Assessment of dental age estimation using dentinal translucency in ground sections of single rooted teeth: a digital image analysis.

Human dentition is unique to individuals and helps in identification of individuals in forensic odontology. This study proposes to study the manually ground sections of single rooted teeth using digital methods for dental age estimation. To assess the dentinal translucency from the scanned digital images of manually ground section of teeth using commercially available image edition software. Corroborating the root dentinal translucency length and region of interest (ROI) of translucency zone in pixels (as a marker of dental age) with the chronological age of the subject, as stratified by different age groups. Twenty single-rooted extracted teeth from 20 patients each from 6 groups divided as per age. Manual sectioning of the teeth followed by scanning the sections was done. Root area in pixels and ROI of translucency zone were measured. From the observed values, translucency length percentage (TLP) and percentage of ROI in pixels (TPP) was calculated and tabulated. Pearson's correlation coefficients were obtained for age with TLP and TPP. Positive correlation existed between age and TLP and also between age and TPP. With the obtained data, multilinear regression equations for specific age groups based on 10-year intervals were derived. By a step-down analysis method, age was estimated with an average error of around ±7.9 years. This study gives a novel method for age-estimation that can be applied in real-time forensic sciences.

Diagnostic Utility of Gram Stain for Oral Smears - A Review.

For rapid and successful treatment of infectious diseases, detection of the presence of microorganisms is essential. Traditional culture-based approaches are limiting and time consuming for microbial identification. The most popular staining technique for identifying Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms in various tissues is called Gram staining. This method is utilized in both clinical practice and research. Gram staining of the oral smears is the preliminary step in the identification of any pathological shift in normal oral microbiota. This review discusses the principle of gram stain emphasizing its significance in diagnostic utility for oral smears.

Comparative Evaluation of Buccal Exfoliated Cells in Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus and Healthy Controls: A Cytomorphometric Analysis.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is the third most frequent cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Patients with diabetes exhibit a variety of oral symptoms, and hence the early detection of this condition can be addressed by a dentist. Aim: The current study aimed to study the cytomorphometric alterations of buccal exfoliated cells in individuals with type II diabetes mellitus. Methodology: The study included thirty diabetics and thirty healthy controls. The smears were obtained from the buccal mucosa and stained with Papanicolaou stain and hematoxylin and eosin stain. The presence of inflammatory cells, microbial carriage, nuclear enlargement, and perinuclear halo and binucleation were examined on the slides. Cellular and nuclear parameters were quantitatively measured using Image J software. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software, and the Student's t-test was employed. Results: No inflammatory cells or microbes were observed in Group I individuals; however, the perinuclear halo was observed in 16.6% and binucleated cells in 3.3% of the controls. Inflammatory cells, consisting mainly of neutrophils and lymphocytes were seen in 40%, microbial carriage in 26.6%, perinuclear halo in 73.3%, and binucleated cells in 36.6% of the diabetic patients. The mean nuclear diameter, area, and nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio were significantly high in diabetic patients when compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: Oral exfoliated mucosal cells of patients with diabetes mellitus exhibit distinct cytomorphometric alterations such as increased nuclear diameter, nuclear area, and nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Non-Tobacco Associated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Reveals Deregulation of Cytoskeletal and Apoptotic Proteins.

BACKGROUND: The exact etiology of non-tobacco associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (NT-OSCC) is still unknown. The lack of established biomarkers for oral NT-OSCC has resulted in less effective management and poor prognosis. Here, we report for the first time a panel of potential markers identified from the quantitative proteomic analysis of NT-OSCC using two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis (2D-GE) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization - time of flight (MALDI-TOF) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) and further analysis using protein analysis through evolutionary relationships (PANTHER) database. OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively analyze the proteomic profile of non-tobacco associated oral squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: Twenty fresh tissue samples were collected from healthy controls and NT-OSCC, ten each, and were subjected to proteomic analysis. Sample quantification for the presence of protein was done using Bradford assay and bovine serum albumin was used as a standard protein to obtain the standard graph. Fractionation of protein was done using sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and they were separated based on their molecular weight. MS analysis was done and the purified peptides were analysed using MALDI-TOF. PANTHER database for functional classification and pathway analysis was done for identification of protein expression. RESULTS: Our approach of combining 2D-GE with MS identified four candidate proteins including keratin, alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), S100 and serpin B5 with significant differential expression in NT-OSCC as compared with healthy controls. The results showed that the levels of these proteins were significantly upregulated in NT-OSCC when compared to the healthy controls that suggests that these proteins can be used as candidate targets for NT-OSCC therapeutics. CONCLUSION: The differentially expressed proteins are found to be involved in apoptotic signalling pathways, cytoskeletal dynamics and are known to play a critical role in oral tumorigenesis. Put together, the results provide available baseline information for understanding the development and progression of NT-OSCC. These identified proteins on further validation may be used as potential biomarkers in future for early detection and predicting therapeutic outcome of patients with NT-OSCC.

Elongated styloid process: A study.

The styloid process (SP) on the temporal bone is a highly variable formation. The normal length of the SP ranges from 20 to 30 mm. In spite of its being normally distributed in the population, SPs could be divided into two groups - short SPs with >20 mm and long SPs with <20 mm in length. The SP is often denoted as elongated when it is longer than 30 mm or 33 mm. These dimensions, based on early reports, do not respect the natural variation of the SP. The aim of this study is to investigate the natural variation of the length of the SP.