Impact of anti-infective periodontal therapy on parameters of vascular health.

AIM: This study assessed the impact of anti-infective periodontal therapy on the status of vascular health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Periodontal and vascular health of 55 patients with severe untreated chronic periodontitis was evaluated before and 12 months after anti-infective periodontal therapy. Observed parameters were bleeding on probing (BoP), pocket probing depth (PPD), periodontal inflamed surface area index (PISA), pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx), central pulse pressure (PPao) and peripheral systolic pressure (RRsys). RESULTS: ΔPISA (baseline-12 months) correlated with ΔPWV (τ 0.21; p < .03), ΔAIx (τ 0.29; p < .002) and ΔPPao (τ 0.23; p < .02). ΔBoP% (baseline-12 months) correlated with ΔPWV (τ 0.18; p < .05) and ΔAIx (τ 0.25; p < .01), while mean ΔPPD (baseline-12 months) correlated with ΔPWV (τ 0.24; p < .01) and ΔAIx (τ 0.21; p < .03). Grouping patients evenly into three groups based on tertiles of BoP resolution after 12 months revealed a significant decrease in the observed PWV median value by -0.6 m/s (p < .04) in the best response tertile (ΔBoP ≥ 88%). In the worst response tertile (ΔBoP ≤ 66%), by contrast, significant increase in PPao (+10.5 mmHg; p < .02) and AIx (+5.5; p < .02) was observed. CONCLUSION: Efficacious resolution of periodontal inflammation may beneficially impact on vascular health.

On the relationship between gingival biotypes and supracrestal gingival height, crown form and papilla height.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between gingival biotypes and supracrestal gingival height (primary aim) and its relation to crown shape and papilla height (secondary aim). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty adult subjects were evaluated in this study. Based on the transparency of a periodontal probe through the buccal gingival margin, 38 subjects comprised the thin biotype group and 42 subjects comprised the thick biotype group, respectively. Three different parameters were clinically assessed: supracrestal gingival height (SGH) by bone sounding, crown width/crown length ratio and papilla height. RESULTS: No statistical difference (P > 0.05) was detected neither for the correlation between different biotypes (thick/thin) and SGH nor for the association of biotypes and crown width/crown length ratio. Papilla height was only significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) in the area of teeth no. 21/22 for the thin periodontal biotype. Intra-examiner deviation was found to be very low for all clinical parameters (percentile agreement > 95%). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limits of this study, we found that in young Caucasians (i) soft tissue dimensions seem to be similar between biotypes (ii) and the traditional hypothesis that a thick gingiva merges with broad-short crown shape and flat papillae and a thin gingiva with a narrow-long crown shape and high scalloping, may be questionable.

Porcine dermal matrix for covering of recession type defects: a case series.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical applicability of porcine dermal matrix for treatment of recession type defects. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Twenty-eight gingival recessions in six patients were selected for root coverage procedures using a modified tunneling technique and porcine dermal matrix. As primary outcome, depth and width of gingival recession were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. As a secondary outcome, the width of keratinized tissue was studied. RESULTS: At 6 and 12 months postoperatively, mean root coverage was 65.52% and 56.82%, respectively. Complete root coverage was achieved in 42.86% of the treated defects. CONCLUSION: Porcine dermal matrix may potentially be used as a replacement material for autologous tissue. However, complete root coverage was only achieved in less than half of the studied defects.