Comparison of growth factor levels in injectable platelet-rich fibrin obtained from healthy individuals and patients with chronic periodontitis: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess and compare the concentrations of growth factors, white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets in injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) derived from people with healthy periodontal conditions and those with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: Venous blood samples were obtained from 30 patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis (test group) and 30 participants with healthy periodontal conditions (control group). The i-PRF was then acquired from centrifuged blood. The growth factors (VEGF, IGF-1, TGF-ß1, PDGF-BB and EGF) released from the i-PRF samples were compared between groups with ELISA testing. The amounts of WBCs and platelets were also compared. RESULTS: No significant differences in the concentrations of growth factors were found between the groups (the mean values for the control and test groups were, respectively: IGF: 38.82, 42.46; PDGF: 414.25, 466.28; VEGF: 375.69, 412.18; TGF-ß1: 21.50, 26.21; EGF: 138.62, 154.82). The test group exhibited a significantly higher WBC count than the control group (8.80 vs. 6.60, respectively). However, the platelet count did not show a statistically significant difference between the groups (control group 242.0 vs. test group 262.50). No significant correlation was observed between WBC count and growth factor level in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The growth factor levels in i-PRFs did not exhibit significant difference between the two groups. This suggests that the levels of these growth factors may be unaffected by the periodontal disease.

Determining the relationship between food texture and dental condition: First bite and chewing aspects.

Among the sensory properties of foods, texture perception is a complex modality due to catastrophic changes during eating. Relating dental conditions and capacity of texture sensation are still paucities in the literature. Different dental areas emphasize the difference in texture sensation. Anterior teeth are responsible for biting, ripping or tearing; while posterior teeth are chewing and grinding. Hence, the absence of any is expected to cause disruptions in mastication functions. The hypothesis of the present study was dental loss or missing is a burden for hardness perception for first-bite and twice chewed for anterior and posterior teeth, respectively. Patient groups were divided according to anterior-posterior tooth deficiencies and hardness sensation was assessed at first bite and twice chewed modal food (white cheese) with various hardness levels obtained with different fat content. The modal food was tested for its physicochemical, textural and sensory properties with dental assessment. Findings suggest that first-bite hardness judgements were not affected by the loss of the anterior. Oppositely, twice chewed hardness has a significant effect on the loss of a posterior tooth. These findings can indicate to future researchers to be tested according to their dental status especially if chewing is necessary for their sensory tests.

The Effect of Different Dental Implant Surface Characteristics on Bone Immunologic Biomarkers and Microbiologic Parameters: A Randomized Clinical Study.

This study assessed the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B (RANK), RANK ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and levels of Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, and Streptococcus oralis in areas where airborne particle-abraded, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA), fluorine-modified, and anodized implant surfaces are used. A total of 71 implants from 37 patients were assessed, grouped according to the surface characteristics of the implants: SLA surface (Group 1), fluorine-modified surface (Group 2), and anodized surface (Group 3). The following clinical indices were measured: Gingival Index (GI), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment level (CAL), and keratinized tissue width (KTW). Peri-implant sulcus fluid and subgingival plaque samples were also collected. Commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were purchased for measuring TNF-α, PGE2, RANKL, RANK, and OPG. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect P intermedia, T forsythia, T denticola, F nucleatum, P gingivalis, and S oralis levels in the subgingival biofilms. The groups showed no statistically significant differences in GI, PD, BOP, CAL, KTW, or peri-implant status. The total amounts of PGE2, TNF-α, RANKL, RANK, and OPG and the RANKL/OPG ratio were not significantly different between groups. F nucleatum, T forsythia, P intermedia, P gingivalis, and T denticola were significantly higher in Group 3 implants. DNA concentrations of S oralis were higher in Group 2. Within the limitations of this study, SLA and fluorine-modified implant surfaces may be more clinically successful than anodized-surface implants.