Effect of oral contraceptive therapy on gingival inflammation in humans.

One hundred sixty-eight female patients between the ages of 18 and 35 were evaluated with an Oral Debris Index and a Gingival Inflammatory Index. The patients were then divided into groups and subgroups according to their intake of oral contraceptives. Statistical analysis revealed that the group currently taking oral contraceptives had a higher mean Gingival Inflammatory Index than the group not presently taking oral contraceptives. The group taking oral contraceptives also revealed a lower mean Oral Debris Index than the control group. Further analysis revealed that while some brands of oral contraceptives produced more dramatic index changes than others, no relationship appeared to exist due to the differences of progesterone or estrogen content in the various brands. Increased accumulative exposure to oral contraceptives apparently had no effect upon Oral Debris Indices or Gingival Inflammatory Indices. Further studies with older population groups should be conducted in an attempt to answer questions concerning the effect of long term oral contraceptive intake on periodontal diseases other than gingivitis.

Effect of inflammation on periodontal attachment levels in miniature swine with mucogingival defects.

Previous authors have postulated that a dense band of keratinized, attached gingiva prevents the spread of inflammation from the gingival margin to the subjacent attachment apparatus. Chronically inflamed mucogingival defects were created over the vestibular surface of 12 central incisors in miniature swine. The untreated contralateral incisors were identified as paired controls. Placement of horizontal reference notches on the tooth surfaces was followed by measurement of Probing Depth (PD) and Probing Attachment Level (PAL) on the vestibular aspect of each experimental and control tooth. No plaque removal was accomplished at any time during the study. One year following the attainment of baseline data, all measurements were repeated. Results show an increase in PD and a loss of PAL in both experimental and control regions. No difference in increase of PD or loss of PAL between the groups could be discerned.

Evaluation of furcation region response to periodontal therapy.

Five hundred fifty-eight molars were treated with one of four types of periodontal therapy: coronal scaling (CS); root planing (RP); modified Widman surgery (MW); or flap with osseous resectional surgery (FO). This report presents the probing depth and probing attachment changes in the furcation region following therapy and two years of maintenance follow-up. All types of therapy were effective in reducing probing depths. FO was the most effective in reducing probing depth followed by MW, RP, and CS. Reduction in probing depth was primarily due to gingival recession. FO resulted in a loss of probing attachment in both a vertical and horizontal direction following therapy. Following two years of maintenance care, sites treated with FO continued to exhibit a mean net loss of vertical probing attachment. A mean net loss of horizontal probing attachment was present after two years of maintenance care, regardless of the treatment modality employed. Many more sites were initially removed during osseous resectional surgery to achieve treatment criteria than were initially removed from the other groups. FO treated teeth demonstrated a lesser percentage of furcation sites demonstrating clinically significant breakdown during the two years of maintenance care.

Comparison of manual and pressure-controlled periodontal probing.

Over 25,000 sites around natural teeth in three stages of periodontal therapy (prior to instrumentation, following closed subgingival instrumentation and following surgical therapy) were independently probed by two examiners. Examiner A used a conventional periodontal probe with uncontrolled pressure. Examiner B used an identical probe tip mounted in a handle which controlled vertical probing force at 50 g. The pressure-controlled technique produced significantly deeper clinical probing measurements on the direct facial and lingual aspects of teeth regardless of the stage of periodontal therapy that had been completed. Manual probing obtained deeper measurements on the distal-lingual aspects of teeth in the posterior regions which had not received surgical therapy. The percentage match between probing depths obtained by the two methods declined as the probing depths increased. Control of vertical force during probing may provide a more objective method of monitoring periodontal status during longitudinal trials.

A review of longitudinal studies that compared periodontal therapies.

There have been numerous longitudinal periodontal studies that have compared the effects of two or more therapies on various clinical parameters. These studies are reviewed and their results are compiled. Both surgical and non-surgical therapy produced improvement in periodontal health. Surgical therapy tended to create greater short-term probing depth reduction than non-surgical therapy; however, the advantage was lost in some studies over time. In shallow probing depths, surgery produced a greater loss of probing attachment than non-surgical therapy. In deeper probing sites, the short-term results comparing mean probing attachment change following non-surgical and surgical therapy were mixed. In most studies, no long-term differences in mean probing attachment level change were present between non-surgical and surgical therapy. There were no differences between surgical and non-surgical therapy in any of the gingival inflammatory indices.

Evaluation of periodontal probing forces.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate interexaminer and intraexaminer probing force variations in various regions of the mouth and adjacent to different tooth surfaces. Fifty-eight dental clinicians composed of 13 periodontists, 15 general dentists, 15 hygienists and 15 senior dental students probed the facial surfaces of periodontally healthy volunteers with a modified pressure-sensitive periodontal probe. The forces used during probing were calculated and analyzed by analysis of variance and t-statistics. There was wide variation in probing forces used by individuals within each clinician group. No statistical differences between the groups in mean probing force or absolute range of probing force could be detected. When pooled data were analyzed, it was found that the clinicians: (1) used probing forces ranging from 5 to 135 g, (2) probed in posterior regions with greater force than in anterior regions, and (3) probed midfacial, mesial and distal gingival units with different force. Midfacial regions were probed with the lightest force and distal regions with the heaviest force.

Etidocaine HCl local anesthetic for periodontal flap surgery.

Long acting local anesthetics have been used successfully during third molar extractions and endodontic procedures. They were shown to provide longer duration of anesthesia and contribute to less postoperative pain. This study evaluated the effectiveness of one long acting local anesthetic agent (etidocaine) for periodontal flap procedures. A double-blind, split mouth design treated 17 matched contralateral pairs of posterior sextants. One region was treated following administration of 1.5% etidocaine HCl with 1:200,000 epinephrine. The matched control region was treated following administration of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. The results indicate that, while etidocaine provided a longer duration of anesthesia (P less than 0.005), no difference was noted in the number of pain pills patients took or the period of time over which they took them. Inadequate hemostasis was a recurrent problem with etidocaine anesthesia. The use of 1.5% etidocaine HCl with 1:200,000, epinephrine offers no significant advantages over traditional anesthetic solutions.

Chronic mucogingival defects in miniature swine.

Controversy surrounds the importance of keratinized gingiva in maintaining periodontal health. A well-defined animal model system is necessary to evaluate longitudinally the role of keratinized gingiva when plaque control is inadequate or where dental procedures (restorative, prosthetic or orthodontic) alter the periodontal environment. Facial gingiva was excised from eight primary incisors in miniature swine. Contralateral teeth were used as controls. The experimental teeth exhibited mucogingival defects at 3 and 6 month observation periods. The secondary teeth erupting into the experimental regions also exhibited recession and chronic mucogingival defects. The marginal tissue in regions devoid of keratinized gingiva demonstrated clinical signs of inflammation. No progressive gingival recession was present. Excision of keratinized gingiva to produce mucogingival defects in swine provides a convenient model system for evaluating the effect of dental procedures on periodontal health where little or no keratinized gingiva is present.

Histologic evaluation of gingival curettage facilitated by sodium hypochlorite solution.

Gingival curettage has long been used as a modality in periodontal therapy. Recent longitudinal studies have shown that diligent curettage of periodontal pockets may aid in maintaining the attachment levels around periodontally involved teeth. This study was designed to histologically evaluate the controlled use of concentrated sodium hypochlorite solution to facilitate gingival curettage therapy. The results indicate that the action of sodium hypochlorite solution may be adequately controlled to provide predictable chemolysis of the soft tissue wall of a periodontal pocket with minimal effect upon the adjacent tissues. The action of the solution appears to have no detrimental effect upon healing. Reduction of inflammation prior to the procedure and careful technique are important to assure predictability. The use of gingival curettage augmented by sodium hypochlorite solution may aid in the management of patients undergoing periodontal maintenance.

Long-term evaluation of periodontal therapy: II. Incidence of sites breaking down.

Eighty-two patients were treated in a split mouth design with coronal scaling (CS), root planing (RP), modified Widman surgery (MW), and flap with osseous surgery (FO) which were randomly assigned to the various quadrants in the dentition. Following phase I and phase II therapy, the patients received supportive periodontal treatment (SPT) at 3-month intervals for up to 7 years. Clinical attachment level (CAL) was determined initially, post-phase I, post-phase II and prior to each SPT appointment. If a site lost > or = 3 mm of CAL from its baseline, it was classified as a breakdown site. Baselines were the initial exam for sites treated by CS and 10 weeks post-phase II for sites treated by RP, MW, and FO. Data were grouped by probing depth (PD) severity at the initial exam and at post-phase II. The breakdown for CS sites was assessed separately from RP, MW, and FO sites because of different baselines and retreatment protocols. Sites treated by CS had a higher incidence of breakdown than the other therapies through year 1 of SPT. The breakdown incidences/year for RP and MW sites were similar and greater than for FO sites in 1 to 4 mm and 5 to 6 mm PD categories. Breakdown incidence of RP sites was greater than MW sites which was greater than FO sites initially > or = 7 mm. Differences in incidence of breakdown between therapies after recategorizing data by post-phase II PD were the same as above, except no difference was present between RP and MW sites > or = 7 mm. Breakdown incidences were greater in increasing PD severities regardless of when they were categorized. There was no further loss of CAL one year after retreatment in 88% of sites. Patients with higher breakdown incidences tended to be smokers at the initial exam.

Long-term evaluation of periodontal therapy: I. Response to 4 therapeutic modalities.

Eighty-two periodontal patients were treated in a split mouth design with coronal scaling (CS), root planing (RP), modified Widman surgery (MW), and flap with osseous resection surgery (FO) which were randomly assigned to various quadrants in the dentition. Therapy was performed in 3 phases: non-surgical, surgical, and supportive periodontal treatment (SPT) < or = 7 years. Clinical data consisted of probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession (REC), bleeding on probing (BOP), suppuration (SUP), and supragingival plaque (PL). Because of the necessity to exit many CS treated sites due to breakdown, data for CS were reported only up to 2 years. All therapies produced mean PD reduction with FO > MW > RP > CS following the surgical phase for all probing depth severities. By the end of year 2 there were no differences between the therapies in the 1 to 4 mm sites. There were no differences in PD reduction between MW and RP treated sites by the end of year 3 in the 5 to 6 mm sites and by the end of year 5 in the > or = 7 mm sites. FO produced greater PD reduction in > or = 5 mm sites through year 7 of SPT. Following the surgical phase, FO produced a mean CAL loss and CS and RP produced a slight gain in 1-4 mm sites. RP and MW produced a greater gain of CAL than CS and FO following the surgical phase in 5 to 6 mm sites, but the magnitude of difference decreased during SPT. Similar CAL gains were produced by RP, MW, and FO in sites > or = 7 mm. These gains were greater than that produced by CS and were sustained during SPT. Recession was produced with FO > MW > RP > CS. This relationship was maintained throughout SPT. The prevalences of BOP, SUP, and PL were greatly reduced throughout the study and were comparable between sites treated by RP, MW, and FO while the CS sites had more BOP and SUP.

Evaluation of four modalities of periodontal therapy. Mean probing depth, probing attachment level and recession changes.

Eighty-two periodontally involved patients were treated in a split mouth design such that one quadrant received coronal scaling (CS), root planing (RP), modified Widman surgery (MW), and flap with osseous resection surgery (FO). The therapy was performed in three phases: Phase I: the teeth previously designated to receive RP, MW, and FO were thoroughly root planed and the teeth designated to receive CS were scaled with no subgingival instrumentation, plaque control was initiated and reinforced for the entire mouth; Phase II: the designated teeth received MW or FO surgery; and Phase III: maintenance therapy every three months. The CS teeth received coronal scaling and polishing during maintenance appointments, while RP, MW, and FO teeth received supragingival instrumentation, subgingival instrumentation and polishing. Clinical measurements were taken initially, four weeks post-Phase I, 10 weeks post-Phase II, and after each of two years of maintenance care. All therapy modalities resulted in a decrease of mean probing depth with the FO producing the greatest decrease followed by MW, RP, and CS. The deeper the initial probing depth, the greater was the mean reduction of probing depth. FO created a loss of mean probing attachment in the 1 to 4 mm category. RP and MW produced the greatest gain of mean probing attachment in the 5 to 6 mm category. RP, MW, and FO produced similar gains in the greater than or equal to 7 mm category. FO created the most gingival recession followed by MW, RP, and CS.

Levels of cigarette consumption and response to periodontal therapy.

Seventy-four patients with moderate to advanced periodontitis were classified by cigarette consumption at the initial exam: heavy smokers (HS) > or = 20 cigarettes/day (n = 31); light smokers (LS) < or = 19 cigarettes/day (n = 15); past smokers (PS) had a history of smoking but had quit by the initial exam (n = 10); and non-smokers (NS) had never smoked (n = 18). All patients were treated with four modalities of periodontal therapy followed by supportive periodontal treatment (SPT) for a period of up to 7 years. Clinical parameters including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), recession (REC), presence of bleeding on probing (BOP), and supragingival plaque (PL) were assessed at six sites around each tooth. Horizontal probing attachment level (HAL) was obtained at molar furcation sites. Data were collected initially, 4 weeks after non-surgical therapy, 10 weeks after surgical therapy, and yearly during SPT. HS and LS demonstrated less PD reduction and less CAL gain than PS and NS following active treatment and throughout SPT. Following active treatment, HAL changes were similar for all groups, but during 7 years of SPT, HS and LS experienced greater loss of HAL. There were no differences in BOP among the four groups. HS demonstrated a higher percentage of PL positive sites compared to the other groups. In summary, HS and LS responded less favorably to therapy than PS and NS. A past history of smoking was not deleterious to the response to therapy.

Relationship of gingival bleeding, gingival suppuration, and supragingival plaque to attachment loss.

This study evaluated the relationship between the presence of gingival bleeding, gingival suppuration, and supragingival plaque at 3 month appointments to the incidence of probing attachment loss during a 2-year period of maintenance therapy. The data included in this report were taken during the second and third year of maintenance from 75 periodontal patients who had previously received active therapy in an ongoing longitudinal study. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for different frequencies of positive responses for each clinical parameter in relation to sites demonstrating greater than or equal to 2 mm probing attachment loss. Gingival bleeding and plaque were not prognosticators and gingival suppuration was a weak prognosticator of attachment loss during a 2 year maintenance period.

Responses of four tooth and site groupings to periodontal therapy.

The responses of four tooth/site groupings to periodontal therapy were evaluated. Eighty-two patients with periodontitis were treated in a split mouth design with coronal scaling, root planing, modified Widman surgery, and flap with osseous resectional surgery. Patients were evaluated prior to therapy, 4 weeks post-Phase I therapy, 10 weeks post-Phase II therapy, and at yearly intervals during 2 years of maintenance therapy. The tooth/site groupings evaluated were: 1) interproximal sites of single rooted teeth (T1), 2) facial and lingual sites of single rooted teeth (T2), 3) nonfurcation sites of molar teeth (T3), and 4) furcation sites of molar teeth (T4). Following 2 years of maintenance, no clinically significant differences in probing depth reduction or probing attachment loss were present between the four tooth/site groupings in 1 mm to 4 mm sites. T2 had the greatest decrease of probing depth in 5 mm to 6 mm sites followed by T1, T3 and T4. T1 and T2 showed a greater gain of probing attachment followed by T3 and T4. T1 and T2 had the greatest decrease of probing followed by T3 which was greater than T4 in greater than or equal to 7 mm sites. T4 had significantly less probing attachment gain than the other groups. There was a trend for T1 and T2 to have less gingival bleeding post-therapy and for T2 to have less plaque accumulation than the other groups at both pre- and post-therapy examinations.

How the licensure process will evolve.

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: All aspects of dental licensure are continuing to evolve. This article describes the changes that are occurring in the licensure process and projects the direction and magnitude of future changes. CONCLUSIONS: The author predicts that national board examinations will continue to move away from recall of facts and toward assessment of basic science and clinical principles as they apply to clinical decision making and delivery of care. Clinical examinations will continue their evolution to become even more reliable and valid. Licensure by credentials will be adopted by more states, thus addressing concerns about mobility that are expressed by many practitioners. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Despite all of this projected progress, the dental profession should expect elevated public pressure for greater accountability unless it takes a proactive position to ensure the continued competency of all practitioners.

Assessing continued competency: an approach for dentistry.

Holding a license in a given profession does not guarantee competency. To help define criteria for periodic competency assessment of dentists, the American Association of Dental Examiners assembled a committee in 1993. In this article, the authors outline the criteria the committee established for such assessments and discuss several assessment models proposed by the committee.

The use of sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide in periodontal therapy: a review.

The comparative benefits from the use of sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide over the use of a commercial dentifrice in periodontal therapy is controversial. The consensus of the clinical research indicates that application by patients of sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide offers no advantage over the preestablished, properly performed home oral hygiene procedures. Any improvements in clinical and microbial parameters generally were attributed to scaling and root planing. The studies that have reported beneficial results with sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide have used additional antimicrobial agents, concomitant professional application of these substances, and scaling and root planing. In one of these reports, inorganic salts and chloramine-T were delivered subgingivally throughout root-planing procedures, in addition to home application of inorganic salts. Most of these patients also received at least one course of systemic tetracycline therapy. Because this study had no control group, it is impossible to determine whether this program is more effective than are other periodontal therapy programs. A more controlled clinical study involving professional application of sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and povidone-iodine has shown greater gains in clinical attachment and bone mass than has brushing with toothpaste and water. Again, subgingival scaling and root planing were necessary to attain these results. Because multiple topical agents were applied in both of these reports and systemic antimicrobial agents were used by the Keyes group, it is impossible to determine which agent was responsible for the improvements. Further, professional application may be the crucial factor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Drug-induced gingival hyperplasia: phenytoin, cyclosporine, and nifedipine.

This article has summarized observations and results of controlled laboratory and clinical studies of drug-induced gingival hyperplasia associated with phenytoin, cyclosporine, and nifedipine use. Furthermore, information regarding the pharmacologic aspects of these medications is presented. More information is needed for a greater understanding of drug-induced gingival hyperplasia. It appears that the primary preventive measure is to maintain a high standard of oral hygiene and the elimination of gingival irritation. As stated by Tyldesley and Rotter, because the structures of the three drugs are different, the gingival changes may result from a metabolic by-product rather than the drugs themselves. Similarly acting metabolites of all the drugs may be involved. Further laboratory investigations and controlled clinical trials are needed for more understanding of this phenomenon.

The furcation problem. Current controversies and future directions.

Effective management of furcation regions affected by periodontal destruction includes accurate assessment of etiologic factors, careful diagnosis of furcation involvement, and an appropriate plan of therapy. Many forms of therapy have been advocated; most have been designed to allow adequate professional and personal removal of plaque from the furcation. All types of traditional therapy have disadvantages that must be carefully considered by the therapist and the patient. Newer treatment modalities attempt to regenerate periodontal attachment in the furcation. The techniques do not have sufficient controlled documentation at this time to warrant unqualified support, but they appear to be biologically feasible and hold considerable clinical promise. At this time, guidelines for management of a periodontally involved furcation region must stress application of the simplest therapy that is likely to provide clinical stability. Longitudinal data from carefully controlled clinical trials comparing therapy techniques are needed to refine our clinical judgment.