Indagation of serum and salivary reactive oxygen metabolite and cortisol levels in chronic periodontitis and stress-induced chronic periodontitis patients.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease is not a conventional bacterial infection but is an inflammatory disease initiated by immune response against a group of microorganisms in susceptible hosts. There are many intriguing researches that unfold the secrets of chronic periodontitis. The current researches in chronic periodontitis are directed toward an approach that respects the scientific relationship between the various risk factors, the genetic factors, and the progression of the disease. AIM: This study aims to evaluate the cortisol and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) concentration in serum and to find out their association in periodontal health and disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, totally thirty patients have been taken and divided into two groups of chronic periodontitis (Group I) and stress-induced chronic periodontitis (Group II) and evaluated the correlation between the ROM and cortisol levels in them. This is the first study, where both the levels of ROM and cortisol are checked in the serum and saliva. The analysis is done to check the association between them. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were statistically analyzed using software program (SPSSV 16), Pearson correlation, and paired t-test. RESULTS: Comparison of the mean ROM levels in Group I and Group II showed that mean ROM level in Group II is highly significant than Group I. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that stress can have a role in the progression of periodontal disease by increasing the cortisol and ROM levels.

Management of Chronic Hyperplastic Pulpitis in Mandibular Molars of Middle Aged Adults- A Multidisciplinary Approach.

The molar tooth of children and young adults is a common site for chronic hyperplastic pulpitis (pulp polyp). It rarely occurs in middle aged adults. This condition is usually characterized by extensive involvement of the pulp, dictating the extraction of involved tooth. Extraction of permanent molars can lead to transient or permanent malocclusion, aesthetic, phonetic and functional problems. Here we report a case of pulp polyp in mandibular first molar of a 33-year-old woman that grew into the carious cavity. The aim of this case report is to describe the diagnosis of a chronic hyperplastic pulpitis involving the permanent molar as well as to describe its management in order to preserve them as a functional unit of the dentition.

Diagnostic imaging for dental implant therapy.

Dental implant is a device made of alloplastic (foreign) material implanted into the jaw bone beneath the mucosal layer to support a fixed or removable dental prosthesis. Dental implants are gaining immense popularity and wide acceptance because they not only replace lost teeth but also provide permanent restorations that do not interfere with oral function or speech or compromise the self-esteem of a patient. Appropriate treatment planning for replacement of lost teeth is required and imaging plays a pivotal role to ensure a satisfactory outcome. The development of pre-surgical imaging techniques and surgical templates helps the dentist place the implants with relative ease. This article focuses on various types of imaging modalities that have a pivotal role in implant therapy.

A comparative clinical study of the efficacy of subepithelial connective tissue graft and acellular dermal matrix graft in root coverage: 6-month follow-up observation.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of subepithelial connective tissue graft and acellular dermal matrix graft associated with coronally repositioned flap in the treatment of Miller's class I and II gingival recession, 6 months postoperatively. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Ten patients with bilateral Miller's class I or class II gingival recession were randomly divided into two groups using a split-mouth study design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Group I (10 sites) was treated with subepithelial connective tissue graft along with coronally repositioned flap and Group II (10 sites) treated with acellular dermal matrix graft along with coronally repositioned flap. Clinical parameters like recession height and width, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and width of keratinized gingiva were evaluated at baseline, 90(th) day, and 180(th) day for both groups. The percentage of root coverage was calculated based on the comparison of the recession height from 0 to 180(th) day in both Groups I and II. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Intragroup parameters at different time points were measured using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test was employed to analyze the differences between test and control groups. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in recession height and width, gain in CAL, and increase in the width of keratinized gingiva between the two groups on the 180(th) day. Both procedures showed clinically and statistically significant root coverage (Group I 96%, Group II 89.1%) on the 180(th) day. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that coverage of denuded root with both subepithelial connective tissue autograft and acellular dermal matrix allograft are very predictable procedures, which were stable for 6 months postoperatively.