Hematological parameters, obesity, stress and oxidant - antioxidant indicators in patients with or without recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A case control study.

INTRODUCTION: Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (RAS) is a frequent chronic disease of the oral cavity that affects 5-25 % of the population with a plethora of predisposing factors. Despite its equivocal etiology, immune alterations, hematologic deficiencies and oxidative stress has been reported to be significant etiologic factors. Stress and obesity are other environmental factors that have been studied to understand associations with RAS. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association of stress, hematologic parameters, oxidative indices and other selected salivary factors in a case control study on RAS Methods: Twenty-two participants each in both case and control groups were recruited with saliva and serum samples collected from them after a self-administered Recent Life Changing Questionnaire (RLCQ). OHI-S and salivary flow rate (SFR) were calculated with selected hematologic parameters and oxidative indices such as Total oxidant (TOS) and anti-oxidant (TAS) levels and their ratio - Oxidative Stress Index (OSI). Anti-oxidative indices of Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and Glutathione Peroxidase Activity (GsPHx) were also estimated. RESULTS: The RAS group had a significantly higher RLCQ scores at a median of 145 more than the control (57.5). There was no significant in their obesity indices, however there was a significant higher mean in the ESR (p< 0.0001) and Vit B12 (p = 0.0001); OHI-S was also significantly higher in the RAS group with a median of 1.65. Both the salivary and serum TOS were significantly higher in the RAS (10.0 ± 3.8, 15.4 ± 8.9) compared to the control group (7.92 ± 1.49, 9.56 ± 3.5). GsPHx activity was significantly higher in both the saliva and serum in the control group (0.08 ± 0.08, 0.19 ± 0.11) while nil significant difference was found in the FRAP activity. Regression showed most important variables to be the salivary GsPHx activity, followed by serum OSI and GsPHx activity. CONCLUSION: The oxidative indices of TOS, TAS and GsPHx can serve as significant biomarkers in detecting RAS. This further corroborates the role of immune dysregulation in the etiology and predisposition to RAS.

Comparative Analgesic Effects of Ibuprofen, Celecoxib and Tramadol after third Molar Surgery: A Randomized Double Blind Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This study compared the effects of ibuprofen, celecoxib and tramadol on pain after surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This double blind randomized controlled trial recruited 135 healthy subjects who required surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars, with a mean age of 26.51 ± SD 6.29 years. The subjects were randomized into three equal groups and given appropriate doses of each drug immediately after extraction. They continued the drugs up to 48 hours after extraction. Postoperative pain intensity was self-recorded by subjects at 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 hours after extraction, using visual analogue scale (VAS). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, 2-sample Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis rank test. Statistical analysis was done using intention-to-treat analysis. The mean VAS at each point of postoperative pain assessment was compared using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) among the three groups. Statistical significance was inferred at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean VAS score of the celecoxib group (32.35± SD 23.96) at 4 hours was the lowest among the three groups. This was followed by the ibuprofen group with mean VAS score of 38.96 ± SD 22.30. Whereas, the subjects in tramadol group experienced the highest VAS score (53.31 ± SD 23.30) at 4 hours. There was statistically significant difference in the mean VAS scores at 4 hours after extraction when the three groups were compared (p = 0.0039). Celecoxib group also had the lowest mean VAS scores at 8 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours after the extraction. None of the subjects in the ibuprofen and celecoxib groups reported any adverse effect of the analgesics, whereas 47.61% of the tramadol group did. CONCLUSION: Celecoxib was the most effective analgesic of the three studied drugs in controlling postoperative pain after mandibular third molar extraction in our subjects. It was closely followed by ibuprofen while tramadol was found to be the least effective. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The outcomes of this study suggest that celecoxib can be prescribed for effective control of postoperative pain after third molar surgery especially in patients with peptic ulcer disease who will not tolerate the adverse effect of traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It also shows that ibuprofen can be an analgesic of choice for patients who are not at risk of gastrointestinal complications of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Tramadol could be considered for patients with milder postoperative pain after third molar surgery.

Oral findings in chronic kidney disease: implications for management in developing countries.

BACKGROUND: The importance of oral health care in the management of patients with systemic diseases including chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been affirmed. Many CKD patients have related oral lesions, however, attention to oral health care has been lacking, especially in the developing countries with higher burden of renal diseases. METHODS: One hundred and eighty patients, 90 cases and 90 controls were recruited, interviewed and examined. Oral mucosa assessment was based on the WHO Guide to Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Oral Mucosal Diseases. Urinalysis and blood creatinine levels were determined. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of each patient was calculated from the blood creatinine using Cockcroft and Gault formula. RESULTS: Oral lesions were present in 86 out of 90 (96.5%) CKD patients compared with 15 out of 90 (16.7%) controls (p < 0.001). Abnormal lip hyperpigmentation was the most frequently seen lesion in 81 out of 90 (90%) CKD patients. Other significant findings were gum bleeding, xerostomia, candidiasis, burning mouth and abnormal taste. In the controls (without CKD), the mean GFR was lower in subjects with oral lesions compared with those without oral lesions p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: CKD and reduced GFR in subjects without CKD are risk factors for oral lesions. The higher prevalence of oral lesions in CKD patients necessitates mandatory oral screening to identify patients with deteriorating renal function. The management of such lesions will enhance the overall well-being of CKD patients in developing countries.

Virulence of oral Candida isolated from HIV-positive women with oral candidiasis and asymptomatic carriers.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the virulence of oral Candida species isolated from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women with and without oral candidiasis. STUDY DESIGN: Candida species were isolated from 197 women, and their virulence attributes were measured. RESULTS: Of the 197 women, 117 (59.4%) carried Candida. Of these, 15 (12.8%) had symptoms of oral candidiasis. Among highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-naive patients, 33% were diagnosed with oral candidiasis, whereas 5.9% were asymptomatic carriers (P < .01). C. albicans was the predominant species, with higher virulence attributes than non-albicans Candida. Women diagnosed with oral candidiasis had higher levels of Candida (P = .02) than asymptomatic carriers. There was no difference in the CD4 counts and the virulence attributes of Candida from both the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that oral candidiasis is mainly caused by high counts of C. albicans and suggests the importance of therapies targeting Candida counts in the oral cavity even in patients on HAART to reduce the development of infections.

Oral Candida colonization in HIV-positive women: associated factors and changes following antiretroviral therapy.

There is a paucity of information about the factors associated with oral colonization with Candida species and the changes associated with antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. This study investigated the role of ARV therapy and other factors in a study population. Relevant clinical and laboratory information was obtained and oral rinse specimens were tested for yeast identification. The findings were compared with previous data from the same clinic before ARV therapy was available. Of 197 patients, 117 (59.4 %) were colonized. Candida albicans was the dominant species (71 %) and Candida dubliniensis was the most frequent non-albicans Candida. The colonized group had a higher rate of concurrent tuberculosis (TB) infection (77.4 % compared with 56 % in the non-colonized patients, P = 0.03) and a lower median CD4(+) count (346.5 cells mm(-3)) compared with the non-colonized group (418 cells mm(-3)). Participants not on ARV therapy and those having oral prosthesis were all colonized (P = 0.003 and P = 0.022, respectively). The oral Candida count was negatively correlated with the CD4(+) count in participants on ARV therapy (P = 0.006). Associated factors using logistic regression were dental caries (odds ratio = 1.30; 95 % confidence interval = 1.07-1.60] and diabetes mellitus (odds ratio = 5.52; 95 % confidence interval = 1.68-18.12). The colonization rate was higher (81.3 %) as well as the yeast count before ARV therapy was available, while the prevalence of C. dubliniensis was found to have increased from 6.3 to 11 %. Dental caries, diabetes mellitus, oral prostheses and TB infection were associated with oral colonization. The colonization rate, variety and yeast counts declined with ARV therapy.

Impact of infant feeding practices on caries experience of preschool children.

AIM: This study investigated the association between breastfeeding, bottle feeding, night feeding, age, and sex of the child on the caries experience. METHOD: Information was collected from the mothers of preschool children. Information included the age of the child, sex of the child, form of breastfeeding (whether exclusive, almost exclusive or mixed), duration of breastfeeding, night feeding habits of the child, and duration and content of bottle feeding. Intraoral examination was done to assess the dmft. The impact of the variables on the caries experience (rampant caries, no caries and the dmft) was then assessed. RESULTS: The duration of breast feeding (p = 0.002), and form of breast feeding (p = 0.03) were significant predictors of the dmft. The dmft was highest in children who were breastfed for longer than 18 months and highest for children who were exclusively breastfed. There is a strong association between rampant caries and duration of breast feeding only (p < 0.001). The risk of having rampant caries increases by 10% (p = 0.012) with every month increase in the duration of breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: The duration of breastfeeding increased the risk for rampant caries in preschool children in Nigeria. The longer the duration, the higher the risk for caries.

Is malaria a predisposing factor for third molar pericoronitis in the tropics?

BACKGROUND: Malaria is an important disease in the tropics, and its role as a predisposing factor or co morbidity has been investigated in many diseases including HIV infection and tuberculosis. There are very few studies, which have investigated its role in oral and dental diseases. Our study aimed to demonstrate the possible role of malaria in predisposing to pericoronitis, an infection affecting impacted third molars predominantly. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients presenting with pericoronitis were tested for malaria parasites and results compared with that obtained from controls that were equally susceptible to pericoronitis but did not have the infection. RESULTS: 19.7% of the study group compared to 6.6% of control group had malaria parasite in their blood. This difference was statistically significant, P=0.018 (Fisher's exact). The odds ratio was 4.3 (95% CI=1.2-17.0). CONCLUSIONS: Malaria appears to be a predisposing factor to pericoronitis in this study. There is a need for further studies on the possible role of malaria in oral and dental diseases.

Clinical experience with parotid gland enlargement in HIV infection: a report of five cases in Nigeria.

A changing picture of oral lesions associated with HIV/AIDS has been documented. With the use of antiretroviral therapy, salivary gland swellings and other less common conditions associated with HIV/AIDS are now becoming more common. Our review of the literature showed the presence of parotid swelling in HIV-1 infection has increased from a range of 5-10% to 20% in AIDS. However, to the best of our knowledge, none from sub-Saharan Africa, which is the epicenter of the HIV infection and where access to antiretroviral therapy is poorest, has been primarily reported in literature. This report documents five cases of bilateral parotid gland enlargement as the presenting clinical manifestation of HIV/AIDS. The combination of a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, ultrasound imaging, and histological diagnosis increased the accuracy of diagnosis. While two patients had access to antiretroviral therapy, other modes of management were cystic aspiration and parotidectomy. One of the patients treated with parotidectomy had facial nerve injury, and the short-term aesthetic outcome between surgical treatment and antiretroviral therapy did not appear different. However, all our patients were lost to follow-up within a 2-year period. For a resource-constrained environment like Nigeria where stigma and discrimination is high and access to antiretroviral therapy is limited, there is a need to understand how best to manage a lymphoepithelial lesion in HIV/AIDS patients.

HIV/AIDS pandemic and surgical practice in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on surgical practice in a Nigerian teaching hospital. It involved a questionnaire survey of all the doctors practising in the surgical specialties at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in order to obtain their attitudes and practices toward HIV-positive surgical patients. Sixty-five doctors were interviewed, their ages ranged from 26 years to 62 years with a mean age of 35.1 years. The majority (35.4%) were in general surgery or obstetrics and gynaecology (24.6%). Almost half (47.7%) had operated on known HIV-positive patients and the majority were in support of preoperative HIV screening. Almost all (95.4%) were worried about occupational HIV infection--a significant number of consultants would refuse to be screened if their patient were allowed to know the results (P = 0.014). The cross infection control commonly employed included adequate instrument sterilization, presurgical hand washing and the use of gloves and facemasks. The wearing of eye goggles, double gloving, indirect instrument passing and wearing of water impervious gowns were used less frequently. As HIV/AIDS infected individuals are presenting for surgical procedures in the hospital, there is a need to improve the use of universal infection control measures and to educate all categories of healthcare personnel in order to allay the fears and to prevent discrimination that could militate against effective management of HIV/AIDS patients.