Association between dry eye and periodontal disease in community-dwelling Japanese adults: data from the Uonoma cohort study.

BACKGROUND: While research has explored the risk of periodontal disease in various eye conditions, the link between dry eye and periodontal disease remains underexplored, especially in Japanese adults. This study aims to investigate the association between dry eye and periodontal disease in community-dwelling Japanese adults. METHODS: This study is a subset of the Uonuma cohort study, which includes Japanese adults aged 40 years and older residing in the Uonuma area of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Participants completed a self-administered, paper-based questionnaire. Statistical analyses, including the chi-square test, independent t test, ANOVA test, and logistic regressions, were employed to assess the association of periodontal disease with independent variables. RESULTS: Among 36,488 participants (average age 63.3 years, 47.4% men), 39.3% had a history of periodontal disease, and gender differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Significant associations were found between periodontal disease and dry eye diagnosis or symptoms. Univariable logistic regression revealed links between periodontal disease and age, gender, living status, alcohol consumption, remaining teeth, bite molar availability, and history of dry eye disease or symptoms. Multiple-adjusted regression found that doctor-diagnosed dry eye was associated with a higher likelihood of periodontal disease (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.22). Participants who never experienced dryness or foreign body sensation had lower ORs of periodontal disease than those who always experienced such symptoms across all models. CONCLUSION: A significant correlation was found between dry eye and periodontal disease in Japanese adults. Regular check-ups, early detection, and effective management of both conditions are strongly recommended.

Dental Arch Relationship Outcomes Following 2-Stage Palatoplasty for Japanese Patients With Complete Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A 3-Center Study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare dental arch relationship outcomes following 3 different 2-stage palatal repair protocols. DESIGN: Retrospective, cross sectional. SETTING: Three cleft palate centers (A, B, C) in Japan. PATIENTS: Ninety (A: 39, B: 26, C: 25) consecutively treated Japanese patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. INTERVENTIONS: In A, the soft palate and the posterior half of the hard palate were repaired at a mean age of 1 year 7 months. In B, the soft palate and hard palate were closed separately at a mean age of 1 year 6 months and 5 years 8 months, respectively. In C, the soft palate and hard palate were closed at a mean age of 1 year and 1 year 5 months, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dental arch relationships were assessed using the 5-Year-Olds' (5-Y) index by 5 raters and the Huddart/Bodenham (HB) index by 2 raters. RESULTS: Intra- and inter-rater reliabilities showed substantial or almost perfect agreement for the 5-Y and HB ratings. No significant differences in mean values and distributions of 5-Y scores were found among the 3 centers. The mean HB index scores of molars on the minor segment were significantly smaller in C than those in A and B (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in dental arch relationships at 5 years among the times and techniques of hard palate closure. However, further analysis of the possible influence of infant cleft size as a covariable on a larger sample size is needed.

Dental arch relationship outcomes in one- and two-stage palatoplasty for Japanese patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To compare dental arch relationship outcomes following one- and two-stage palatal repair. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, clinical trial with concurrent control. SETTING: Hokkaido University Hospital. PATIENTS: Sixty-eight consecutively treated Japanese patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. INTERVENTIONS: Thirty-one of the 68 patients underwent two-stage palatoplasty with delayed hard palate closure, and 37 patients underwent one-stage pushback palatoplasty. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dental casts were taken at 4.9 to 6.3 (mean: 5.2) years of age in the two-stage group and at 4.0 to 6.3 (mean: 5.1) years of age in the one-stage group, and dental arch relationships were assessed using the 5-Year-Olds' Index (5-Y) by four raters and the Huddart/Bodenham Index (HB) by two raters. RESULTS: Intrarater and interrater reliabilities evaluated using weighted kappa statistics were good or better for the 5-Y and HB ratings. The mean 5-Y score was 2.94 in the two-stage group and 3.13 in the one-stage group (P value was not significant). However, there was a significant difference in distributions between the groups (P < .05). The HB scores of molars were significantly greater in the two-stage group than in the one-stage group (P < .05). The rank correlation coefficients between the 5-Y and total HB score (ρ = -0.840, P < .01) and between the 5-Y and the score of the incisors in the HB (ρ = -0.814, P < .01) were significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the anteroposterior relationship was not significantly different between the groups, but the transversal relationship was better in the two-stage group than in the one-stage group.

Associations between Plasma Antibody Levels against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Atrial Fibrillation among Community-Dwelling Older Individuals in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between plasma antibody levels against Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG) and atrial fibrillation (AF) history in community-dwelling older individuals in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a subset of the Uonuma cohort study, including 3091 participants aged 60-79 years. Data were collected, including AF history as a dependent variable, plasma immunoglobulin G antibody levels against PG as an independent variable, and previously reported AF risk factors and demographic information as covariates. RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 69 years. Of the 3091 participants, 1411 (45.6%) were men, and 56 (1.8%) had an AF history. AF prevalence was significantly higher in participants with higher antibody levels against PG than in those with lower antibody levels (3.0% vs 1.4%; p = 0.005). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that participants with higher antibody levels against PG had twofold higher odds of having AF (odds ratio = 2.13; 95% confidence interval = 1.23-3.69). Restricted cubic spline analysis indicated a nonlinear relationship between antibody levels against PG and AF history. CONCLUSION: Plasma antibody levels against PG were associated with AF history in community-dwelling older individuals in Japan.

IL-1ß-mediated up-regulation of DEC1 in human gingiva cells via the Akt pathway.

Growing evidence indicates that inflammation is a contributing factor leading to cancer development. However, pathways involved in this progression are not well understood. The involvement of DEC1 in cancer prompted us to examine whether pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) induces the expression of DEC1 in oral inflammation. We found that IL-1ß up-regulated DEC1 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein and elevated the HIF-1α-responsive gene vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in human primary gingival cells. HIF-1α and DEC1 immunoreactivity were significantly higher in the cases of gingival inflammation. We demonstrate that IL-1ß up-regulates DEC1 and HIF-1α protein through a classical inflammatory signaling pathway involving Akt. Our data strongly suggest that PI-3K-Akt is an upstream participant in IL-1ß-mediated DEC1 and HIF-1α induction. This is supported by the following data: (1) IL-1ß induces 473 serine phosphorylation of Akt; (2) IL-1ß-mediated Akt activation occurs in a PI-3K-dependent manner, and specific inhibition of PI-3K prevents Akt phosphorylation; and (3) inhibition of Akt prevents IL-1ß-mediated DEC1 and HIF-1α induction. Taken together, these results suggest that DEC1 is one of the important transcription factors in inflammation.

Differential diagnosis between calcifying odontogenic cyst and adenomatoid odontogenic tumor by computed tomography images.

OBJECTIVES: Calcifying odontogenic cysts (COC) and adenomatoid odontogenic tumors (AOT) have similar radiographic findings. We examined the radiographic and computed tomography (CT) images of patients histologically diagnosed with COC or AOT and identified their characteristic findings. METHODS: The subjects included 12 patients histologically diagnosed with COC or AOT (one female and five males per group), who underwent CT at our hospital between Nov 1998 and Jun 2019. The location of the lesion, impacted tooth, bone expansion, root resorption, tooth migration, calcified body, and presence or absence of a high-intensity zone in the marginal area of the lesion were examined. RESULTS: In patients with COC, five patients with COC exhibited bone expansion toward the buccal side. The lesion encompassing the crown was attached to the cement-enamel junction and contained a radiopaque lesion with a calcified body. In 6 patients with COC, irregularly shaped calcified bodies were observed with small tooth-like structures. In patients with AOT, all six patients with AOT exhibited bone expansion toward the buccal and lingual sides. The lesion encompasses a part of the tooth root or the entire tooth. Punctate calcification was observed within the lesion and the marginal area in three patients, and a high-intensity zone was observed in the marginal area of the lesion in two patients. CONCLUSION: We report imaging findings that may be characteristic of COC and AOT, suggesting that CT findings may be useful for differentiating between COC and AOT.

The Advent of Studies on Jaw Cysts with Keratinization: A Review of Overlooked Papers on Odontogenic Keratocyst and Orthokeratinized Odontogenic Cyst.

Previous reports of odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) and orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst (OOC) with coverage of the old literature have tended to overlook the underlying theme of the first description. From a historical viewpoint, a French paper "kyste butyreux du sinus maxillaire simulant un cancer encéphaloid" published in 1855 by Maisonneuve popularized the notion of so-called "buttery cyst", which ultimately became known as jaw cyst with a keratinized lining. Soon after in 1856, Nélaton presented a case of OKC at the Anatomical Society of Paris, but his brief communication provided little information about its histopathology. It was Mikulicz who conducted, in 1876, a pioneering descriptive pathological study of OKC. In 1886, 10 years after Mikulicz's German report, OOC was first described in detail by Jeannel of Toulouse. The mid to late decades of the nineteenth century saw notable European contributions on the topic.

A New Look at the History of Peripheral Ameloblastoma.

Peripheral ameloblastoma (PA) is a prototype form of extraosseous odontogenic tumor. As knowledge of PA has accumulated on the basis of more than 200 cases reported worldwide over a 60-year timeframe, it is important to comprehend the historical evolution of this entity. In 2018, we summarized the American history of PA, stressing the important early strides made by Bloodgood in 1904 with his many original observations of the "epulis form of ameloblastoma". During the preparation of our previous report, we were able to find several earlier and interesting descriptions in the literature. This review covers the early history of PA since the nineteenth century, chronologically focusing on meritorious articles published in the United States and Europe.

Comparison of diagnostic accuracy between [18F]FDG PET/MRI and contrast-enhanced MRI in T staging for oral tongue cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Integrated PET/MRI with [18F]FDG is advantageous in that it enables simultaneous PET and MR imaging with higher soft-tissue contrast, multiplanar image acquisition, and functional imaging capability without using fat suppression and gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). The aims of this study were to demonstrate the feasibility of [18F]FDG PET/MRI for assessing the extent of the primary tumor (T) in oral tongue cancer (OTC) based on the 8th edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) cancer staging system, and to compare the diagnostic accuracy between [18F]FDG PET/MRI and contrast-enhanced MRI (ceMRI). METHODS: 18 patients with biopsy-proven operable OTC underwent preoperative regional [18F]FDG PET/MRI and ceMRI within 2 weeks. For [18F]FDG PET/MRI, rainbow-colored PET images were overlaid on the corresponding MR images. Tumor size and the depth of invasion (DOI) were visually measured on [18F]FDG PET/MRI and ceMRI. The size, DOI, and clinical T stage were evaluated using the final surgical pathology as the reference. RESULTS: Of the 18 OTCs, one was not detected by ceMRI due to metal artifacts from an artificial denture, and another due to superficial type (pathological DOI = 0 mm). Tumor sizes measured by ceMRI and [18F]FDG PET/MRI had significant positive correlations with the pathological size (r = 0.80 and r = 0.90, respectively), and DOIs measured by ceMRI and [18F]FDG PET/MRI had significant positive correlations with the pathological DOI (r = 0.74 and r = 0.64, respectively). The means ± SD of size (mm) were 20.4 ± 9.1, 22.9 ± 10.9, and 26.2 ± 10.0, and those of DOI (mm) were 7.1 ± 2.5, 6.9 ± 2.2, and 5.8 ± 3.2 for ceMRI, [18F]FDG PET/MRI, and pathology, respectively. A significant difference was observed in tumor size between ceMRI and pathology (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed between any other sizes, DOIs, or T stages. The accuracy for T status was 72% (13/18 including 2 undetectable cases) for ceMRI and 89% (16/18) for [18F]FDG PET/MRI. CONCLUSIONS: Although shallow DOIs are often overestimated, regional [18F]FDG PET/MRI without fat suppression and gadolinium enhancement is comparable to and may be substituted for ceMRI in preoperative T staging for OTC patients, reducing metal artifacts and avoiding the adverse effects of GBCAs.

Zero Echo Time-Based PET/MRI Attenuation Correction in Patients With Oral Cavity Cancer: Initial Experience.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to demonstrate the feasibility of zero echo time (ZTE) MRI for jawbone identification, and to evaluate the quantitative performance of F-FDG PET/MRI with ZTE-based attenuation correction (ZTE-AC) compared with PET/CT and PET/MRI with Dixon MR-based AC (Dixon-AC) in patients with oral cavity cancer (OCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen OCC patients underwent whole-body F-FDG PET/CT and subsequent regional PET/MRI with Dixon-AC and ZTE-AC in 1 day. SUVs of the primary OCC and metastatic cervical lymph nodes (CLNs) were measured on PET/CT (SUVCT), PET/MRI with Dixon-AC (SUVDixon), and ZTE-AC (SUVZTE). The SUVs were then compared. RESULTS: The ZTE MRI scans minimized the effects of metal artifacts from dentures, and ZTE-AC maps correctly delineated the jawbones. SUVDixon and SUVZTE had significant positive correlations with SUVCT (Pearson r = 0.97 and r = 0.99 for OCC, and r = 0.98 and r = 0.98 for CLNs, respectively). The mean ± SD of SUVCT, SUVDixon, and SUVZTE were 14.4 ± 8.0, 14.5 ± 8.6, and 15.6 ± 8.8 for OCC, and 6.3 ± 3.0, 8.0 ± 4.0, and 7.6 ± 3.9 for CLNs, respectively. For OCCs, SUVZTE was significantly higher than SUVCT (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference between SUVCT and SUVDixon or between SUVDixon and SUVZTE. For CLNs, SUVDixon and SUVZTE were significantly higher than SUVCT (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively), and SUVDixon was significantly higher than SUVZTE (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ZTE MRI can correctly identify jawbones while minimizing the effects of metal artifacts. The ZTE-AC method in F-FDG PET/MRI reduces the underestimation of tracer uptake due to Dixon-AC jawbone errors and improves the quantitative performance of PET for OCC patients.

Effect of gummy candy containing ubiquinol on secretion of saliva: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group comparative study and an in vitro study.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative clinical study was conducted to examine the effects of ubiquinol (the reduced form of Coenzyme Q10) on secretion of saliva. This interventional study enrolled 40 subjects aged 65 years or younger who were healthy, but noted slight dryness of the mouth. Subjects were randomized with stratification according to gender and age to ingestion of gummy candy containing 50 mg of ubiquinol or placebo twice daily for 8 weeks. At the end of study, along with a significant increase of the CoQ10 level in saliva (p = 0.025*, d = 0.65), there was a significant increase of the saliva flow rate (p = 0.048*, d = 0.66) in the ubiquinol candy group (n = 18; 47.4±6.2 years; 6 men and 12 women) compared to the placebo group (n = 20; 52.2±7.7 years; 4 men and 16 women). The strength of the stomatognathic muscles was not significantly enhanced by ingestion of ubiquinol candy. Compared with baseline, significant improvement of the following four questionnaire items was observed in the ubiquinol group at the end of the study: feeling tired (p = 0.00506, d = -0.726), dryness of the mouth (p = 0.04799, d = -0.648), prone to catching a cold (p = 0.00577, d = -0.963), and diarrhea (p = 0.0166, d = -0.855). There were no serious adverse events. An in vitro study revealed that ubiquinol stimulated a significant and concentration-dependent increase of ATP production by a cell line derived from human salivary gland epithelial cells (p<0.05), while 1 nM ubiquinol significantly suppressed (p = 0.028) generation of malondialdehyde by cells exposed to FeSO4-induced oxidative stress. These findings suggest that ubiquinol increases secretion of saliva by suppressing oxidative stress in the salivary glands and by promoting ATP production. Trial Registration: UMIN-CTR UMIN000024406.

Evaluation of the effects of quercetin on damaged salivary secretion.

With the aim of discovering an effective method to treat dry mouth, we analyzed the effects of quercetin on salivary secretion and its mechanism of action. We created a mouse model with impaired salivary secretion by exposure to radiation and found that impaired secretion is suppressed by quercetin intake. Moreover, secretion levels were enhanced in quercetin-fed normal mice. To elucidate the mechanisms of these effects on salivary secretion, we conducted an analysis using mouse submandibular gland tissues, a human salivary gland epithelial cell line (HSY), and mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs). The results showed that quercetin augments aquaporin 5 (AQP5) expression and calcium uptake, and suppresses oxidative stress and inflammatory responses induced by radiation exposure, suggesting that quercetin intake may be an effective method to treat impaired salivary secretion.

An expanded and revised early history of the adenomatoid odontogenic tumor.

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) is not a new entity and has long been a subject of fascination after a century of recorded observation because of its unique biological profile. Hundreds of publications have covered a variety of aspects, ranging from demographic data to clinicopathologic features to treatment modalities. It is widely acknowledged that the first detailed reports of AOT were initially published in 1915 by Harbitz in Norway and later in 1916 by Wohl in the United States. However, it is very likely that earlier textbook and journal descriptions of AOT exist. This prompted us to review the extensive world literature on AOT dating back to the early part of the 19th century. Here we present a revised historical perspective of AOT, with a view to closing gaps in earlier knowledge about this entity and also encouraging further research.

Multimolecular salivary mucin complex is altered in saliva of cigarette smokers: detection of disulfide bridges by Raman spectroscopy.

Saliva contains mucins, which protect epithelial cells. We showed a smaller amount of salivary mucin, both MG1 and MG2, in the premenopausal female smokers than in their nonsmoking counterparts. Smokers' MG1, which contains almost 2% cysteine/half cystine in its amino acid residues, turned out to be chemically altered in the nonsmoker's saliva. The smaller acidic glycoprotein bands were detectable only in smoker's saliva in the range of 20-25 kDa and at 45 kDa, suggesting that degradation, at least in part, caused the reduction of MG1 mucin. This is in agreement with the previous finding that free radicals in cigarette smoke modify mucins in both sugar and protein moieties. Moreover, proteins such as amylase and albumin are bound to other proteins through disulfide bonds and are identifiable only after reduction with DTT. Confocal laser Raman microspectroscopy identified a disulfide stretch band of significantly stronger intensity per protein in the stimulated saliva of smokers alone. We conclude that the saliva of smokers, especially stimulated saliva, contains significantly more oxidized form of proteins with increased disulfide bridges, that reduces protection for oral epithelium. Raman microspectroscopy can be used for an easy detection of the damaged salivary proteins.

Oral characteristics of a patient with Ekman-Westborg-Julin trait: a case history.

This article presents the case of a Japanese woman who had Ekman-Westborg-Julin trait. She had general macrodontia with multituberculism, evagination of the premolar, single conical roots, shovel-shaped incisors, enamel hypoplasia, impacted tooth, dental crowding, and an open bite. The oral and general characteristics of this patient are described and include the histological and radiographic findings of the mandibular third molars. We suggest that the distinctive oral features with macrodontia of the permanent teeth, multituberculism, evagination, single conical roots, and impaction of the tooth could be defined as the Ekman-Westborg-Julin trait.