Oral cancer diagnosis communication: Impact of an educational intervention using the SPIKES protocol.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the influence of a single educational intervention on the perception and knowledge of strategies for communicating oral cancer diagnoses. METHODS: A educational intervention, 72 dentists and 41 dental undergraduates participated in the 'Maio Vermelho Project', a continuing education activity. Participants completed a 14-question online questionnaire concerning their experiences and perceptions of delivering difficult news. The educational intervention featured an interview illustrating the SPIKES protocol, broadcast on YouTube. RESULTS: Participants had a mean age of 40 years. A minority (21.2%) had encountered or experienced communicating an oral cancer diagnosis. Exposure to lectures on this topic during their education was uncommon (22.1%) but more prevalent among students. After the intervention, confidence in communicating a cancer diagnosis (29.2%) and addressing the patient's family (30.1%) in line with the SPIKES protocol increased. CONCLUSION: A training deficit persists in delivering cancer diagnoses, highlighting the need for educational interventions to empower students and professionals in this critical procedure. Integration of this topic into the dental undergraduate curriculum is imperative. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Effectively communicating a cancer diagnosis poses challenges to healthcare professionals, impacting treatment outcomes. Implementing educational interventions ensures that professionals are well prepared to navigate this complex task, ultimately improving patient care.

Amitriptyline effectiveness in burning mouth syndrome: An in-depth case series analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of amitriptyline (AMT), and to identify the determinants of the treatment's effectiveness in patients diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). BACKGROUND: Treatment of BMS is challenging and no established treatment protocol is available. AMT may be an important treatment option, cout not all patients benefit from this drug. Studies assessing factors related to treatment response are valuable in improving decision-making. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case series study examined the medical records of all patients diagnosed with BMS at an oral medicine unit in a university hospital from 2008 to 2022. The patients were divided into responders to AMT and non-responders to AMT. Data on demographic information, comorbidities, medications, types of symptoms and oral subsites affected were collected. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to assess the association between the independent variables and the outcome, using the Chi-squared test (P < .05). RESULTS: Three hundred and fourty-nine patients reported a burning mouth sensation, 50 of them (14.3%) being diagnosed with primary BMS. Of these, 35 were treated with AMT, and 26 (74.2%) responded significantly to AMT. All males responded to AMT, whereas only 67.9% of females responded. The mean dose of AMT among responders was 29.8 ± 12.3 mg, with most patients achieving a response with 25 mg (61.5% of patients), followed by 50 mg (23%). The concomitant use of an anticonvulsant resulted in non-response. CONCLUSIONS: AMT may be effective in BMS management for most patients.

Could Teledentistry Be a Solution in the Diagnosis of Oral Lesions?

In recent years, teledentistry has gained visibility, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerning oral medicine, there is great expectation, particularly about its potential to promote early diagnosis of oral lesions. In southern Brazil, two initiatives have shown a positive influence on each other and have led to greater awareness of oral cancer and more access to qualified advice on diagnosing and managing oral lesions. Although the contributions of this approach are promising, there are barriers to be overcome.

Convolutional neural network misclassification analysis in oral lesions: an error evaluation criterion by image characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study analyzed the errors generated by a convolutional neural network (CNN) when performing automated classification of oral lesions according to their clinical characteristics, seeking to identify patterns in systemic errors in the intermediate layers of the CNN. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis nested in a previous trial in which automated classification by a CNN model of elementary lesions from clinical images of oral lesions was performed. The resulting CNN classification errors formed the dataset for this study. A total of 116 real outputs were identified that diverged from the estimated outputs, representing 7.6% of the total images analyzed by the CNN. RESULTS: The discrepancies between the real and estimated outputs were associated with problems relating to image sharpness, resolution, and focus; human errors; and the impact of data augmentation. CONCLUSIONS: From qualitative analysis of errors in the process of automated classification of clinical images, it was possible to confirm the impact of image quality, as well as identify the strong impact of the data augmentation process. Knowledge of the factors that models evaluate to make decisions can increase confidence in the high classification potential of CNNs.

Experiences, perceptions, and decision-making capacity towards oral biopsy among dental students and dentists.

The dentist plays a crucial role in identifying oral lesions as it is their responsibility to conduct the clinical examination for diagnosing diseases in this anatomical region. Dentists should be able to perform simple oral biopsies when this procedure is necessary. However, several studies point out that dentists lack experience and perceive themselves incapable of performing biopsies. This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to assess participants' experiences and perceptions regarding a continuing education activity focused on the biopsy procedure. The secondary aim was to evaluate their ability to determine when a biopsy is indicated. The sample consisted of 228 individuals: 143 dentists and 85 undergraduate dental students who completed questionnaires related to a lecture held in May/2021, as part of the continuing educational activities of the "Red May" Project. Participants completed two questionnaires: the first assessed their experience and self-confidence in performing oral biopsies, whereas the second evaluated their capacity to define when the biopsy is indicated by means the evaluation of 10 clinical cases. The results reveal no significant difference in the percentage of correct answers between dental students and dentists. Regarding the frequency of performing the biopsy procedure, most respondents (69.7%) reported doing so rarely or never. Furthermore, while 31.6% of the participants stated that they perform biopsies depending on the case, 68.4% prefer to refer patients to specialists, such as professionals in Stomatology/Oral Medicine. These findings highlight limitations in the educational preparation of the study population concerning biopsy procedures, oral lesions, and their management. They also indicate a concerning tendency to overestimate knowledge in this area. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of continuing education and underscores the need to revise academic curricula and provide complementary education for all dental professionals.

Contribution of public oral pathology services to the diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in Brazil.

This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of oral and maxillofacial pathology laboratories (OMPLs) in Brazilian public universities to the diagnosis of lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A cross-sectional study was performed using biopsy records from a consortium of sixteen public OMPLs from all regions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South). Clinical and demographic data of patients diagnosed with lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC between 2010 and 2019 were collected from the patients' histopathological records. Of the 120,010 oral and maxillofacial biopsies (2010-2019), 6.9% (8,321 cases) were diagnosed as lip (0.8%, 951 cases), oral cavity (4.9%, 5,971 cases), and oropharyngeal (1.2%, 1,399 cases) SCCs. Most cases were from Brazil's Southeast (64.5%), where six of the OMPLs analyzed are located. The predominant profile of patients with lip and oral cavity SCC was Caucasian men, with a mean age over 60 years, low schooling level, and a previous history of heavy tobacco consumption. In the oropharyngeal group, the majority were non-Caucasian men, with a mean age under 60 years, had a low education level, and were former/current tobacco and alcohol users. According to data from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute, approximately 9.9% of the total lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCCs reported over the last decade in Brazil may have been diagnosed at the OMPLs included in the current study. Therefore, this data confirms the contribution of public OMPLs with respect to the important diagnostic support they provide to the oral healthcare services extended by the Brazilian Public Health System.

Virtual learning object about oral ulcerative lesions: controlled educational intervention study

Abstract The aim of this study was to develop a virtual learning object (VLO) to teach undergraduate dental students about the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to oral ulcerative lesions. The VLO was developed with information on the diagnostic process, lesion classification, and clinical-surgical management of oral ulcerative lesions. The VLO content was initially validated by a group of specialists. Learning was evaluated in a sample of 58 undergraduate dental students, divided into control group (conventional theoretical class, n = 29) and intervention group (interaction with VLO, n = 29). All students answered a pre-test and post-test questionnaire. The VLO group also answered a specific questionnaire on the evaluation of the VLO. Both quantitative and qualitative descriptive analyses were performed. The validation showed that professors and students considered the VLO adequate. The use of the VLO was recommended by 100% of professors and 86.6% of students. In the intervention group, the results showed a significantly higher number of correct answers in the post-test (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the VLO proved to be a useful tool for teaching oral medicine, contributing significantly to the knowledge of ulcerated lesions in the mouth.

Contribution of public oral pathology services to the diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in Brazil

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of oral and maxillofacial pathology laboratories (OMPLs) in Brazilian public universities to the diagnosis of lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A cross-sectional study was performed using biopsy records from a consortium of sixteen public OMPLs from all regions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South). Clinical and demographic data of patients diagnosed with lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC between 2010 and 2019 were collected from the patients' histopathological records. Of the 120,010 oral and maxillofacial biopsies (2010-2019), 6.9% (8,321 cases) were diagnosed as lip (0.8%, 951 cases), oral cavity (4.9%, 5,971 cases), and oropharyngeal (1.2%, 1,399 cases) SCCs. Most cases were from Brazil's Southeast (64.5%), where six of the OMPLs analyzed are located. The predominant profile of patients with lip and oral cavity SCC was Caucasian men, with a mean age over 60 years, low schooling level, and a previous history of heavy tobacco consumption. In the oropharyngeal group, the majority were non-Caucasian men, with a mean age under 60 years, had a low education level, and were former/current tobacco and alcohol users. According to data from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute, approximately 9.9% of the total lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCCs reported over the last decade in Brazil may have been diagnosed at the OMPLs included in the current study. Therefore, this data confirms the contribution of public OMPLs with respect to the important diagnostic support they provide to the oral healthcare services extended by the Brazilian Public Health System.

Online search interest in the use of antibiotics for dental pain: an infodemiology study / Interesse em pesquisas online sobre o uso de antibióticos para dor dentária: um estudo infodemiológico

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the online search interest pertaining to queries regarding antibiotics for dental pain. Material and Methods : Google Trends™ was used to identify the online search interest. Previously, a literature search was performed on the most frequently used antibiotics in dentistry in Brazil. Accordingly, the search terms used were Amoxicillin (AM), Clindamycin (CD), Azithromycin (AZ) and Metronidazole (MD), with the phrase "for toothache" in Portuguese and English. A time-series covered the last 240 weeks (from 2015 to 2020), and the results of each term were compared to their respective annual value. Geographic regions were also evaluated. To obtain a relative search volume (RSV), the resulting Google Trends™ numbers were then scaled to a range from 0 to 100 based on the ratio of searches on a topic to searches across all topics. Results : We observed an upward trend in all antibiotics search terms over the 5 years analyzed, with a peak of greater interest in 2019. The antibiotic of most interest related to toothache was 'AM', followed by 'AZ', 'MD', and 'CD'. The annual RSV of toothache searches rose steadily from 2015 to 2020. Variations were observed between Brazilian geographic regions, and the Northeast region presented with the greatest interest in the topic. Conclusion : Although there were variations in annual and regional trends, an expressive and persistent increase in collective interest regarding the use of antibiotics related to toothache, mainly amoxicillin, was observed. Our findings provide insights for public health promotion programs. (AU)

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o interesse da pesquisa online em consultas sobre antibióticos para dor de dente. Material e métodos : o Google Trends™ foi usado para identificar o interesse de pesquisa online. Anteriormente, foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os antibióticos mais utilizados em odontologia no Brasil. A partir daí, os termos de busca utilizados foram Amoxicilina (AM), Clindamicina (CD), Azitromicina (AZ) e Metronidazol (MD) com os termos "para dor de dente" em português e inglês. Uma série histórica abrangeu as últimas 240 semanas (abril de 2015 a abril de 2020), e os resultados de cada período foram comparados com seus respectivos valores anuais. Regiões geográficas também foram avaliadas. Os números resultantes do Google Trends ™ são dimensionados para um intervalo de 0 a 100 com base na proporção de um tópico para todas as pesquisas em todos os tópicos de busca. Isso é chamado de volume relativo de pesquisa (RSV). Resultados : Foi observada uma tendência crescente para todos os termos de antibióticos ao longo dos 5 anos analisados, com um pico de maior interesse em 2019. O antibiótico de maior interesse na dor de dente foi 'AM', seguido por 'AZ', 'MD' e 'CD'. O RSV anual das buscas de dor de dente cresceu continuamente de 2015 a 2020. Variações foram observadas entre as regiões geográficas brasileiras, sendo que a Região Nordeste apresentou o maior interesse pelo tema. Conclusão : Embora tenha havido variação nas tendências anuais e regionais, observou-se um aumento expressivo e persistente do interesse coletivo pelo uso de antibióticos relacionados à dor de dente, principalmente a amoxicilina. Nossas descobertas fornecem insights para programas de promoção pública.(AU)

Distance learning course improves primary care dentists' diagnosis and self-efficacy in the management of oral lesions

Abstract Oral cancer represents a public health issue because of its high mortality rate, resulting mainly from diagnostic delays. Insufficient training in oral diagnosis is usually perceived by dentists. Distance learning could be used as an auxiliary tool to bridge that gap. This study evaluated the impact of a distance learning course on oral mucosal lesion diagnosis offered to public healthcare dentists. Participants of an online course answered a pretest/posttest comprising clinical images of 30 clinical cases. Participants were questioned about the diagnosis and informed their decision on the cases (referring the cases to a specialist or managing them themselves), as a parameter of perceived self-efficacy. A total of 442 dentists enrolled in the course. Their pass rate was 97%. Classification of the nature of the lesions, diagnostic hypotheses, sensitivity, and specificity improved by 13.4%, 10.0%, 13.4%, and 6.6%, respectively (p<0.01, Wilcoxon test). Regarding management, there was a 16.6% reduction in the intention to refer cases, while confidence in the diagnosis of benign lesions increased by 40%. A distance learning course may be useful in continuing education actions for primary care dentists, improving their diagnostic abilities and encouraging them in the management of oral lesions. Moreover, this strategy could contribute to disseminating knowledge to remote regions, particularly among primary health care professionals.

Prognostic factors from squamous cell carcinoma of the hard palate, gingiva and upper alveolar ridge

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicodemographic characteristics and treatment protocol as prognostic factors in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the hard palate, upper gingiva, and alveolar ridge (HPUGAR). This retrospective cohort study collected data of patients treated in two head and neck surgery departments in southern Brazil between 1999 and 2021. Information on clinicodemographic data, habits, site, size, clinical aspect, clinical staging, cervical metastasis, treatment, and survival was collected. Associations between independent variables and outcomes were assessed using Pearson's chi-square test and binary regression. Kaplan-Meier test was employed to compare the survival between the neck approaches. Forty-one patients were included; most were male (61%), with a mean age of 68.8 (± 13.9) years. The consumption of tobacco (p = 0.003) and alcohol (p = 0.02) was significantly higher in male than in female patients. The main clinical features observed in the study sample were lesions larger than 2 cm (48.7%), no cervical (90.2%), or distant metastasis (90.2%). Surgery alone was the main treatment approach (48.8%). The watch-and-wait strategy was adopted in 34 cases (83.0%), while elective neck dissection was applied in five (12.2%). Only two patients with cN0 disease (4.9%) presented with cervical metastasis at follow-up. Eight patients (12.2%) died of the disease. Clinicodemographic variables, habits, surgical margins, and histological subtype were not significantly associated with cervical metastasis or survival. Cervical metastasis (p = 0.004) was associated with poor survival. No difference was detected in survival between different neck approaches (p = 0.28). Cervical metastasis and local recurrence are negative prognostic factors for HPUGAR OSCC.

Synchronous teleconsultation in the management of temporomandibular disorder

ABSTRACT Purpose: to analyze synchronous teleconsultation as a support tool in the management of temporomandibular disorders in primary health care and to identify which factors have an impact on decisions about teleconsultation. Methods: retrospective study perfomed in TelessaúdeRS, between May 2018 to May 2020. This study used primary data from synchronous teleconsultation, requested by primary health care professionals and carried out by multiprofessional teleconsultants. The data collected were the information reported by the requester, the teleconsultant's suggestions and if there was referral of the patient for specialized care after teleconsultation. The statistical association was investigated between patient characteristics and decision of teleconsultation; and teleconsultation conduct suggestions and decision of teleconsultation, using Fisher's exact test and modeling was performed using binary logistic regression considering 5% of significance (p≤0.05). Results: during the period, 56 teleconsultations had a temporomandibular diagnostic hypothesis, these 79.2% patients were female and the average age was 43.7 years. In 59.1% of teleconsultations, primary care management was suggested, with 72.4% of patients being managed. An association was found between the decision of teleconsultation and referral to specialized care (p <000.1). The trauma report (p = 0.004) was associated with a greater chance of being referred for special care and suggestions for pharmacological (p <0.001) and non-pharmacological (p = 0.007) treatments were introduced among the teleconsultation managed in primary care. Conclusion: teleconsultation helped to manage the majority of temporomandibular disorder, streamlining care and having the potential to avoid unnecessary referrals to special care.

Analysis of referrals to the stomatology service in a Southern Brazilian hospital: a retrospective study

Abstract This paper intends to describe the demand for referrals to the stomatology service requested by the medical teams for inpatients in a reference hospital in the south of Brazil. This research is a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study focusing on data collection and assessment of information about referrals to the stomatology unit carried out from January 2008 to December 2018. All information was obtained from the hospital management software database, then transferred and analyzed individually for descriptive statistics. A total of 4433 cases were referred to the stomatology team, with an average of 403 cases by year. Hematology/hemato-oncology (37.3%) was the specialty asking for the majority of the referrals, followed by Oncology (20.4%) and Pneumology (8.2%). The mean patients' profile was males (55.5%), receiving a diagnosis of oral mucositis (43.5%), and with the first and second decades of life being the most prevalent ones (34.9%), with a mean age of 34.8±22.3 years. The most common treatment performed by the stomatology team was the photobiomodulation therapy (44.8%). This retrospective study demonstrated the important profile of the stomatological care in hospitalized patients from a specific hospital, especially referred by the hematology/hemato-oncology team. These results evidenced the importance of the stomatology specialty in the hospital environment.

An analysis of the completeness of referral forms and cases evaluated by an oral medicine specialized service

Introduction: Oral lesions are present in approximately 30% of the population worldwide. Although the mouth is an anatomical region that can be easily accessed for direct visual examination, most dentists of dental surgeons have reported difficulties in the diagnosis and management of oral diseases. The primary aim of this study was to assess the completeness of referral forms of the patients referred by dentists from the primary care basic health units to an Oral Medicine service. The secondary aim was to analyze if the complexity of the cases justify the referral to a specialist. Methods: Data from 131 referral forms of patients referred from June 2014 to April 2016 were retrieved from the records. The referral's completeness analysis comprised two stages. Stage 1 mainly comprised patient and applicant's information. In the Stage 2, the documents were scored according to amount of information, including the description of the lesion characteristics and the procedures required for the patients' diagnosis and management. The referral was considered justifiable if some procedures not available at primary care were required for diagnosis or treatment. Results: Five (9.8%) referral forms were considered well filled. Diagnosis agreement was 71.4%. Regarding the need of referral, 40,6% of the cases (n = 50) could be settle at the primary care. Conclusion: In conclusion, few referral forms had high-quality information and the many cases could be managed at primary care health services. (AU)

BMI-1 expression increases in oral leukoplakias and correlates with cell proliferation

Abstract Oral leukoplakia (OL) is a white lesion of an indeterminate risk not related to any excluded (other) known diseases or disorders that carry no increased risk for cancer. Many biological markers have been used in an attempt to predict malignant transformation; however, no reliable markers have been established so far. Objective To evaluate cell proliferation and immortalization in OL, comparing non-dysplastic (Non-dys OL) and dysplastic OL (Dys OL). Methodology This is a cross-sectional observational study. Paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 28 specimens of Non-dys OL, 33 of Dys OL, 9 of normal oral mucosa (NOM), 17 of inflammatory hyperplasia (IH), and 19 of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) were stained for Ki-67 and BMI-1 using immunohistochemistry. Results A gradual increase in BMI-1 and K-i67 expression was found in oral carcinogenesis. The immunolabeling for those markers was higher in OSCC when compared with the other groups (Kruskal-Wallis, p<0.05). Ki-67 expression percentage was higher in OL and in IH when compared with NOM (Kruskal-Wallis/Dunn, p<0.05). Increased expression of BMI-1 was also observed in OL when compared with NOM (Kruskal-Wallis/Dunn, p<0.05). No differences were observed in expression of both markers when non-dysplastic and dysplastic leukoplakias were compared. A significant positive correlation between Ki-67 and BMI-1 was found (Spearman correlation coefficient, R=0.26, p=0.01). High-grade epithelial dysplasia was associated with malignant transformation (Chi-squared, p=0.03). Conclusions These findings indicate that BMI-1 expression increases in early oral carcinogenesis and is possibly associated with the occurrence of dysplastic changes. Furthermore, our findings indicate that both Ki-67 and BMI-1 are directly correlated and play a role in initiation and progression of OSCC.

Comparative effectiveness of photobiomodulation and manual therapy alone or combined in TMD patients: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract The effectiveness of photobiomodulation (PBM) and manual therapy (MT), alone or combined (CT), were evaluated in pain intensity, mandibular movements, psychosocial aspects, and anxiety symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. Fifty-one TMD patients were randomly assigned to three groups: the PBM group (n = 18), which received PBM with 808 nm, 100 mW, 13.3 J/cm2, and 4 J per point; the MT group (n=16) for 21 minutes each session on masticatory muscles and temporomandibular joint TMJ; and the CT group (n = 17), applied during twelve sessions. Seven evaluations were performed in different moments using visual analogue scale (VAS), Research Diagnosis Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis I and II, and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI). All groups demonstrated reductions in pain and improvement in jaw movements during treatment and at follow-up (< 0.001). The assessment of psychosocial aspects of TMD, comparing baseline and follow-up in all treatment groups, revealed that treatment did not promote modification in the intensity of chronic pain (p > 0.05). However, depression symptoms showed a reduction in PBM and CT groups (p≤0.05). All treatments promoted reduction in physical symptoms with and without pain and enhancement of jaw disabilities (p ≤ 0.05). MT promotes improvement in 5 functions, PBM in 2, and CT in 1 (p < 0.001). BAI analysis revealed that all treatments lead to a reduction in anxiety symptoms (p≤0.05). All protocols tested were able to promote pain relief, improve mandibular function, and reduce the negative psychosocial aspects and levels of anxiety in TMD patients. However, the combination of PBM and MT did not promote an increase in the effectiveness of both therapies alone.

Effect of different presentations of resveratrol on cell proliferation and epitelial thickness of the oral mucosa of wistar rats

Introduction: Grape is one of the most important fruit crops across the world and can be consumed in different ways. There has been a growing interest in the role of antioxidants such as resveratrol, which can be found in grape skin, in oral and dental tissues. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of different presentations of resveratrol on cell proliferation and epithelial thickness of the oral mucosa of Wistar rats. Methods: Fifty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: water/control, red wine, grape juice, 12% alcoholic solution/ethanol and aqueous solution of resveratrol. Samples of palatal and tongue mucosa were collected for a histomorphometric analysis using hematoxylin-eosin staining and the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) technique for quantification of cell proliferation. Results: As to epithelial thickness, both the tongue and the palate showed a statistically significant difference between the control group and the other groups, with greater decrease in the resveratrol and the wine groups. In the suprabasal layer of both the tongue and the palate epithelium, red wine reduced the rate of cell proliferation, while ethanol increased it. In the basal layer of the tongue epithelium, there was a statistically significant difference between the control, the grape juice and the resveratrol groups and the ethanol group, with increased cell proliferation in the ethanol group. Conclusions: Wine does not interfere in the physiological renewal of the basal layer of the buccal epithelium and exerts a protective action by reducing the cell proliferation rate of the suprabasal layer (AU)

Effect of 15% Alcohol Dependence on Alveolar Bone Loss and TNF-α Secretion in Wistar Rats

Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 15% alcohol dependence on ligature-induced alveolar bone loss and TNF- secretion in Wistar rats. Thirty-three male Wistar rats aged 45-60 days (mean weight=253 g) were randomly allocated test or control groups. Test group (n=18) received 15% alcohol as liquid intake and control group (n=15) received water during the experimental period. TNF-α was analyzed by ELISA assay in 11 animals per group. After 14 days of alcohol/water intake, alcohol dependency was assessed and silk ligatures were placed around the left second upper molars. Ligature presence and body weight were checked weekly. After 40 days, animals were sacrificed and the maxillae were defleshed for morphometric analysis using standardized images. All animals in the test group displayed signs of alcohol dependency at day 14. No statistically significant differences in final body weight (334.83±21.38 vs. 322.48±30.65 g, p=0.20) were observed between groups. In relation to alveolar bone loss, no statistically significant difference was observed among test and control groups both for ligated teeth (0.76±0.06 vs. 0.74±0.10 mm, p=0.60) and unligated teeth (0.41±0.16 vs. 0.35±0.05 mm, p=0.22). The TNF-α secretion also did not display statistically significant differences between test and control groups (10.78±1.84 vs. 12.13±2.11 pg/mL, p=0.12). It may be concluded that 15% alcohol dependency was not capable to alter alveolar bone loss and TNF-α secretion in Wistar rats.

Resumo O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o efeito da dependência de álcool a 15% sobre a perda óssea alveolar induzida e secreção de TNF-α em ratos Wistar. Trinta e três ratos wistar com idade entre 45 e 60 dias (peso médio=253 g) foram alocados aleatoriamente para o grupo teste ou controle. O grupo teste (n=18) recebeu álcool a 15% como ingestão líquida e o grupo controle (n=15) recebeu água durante o período experimental. TNF-α foi analisado por meio de ELISA em 11 animais por grupo. Após 14 dias de ingestão de álcool/água a dependência do álcool foi determinada e ligaduras de seda foram colocadas ao redor dos segundos molares superiores esquerdos. A presença das ligaduras e o peso corporal foram verificadas semanalmente. Depois de 40 dias os animais foram sacrificados e as maxilas foram preparadas para análise morfométrica em fotografias estandardizadas. Todos os animais do grupo teste apresentaram sinais de dependência de álcool no dia 14. Não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas no peso corporal final entre os grupos (334,83±21,38 vs. 322,48±30,65 gramas, p=0,20) Em relação a perda óssea alveolar, não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos teste e controle tanto para dentes com (0,76±0,06 vs. 0,74±0,10 mm, p=0,60) como para dentes sem ligadura (0,41±0,16 vs. 0,35±0,05 mm, p=0,22). A secreção de TNF-α também não demonstrou diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos teste e controle (10,78±1,84 vs. 12,13±2,11 pg/mL, p=0,12). Pode-se concluir que a dependência de álcool a 15% não foi capaz de alterar a perda óssea alveolar e a secreção de TNF-α em ratos Wistar.