A combined treatment regimen for desquamative gingivitis in patients with oral lichen planus.

BACKGROUND: Chronic desquamative gingivitis (DG) is a condition characterized by erythema, ulceration, and desquamation of the free and attached gingiva, usually expression of a district-systemic disease, such as oral lichen planus (OLP). METHODS: A combined protocol of oral hygiene and topic corticosteroid therapy was applied in 30 patients with DG associated with OLP. Plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BoP) were evaluated at baseline and after 3 months. RESULTS: PI scoring was significantly lower after treatment in anterior, posterior, and all sites (P < 0.0001) as well as in vestibular and lingual ones (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0001, respectively). BoP measures were found to be reduced significantly to 22.94% in a full-mouth evaluation (P < 0.0001; OR = 2.633; 95% CI: 2.2685-3.0561) as well as in each specific site (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This clinical trial validated the efficacy, in patients with DG associated with OLP, of a protocol based on professional oral hygiene and self-performed plaque control measures in improving of gingival health status.

Factors which influence the difficulty of the spatial path in Corsi's block-tapping test.

Spatial path in Corsi's test is defined as the ideal line joining the blocks tapped by the Examiner so the difficulty of the spatial path was analysed vis-á-vis the numbers of blocks tapped by the Examiner and the number of times the line criss-crosses itself through the spatial path. During an experiment with two different numbers of blocks and three different numbers of crosses, an analysis of variance showed that both factors, i.e., the number of blocks and the number of crosses, gave significant results. The experiment showed that it is possible to create a series with a decreased number of blocks, but with an increased number of crosses, which was more difficult than a series with a greater number of blocks but with a decreased number of crosses. Despite this, additional significant differences have been found among the series with the same number of blocks and crosses, meaning that the variables examined, although important, do not solve the problem with the complexity of the spatial path. At this stage, the length of the path, measured in millimetres, had to be considered as a further source of variance which could explain the difficulty of the spatial path. The correlation between path length and mean number correct achieved, through a single series of digits utilised in this research, was -.78. This value encourages further research.

Comparison of self-assessment of premenstrual symptoms with scores on the modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire.

Premenstrual symptoms were assessed in a sample of 267 women (M age 31.4 yr.) using a single self-identification question and the modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire of Clare and Wiggins. The-self-identification question asked to what degree the women experienced premenstrual symptoms. The responses were 34 (13%) for none, 116 (43%) for slight, 99 (37%) for moderate, and 18 (7%) for severe. The mean score on the questionnaire was 23.5 (SD = 17.5). Correlations indicated significant relationships between self-identification and questionnaire scores (rho = .76, p < .001). When the women were classified according to Clare's (1983) criterion, almost a third of them assessed their symptoms differently, i.e., while they classified themselves as "nonsufferers" on the self-identification question, their responses on the questionnaire identified them as "sufferers."

Relationship between anxiety and premenstrual syndrome.

The relationship between symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome and anxiety was assessed for 68 women. The syndrome as measured by a modified version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, was correlated significantly with trait anxiety, as measured by Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Trait anxiety was correlated with all three subtypes from the questionnaire: behavioral, psychological, and physical, most strongly for the psychological subtype. These findings suggest a role for stress-management training in the treatment of the premenstrual syndrome.