Quantification and comparison of salivary neutrophils in periodontal health and disease.

Background: Neutrophils continuously migrate into the oral cavity from various sources like gingival crevicular fluid and saliva both in health and in inflammation. The migration of the neutrophils into the various tissues and into the oral cavity occurs when the host microbial interplay tips the balance favoring the initiation of the inflammatory and immune reactions which depending on the amount of the microbial load results in the development of acute and chronic infections in the susceptible host. Aim: The present study was designed to quantify and compare the oral salivary neutrophil levels in patients with gingivitis and chronic and aggressive periodontitis as well as in healthy controls, before and after scaling and root planing (SRP) and to compare the difference within the selected study groups. Materials and Methods: Forty subjects were classified into four groups, that is, healthy controls, gingivitis, and chronic and aggressive periodontitis. Oral rinse samples were collected using Hank's balanced salt solution from each patient before and after phase I periodontal therapy. Cells in the rinse samples were stained with Acridine orange, and neutrophil counts were carried out using a fluorescence microscope and a hemocytometer. Results: Baseline oral salivary neutrophil levels were maximum in the chronic periodontitis group followed by the aggressive group and then the gingivitis group. Oral salivary neutrophil levels also positively correlated to probing pocket depth, plaque index, calculus index, and gingival index in all four study groups. Maximum reduction in the oral salivary neutrophil levels after phase I periodontal therapy was seen in the gingivitis group. Conclusion: From our study, we conclude that the oral salivary neutrophil levels decreased significantly after SRP. Estimation of changes in the oral salivary neutrophil levels has the potential to aid in monitoring treatment outcomes. Thus, it suggests that it could be used as a simple, noninvasive laboratory technique to monitor the periodontal status and disease progression.

EFFECT OF GOAL-ORIENTEDPATIENT CENTRIC HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL INTERVENTION ON BLOOD GLUCOSE CONTROL INTYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUSANDLEVEL OF PATIENT SATISFACTION.

The risk of complications, and thus the quality of life, for elderly diabetic patients is greatly affected by inadequate blood glucose control. Examining how Type 2 diabetic patients(T2DM)' complication rates and overall satisfaction with health care professional care change in response to a goal-oriented patient centric health care professional intervention. One hundred people were analysed in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to Category A (n=50) and Category B (n=50), following the random control method. Category A patients (n=50) received standard care, while Category B patients (n=50) received the goal-oriented patient centric health care professional intervention for their (T2DM). Both Categories were evaluated for their health care professional impact and health care professional satisfaction after a period of 12 weeks and compared. These three variables: blood glucose, blood pressure (DBP, mmHg) and low-density lipoprotein (Bad) Cholesterol Level (LDL-C levels)are all risk factors for problems in individuals suffering with T2DM. This improvement effect was statistically significant when compared to that seen in Category A. Both groups' self-management scores improved after the intervention compared to their baseline levels; however, the experimental group's scores improved much more than those of the Category A group. Furthermore, patients in the Category B group were more likely to adhere to their treatment protocol and the incidence of complications was lower in the Category B group compared to the Category A group (p<0.05). In addition, Category B had a higher average health care professional satisfaction along with good quality of life in comparison to Category A.

Management of a 20-year-old longstanding oroantral fistula: A case report and review of literature.

A systematic treatment plan and an appropriate selection of surgical technique are the critical requirements for an effective closure of oroantral fistula (OAF). A 45-year-old female patient had sinus opening after she underwent a surgical tooth extraction 20 years back. On her frequent visits to the dentists some attempts were made for closure including surgical intervention, only for the lesion to return back. Computerized tomography (CT) scan was taken to rule out any bony extension of a lesion, the CT revealed a 1 × 1 cm radiolucency with a through - through communication from the alveolar bone to the right maxillary sinus because of the bony defect in the floor of maxillary sinus along with thickening of the maxillary sinus lining. The closure of the defect was done by a lateral pedicle flap raised from the right side was elevated and laterally slid to cover the defect without tension and was sutured with 4-0 resorbable interrupted suture while maintaining a bare surgical bed covered by the periosteum and a thin layer of connective tissue. This technique provides immediate repair of the defect to the patient, and also maintains comparatively normal anatomic architecture to the oral cavity. Eight months postoperative follow-up revealed a complete closure of OAF without any complications. The findings of this case suggest that lateral sliding pedicle flap can be a conservative approach in managing a long-standing OAF.

Differences in hard and soft tissue profile after orthodontic treatment with and without extraction.

Aims and Background: Premolar extraction is often associated with variations in the soft tissue profile that lead to considerable improvements in the facial profile. This study compared the changes in the facial profile of hard and soft tissues and investigated possible differences in the various facial parameters between patients who were treated with and without premolar extraction. Materials and Methods: A total of 98 orthodontically treated patients were divided into two groups with an equal number of participants. Premolar extraction was performed in the test group only. A total of 33 landmarks were identified on each cephalometric radiograph. The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated. We evaluated changes in measurements between pre- and post-treatment by performing the signed-rank test. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare changes between the groups. Results: No significant differences were observed in the treatment outcomes of skeletal and soft tissue variables in class I and class II participants between the test and control groups (P > 0.01). However, significant differences were noted in the treatment outcomes of dental variables in class II participants between the groups. Dental variables did not show any significant difference in class III patients between the groups. Conclusion: This study showed that skeletal and soft tissue changes were similar in skeletal except for few dental parameters following orthodontic treatment with and without premolar extraction.

Evaluation of facial and palatal alveolar bone thickness and sagittal root position of maxillary anterior teeth on cone beam computerized tomograms.

BACKGROUND: Amount of bone covering the facial and palatal surface of the root and the sagittal root position are important parameters while considering an immediate implant placement. AIMS: This study measures the distance from cement-enamel junction (CEJ) to alveolar crest and thickness of alveolar bone of maxillary anterior teeth facially and palatally at 5 different points. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CBCT scans of 79 systemically healthy patients were evaluated by two calibrated and independent examiners. Measurements like: 1) distance from CEJ to Crest. 2) Thickness of facial and palatal alveolar bone at five different points a) Crest, b) 2 mm from the crest, c) mid root level, d) apical 3rd, e) apex. 3) Sagittal root position. 4) Labiopalatal distance at the apex. 5) Length of the bone from apex to the nasal floor for incisors. 6) Presence of fenestrations and dehiscences were assessed. RESULTS: Healthy maxillary anteriors were evaluated and less than 2 mm bone was seen at all five points, 0.5 to 1 mm bone is seen in all anteriors at crest, 2 mm from crest, midroot, apical 3rd level. 1 to 2 mm is seen at apex. Labiopalatal width at apex ranged from 3 mm to 13 mm with a mean of 7.45 ± 2.24 mm for centrals, 7.69 ± 2.14 mm for lateral incisors, and 6.76 ± 2.42 mm for canines. CONCLUSION: The present study supports the finding of very thin facial bone over maxillary anteriors and frequent occurrence of fenestrations and dehiscences. Pre-treatment evaluation of alveolar bone surrounding the maxillary anteriors is important to avoid complications during implant placement.

Radiographic evaluation of bone density in dentulous and edentulous patients in Riyadh, KSA.

BACKGROUND: The Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is currently being used as the most common diagnostic method to evaluate the bone density of the maxilla and the mandible for planning dental implant. Aim: The aim of the study is to check the quantitative alveolar bone density in complete or partial edentulous and dentulous male and female patients among Riyadh sample population in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved a cross-sectional analysis of 231 consecutive CBCT images of 231 different patients (115 males and 116 females). The scans were of Saudi National patients who were partially or completely edentulous without any bone infections in the maxilla and the mandible. The findings are presented as descriptive statistics and inferential statistics: student -t-test for two group means, ANOVA for three groups, Post-hoc LSD test for multiple comparisons, Levene statistics for testing the homogeneity of variances and a statistical significance at 5% level. RESULTS: Comparison of mean alveolar bone density in maxillae of dentulous male smokers showed a statistically significant difference for bucco-cortical plate and cancellous bone among different regions. In dentulous male nonsmokers, no significant difference was observed for maxillary regions, while in mandibular areas, a statistically significant difference was seen for buccal cortex, palatal cortex, and cancellous bone among different regions. While studying the scans of female dentulous patients, a statistically significant difference was observed in alveolar bone density for all the areas. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of bone density is an important step in treatment planning and this study was aimed to provide insight into bone density patterns of population in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Further similar studies in different populations can help in planning for more efficient treatment outcomes.

Comparison of efficacy among various topical anesthetics: An approach towards painless injections in periodontal surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Local anesthetics (LAs) are most commonly used agents in dentistry. They are used to prevent the pain and nociception generated during dental procedures. Since pain associated at the time of injection of LA is uncomfortable, most of the dentists are on pursuit of painless administration of LA injection and use of topical anesthetics prior to the injection has proven effective in reducing anxiety and pain to the patient. The aim of this study is to compare pain responses after application of three types of topical anesthetics with control in the patients referred for periodontal full mouth flap surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 83 patients (42 males and 41 females) participated in the study with age group ranging from 30 to 50 years. The present study is to evaluate the efficacy of three topical anesthetics (Precaine gel, Benzocaine topical paste and Lignocaine spray) before infiltration in altering visual analog scale (VAS) scores of pain during LA injection. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 15.0 software. Repeated analysis of variance was performed to know the effect of each variable and reveal statistical significance. RESULTS: Results revealed that Precaine gel had least VAS score compared with other topical anesthetics. CONCLUSION: From the present study, it can be concluded that procaine gel is a better than other topical LA agents, as the number of studies on this subject is rare and clinical results are mixed, further studies are required with a larger sample before its routine application in our field.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) induced cell growth inhibition, G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men and it is the second leading cause of cancer related death in men in the United States. Recent dietary and epidemiological studies have suggested the benefit of dietary intake of fruits and vegetables in lowering the incidence of prostate cancer. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides phytochemicals, particularly indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which may be responsible for the prevention of many types of cancer, including hormone-related cancers such as prostate. Studies to elucidate the role and the molecular mechanism(s) of action of I3C in prostate cancer, however, have not been conducted. In the current study, we investigated whether I3C had any effect against prostate cancer cells and, if so, attempts were made to identify the potential molecular mechanism(s) by which I3C elicits its biological effects on prostate cancer cells. Here we report for the first time that I3C inhibits the growth of PC-3 prostate cancer cells. Induction of G1 cell cycle arrest was also observed in PC-3 cells treated with I3C, which may be due to the observed effects of I3C in the up-regulation of p21(WAF1) and p27(Kip1) CDK inhibitors, followed by their association with cyclin D1 and E and down-regulation of CDK6 protein kinase levels and activity. The induction of p21(WAF1) appears to be transcriptionally upregulated and independent of the p53 responsive element. In addition, I3C inhibited the hyperpohosphorylation of the Retinoblastoma (Rb) protein in PC-3 cells. Induction of apoptosis was also observed in this cell line when treated with I3C, as measured by DNA laddering and poly (ADP-ribose) polymersae (PARP) cleavage. We also found an up-regulation of Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2 in I3C-treated cells. These effects may also be mediated by the down-regulation of NF-kappaB observed in I3C treated PC-3 cells. From these results, we conclude that I3C inhibits the growth of PC-3 prostate cancer cells by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest leading to apoptosis, and regulates the expression of apoptosis-related genes. These findings suggest that I3C may be an effective chemopreventive or therapeutic agent against prostate cancer.

Surgical outcomes after breast cancer surgery: measuring acute lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: Studies of lymphedema have used inconsistent measures and criteria. The purpose of this pilot study was to measure the onset and incidence of acute lymphedema in breast cancer survivors using strict criteria for limb evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible women were those undergoing breast cancer surgery that included axillary staging and/or radiation therapy of the breast. Arm volume, strength, and flexibility were measured preoperatively and quarterly. Lymphedema was defined as a greater than 10% increase in limb volume. Additional strength and flexibility assessments were done at these times. RESULTS: In 30 evaluable patients, half underwent modified radical mastectomy and half lumpectomy, with half of the lumpectomy patients undergoing axillary node staging. Of the 30 patients 27% were Stage 0; the rest were Stage I (27%), IIA (13%), IIB (23%), and IIIA (7%). One subject was IIIB postoperatively. There were 2 women with a 10% or greater change in limb volume; the change was detected in one woman at 3 months (5% incidence) and in the second woman at 6 months (11% incidence). Both had undergone mastectomy and axillary dissection and one of these two women had symptoms of tingling and numbness in the affected arm that began at 3 months. Overall, 35% of the sample experienced symptoms by 3 months, which included numbness, aching, and tingling of the entire upper extremity, but without volume changes. The relationship between undergoing modified radical mastectomy and experiencing symptoms in the affected limb at 3 months was significant (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this interim report strict methods of measurement and limb volume comparisons detected acute lymphedema at 3 months in 5% of the sample, and at 6 months in 11% of the sample. Furthermore, symptoms were detected in 35% without volume changes at 3 months postoperatively, which may warn of lymphedema occurrence within the next 3 months. This may assist clinical evaluation of symptoms in the postoperative period and support early referral to lymphedema experts.