Tooth Color as a Predictor of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Adults.

PURPOSE: Smiling plays an important role in social interaction. The purpose of this research was to explore the extent to which objective parameters of color of one's own teeth affected the social and emotional dimensions of young adults' lives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample included 134 subjects-students of the University of Rijeka, Croatia (65% female) aged 19 to 28 years (median 21). All subjects had six intact maxillary anterior teeth without restorations or severe malocclusions and healthy gingiva with no signs of inflammation. Tooth color was assessed intraorally using a spectrophotometer. Lightness, chroma, and translucency of the right maxillary central incisors (the reference teeth) were calculated and used for analysis. Subjects reported dimensions of their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), Orofacial Esthetic Scale (OES), and the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ). Linear relationships between elements of tooth color and OHRQoL were explored using Pearson correlations. Multiple linear regression, while controlling for the influence of age and gender, was also calculated. ANOVA with a Tukey post hoc test was employed to test whether nonlinear relationships existed between OHRQoL and categories of color elements. RESULTS: Dental self-confidence, esthetic concerns, orofacial appearance, social impact and psychological impact were not related to lightness, chroma, or translucency of the subjects' teeth. Neither linear nor nonlinear relationships were detected between those aspects. Satisfaction with smile esthetics was only related to translucency where subjects with moderate translucency were least likely to be satisfied (p = 0.033). Women tended to report greater psychosocial impacts than men (p < 0.05), regardless of their tooth color. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study objective, measurable, quantitative parameters of tooth color did not accurately predict psychosocial dimensions of OHRQoL in dentate young adults.

Antimicrobial Activity of Olive Leaf Extract to Oral Candida Isolates.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the antifungal activity of olive leaf extract (OLE) and the synergistic effect of standard antifungal therapy and OLE against clinical oral Candida species' isolates. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The susceptibility of 60 clinical isolates of the Candida species (36 C. albicans, 16 C. krusei, 5 C. glabrata and 3 C. tropicalis) was tested with four concentrations of OLE (60 µg/µL, 120 µg/µL, 240 µg/µL and 333 µg/µL) and the synergistic effect of standard antifungal therapy and OLE (miconazole (MIC) + 333 µg/µL OLE and nystatin (NYS) + 333 µg/µL OLE). The antimicrobial activity was tested using the disk diffusion method. RESULTS: All concentrations (60 µg/µL, 120 µg/µL, 240 µg/µL and 333 µg/µL) of OLE showed a statistically significant effect on all Candida species compared to the control (DMSO) except for the lowest concentration (60 µg/µL) tested on C. glabrata. There was a dose-dependent effect of OLE on tested samples. Concentrations of 240 µg/µL and 333 µg/µL showed statistically significant higher antifungal activity compared to the lowest concentration of 60 µg/µL. No statistically significant synergistic effect of OLE and standard antifungal therapy was found compared with standard therapy alone. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study present the significant antimicrobial effect of OLE against all tested Candida species except for the lowest concentration on C. glabrata. Increasing the concentration of OLE also increases its effect on Candida species. This indicates the possible potential effect of OLE in the treatment of Candida-related oral diseases.

Oral Candidal Colonization in Patients with Different Prosthetic Appliances.

Oral infections caused by Candida species are becoming more common, which may be related to an increase in the number of immunologically compromised patients as well as favorable conditions in the oral cavity that often include removable prosthetic appliances. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of a particular Candida species in patients with PMMA and Cr-Co prosthetic appliances, as well as the salivary flow rate, and oral signs and symptoms. This investigation included a total of 120 subjects with different kinds of removable dentures. A sample of concentrated oral rinse was collected from all subjects in order to detect Candida colonization and identify the Candida species, a quantum of salivation was measured, and subjects were examined clinically. Candida spp. was predominant among the subjects who were denture wearers (p < 0.0001). In all subjects, the most frequently detected species was C.albicans. A statistically significant difference was found between the prevalence of C.albicans (p < 0.001) and C.krusei (p < 0.001) in denture wearers. Subjects with PMMA-based removable prosthetic appliances mostly demonstrated a significant decrease in salivation (p < 0.001), an increase in burning sensations (p < 0.001), and dry mouth (p < 0.001) compared to the subjects who wore partial dentures with Co-Cr metallic frameworks. Red oral lesions were more frequently found among the subjects with partial dentures with Co-Cr metallic frameworks (p < 0.001). Regardless of the material used for the denture, patients must be regularly checked by their dentists in order to prevent the development of oral lesions.