucking adversely affects pediatric oral health by reducing salivary melatonin, increasing dental caries risk, and promoting fungal overgrowth. Early intervention to curb thumb-sucking behaviors may mitigate these risks and improve oral health outcomes.
The article deals with the role of metaphors in forming the plot of L. Ulitskaya’s family chronicle “Medea and Her Children”. The author of the article describes the results of the next stage of research related to the works of Lyudmila Evgenievna Ulitskaya, a representative of modern Russian prose. The analysis of tropes and figures in the works written at the turn of the XXth – XXIth centuries is of importance for the study of the modern state of Russian language as an independent system. “Medea and Her Children” is one of the works by L. Ulitskaya (written in 1996), which, like her other works, is characterized by a unique style of narration, rich in vocabulary, lexical, semantic and stylistic diversity of the author’s word
... Show MoreThe dental amalgam of radioactive materials in the restoration of teeth because of its readily adaptable to existing materials in the oral cavity in addition to mechanical properties such as hardness mechanical resistance Alndgat and others in this study were prepared Almlagm used Guy dental restoration of silver alloy tin plus some elements to improve the characteristicsmechanical such as copper, zinc or indium in addition to mercury
Gaucher disease (GD), which is due to a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme β-glucocerebrosidase, is a rare genetic disorder. It is characterized by a wide variety of clinical manifestations and severity of symptoms, making it difficult to manage. A cross-sectional hospital-based genetic study was undertaken with 32 pediatric patients. We recruited 21 males and 11 females diagnosed with GD, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.91:1. The mean age of the study population was 8.79 ± 4.37 years with an age range from 8 months to 17 years. We included patients on clinical evaluation from 2011 to 2019. An enzyme assay test was used to measure β-glucosidase enzyme activity in leukocytes and the GBA gene s
To assess the use of miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) for renal stones in children, as well as its safety and efficacy. Seventy-seven patients with more than 15 mm renal stones whose age was less than 15 years were enrolled in this prospective case-controlled study at Al-Ramadi Teaching Hospital, Ar Razi Private Hospital, and Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital for Surgical Specialties, Anbar and Baghdad, Iraq. The study was conducted from January 2020 to January 2024. The group mentioned above served as group A, and it was compared to the control group (group B), which consisted of 70 adult patients aged 18–60 years. Patients in both groups underwent mini-PCNL. Gender, stone size and location, time of operation, stone-free rate
... Show MoreBack ground : Fever is a common medical problem in children. parents have been shown unrealistic fears of harmful effects of fever in their children. Resulting in inappropriate management of fever in their children. Objective: the objective of this study was to survey parents about their knowledge andattitude concerning fever in their children. Methods : The study involved random selection of parents who brought their febrile children to emergency department or out-patient clinics of five teaching and non teaching hospitals in Baghdad from first of October to end of December 2002. Parents of 400 febrile children were interviewed using a standard questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic information and current knowledge of fever. Results: Ap
... Show MoreBack ground : Fever is a common medical problem in
children. parents have been shown unrealistic fears of
harmful effects of fever in their children. Resulting in
inappropriate management of fever in their children.
Objective: the objective of this study was to survey
parents about their knowledge andattitude concerning fever
in their children.
Methods : The study involved random selection of
parents who brought their febrile children to emergency
department or out-patient clinics of five teaching and non
teaching hospitals in Baghdad from first of October to end
of December 2002.
Parents of 400 febrile children were interviewed using a
standard questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic
informatio
Objective(s): current study aims to find the effect of electronic games on children's behavior, and find the
relationship between child demographic data and the effect of electronic games on the child's behavior.
Methodology: A descriptive-analytic study was conducted for assessing the Effect of electronic games on
children's behaviors that attending to teaching hospitals in Baghdad city during the period of (October/ 20th
/2017 to March/1st /2018). A (50) purposive (non- probabilistic) sample from: Child Protection teaching
Hospital, Child Central Hospital in AL-Iskan. The sample is selected according to the criteria: Children who
visited the consulting unit of children in the hospitals in the first visit, children in
Thirty one samples of gum swabs were collected from patients with tooth caries (5-30 years old) from the College of Science (Biology department )- University of Baghdad- Iraq for the period from October 2018 to December 2018. , The samples were transported, after inoculation in a transport media (nutrient broth), to the laboratory of the College of Science and then cultured on mannitol salt agar and blood agar). The isolates belonging to Staphylococcus spp. were identified by biochemical tests and Vitek 2 compact system, while the more antibiotic resistant isolates were identified by using Polymerase Chain Reaction(ï´¾PCR) and sequencing of 16SrRNA . The results showed sharp UV absorption peaks at 330 - 340nm and AFM at 5
... Show MoreBackground: The healing period for bone–implant contact takes 3–6 months or even longer. Application of Escherichia coli-derived recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (ErhBMP-2) to implant surfaces has been of great interest on osseointegration due to its osteoinductive potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of ErhBMP-2 on implant stability. Materials and methods: A total of 48 dental implants were inserted in 15 patients. Twenty four implants coated with 0.5 mg/ml ErhBMP-2 (study group). The other 24 implants were uncoated (control group). Each patient was received at least two dental implants at the same session. Both groups were followed with repeated implant stability measurements by me
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