Short-term germ-killing effect of sugar-sweetened cinnamon chewing gum on salivary anaerobes associated with halitosis.

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the short-term germ-killing effect of sugar-sweetened cinnamon chewing gum on total and H2S-producing salivary anaerobes. METHODS: Fifteen healthy adult subjects were recruited in the double-blind, crossover clinical study. The three test chewing gums included: 1) sugared chewing gum containing cinnamic aldehyde and natural flavors (CinA+); 2) sugared chewing gum without cinnamic aldehyde but with natural flavors (CinA-); and 3) non-sugared chewing gum base (GB) without any flavors and without cinnamic aldehyde. A three-day "washout" period followed each treatment. Each subject chewed gum under supervision for 20 minutes at 60 chews/minute. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected before the subjects chewed the gum and at 20 minutes after expectoration of the gum. All saliva samples were serially diluted, plated on blood agar or agar plates that select for bacteria producing H2S, incubated anaerobically for three days, and enumerated for viable colony counts of total and H2S-producing salivary anaerobes. RESULTS: Significant reductions in total salivary anaerobes (p < 0.01) and H2S-producing salivary anaerobes (p < 0.01) were observed 20 minutes after subjects chewed the CinA+ gum. The chewing of CinA- gum also significantly reduced total salivary anaerobes (p < 0.05) and H2S-producing salivary anaerobes (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant difference in germ-killing effect was detected between the CinA+ and CinA- gums, although there was a numeric difference. The chewing of a gum base (GB) alone did not result in a significant reduction in the total or H2S-producing salivary anaerobes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The commercially available sugar-sweetened cinnamon chewing gum may benefit halitosis by reducing volatile sulfur compounds producing anaerobes in the oral cavity.

Children's Perceptions of Dentist's Attire and Environment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

AIM: To assess the children's perceptions of the dentist's attire and environment. The protocol is available in the PROSPERO database. SEARCH STRATEGIES: Systematic searches in the databases were performed in Cochrane, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science from their inception to December 12, 2019, Google Scholar, Open Grey, and ProQuest Dissertations. SELECTION CRITERIA: Criteria consisted of descriptive studies regarding the above matter while two authors assessed the information. The risk of bias was also performed. RESULTS: Databases showed 1,544 papers and a two-phase assessment selected 21 studies in narrative and 9 in the quantitative synthesis. A meta-analysis demonstrated no difference between white coat and child-friendly attire (OR = 0.63; 95% CI 0.16-2.49; n = 3,706) and a decorated vs plain dental clinic was the preference of the children's majority (OR = 8.75; 95% CI 1.21-63.37; n = 150). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that there is no difference in the children's perception, white coat vs child-friendly attire; however, children prefer a decorated dental clinic. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Oliveira LB, Massignan C, De Carvalho RM, et al. Children's Perceptions of Dentist's Attire and Environment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(6):700-716.

A carefully designed nanoplatform based on multi walled carbon nanotube wrapped with aptamers.

The interaction between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and biological molecules of diagnostic and therapeutic interest, as well as the internalization of the CNTs-biomolecules complexes in different types of cell, has been extensively studied due to the potential use of these nanocomplexes as multifunctional nanoplatforms in a great variety of biomedical applications. The effective use of these nanobiotechnologies requires broad multidisciplinary studies of biocompatibility, regarding, for example, the in vitro and in vivo nanotoxicological assays, the capacity to target specific cells and the evaluation of their biomedical potential. However, the first step to be reached is the careful obtainment of the nanoplatform and the understanding of the actual surface composition and structural integrity of the complex system. In this work, we show the detailed construction of a nanoplatform created by the noncovalent interaction between oxidized multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and a DNA aptamer targeting tumor cells. The excess free aptamer was removed by successive washes, revealing the actual surface of the nanocomplex. The MWCNT-aptamer interaction by π-stacking was evidenced and shown to contribute in obtaining a stable nanocomplex compatible with aqueous media having good cell viability. The nucleotide sequence of the aptamer remained intact after the functionalization, allowing its use in further studies of specificity and binding affinity and for the construction of functional nanoplatforms.

Brazilian dental students' perceptions about medical emergencies: a qualitative exploratory study.

Dental students have little understanding about medical emergencies, and there is very little in-depth data about the importance they place on this important area that is fundamental to their professional training. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of a group of undergraduate dental students about the dentistry-medical emergency interface. Twenty undergraduate dental students at the Federal University of Goias, Brazil, took part in this study. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with these students and were interpreted using qualitative content analysis. Two themes emerged from this data analysis: dentistry as a comprehensive health science, and students' knowledge, feelings, and attitudes about medical emergencies in the dental office. Based on the students' perceptions, an interface between dentistry and medical emergencies in the dental office was proposed that is comprised of the following intertwined concepts: 1) dentistry is a health science profession that should focus on the whole patient instead of being limited to the oral cavity; 2) medical emergencies do occur in the dental office, but students' minimal knowledge about these incidents and their etiology causes feelings of insecurity, dissatisfaction, and a limited appreciation of the dentists' responsibility; and 3) the inability to perform proper basic life support (BLS) technique in the dental office is the ultimate consequence. Undergraduate health courses need to develop strategies to teach professionals and students appropriate behavior and attitudes when facing life-threatening emergencies.

Polystyrene-type resin used for peptide synthesis: application for anion-exchange and affinity chromatography.

This paper deals with an unusual application for a copolymer of styrene-1% divinylbenzene bearing high amount of aminomethyl groups for anion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The so-called aminomethyl resin (AMR), to date only employed for peptide synthesis, swelled appreciably in water and was used successfully to purify negatively charged peptides. By correlating swelling degree of beads with pH of the media, it was possible to estimate that the AMR amino group pK(a) is approximately 5.5. In addition, the synthesized acetyl-(NANP)3-AMR succeeded in the affinity interaction with large antibody molecules related to malaria transmission and raised previously against this dodecapeptide sequence.