Manifestations of periodontal diseases in AIDS patients.

The aim of this study is to analyze periodontal diseases in AIDS patients. Although AIDS was first detected in Brazil in 1982, it is growing steadily and is more frequent in the Southeast. Oral manifestations are common and may represent early signs of the disease. These lesions often precede systemic symptoms. The development of periodontal lesions in AIDS patients differs from that in non-infected patients. This is due to its chronic nature and lack of full recovery in AIDS patients. Characteristically, these lesions are not related to local irritants and progress quickly. Because these lesions do not respond properly to conventional treatment used in non-infected patients, the use of preventive methods is extremely important. These methods must include patient education and periodical professional scaling. It is important to reinforce the use of preventive measures in AIDS patients mainly in those presenting severe manifestations of the disease. The aim of treatment must be to preserve the teeth and periodontal tissues and allow more comfort to the patient during the progression of the disease.

Using Novafil: would it make suturing easier?

The use of monofilament nonabsorbable suture materials is not common in Dentistry. Although it is known that multifilament suture materials induce greater cellular reaction, most Dentists prefer to use cotton and silk. Rigidity and package memory are disadvantages of monofilament nonabsorbable suture materials. A new material, Polybutester (Novafil), has been used successfully in Medicine but its use is not common in Dentistry. Seventy male and female Wistar rats were used to study the clinical response of skin and abdominal wall muscle to the use of Novafil and nylon sutures. Under general anesthesia, standard wounds were created in the dorsum and abdomen of the animals and sutured with either Novafil or nylon. The animals were sacrificed immediately, 12, 24, and 72 hours and at 4, 5 and 7 days to evaluate the clinical aspect of both wounds. Polybutester presented some advantages such as strength, lack of package memory, elasticity and flexibility which made suturing quicker and easier. Some subjects presented abdominal wound edema during the period and six animals developed infection of abdominal wounds within seven days. These initial findings show that Novafil is easy to handle and would be better tolerated in the mouth than nylon resulting in less discomfort for the patient. Novafil can be used safely on skin and mucosal wounds and, if necessary, it can be used in internal sutures because it irritates less than nylon.