Periodontitis lesions in smokers and non-smokers.

Differences in the progression of periodontitis have been observed between smokers and non-smokers. The aim of the present study was to compare vascular and inflammatory cell densities in periodontitis lesions from smokers and non-smokers to gain further understanding of the influence of smoking on histopathological characteristics of the disease. Two groups of patients with generalized severe periodontitis were recruited. One group consisted of 25 current smokers, aged 33-69 yr, while the second group comprised 21 non-smokers, aged 35-76 yr. From each patient, gingival biopsies were harvested from one periodontitis site (probing pocket depth ≥6 mm and bleeding on probing) and one site without clinical signs of gingival inflammation (reference site). Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to assess the density of vessels and inflammatory cells. Small differences existed between smokers and non-smokers regarding the size, proportion, number, and density of cells in periodontitis lesions. However, the vascular density in periodontitis lesions was significantly higher in non-smokers than in smokers. In clinically healthy reference sites, lesions were considerably smaller than in periodontitis sites and presented with similar vascular densities in smokers and non-smokers.

Anti-apoptotic traits in gingival tissue from patients with severe generalized chronic periodontitis.

AIM: In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the cytosolic and nuclear-mitochondrial expression of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic markers in gingival tissue from patients with severe generalized chronic periodontitis (sGCP). METHODS: Twenty-four patients participated in the study: 15 (54.3 + 8.3 years) with sGCP and nine (38.2 + 5.4 years) with gingivitis alone. Gingival tissue was collected using a 1.5-mm diameter punch and homogenized using a cell disruptor. The supernatants were analyzed for the cytosolic and nuclear-mitochondrial fractions of caspase-3, Bax, Bak, Smac, lamin B, Bad, Bim, survivin, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1, and of the dimers Bcl-2/Bax, Bcl-xL/Bak and Mcl-1/Bak using a multiplex immunoassay. RESULTS: Significantly higher levels of cytosolic Bcl-xL/Bak, nuclear-mitochondrial Mcl-1/Bak, and cytosolic Bcl-xL were observed in gingival tissues from periodontitis patients compared to controls (P = 0.03, 0.03, and 0.05, respectively). The patients with gingivitis presented significantly increased levels of nuclear-mitochondrial Bad, cytosolic and nuclear-mitochondrial Bcl-2/Bax, and cytosolic Bim compared to the patients with periodontitis (P < 0.001, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: Significantly higher levels of anti-apoptotic markers, such as Bcl-xL/Bak, Mcl-1/Bak, and Bcl-xL, and lower levels of pro-apoptotic markers Bad and Bim in inflamed tissues indicate an anti-apoptotic trait in patients with sGCP.

[The relevance of Candida spp. in chronic periodontal disease]. / Vyiavlenie drozhzhepodobnykh gribov roda u patsientov s khronicheskim generalizovannym parodontitom.

The aim of the study was to assess the correlation of Candida spp. incidence in periodontal tissues with various clinical manifestations of chronic periodontal disease (CPD). Ninety patients with CPD were included in the study in which Candida spp. was evaluated in periodontal pockets content and gingival biopsy material. In severe CPD more Candida spp. were seen in gingival biopsy than in periodontal pockets (p=0.0006). Candida spp. incidence and quantity correlated directly with the disease grade showing incidence increase from 40 to 73.3% and quantity increase from 0.8±0.18 до 3.6±0.49 lg CFU/ml in light and severe CPD, correspondingly Candida spp. had statistically significant association with cyanotic gingival color (p=0.0018), tongue plaque and swelling (р=0.0042), lip exfoliation (р=0.0030), periodontal pockets depth >5 mm (р=0.0030), oral mucosa hyperemia (р=0.0157), alveolar bone destruction >1/2 of root length (р=0.0157). These data prove the relevance of Candida spp. and mycological assessment of gingival biopsy in CPD patients.

De Novo 17q24.2-q24.3 microdeletion presenting with generalized hypertrichosis terminalis, gingival fibromatous hyperplasia, and distinctive facial features.

Generalized hypertrichosis is a feature of several genetic disorders, and the nosology of these entities is still provisional. Recent studies have implicated chromosome 17q24.2-q24.3 microdeletion and the reciprocal microduplication in a very rare form of congenital generalized hypertrichosis terminalis (CGHT) with or without gingival hyperplasia. Here, we report on a 5-year-old Egyptian girl born to consanguineous parents. The girl presented with CGHT and gingival hyperplasia for whom we performed detailed clinical, pathological, and molecular studies. The girl had coarse facies characterized by bilateral epicanthic folds, thick and abundant eyelashes, a broad nose, full cheeks, and lips that constituted the distinctive facial features for this syndrome. Biopsy of the gingiva showed epithelial marked acanthosis and hyperkeratosis with hyperplastic thick collagen bundles and dense fibrosis in the underlying tissues. Array analysis indicated a 17q24.2-q24.3 chromosomal microdeletion. We validated this microdeletion by real-time quantitative PCR and confirmed a perfect co-segregation of the disease phenotype within the family. In summary, this study indicates that 17q24.2-q24.3 microdeletion caused CGHT with gingival hyperplasia and distinctive facies, which should be differentiated from the autosomal recessive type that lacks the distinctive facies.

Effect of hyaluronan on periodontitis: A clinical and histological study.

BACKGROUND: Conventional, non-surgical periodontal therapy consists of supra- and subgingival tooth debridement. However, it is a technically demanding procedure and is not always efficient at eradicating all periodontal pathogens and in reducing inflammation. Therefore, local subgingival application of other chemotherapeutic agents may be used as an adjunct to non-surgical therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and histological outcomes of local subgingival application of 0.2% hyaluronic acid gel (GENGIGEL®) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in chronic periodontitis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty sites were chosen from 26 patients with chronic periodontitis (criteria being periodontal pockets ≥5mm). Experimental sites additionally received HA gel subgingivally at baseline, 1(st), 2(nd), and 3(rd) week. Clinical parameters were re-assessed at 4(th), 6(th), and 12(th) week. At 4(th) week recall, a gingival biopsy was obtained from test and control site for histologic examination. RESULTS: Intra-group analysis of all the clinical parameters at all sites from baseline to 4(th), 6(th), and 12(th) week showed statistically significant changes. Experimental sites showed statistically significant improvement in Gingival index and Bleeding index at 6(th) and 12(th) week when compared with control sites. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in the PPD and RAL between control and experimental sites at 4(th), 6(th), and 12(th) week time interval. No statistically significant association was found between the histological grading of the sites that received HA treatment. CONCLUSION: Subgingival placement of 0.2% HA gel along with SRP provided a significant improvement in gingival parameters. However, no additional benefit was found in periodontal parameters. Histologically, experimental sites showed reduced inflammatory infiltrate, but it was not statistically significant.