Melbourne Dental School - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableOther Mucosal Malignancies: Oral Melanoma, Oral Lymphomas, and Oral Kaposi Sarcoma(Springer Cham, 2023)Malignancies of the oral mucosa comprise a wide variety of neoplasms. Beside the most common oral squamous cell carcinoma and salivary gland malignancies, there are other malignancies affecting the oral cavity, which are worth of consideration due to their local and systemic severity. In this section, three malignancies will be discussed: oral melanoma, oral lymphomas, and oral Kaposi sarcoma.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableOsteoporosis and Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws(Springer Cham, 2023)Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by decreased bone strength and an increased susceptibility to fractures. Anti-resorptive therapies are extremely effective in preventing skeletal adverse events in osteoporotic patients. However, these drugs have been also recognized as a principal risk factor for the development of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ). MRONJ consists of non-healing and necrosis of the bone associated with symptoms and infection. Although MRONJ management continues to be challenging for clinicians, data suggests a high rate of success for surgical treatments.
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ItemAssociation between cash transfer programs and oral health-A scoping review(WILEY, 2023-03)OBJECTIVES: The aims of this scoping review are to assess the literature investigating the association between cash transfer programs and oral health; and to identify the theoretical frameworks applied to guide this literature. METHODS: A search strategy to identify studies published until December 2020 was applied to a range of databases. Observational and interventional studies that had cash transfer programs as exposure/intervention and oral health as outcome were considered. Dental health services utilization, as well as access to dental health services, were considered secondary outcomes. Cash transfer programs were considered programs based on conditional or unconditional cash transfer carried out as part of national social protection schemes, and interventional studies on the impact of cash transfer on oral health were also considered eligible. Data charting was performed in two steps and a narrative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: Of 6344 articles identified, four articles were included. These articles investigated three different conditional cash transfer programs, Universal Child Allowance (Argentina), Bolsa Família (Brazil) and Family Rewards (USA). Inconsistencies were identified in findings on the effect of conditional cash transfer programs on the prevalence of dental caries and these differences may be due to the comparison group selected for each study. Concerning dental visits, the results point in different directions, which makes these findings still inconclusive. No explicit theoretical framework was reported in the articles to guide the expected association. CONCLUSION: Although cash transfers play an important role in improving certain health outcomes, there is limited evidence to suggest an association between cash transfers and oral health.
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ItemPROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in Endodontics: A consensus-based development study(Wiley, 2023-03)Observational studies are non-interventional studies that establish the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations or analyse the relationship between health status and other variables. They also facilitate the development of specific research questions for future randomized trials or to answer important scientific questions when trials are not possible to carry out. This article outlines the previously documented consensus-based approach by which the Preferred Reporting items for Observational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023 guidelines were developed. A steering committee of nine members was formed, including the project leaders (PD, VN). The steering committee developed an initial checklist by combining and adapting items from the STrengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist and the Clinical and Laboratory Images in Publications (CLIP) principles, as well as adding several new items specifically for the specialty of Endodontics. The steering committee then established a PROBE Delphi Group (PDG) and a PROBE Online Meeting Group (POMG) to obtain expert input and feedback on the preliminary draft checklist. The PDG members participated in an online Delphi process to reach consensus on the clarity and suitability of the items present in the PROBE checklist. The POMG then held detailed discussions on the PROBE checklist generated through the online Delphi process. This online meeting was held via the Zoom platform on 7th October 2022. Following this meeting, the steering committee revised the PROBE checklist, which was piloted by several authors when preparing a manuscript describing an observational study for publication. The PROBE 2023 checklist consists of 11 sections and 58 items. Authors are now encouraged to adopt the PROBE 2023 guidelines, which will improve the overall reporting quality of observational studies in Endodontics. The PROBE 2023 checklist is freely available and can be downloaded from the PRIDE website (https://pride-endodonticguidelines.org/probe/).
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ItemPROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in endodontics: Explanation and elaboration(Wiley, 2023-06)Observational studies play a critical role in evaluating the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations as well as in defining the benefits and potential hazards of health-related interventions. There are currently no reporting guidelines for observational studies in the field of Endodontics. The Preferred Reporting Items for study Designs in Endodontology (PRIDE) team has developed and published new reporting guidelines for observational-based studies called the 'Preferred Reporting items for OBservational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023' guidelines. The PROBE 2023 guidelines were developed exclusively for the speciality of Endodontics by integrating and adapting the 'STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)' checklist and the 'Clinical and Laboratory Images in Publications (CLIP)' principles. The recommendations of the Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting Guidelines were adhered to throughout the process of developing the guidelines. The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide for authors by providing an explanation for each of the items in the PROBE 2023 checklist along with relevant examples from the literature. The document also offers advice to authors on how they can address each item in their manuscript before submission to a journal. The PROBE 2023 checklist is freely accessible and downloadable from the PRIDE website (http://pride-endodonticguidelines.org/probe/).
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ItemOral tongue squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis from tissue metabolic profiling(WILEY, 2023-07-24)OBJECTIVE: Disease metabolomes have been studied for identifying diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of pathology. Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is one of the most prevalent subtypes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, yet the profile and diagnostic value of its tissue metabolite are unclear. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Tumor tissue samples and matched normal mucosal tissue samples were collected from 40 OTSCC patients. Untargeted metabolic analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry, in positive and negative ion modes, was used to identify dysregulated metabolites in OTSCC. Further, utilizing LASSO regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses, biomarker metabolites were selected and validated, and a diagnostic model was established. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety metabolites were detected. The OTSCC had a total of 89 dysregulated metabolites, of which 73 were elevated. A diagnostic panel of nine metabolites was subsequently created that could accurately identify OTSCC with 100% sensitivity of 100%, 100% specificity and an AUC of 1.00. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified distinct metabolic characteristics of OTSCC and established a diagnostic model. Our research also contributes to the investigation of the pathogenesis of OTSCC.
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ItemUsing inorganic nanoparticles to fight fungal infections in the antimicrobial resistant era(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2023-03-01)Fungal infections pose a serious threat to human health and livelihoods. The number and variety of clinically approved antifungal drugs is very limited, and the emergence and rapid spread of resistance to these drugs means the impact of fungal infections will increase in the future unless alternatives are found. Despite the significance and major challenges associated with fungal infections, this topic receives significantly less attention than bacterial infections. A major challenge in the development of fungi-specific drugs is that both fungi and mammalian cells are eukaryotic and have significant overlap in their cellular machinery. This lack of fungi-specific drug targets makes human cells vulnerable to toxic side effects from many antifungal agents. Furthermore, antifungal drug resistance necessitates higher doses of the drugs, leading to significant human toxicity. There is an urgent need for new antifungal agents, specifically those that can limit the emergence of new resistant species. Non-drug nanomaterials have primarily been explored as antibacterial agents in recent years; however, they are also a promising source of new antifungal candidates. Thus, this article reviews current research on the use of inorganic nanoparticles as antifungal agents. We also highlight challenges facing antifungal nanoparticles and discuss possible future research opportunities in this field. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Fungal infections pose a growing threat to human health and livelihood. The rapid spread of resistance to current antifungal drugs has led to an urgent need to develop alternative antifungals. Nanoparticles have many properties that could make them useful antimycotic agents. To the authors' knowledge, there is no published review so far that has comprehensively summarized the current development status of antifungal inorganic nanomaterials, so we decided to fill this gap. In this review, we discussed the state-of-the-art research on antifungal inorganic nanoparticles including metal, metal oxide, transition-metal dichalcogenides, and inorganic non-metallic particle systems. Future directions for the design of inorganic nanoparticles with higher antifungal efficacy and lower toxicity are described as a guide for further development in this important area.
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ItemOne step antimicrobial coatings for medical device applications based on low fouling polymers containing selenium nanoparticles(Elsevier, 2023-07-01)All indwelling and implantable medical devices are associated with a risk of infection, and antimicrobial technologies that can provide effective protection against pathogen colonization and biofilm formation over the lifetime of these devices are urgently required. Here, strategies that combine multiple layers of defense have emerged as particularly promising. We have combined a copolymer coating based on 2-hydroxypropyl acrylamide and N-benzophenone acrylamide with novel, optimally sized antimicrobial selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs). The photoreactive polymer allowed the crosslinking and covalent anchoring of the coating in a single step, and the exceptionally low attachment of bacteria was demonstrated. Our results also demonstrated that the incorporation of the antimicrobial Se NPs provides the coating with an additional bactericidal functionality towards the Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus and E. faecalis, which are widely recognized as the most prevalent pathogens linked to medical device-associated infections and more broadly nosocomial infections. The multiple layers of defense provided effective inhibition of the growth of both bacteria strains in areas where the coating had been removed, as well as in the supernatant. Moreover, our results demonstrate the feasibility to modulate the release of Se NPs from the coating by tailoring coating parameters such as the nanoparticle to polymer ratio. Our cytotoxicity study further confirmed the superior biocompatibility of Se NPs compared to the well-established silver nanoparticles over a broad concentration range. Our multifunctional coating approach is expected to be translated into medical device applications due to its ease of manufacture and effective antimicrobial protection.
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ItemA multicentre study reveals dysbiosis in the microbial co-infection and antimicrobial resistance gene profile in the nasopharynx of COVID-19 patients(NATURE PORTFOLIO, 2023-03-13)The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the nasopharyngeal microbiome has not been well characterised. We sequenced genetic material extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs of SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals who were asymptomatic (n = 14), had mild (n = 64) or severe symptoms (n = 11), as well as from SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals who had never-been infected (n = 5) or had recovered from infection (n = 7). Using robust filters, we identified 1345 taxa with approximately 0.1% or greater read abundance. Overall, the severe cohort microbiome was least diverse. Bacterial pathogens were found in all cohorts, but fungal species identifications were rare. Few taxa were common between cohorts suggesting a limited human nasopharynx core microbiome. Genes encoding resistance mechanisms to 10 antimicrobial classes (> 25% sequence coverages, 315 genes, 63 non-redundant) were identified, with β-lactam resistance genes near ubiquitous. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (asymptomatic and mild) had a greater incidence of antibiotic resistance genes and a greater microbial burden than the SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals. This should be considered when deciding how to treat COVID-19 related bacterial infections.
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ItemErosion-inhibiting potential of the stannous fluoride-enriched CPP-ACP complex in vitro.(Nature Portfolio, 2023-05-16)Currently available anti-erosive agents only provide partial protection, emphasizing the need to enhance their performance. By characterizing erosive enamel wear at the nanoscale, the aim of this in vitro study was to assess the anti-erosive effects of SnF2 and CPP-ACP both individually and synergistically. Erosion depths were assessed longitudinally on 40 polished human enamel specimens after 1, 5, and 10 erosion cycles. Each cycle comprised one-min erosion in citric acid (pH 3.0) and one-min treatment in whole saliva (control group) or a slurry of one of the three anti-erosive pastes (10% CPP-ACP; 0.45% SnF2 (1100 ppm F); or SnF2/CPP-ACP (10% CPP-ACP + 0.45% SnF2)) (n = 10 per group). Scratch depths were assessed longitudinally in separate experiments using a similar protocol after 1, 5, and 10 cycles. Compared with the control groups, all slurries reduced erosion depths after 1 cycle (p ≤ 0.004) and scratch depths after 5 cycles (p ≤ 0.012). The order of anti-erosive potential was SnF2/CPP-ACP > SnF2 > CPP-ACP > control for erosion depth analysis, and SnF2/CPP-ACP > (SnF2 = CPP-ACP) > control for scratch depth analysis. These data provide 'proof of concept' evidence that SnF2/CPP-ACP has superior anti-erosive potential compared to SnF2 or CPP-ACP alone.