Changes in periodontal and microbial parameters after the space maintainers application.

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the clinical and microbiological changes accompanying the inflammatory process of periodontal tissues during treatment with space maintainers (SMs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The children were separated into fixed (Group 1, n = 20) and removable (Group 2, n = 20) appliance groups. A full periodontal examination, including probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI), was performed. Anaerobic microorganisms in the crevicular fluid were detected with the culture method. Clinical and microbial evaluations were performed before (T0) applications. as well as at three (T1), and 9 months intervals (T2) after the application of the fixed or removable appliances. RESULTS: The PI, PPD, and BOP scores at the testing sites of both groups increased significantly from before treatment (T0) to the 9 months' time frame (T2) (P < 0.05), The presence of anaerobic bacteria in the subgingival dental plaque increased from T0 (n = 13, 65%) to T1 (n = 16, 80%) in the fixed SM group, but not statistically significant. The same values were obtained in T1 and T2 (n = 16, 80%). CONCLUSION: Although, the results of this study demonstrate that the application of fixed or removable SM appliances in children induced an increase of clinical periodontal parameters, anaerobic microbiota consisting of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forshia were not observed in any of the samples in short-term. Further long-term and comprehensive investigations are necessary.

Can serums be replaced by Mueller-Hinton agar in germ tube test?

BACKGROUND: The germ tube test (GTT) is inexpensive, easy, and well-defined test that differentiates Candida albicans (excluding Candida dubliniensis and Candida africana) from other species. The aim of this study was to evaluate various serums (i.e., human, rabbit, horse, and fetal bovine serum) used in the GTT and Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty species isolated from various clinical samples that were defined as C. albicans by both conventional and DNA sequence analysis methods were included in the study. One to two colonies of C. albicans were mixed into 0.5-1 ml of fetal bovine serum, horse serum, rabbit serum, and human serum. Serums and MHA were incubated at 37°C for GTT. They were removed from the incubator and evaluated after 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h of incubation. The GTT was accepted to be positive only if germ tube was 1/2 the width and 3 times the length of the parent yeast cell and with no constriction at the point of origin. RESULTS: When the use of serums and MHA for GTT was statistically evaluated, according to the positive scoring, the best results were obtained with MHA and with rabbit, horse, and fetal bovine serum, respectively. The best definition over time statistically was the third hour. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that inexpensive MHA is a fast, appropriate, and reliable medium for the probable diagnosis of GTT and C. albicans; however, additional studies are still needed to define other Candida species.