Oro-Dental Health and Primary Nephrotic Syndrome among Vietnamese Children.

Primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) is common in children, affecting the soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. This study aimed to investigate the percentage of dental caries, gingivitis, hypertrophic gingivitis, and developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in children with PNS. The association of PNS with these diseases and oral care behavior was also assessed. A total of 407 children with PNS and 407 age- and gender-matched controls were recruited. PNS was diagnosed based on blood and urinary tests. The Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), the Gingival Index (GI), the Gingival Overgrowth Index (GOI), the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth Index (dmft/DMFT), and DDE were collected. The PNS patients showed significantly higher scores of OHI-S, GI, and dmft, and higher proportions of dental caries and DDE than those of the controls (p < 0.001). It is necessary to establish a periodic dental protocol for PNS patients to improve their oral health status.

Family based and case-control designs reveal an association of TFAP2A in nonsyndromic cleft lip only among Vietnamese population.

AIMS: Dozens of causative genes and their mechanisms of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) were revealed through genome-wide association and linkage studies. Results were, however, not always replicated in different populations or methodologies. This study used case-control and family based approaches to investigate the etiology of NSCL/P and its two subtypes: nonsyndromic cleft lip only (NSCLO) and nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) among the Vietnamese population. METHODS: Two hundred and seventeen NSCL/P case-parent trios (one affected child and two parents), including 105 NSCLO and 112 NSCLP were involved for a family based design; and 273 ethnic and region-matched healthy controls with no cleft history in their families were recruited for a case-control design. Three SNPs consisting of TFAP2A (rs1675414 and rs303048) and 8q24 (rs987525) were genotyped using the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. RESULTS: TFAP2A rs1675414 was associated with NSCLO, replicated by both case-control and family based tests. Other SNPs yielded no evidence of susceptibility to NSCL/P or two subtypes. CONCLUSION: The current investigation suggests an intriguing role of TFAP2A in the etiology of NSCLO among the Vietnamese population.

Pain Duration and Intensity Are Related to Coexisting Pain and Comorbidities Present in Temporomandibular Disorder Pain Patients.

AIMS: To investigate the relationships between three pain parameters (duration, intensity, and frequency), the number of pain sites and comorbidities, and the risk of having coexisting pain and/or comorbidities in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain. METHODS: The sample consisted of 198 outpatients attending the Dental Hospital of Chulalongkorn University. TMD pain was determined using the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD. Pain lasting 3 months or longer was defined as chronic pain. Pain intensity was reflected using a 0- to 10-point numeric rating scale, and pain frequency was assessed with the percentage of pain days over a 2-week period. The number of pain sites was evaluated using the Widespread Pain Index. The presence of comorbidities was assessed with a validated diagnostic questionnaire. The associations were analyzed using Spearman rho test, multiple linear regression, and logistic regression, with a significance level of P ≤ .05. Age and gender were analyzed as confounders. RESULTS: The number of pain sites was related to pain duration, pain intensity, and age. The number of comorbidities was associated with pain duration. Neither pain frequency nor gender were related to the number of pain sites or comorbidities. When the pain duration reached 1 month, patients had a 1.045-times higher probability of pain beyond the orofacial area (odds ratio [OR] = 1.045; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.024 to 1.066; P = .001) and a 1.028-times higher probability of comorbidities (OR = 1.028; 95% CI = 1.005 to 1.05; P = .008). For an increase of 1 score on the numeric rating scale, patients had a 1.206-times higher probability of pain presence beyond the orofacial area (OR = 1.206; 95% CI = 1.068 to 1.344; P = .026). CONCLUSION: High pain intensity and long pain duration increase the probability of having coexisting pain and comorbidities in TMD pain patients.