Microbiological evaluation in invisible aligner chemical cleaning methods against Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of chemical agents in removing Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans biofilm from invisible aligners. METHODS: The samples were made of EX30 Invisalign trays, biofilm was cultured by standardized suspensions of C. albicans ATCC strain and S. mutans clinical strain on the sample. The treatments used were 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) (20 minutes), 1% NaClO (10 minutes), chlorhexidine (5 minutes), peroxide (15 minutes), and orthophosphoric acid (15 seconds). The control group received phosphate-buffered saline for 10 minutes. The colony-forming units per milliliter of each microorganism were determined by serial dilutions seeded in plates with selective culture mediums for each one. Data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis and Conover-Iman tests at an α of 0.05. RESULTS: For the C. albicans biofilm group, the control group had 9.7 Log10 of microorganism growth, and all treatment groups had statistically significant biofilm reduction, in which chlorhexidine presented the highest inhibition of 3 Log10, followed by alkaline peroxide and orthophosphoric acid both with 2.6 Log10, 1% NaClO (2.5 Log10), and 0.5% NaClO (2 Log10). As for S. mutans, the control group had 8.9 Log10 of growth, and a total microorganism inhibition was reached by chlorhexidine, 1% NaClO, and orthophosphoric acid, whereas alkaline peroxide inhibited growth to 7.9 Log10 and 0.5% NaClO 5.1 Log10. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations, chlorhexidine and orthophosphoric acid had greater efficacy in both biofilms. In addition, 1% NaClO and alkaline peroxide also had significant effects; therefore, their incorporation aligners disinfection protocols are valid.

Treatment of single gingival recessions using biofunctionalized collagen matrix: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Connective tissue graft substitutes have been used widely to overcome autogenous graft limitations. Nevertheless, they do not provide comparable results in the treatment of periodontal and peri-implant soft tissue defects. Based on the principles of tissue-engineered materials, injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) has been combined with collagen matrices (CMs) to enhance their clinical efficacy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case series demonstrating the use of i-PRF for the biofunctionalization of a volume-stable collagen matrix (VCMX) as an adjunct to coronally advanced flap (CAF) to treat single gingival recession (GR) defects. METHODS & RESULTS: The study included 10 patients. Bleeding on probing, probing depth, GR height, clinical attachment level, esthetics, and dentin hypersensitivity were evaluated. After 6 months, a significant GR reduction (RecRed: 2.15 ± 0.7 mm; p = 0.005) and percentage of root coverage (% RC) of 81.13% were observed. Additionally, 40% of the sites showed complete root coverage. Gingival thickness increased 0.64 mm. Patient-centered evaluations demonstrated dentin hypersensitivity and esthetics improvements by the end of follow-up. CONCLUSION: VCMX biofunctionalized with i-PRF associated with CAF technique showed promising clinical outcomes in the treatment of single RT1 GR defects.

New Volume-Stable Collagen Matrix and Modified Coronally Advanced Flap to Treat Multiple Gingival Recessions Associated With Partially Restored Non-Carious Cervical Lesions: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Gingival recession (GR) is a prevalent problem that is related to esthetic demands and dentin hypersensitivity. Frequently, GR is associated with non-carious cervical lesion (NCCLs) forming a combined defect (CD), which requires restorative and surgical treatment. Connective tissue graft procedures allow predictable root coverage but can result in patient discomfort. CASE PRESENTATION: This first case report describes multiple GRs associated with B+ NCCL at teeth #4 and #6 of a 27-year-old patient with a thin periodontal phenotype. The aim of this report was to evaluate the 6-month outcome of a new volume-stable collagen matrix (VCMX) combined with modified coronally advanced flap (MCAF) and partial restoration to treat CDs. After 6 months, significant improvement was observed regarding CD coverage (69.05%), recession reduction (2.25 mm), gingival thickness gain (0.74 mm), and keratinized tissue width gain (0.75 mm). In addition, excellent esthetic evaluation and patient comfort were achieved by using the biomaterial. CONCLUSION: VCMX associated with MCAF and partial restoration may be an option to treat multiple recession defects plus B+ NCCLs.