Effect of Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy on Clinical Parameters of Periodontitis, Oral Candida spp. Count and Lactoferrin and Histatin Expression in Saliva and Gingival Crevicular Fluid of HIV-Infected Patients.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis (PDT) has gained attention in the literature with the increase in life expectancy of people living with HIV on combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Thus, the search for inflammatory biomarkers could be useful to understand the pathophysiology of chronic oral diseases in the cART era. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) on clinical parameters of PDT, Candida spp. count and expression of lactoferrin (LF) and histatin (HST) in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of HIV-infected patients. METHODS: Bleeding index (BI), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), colonyforming units (CFUs) of Candida spp, and LF and HST levels were measured in saliva and GCF of both groups at three different times: baseline (before treatment), and 30 and 90 days after the NSPT. Clinical, mycological and immunoenzymatic analyses were also performed. RESULTS: Twenty-two HIV-infected patients and 25 non-HIV-infected patients with PDT participated in the study. NSPT was effective in improving periodontal clinical parameters, including ≤ 4 sites with PD ≤ 5mm and BI ≤ 10%. Significant change in oral Candida spp. count occurred neither between the two groups nor after NSPT. And the salivary and GCF levels of LF and HST were not influenced by the NSPT; by contrast, except for salivary LF, HST and LF were shown to exhibit significantly higher levels in HIV-infected than in non-HIV-infected patients. CONCLUSION: NSPT was effective in improving periodontal disease parameters in HIV-infected patients, but did not affect LF and HST expression in saliva and GCF of HIV-infected patients.

Effects of non-surgical periodontal therapy on clinical and immunological profile and oral colonization of Candida spp in HIV-infected patients with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: After the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has become a chronic controllable disease. For this reason, chronic conditions related to both HIV infection and senescence, such as chronic periodontitis (CP) need to be studied. This study investigated the impact of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) on clinical and immunological features of CP, and on oral colonization by Candida spp. in HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected individuals. METHODS: HIV-infected (test group) and non-HIV-infected (control group) adults patients with CP were selected. Gingival bleeding index (GI), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), number of teeth, CD4+ T lymphocytes and viral load (only for HIV-infected individuals), salivary cytokines (interleukin, [IL]-6, IL-8, and tumoral necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α]), and oral Candida infection (colony forming units and species) were assessed at baseline, and 30 and 90 days after NSPT. RESULTS: Twenty-two HIV-infected patients and 20 non-HIV-infected patients were evaluated. Candida counts and salivary IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-a levels were higher in the test group than in the control group. Both groups showed a decrease in oral Candida counts, GI, PD, IL-6, and IL-8 as well as gain in CAL at 30 and 90 days after NSPT. In addition, patients in the test group showed an increase of CD4+ T lymphocytes and a decrease of viral load. CONCLUSION: NSPT had a beneficial impact on clinical and immunological parameters of CP, reduction of oral Candida counts, and improvement of HIV-infection status.

Fluoride increases lead concentrations in whole blood and in calcified tissues from lead-exposed rats.

Higher blood lead (BPb) levels have been reported in children living in communities that receive fluoride-treated water. Here, we examined whether fluoride co-administered with lead increases BPb and lead concentrations in calcified tissues in Wistar rats exposed to this metal from the beginning of gestation. We exposed female rats and their offspring to control water (Control Group), 100mg/L of fluoride (F Group), 30mg/L of lead (Pb Group), or 100mg/L of fluoride and 30mg/L of lead (F+Pb Group) from 1 week prior to mating until offspring was 81 days old. Blood and calcified tissues (enamel, dentine, and bone) were harvested at day 81 for lead and fluoride analyses. Higher BPb concentrations were found in the F+Pb Group compared with the Pb Group (76.7+/-11.0microg/dL vs. 22.6+/-8.5microg/dL, respectively; p<0.001). Two- to threefold higher lead concentrations were found in the calcified tissues in the F+Pb Group compared with the Pb Group (all p<0.001). Fluoride concentrations were similar in the F and in the F+Pb Groups. These findings show that fluoride consistently increases BPb and calcified tissues Pb concentrations in animals exposed to low levels of lead and suggest that a biological effect not yet recognized may underlie the epidemiological association between increased BPb lead levels in children living in water-fluoridated communities.

Circulating interleukin-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein decrease after periodontal therapy in otherwise healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease has been associated with many chronic inflammatory systemic diseases, and a common chronic inflammation pathway has been suggested for these conditions. However, few studies have evaluated whether periodontal disease, in the absence of other known inflammatory conditions and smoking, affects circulating markers of chronic inflammation. This study compared chronic inflammation markers in control individuals and patients with periodontal disease and observed whether non-surgical periodontal therapy affected inflammatory disease markers after 3 months. METHODS: Plasma and serum of 20 controls and 25 patients with periodontal disease were obtained prior to and 3 months after non-surgical periodontal therapy. All patients were non-smokers, they did not use any medication, and they had no history or detectable signs and symptoms of systemic diseases. Periodontal and systemic parameters included probing depth, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level, hematologic parameters, as well as the following inflammatory markers: interleukin (IL)-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), CD40 ligand, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), soluble vascular adhesion molecule (sVCAM)-1, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1. RESULTS: There were no differences in the hematologic parameters of the patients in the control and periodontal disease groups. Among the tested inflammatory markers, IL-6 concentrations were higher in the periodontal disease group at baseline compared to the controls (P = 0.006). Therapy was highly effective (P <0.001 for all the analyzed clinical parameters), and a decrease in circulating IL-6 and hs-CRP concentrations was observed 3 months after therapy (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). Our results also suggest that the CD40 ligand marker may have been different in the control and periodontal disease groups prior to the therapy (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: In apparently otherwise healthy patients, periodontal disease is associated with increased circulating concentrations of IL-6 and hs-CRP, which decreased 3 months after non-surgical periodontal therapy. With regard to the CD40 ligand, MCP-1, sP-selectin, sVCAM-1, and sICAM-1, no changes were seen in the periodontal disease group between baseline and 3 months after therapy.

Is low birthweight associated with dental caries in permanent dentition?

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis of association between low birthweight and dental caries. This study used data from the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 1988-94 (NHANES III) including 7- to 11-year-old children with complete dental caries information (n = 2439). Two case definitions for dental caries were used: presence of the disease in more than one tooth, and more than 10% of teeth with dental caries. Low birthweight was defined as those children born weighing <2500 g. Other covariates used in the analysis were sex, age, poverty level, race/ethnicity, frequency of dental visit, education of head of household, daily sucrose intake, blood lead level and blood cotinine level. A separate analysis was conducted for each case definition of dental caries. Bivariable and stratified analysis was performed followed by multivariable Poisson regression. The Stata 8.0 statistical package was used to take into consideration the multistage complex sample. For the definition of more than one tooth with dental caries, the prevalence ratios (PRs) for bivariable and multivariable analyses were 1.28 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48, 3.42] and 1.01 [95% CI: 0.41, 2.49] respectively. For the definition of >10% of teeth with dental caries, the PRs for bivariable and multivariable analyses were 1.33 [95% CI: 0.60, 2.96] and 1.32 [95% CI: 0.75, 2.30] respectively. This study could not demonstrate an association between low birthweight and dental caries in permanent teeth of 7- to 11-year-old American children.