INTRODUCTION: Over the last years, zebrafish has gained prominence in the biomedical community. It is currently considered one of the best vertebrate animal models for various types of studies, such as toxicology and developmental biology. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to conduct a literature review on the use of zebrafish in dentistry and whether this animal model could be a viable alternative for performing different types of studies in this area. METHODS: A literature search was performed using the PubMed, Lilacs, Embase, and Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source. The keywords used as search terms were zebrafish and dentistry. The selection criteria were articles published in English that used zebrafish as an animal model in dentistry, oral health, and craniofacial growth/development. RESULTS: The electronic search of literature yielded 421 articles. After the analysis of the abstracts, 29 articles were selected for an in-depth analysis and reading of the full text. CONCLUSIONS: All studies included in this review confirm zebrafish's excellence as an animal model for various types of dentistry studies, as well as assisting and complementing other studies involving mammals.

Ingestion is the entry of a substance into the human organism, which occurs by taking it through the mouth into the gastrointestinal tract. One of the adverse events that may happen during the course of an orthodontic treatment is the ingestion of orthodontic appliances. The present review aims to investigate the literature regarding the ingestion of orthodontic appliances. An electronic search was carried out in order to identify case reports of ingestion of foreign objects related to orthodontic treatment in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until July 2019.Nineteen articles were retrieved. In these articles, ingestion had occurred inadvertently, due to patients' or orthodontists' errors. Some of the most commonly ingested appliances were molar bands, segments of wire, and expansion keys. It is likely that patients with a specific medical background are more prone to ingestion of orthodontic appliances. Special precautions need be taken in order to avoid such incidents. These precautions are analyzed in three categories: general, those related to fixed appliances, and those related to removable appliances.

BACKGROUND: White spot lesions (WSL) are an unsightly and a rather frequent drawback of orthodontic treatment. The complex design of fixed orthodontic appliances (FAs) makes it difficult to perform proper oral hygiene, which amounts to white spot lesions being three times more prevalent in patients wearing orthodontic appliances. As clear thermoplastic aligners (CAs) are removable appliances, it has been speculated that they allow better oral hygiene maintenance and thus less incidence of WSLs. OBJECTIVES: This evidence-based scoping review aims to identify the scope and nature of the evidence on white spot lesions during orthodontic clear aligner therapy. TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED: Strategic and thorough search of the literature for randomized Controlled Trials, Case-Control, Cohort studies, Case reports, full research articles, and review papers on humans published in English in five major databases was undertaken till July 2021 using free text and Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms, followed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to identify five studies for data extraction. RESULTS: Evidence was summarized for study characteristics, diagnostic methods for the detection of white spot lesions, and incidence of white spot lesions during clear aligner therapy. The literature supports that orthodontic treatment with CAs was associated with a low incidence of WSLs when compared with fixed mechanotherapy, with a major role of patient education, motivation, and compliance in maintaining oral hygiene. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The general perception is that clear aligners are more hygienic and show no incidence of white spot lesions. However, our scoping review supports that WSLs can occur with this form of orthodontic treatment also. WSLs in clear aligners could be attributed to the practice of having composite attachments that cover a significant portion of the tooth surface. Thus, regardless of the type of appliance used, a periodic reinforcement by the orthodontist to maintain oral hygiene is necessary for patient motivation, allowing for better oral hygiene practice, and as a result, leads to prevention of WSLs.

INTRODUCTION: Protraction therapy for maxillary deficiency in the treatment of skeletal class III malocclusion involves the use of facemask. Conventionally facemask has been anchored to the maxillary dentition, which is responsible for some of the counter-productive effects of facemask therapy including backward and downward rotation of the chin, increase in the lower anterior facial height, proclination of maxillary incisors, retroclination of mandibular incisors apart from mesialization of maxillary molars with extrusion and decreased overbite. AIM: The aim of this article is to highlight the nuances of Bone-Anchored Maxillary Protraction (BAMP) including a literature review, which is comprehensive and narrative and comparing the different techniques involved such as type 1 BAMP versus type 2 BAMP and BAMP versus facemask. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A computerized search was performed in electronic databases such as PubMed, PubMed Central, Cochrane, Embase, DOAJ, and Google scholar using key words such as “bone-anchored maxillary protraction” and “BAMP.” The search was confined to articles in English published till March 2021. Forty-seven case-controlled, cross-sectional, retrospective and prospective studies, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analysis were included in this article, which were limited to human subjects. A hand search of the reference lists of the included articles was also carried out to include missed out articles. CONCLUSION: To overcome these drawbacks, BAMP was introduced, which causes both maxillary protraction, restraint of mandibular growth with minimal dentoalveolar changes. BAMP is used widely nowadays in the treatment of skeletal class III malocclusion.

This systematic review was aimed to test the null hypothesis that coating of orthodontic wires with nanoparticles does not affect the frictional properties at bracket--wire interface. Electronic database searches were performed up to September 2020. In vitro studies were considered for reviewing process. Study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment was performed during reviewing process. Only qualitative analyses of included literature were done due to the presence of heterogeneity among the studies. Out of 1,068 retrieved records, nine studies satisfied the inclusion criteria and included in this review. Studies were assessed at low risk to high risk of bias according to certain parameters. Wide variety of nanoparticles were used for surface coating of orthodontic wires of variable sizes, shapes, and materials like stainless steel, NiTi, and TMA and placed into the slots of different types of orthodontic brackets to evaluate the alteration in frictional and other mechanical properties. Most of the studies clearly indicate that coating with nanoparticles decreases the friction between wire and bracket interface under specified in vitro conditions. Furthermore, among the nine included studies, only two considered evaluation of effect of coated brackets on frictional and other mechanical properties and results were heterogeneous. The null hypothesis is rejected and it is concluded that the wires coated with nanoparticles might offer a novel opportunity to substantially reduce frictional resistance at bracket--wire interface during tooth movement. Further studies are necessary to strengthen the evidence regarding effect of coated brackets on frictional properties.

Teledentistry has proven effective in practically all dental fields. It also allows access to inaccessible and underdeveloped locations. Better treatment outcomes were documented in patients treated by an orthodontist supervised by teledentistry than by a general dentist with minimal orthodontic experience alone. It may also help to focus referrals to specialists and weed out those who do not need them. But, on a critical note, a doctor-patient relationship is much more than a business transaction. A face-to-face initial consultation instills trust that a remote session cannot. Teledentistry includes professional networking of doctors. This contact includes digital information exchange, CPD programs, case discussions, and analysis that bring dentists from all around the world together to improve patient care. Teledentistry has not only spanned the distance between dentists worldwide, but has also served as a conduit between customer (patient) and manufacturer. This spawned Direct to Consumer (DTC) dentistry, sparking substantial debate among dentists worldwide. In DTC dentistry, inadequately trained customers conduct complex procedures on themselves with minimal guidance of a dentist. One of the major issues today is the general availability of clear aligners to patients without the requirement for an intermediary skilled orthodontist. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has publicly questioned the validity of Smile Direct Club, a private firm that dominates the DTC industry. European Federation of Orthodontic Specialists Association, on the other hand, has sponsored a joint declaration with the representative orthodontic associations in Europe to highlight and alert patients about the potential risks of DTC products. Unfortunately, public shaming hasn't slowed commercialization of DTC firms. Teledentistry has been a boon for healthcare, but a nightmare for our profession, raising fundamental questions like what is the difference between a customer and a patient? Is dentistry a just another discipline of cosmetics? Is teledentistry making us less connected with our patients?