The landscape of dental education is undergoing a paradigm shift from both the learner's and teacher's perspectives. Evolving technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, are providing synergistic opportunities to create new and exciting educational platforms. The evolution of these platforms will likely play a significant role in dental education. This is especially true in the wake of calamities like the COVID-19 pandemic during which educational activities had to be shutdown or moved online. This experience demonstrated that it is prudent to develop curricula that are both agile and efficient via creating hybrid courses that provide effective learning experiences regardless of the mode of delivery. Although there is growing interest in incorporating technology into dental education, there are few examples of how to actually manage the implementation of technology into the curriculum. In this paper, we provide a road map for incorporating technology into the dental curriculum to create agility and discuss challenges and possible solutions.

ObjectiveTo assess long‐term outcomes of cooled radiofrequency ablation (CRFA) of genicular nerves for chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA prospective, observational extension of a randomized, controlled trial was conducted on adults randomized to CRFA. Subjects were part of a 12‐month clinical trial comparing CRFA of genicular nerves to a single hyaluronic injection for treatment of chronic OA knee pain, who then agreed to visits at 18‐ and 24‐months post CRFA and had not undergone another knee procedure since. The subjects were evaluated for pain using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) function using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), subjective benefit using the Global Perceived Effect (GPE) scale, quality of life using the EuroQol‐5‐Dimensions‐5 Level (EQ‐5D‐5L) questionnaire, and safety.ResultsOf 57 subjects eligible, 36 enrolled; 32 completed the 18‐month visit with a mean NRS score of 2.4 and 22 (69%) reporting ≥50% reduction in pain from baseline (primary endpoint); 27 completed the 24‐month visit, with a mean NRS of 3.4 and 17 (63%) reporting ≥50% pain relief. Functional and quality of life improvements persisted similarly, with mean changes from baseline of 53.5% and 34.9% in WOMAC total scores, and 24.8% and 10.7% in EQ‐5D‐5L Index scores, at 18‐ and 24‐months, respectively. There were no identified safety concerns in this patient cohort.ConclusionIn this subset of subjects, CRFA of genicular nerves provided durable pain relief, improved function, and improved quality of life extending to 24 months post procedure, with no significant safety concerns.

Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are a common pathologic process seen in 30-50% of individuals over the age of 50years. Historically, VCFs were first treated with nonsurgical management while vertebral augmentation was reserved for severe cases resulting in deformity or significant disability. Current treatment algorithms based on established appropriateness criteria have changed recommendations towards supporting early vertebral augmentation for the VCFs causing the most clinically difficulty and taking into account the degree of vertebral body height loss, kyphotic deformity, and the degree of clinical progression. Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) involves injecting primarily polymethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement directly into the cancellous bone of the vertebral body. There is recent literature showing the effectiveness of PVP including data comparing vertebroplasty to sham treatment. Vertebroplasty evolved into balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) where a balloon is first inserted into the vertebral body to create a cavity and reduce the fracture followed by an injection of bone cement. Both PVP and BKP have been shown to be significantly more effective at treatment of VCFs compared to nonsurgical management. The benefits shown in the literature have been demonstrated randomized control trials, cohort matched trials, post-market trials, registries, and many other data sources with approximately 250 manuscripts produced per year dedicated to the topic of vertebral augmentation.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how information technology (IT) firms are different from non-IT firms in terms of corporate social responsibility and financial variables for attracting and retaining employees.Design/methodology/approachThrough logit regression models, the authors used corporate social responsibility and financial variables to examine the differences between 512 Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For and a random sample of 512 Non-Best Companies peer firms.FindingsThe analysis results show that IT firms are stronger in terms of research and development spending, return on assets, Tobin’s q and leverage conditions, as well as employee relations and environmental performance in corporate social responsibility. Moreover, for IT firms, innovativeness (characterized by high research and development expenditures) is by far the strongest predictor of whether a company is selected to be on the Best Companies to Work For list.Research limitations/implicationsThis research demonstrated a hybrid, multifaceted research design using different analysis tools to explore new factors of a research topic. The results confirm the associations among variables, which may not represent causal relationships.Practical implicationsThe results shed light on the relationship between corporate social responsibility/finance and IT employee turnover, which provides another dimension for management’s consideration beyond the classic psychometric/fringe benefit analysis for examining employee turnover.Social implicationsIT firms’ superior ability to attract and retain employees using their innovativeness may impact the general public’s career planning and training decisions.Originality/valueThis research project integrated data from four different sources and investigated the IT employee turnover issue from the organizational level rather than the individual employee level.

Titanium particles embedded on peri-implant tissues are associated with a variety of detrimental effects. Given that the characteristics of these detached fragments (size, concentration, etc.) dictate the potential cytotoxicity and biological repercussions exerted, it is of paramount importance to investigate the properties of these debris. This study compares the characteristics of particles released among different implant systems (Group A: Straumann, Group B: BioHorizons and Group C: Zimmer) during implantoplasty. A novel experimental system was utilized for measuring and collecting particles generated from implantoplasty. A scanning mobility particle sizer, aerodynamic particle sizer, nano micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor, and scanning electron microscope were used to collect and analyze the particles by size. The chemical composition of the particles was analyzed by highly sensitive microanalysis, microstructures by scanning electron microscope and the mechanical properties by nanoindentation equipment. Particles released by implantoplasty showed bimodal size distributions, with the majority of particles in the ultrafine size range (<100 nm) for all groups. Statistical analysis indicated a significant difference among all implant systems in terms of the particle number size distribution (p < 0.0001), with the highest concentration in Group B and lowest in Group C, in both fine and ultrafine modes. Significant differences among all groups (p < 0.0001) were also observed for the other two metrics, with the highest concentration of particle mass and surface area in Group B and lowest in Group C, in both fine and ultrafine modes. For coarse particles (>1 µm), no significant difference was detected among groups in terms of particle number or mass, but a significantly smaller surface area was found in Group A as compared to Group B (p = 0.02) and Group C (p = 0.005). The 1 first minute of procedures had a higher number concentration compared to the second and third minutes. SEM-EDS analysis showed different morphologies for various implant systems. These results can be explained by the differences in the chemical composition and microstructures of the different dental implants. Group B is softer than Groups A and C due to the laser treatment in the neck producing an increase of the grain size. The hardest implants were those of Group C due to the cold-strained titanium alloy, and consequently they displayed lower release than Groups A and B. Implantoplasty was associated with debris particle release, with the majority of particles at nanometric dimensions. BioHorizons implants released more particles compared to Straumann and Zimmer. Due to the widespread use of implantoplasty, it is of key importance to understand the characteristics of the generated debris. This is the first study to detect, quantify and analyze the debris/particles released from dental implants during implantoplasty including the full range of particle sizes, including both micro- and nano-scales.

Incarceration impacts families by disrupting routine attachment, creating negative consequences for both the parent and child. This article examines the use of an intervention videoing incarcerated parents reading to their children and then delivering those videos to improve child outcomes. Using a mixed-methods approach, a total of 587 surveys were completed by program participants and analyzed for parental perceptions of the program effectiveness. The intervention appeared to increase the frequency of correspondence between the parent and child, improved the sense of parent-child relationship, and increased a sense of involvement, attachment, and connectedness.

This paper discusses the design of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in helping students with Autism learn Science and Engineering concepts. The design of the environments was based on information centric principles. Further, human centered computing principles (HCC) were explored during the development of the VLEs. HCC principles such as affordance, visual density and cognitive load were taken into consideration during the design process. The VLEs were created for middle and high school students. An information-centric model was created to understand the process of designing and building the VLEs. Such information models based on engineering Enterprise Modeling Language (eEML) provided a structural foundation for the design and development of the VLEs. The learning environments were created using various interfaces and immersion levels; these included haptic based interfaces, fully immersive 3D environments and Augmented Reality (AR) based environments. These VLEs introduced students to concepts in assembly in the medical context and path-planning and navigation in the context of NASA's moon mission. Assessment activities were conducted to gain a better understanding of the impact of such VLEs on the learning of science and engineering concepts to students with Autism. The preliminary results of the assessment activities demonstrated the positive impact of such cyberlearning techniques and environments on the learning of students with Autism.

Psychological first aid (PFA) has been widely disseminated and promoted as an intervention to support short-term coping and long-term functioning after disasters. Despite its popularity, earlier reviews cite a startling lack of empirical outcome studies. The current review explores recent studies of PFA, especially pertaining to its use with children. Initial studies of PFA show that it is well received by youth, families, and providers as well as being linked to decreases in depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms, improved self-efficacy, increased knowledge about disaster preparedness and recovery, and enhanced feelings of safety and connection. The flexibility of the modular style of PFA and cultural adaptations emerged as significant themes. Although the studies reviewed cast a favorable light on PFA, more research is needed regarding its use and outcomes. This review describes the challenges to conducting these studies as well as suggestions for paths forward.