What Role Does Ozone Play in Preventing Dental Caries? An Evidence-Based Review

Ozone, which is also referred to as triatomic oxygen or trioxygen, is a naturally occurring inorganic molecule that consists of three oxygen atoms. Ozone has proven microbiological properties and, for this reason, it is extensively used in modern medical practices. Ozone is a powerful oxidant that demonstrates bactericide, virucide, and fungicide effects. The strong oxidation effect it produces results in the formation of highly reactive free radicals that have the capability to destroy microorganisms. Ozone has been proposed as a means of preventing caries, and existing research confirms that this form of therapy does have promising potential. However, very few clinical studies have examined the impact that ozone treatment can have on the management of caries lesions. This article presents a detailed literature review of existing peer-reviewed sources that have examined the role ozone plays in preventing and treating caries.     

Using Circular Conduits in Ozone Injection

Dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water corresponding to an important water quality parameter in rivers, streams, and lakes. Hydraulic structures can increase dissolved oxygen levels by creating turbulent conditions where small air bubbles are carried into the bulk of the flow. A gated conduit is a hydraulic structure that can be used efficiently in aeration and oxygen transfer. The subatmospheric pressure between the upstream and downstream of the gate is the reason for the air injection. Ozone is an unstable gas comprised of three oxygen atoms, and it can be used for water treatment. Ozone is thermodynamically unstable and spontaneously reverts back into oxygen. Ozone has been widely accepted as an effective disinfectant and a chemical oxidant. In this study a series of experiments was conducted to determine the ozone injection performance of circular conduits. Results showed that circular conduits are very effective for ozone injection.     

Determination of the quality and purity characteristics of olive oils obtained from different regions of Turkey,depending on climatic changes

Virgin olive oils (VOOs) obtained from olives grown in different regions of Turkey under changing climatic conditions sometimes show different sensory and chemical properties. This study was planned to determine whether these deviations are due to climatic changes or not. For this purpose, five different olive varieties (Ayvalık, Memecik, Gemlik, Nizip Yağlık, Kilis Yağlık) of commercial importance were harvested from the provinces/districts (four different region) where cultivation is intense during the 2017/2018–2020/2021 harvest years. Every year, olive samples were collected from 3 orchards from 13 provinces/districts. One hundred and fifty-six samples were subjected to the purity, quality and sensory analysis. Basic climatic values (average, minimum and maximum temperature, humidity and precipitation) were examined for four consecutive years. All of the examined olive oil samples were determined within the legal limits in terms of fatty acid composition and fatty acid ethyl ester values. However, delta-7-stigmastenol value from the sterol composition was found to be above 0.5% in some samples in all the years studied (total 21 samples). Delta-7-stigmastenol values of olive oil samples varied between 0.16% and 1.14%. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied using a genetic algorithm-based inverse least squares method to determine whether there is a relationship between climate data and delta-7-stigmastenol values. According to this result, it has been determined that the delta-7-stigmastenol value is high when the annual average relative humidity is low and the annual average temperature is high. There is an urgent need to make forward-looking plans due to climate change.     

Chromatographic performance of monodisperse–macroporous particles produced by “modified seeded polymerization.” I: Effect of monomer/seed latex ratio

In this study, the monodisperse–macroporous particles produced by a relatively new polymerization protocol, the so‐called, “modified seeded polymerization,” were used as column‐packing material in the reversed phase chromatography (RPC) of proteins. The particles were synthesized in the form of styrene‐divinylbenzene copolymer approximately 7.5 μm in size. In the first stage of the synthesis, the monodisperse polystyrene particles 4.4 μm in size were obtained by dispersion polymerization and used as the “seed latex.” The seed particles were swollen by a low‐molecular‐weight organic agent and then by a monomer mixture. The monodisperse–macroporous particles were obtained by the polymerization of monomer mixture in the seed particles. In the proposed polymerization protocol, the number of successive swelling stages was reduced with respect to the present techniques by the use of sufficiently large particles with an appropriate average molecular weight as the seed latex. A series of particles with different porosity properties was obtained by varying the monomer/seed latex ratio. The separation behavior of HPLC columns including the produced particles as packing material was investigated in the RPC mode using a protein mixture including albumin, lysozyme, cytochrome c, and ribonuclease A. The chromatograms were obtained with different flow rates under an acetonitrile–water gradient. The theoretical plate number increased and chromatograms with higher resolutions were obtained with the particles produced by using a lower monomer/seed latex ratio. The separation ability of the column could be protected over a wide range of flow rates (i.e., 0.5–3 mL/min) with most of the materials tested. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 607–618, 2004     

Impact of impregnation and bleaching on the surface hardness of oak (Quercus petraea L.) wood

The impact of impregnation and bleaching on the hardness of varnish layers on oak (Quercus petraea L.) wood was investigated. A number of solutions [sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂); NaOH, calcium hydroxide, and H₂O₂; NaOH, magnesium sulfate, and H₂O₂; sodium bisulfate and H₂C₂O₄ · 2H₂; sodium silicate and H₂O₂; and potassium permanganate, sodium bisulfate, and H₂O₂] were applied at a concentration of 18% to bleach both impregnated [Tanalith‐CBC (T‐CBC) or Imersol‐WR 2000 (I‐WR 2000)] and unimpregnated (natural) wood panels. Subsequently, a water‐based varnish (WB) was coated over the samples, and the hardness of the varnished layers was determined in accordance with ASTM D 4366. Among the samples that were varnish‐coated without bleaching, T‐CBC/WB yielded the highest hardness (59.50), whereas I‐WR 2000/WB exhibited the lowest (49.17). However, among the samples varnish‐coated after bleaching, the highest (56.50) and lowest (40.83) varnish hardness values were obtained with T‐CBC/solution 2/WB and I‐WR 2000/solution 4/WB, respectively. All the chemicals used for the bleaching process reduced the surface hardness. However, after the varnish coating, except for solutions 4 and 6, all the solutions showed hardness values similar to those of varnish‐coated natural (control) samples. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 498–504, 2004     

Ring opening polymerization of 2,5-dihydro-2,5-dimethoxyfuran by electrochemical initiation

Summary 2,5-Dihydro-2,5-dimethoxyfuran (DHMF) was polymerized via constant current electrolysis (CCE), in CH₃CN-NaClO₄ solvent-electrolyte couple. Poly(DHMF) was obtained from the anolyte. The effect of current density, temperature, monomer and electrolyte concentrations on the polymer yield have been examined. The apparent activation energy for CCE of DHMF was found to be 37.2 kj/mol. The FTIR and ¹H-NMR analyses show that DHMF polymerizes by a ring opening. Molecular weight of poly(DHMF) was found by using cryoscopy.     

Preparation of laurel oil alkanolamide from laurel oil

A low-temperature synthesis of laurel oil alkanolamides directly from laurel oil and ethanolamine was carried out in essentially quantitative yields. The ethanolamine/laurel oil molar ratio used was 10∶1. Even though amine served as a catalyst in the reaction, we used sodium methoxide at a ratio of 0.2–2% as a second catalyst. The reaction was complete in 1–9 h at room temperature. The identity of the amide was confirmed by IR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.     

Tensile Bond Strength of a Highly Cross-Linked Denture Tooth to the Compression-Molded and Injection-Molded Denture Base Polymers

This study compared tensile bond strengths between conventional compression-molded heat (HC)-, auto (AP)-, and microwave-polymerized (MC) poly(methyl methacrylate)-based denture resins and a relatively new injection-molded, microwave-polymerized polyurethane based resin (MI) bonded to a highly cross-linked denture tooth. In the first part of the experiments, denture teeth were used as received. In the second part, they were treated with dichloromethane to see its effect on bonding of conventional denture bases (HCS and APS). Bond strength was tested in tension according to ADA specification No.15. The results showed that the HC group failed cohesively because of higher interface bonding (49.95 MPa) compared with those of the others (AP: 25.41 MPa; MC: 22.06 MPa; MI: 20.02 MPa). The application of dichloromethane improved bond strengths of HCS and APS groups (60.61 and 32.03 MPa, respectively). It was suggested that dichloromethane could be applied on the denture teeth ridge lap area prior to denture base processing to enhance adhesion between the tooth/resin.     

Rheological and Microscopic Properties of Fat Blends with Similar Solid Fat Content but Different Trans Composition

In this study, two different groups of fat samples were prepared in a way that samples of each group had different trans fatty acid (TFA) composition but similar solid fat content (SFC). Samples of the first group (named group A) had TFA between 0.0 and 56.23 %, while the samples of the second group (group B) contained trans isomers ranging from 0.0 to 44.4 %. A polarized microscope was used to monitor the differences between the samples in terms of crystal size and crystal number during isothermal crystallization. In general, increasing TFA resulted in formation of larger crystals in a shorter time. Similar findings were also observed when small deformation time and frequency sweep experiments were conducted. A higher TFA content led to higher complex modulus values during isothermal crystallization. On the other hand, when the samples were stored at 4 °C for 48 h, the samples with the lower trans isomer had higher hardness values.     

Alginate/BSA/montmorillonite composites with enhanced protein entrapment and controlled release efficiency

Novel pH sensitive alginate–protein–clay composite beads were investigated for the in vitro oral delivery of the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that BSA enter between layers of montmorillonite (MMT) by expanding interlayer distance and finally an exfoliated structure forms in the alginate hydrogel. MMT incorporation increases protein entrapment efficiency to 78%, compared to 40% of conventional alginate beads. The release ratio of BSA from composite beads is 9–13% depending on MMT contents after around a 2 h stay in gastric fluid. More importantly, no BSA release is detected until 60–90 min after the first contact time of beads with gastric solution. The presence of clay in alginate beads prevents burst release in higher pH of intestine by slowing release rate of BSA to 45–55% within around 9 h, resulting in a potential matrix for intestinal release of protein drugs.