Unmasking the Silent Threat: Periodontal Health's Impact on COPD Severity and Hospitalization.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and periodontitis, focusing on how periodontal health impacts COPD airflow limitation, exacerbations, and hospitalization. BACKGROUND: Periodontitis, a multifactorial inflammatory disease, is characterized by destruction of tooth-supporting structures, while COPD is a global pulmonary disorder with high mortality. METHODS: A total of 199 COPD patients aged over 40 years underwent lung function tests (spirometry), 6 min walk test, and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire-COPD (SGRQ-C) to assess lung health. Periodontal indices such as probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and plaque index (PI) were assessed. RESULTS: We found a significant negative correlation between periodontal disease severity and lung function (lower FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC ratio) after adjusting for smoking. Likewise, periodontal parameters (PPD, PI, and CAL) exhibited negative correlations with lung function. These periodontal indices were independently associated with airflow limitation severity, exacerbations frequency, and prior-year hospitalization. Linear regression indicated that each unit increase in PPD, PI, and CAL corresponded to estimated increases in GOLD airflow limitation grading (0.288, 0.718, and 0.193, respectively) and number of exacerbations (0.115, 0.041, and 0.109, respectively). In logistic regression, PPD, PI, and CAL adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated to increase by 1.29 (95%CI: 1.03-1.62), 3.04 (95%CI: 1.28-7.2), and 1.26 (95%CI: 1.06-1.49), respectively, for hospitalization in previous year. CONCLUSION: Periodontitis is associated with COPD airflow limitation, exacerbation, and hospitalization, with PI being the most clinically relevant periodontal factor. Dentists and physicians should monitor and increase awareness among COPD patients to maintain oral hygiene for prevention of periodontal diseases and mitigate its effect on COPD progression.

Challenges in the Classification of Oral Submucous Fibrosis and Proposing a New Classification Based on Systematic Review of Literature.

Aims and Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis is one of the common oral potentially malignant disorders that can result in severe morbidity. Due to its widespread involvement in the oral cavity and high risk of malignant transformation, the diagnosis and treatment of this disease at an early stage is essential to prevent further complications. This research was carried out to review various classification systems of oral submucous fibrosis documented in the literature to date, including their benefits and drawbacks, thus focusing on a need to discover some reliable classification systems. Materials and Methods: An electronic search of the published English literature was performed without publication year limitation in PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases using keywords like ('Oral submucous fibrosis' OR 'Oral submucous fibroses'), AND ('Classification' OR 'Grade' OR 'Stage'), AND ('Clinical', OR/ AND 'Histological', OR/AND 'Functional') following PRISMA guidelines. A manual search of all related Dental and Medical journals was also performed. We also checked the reference lists of the relevant articles for any other possible information on the subject. Results: The search strategy revealed 31 relevant articles and it could be appreciated that oral submucous fibrosis has been classified in seven different ways. Each system is enclosed with its own limitations and benefits. Conclusion: From this research, it can be concluded that despite the existence of several classification systems for oral submucous fibrosis, at present, no classification scheme is considered to be reliable that could help in the accurate assessment of the progression of the disease and classifying oral submucous fibrosis still remains a challenging task for clinicians, surgeons, and pathologists. We have postulated a proposed new classification system based on our literature research, but still robust research is needed in this aspect.

Plasma Fibrinogen Degradation Products as the Nonsurgical Diagnostic Tool for Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Systematic Review.

Aims and Objectives: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is known to be one of the most common premalignant conditions of the oral cavity. Areca nut (AN) is considered to be the disease's primary cause, while there are other potential causes as well. However, routine clinical practice has revealed that not all people who chew AN exhibit clinical signs of OSMF, and few people are reported to have it even without chewing AN. So, there must be other factors contributing to OSMF. Plasma fibrinogen degradation products (FDPs) have recently been discovered to be an early sign of this disease, indicating a potential link between the two. This review aims to examine the studies which have been published in the literature that explain the role of plasma FDPs in contributing to OSMF. Materials and Methods: An electronic search of the published literature was performed without publication year limitation in PubMed/ Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, Embase, and Research gate databases, using mesh keywords like ('Oral submucous fibrosis' OR 'Oral submucous fibrosis') AND ('Fibrinogen degradation products' OR 'Plasma fibrinogen degradation products') AND ('Clinical grades' OR 'Histological grades') AND ('Diagnosis'). A manual search of all related journals was also done. We also referred to the reference lists of papers. The risk of bias was evaluated with the GRADE criteria (from the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Working Group). Results: The search revealed a total of 12 relevant studies from 1979 to 2022. Nine out of 12 studies demonstrated the definite presence of plasma FDPs in such cases. Conclusions: Although the studies documented in the literature showing evidence of plasma FDPs in patients with OSMF are very few in number, their detection signifies an important clinical finding. More research is still required in this aspect to establish stronger evidence.

Reactive repositioning of pathologically migrated teeth following periodontal therapy.

Pathologically migrated teeth generally require orthodontic correction, as well as restorative options, as treatment. The term reactive positioning has been used to describe tooth movement that occurs without the use of appliances after periodontal treatment. This article describes the case of a young woman with periodontal attachment loss and distolabial pathologic migration of the maxillary central incisors, with midline diastema formation. Papilla preservation flap surgery was performed on the maxillary anterior segment, which spontaneously resolved the midline diastema without orthodontic treatment. This article also explores the possible mechanisms (hypotheses) for such an outcome of a simple periodontal surgery.

The effect of periodontal therapy on the improvement of glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

AIMS: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of improved periodontal health on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) patients who have generalized periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 type 2 DM patients with generalized periodontitis were selected for the study. The selected patients were randomly assigned to three groups (groups A, B, and C) comprising 15 patients each: * Group A received treatment with scaling and root planing only. * Group B received treatment with scaling and root planing followed by systemic doxycycline. * Group C received no treatment (control group). The periodontal parameters recorded included plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level. These parameters were recorded at baseline (day zero), at 1 month, and at the end of 3 months. The following metabolic parameters were recorded: fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PPBG), and glycated hemoglobin. These were recorded at baseline (day zero) and at the end of 3 months. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: All the parameters were subjected to repeated-measures ANOVA and Scheffe's post hoc test. RESULTS: A statistically significant effect could be demonstrated for periodontal parameters for both group A and group B (treatment groups). Glycated hemoglobin values showed statistically significant decrease in treatment groups compared to the control group, with group B showing more significant decrease than group A. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that nonsurgical periodontal treatment is associated with improved glycemic control in type 2 DM patients.