Gingival enlargement improvement following medication change from amlodipine to benidipine and periodontal therapy.

The use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) is associated with gingival enlargement, which adversely affects oral function, hygiene and aesthetics. Although CCB-induced gingival enlargement is a known adverse effect, it is rarely or never caused by some CCBs. In this paper, we report the case of a late 80's female patient with hypertension who experienced amlodipine-induced gingival enlargement. The patient's antihypertensive medication was changed from amlodipine to another CCB of the same class, benidipine, which has not been reported to cause gingival enlargement. The patient also received periodontal therapy. A significant improvement in gingival enlargement was noted, and blood pressure control was maintained. This case indicates that it might be beneficial for patients with hypertension presenting CCB-induced gingival enlargement to switch from the CCB that caused gingival enlargement to another CCB with little to no risk.

Management of traumatic dental injury after periodontal surgery in patient with hereditary gingival fibromatosis: case report.

Traumatic Dental Injury (TDI) is often caused by a bruise from a sports-related incident or fall. In individuals with maxillary protrusion, the risk for TDI may be higher. We treated a patient with Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis (HGF), a rare genetic disorder characterized by proliferative fibrous overgrowth of gingival tissue, who subsequently received a TDI after periodontal surgery. A 13-year-old Japanese boy was referred to the Division of Periodontics at Aichi Gakuin University Dental Hospital in March 2005 with the chief complaint of generalized severe gingival overgrowth involving the maxillary and mandibular arches covering nearly all teeth. Prior to orthodontic treatment, periodontal surgery was performed under general anesthesia in consideration of mastication, dental esthetics, and development. However, soon thereafter in August 2007, the protruded maxillary anterior teeth received an injury while he was playing basketball and the maxillary central incisors showed extrusive luxation. Two weeks after being reset, the maxillary anterior teeth were splinted with wire and adhesive resin cement, and then the splint was removed following evaluations of clinical and radiographic showing signs of normal periodontium. The marginal bone height corresponded to that seen in radiographic findings after the reset and orthodontic treatment was started 1 year later. At the 6-year follow-up examination, the teeth remained asymptomatic, pulpal response to sensitivity tests was normal, and healing was shown in radiographic images. In the present HGF case, we speculated that removal of thick gingiva around the teeth, which might have functioned as a mouth guard, increased the risk for TDI while playing sports. TDI is more likely to occur in patients with exposed protruded misaligned teeth after periodontal surgery. Therefore, it is important for HGF patients with such protruded maxillary anterior teeth to use a mouth guard when participating in sports following periodontal surgery to prevent TDI.

Interleukin-1 receptor gene variants are associated with aggressive periodontitis in the Japanese.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have indicated that type-1 and type-2 interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptors (IL-1R1 and IL-1R2) play important roles in periodontitis progression. We investigated the association between periodontitis and polymorphisms in the IL-1R1 and IL-1R2 genes (IL1R1 and IL1R2). DESIGN: We searched for genetic variants in IL1R1 and IL1R2 in 24 Japanese patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP) and 24 periodontally healthy controls. Thirty-eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified within genomic regions containing all exons and relevant exon-intron boundaries in IL1R1 and IL1R2. Possible associations of each gene locus with AgP were investigated in 119 AgP patients and 102 periodontally healthy controls using allelotypes, genotypes, and haplotypes. RESULTS: Significant differences were noted in the frequencies of 3 SNPs in IL1R2 (rs3819370, rs3218974 and rs3218977) for AgPs and controls (p=0.012, p=0.008, and p=0.038, respectively), after adjustment for gender and smoking status in the additive model (p=0.016, p=0.007, and p=0.027, respectively) and 2 haplotypes (p=0.010 and p=0.011, respectively) constructed from 2 SNPs (rs3819370 and rs3218974) that showed the lowest p-values after adjustment of covariates in additive models. CONCLUSION: A genetic susceptibility locus for AgP may lie within or close to the IL1R2 locus. Further studies in other populations are necessary to confirm these results.

[Searches for the genes associated with periodontitis with gene polymorphisms].

Periodontitis is considered to be a common disease which onset and progression seems to be associated with genetic factors and many environmental factors, especially, the amount and composition of bacterial plaque. Previous studies have shown an association between periodontitis and polymorphisms in some genes, however, the critical loci for periodontal disease have not yet been identified. In the future, whole-genome association studies with periodontitis would suggest that the genetic susceptibility loci for periodontitis and provides important information for elucidation of the molecular mechanisms involved in the etiology of periodontal disease.

Association analysis between longevity in the Japanese population and polymorphic variants of genes involved in insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathways.

Recent studies have demonstrated a significant association between mutations in genes involved in the insulin/IGF1 signaling pathway and extension of the life span of model organisms. In this study which compared 122 Japanese semisupercentenarians (older than 105) with 122 healthy younger controls, we examined polymorphic variations of six genes which are involved in insulin/IGF1 signaling. These genes were FOXO1A, INSR, IRS1, PIK3CB, PIK3CG, and PPARGC1A. We investigated the possible association of each gene locus and longevity by haplotype-based association analyses using 18 SNPs from public databases and the published literature. One INSR haplotype, which was comprised of 2 SNPs in linkage disequilibrium, was more frequent in semisupercentenarians than in younger controls.

Association analysis of the SHC1 gene locus with longevity in the Japanese population.

The SHC1 gene encodes a signaling and transforming protein that has been implicated in the aging process in worms and mammals. In this study we examined 230 Japanese centenarians and 180 healthy younger controls and looked at the SHC1 locus as a candidate region that may be associated with longevity. We identified 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a 10-kb region encompassing the entire SHC1 gene from the DNA of 30 centenarians and 24 healthy younger controls. Five SNPs, including three nonsynonymous sites, lay within coding elements, six were located within introns, and one was in the 3' untranslated region. All of these SNPs were relatively rare, with a minor allele frequency of less than 5% in our subjects. A pairwise linkage disequilibrium analysis using the r2 statistic showed that two of the SNP pairs are in tight linkage disequilibrium at this locus. We investigated the possible association of SHC1 with longevity using association analyses with allelotypes and haplotypes but found that the SNPs identified in SHC1 had no impact on longevity for Japanese centenarians.