Candida species in patients with oral dysesthesia: A comparison of carriage among oral disease states.

OBJECTIVES: Oral dysesthesia (burning mouth syndrome) is characterized by a burning-like sensation of the oral mucosa. The etiology of this disorder is still unknown, however, associations with oral fungal carriage have been proposed and applied clinically. The aim of the this study was to compare oral Candida carriage in patients with oral dysesthesia with Candida carriage in patients with other commonly diagnosed oral diseases to clarify the relationship between Candida and oral dysesthesia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In total, 441 patients in total including 79 patients diagnosed with oral dysesthesia were included in this study. A retrospective analysis of mycological investigations undertaken in patients with clinically diagnosed oral dysesthesia compared with other oral conditions was undertaken. RESULTS: Oral carriage of Candida was found in 63.3% (50 of 79) of patients with oral dysesthesia. The frequency of carriage and oral load of Candida were not significantly increased in patients with oral dysesthesia relative to the other conditions assessed. Patients with clinical signs of fungal infection or xerostomia presented with increased carriage of Candida. CONCLUSION: There is no association between oral dysesthesia and the presence or load of oral Candida.

Evidence Regarding Teaching and Assessment of Record-Keeping Skills in Training of Dental Students.

The aim of this study was to assess the literature on teaching and assessing dental students' record-keeping skills prior to qualification to practice independently as a dentist. A systematic literature review was performed using Ovid MEDLINE and SCOPUS. Keywords used in the search included dental, record, audit, education, and assessment. Electronic search results were screened for publications that targeted undergraduate dental training, related to a record-keeping education intervention, and were published in English and available in full text. Six studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed, and research findings were compared across the included studies. These six articles addressed the techniques used to teach and assess record-keeping skills in a pre-qualification context. The techniques included supervisor audits, peer audits, lectures, tutorials, research assignments, case reports, record-keeping templates, and checklists of required record components. The use of record audit as part of teaching and evaluation dominated these articles; it was used as the assessment method in five of the six studies. All methods of record-keeping training in studies published to date were found effective in improving student record-keeping skills. However, there was insufficient evidence to determine whether certain methods were more effective than others.

Combined topical and systemic clonazepam therapy for the management of burning mouth syndrome: a retrospective pilot study.

AIMS: To evaluate retrospectively the efficacy of administering an anticonvulsant medication, clonazepam, by dissolving tablets slowly orally before swallowing, for the management of burning mouth syndrome (BMS). METHODS: A retrospective clinical records audit was performed of patients diagnosed with BMS between January 2006 and June 2009. Patients were prescribed 0.5 mg clonazepam three times daily, and changes were made to this regimen based on their individual response. Patients were asked to dissolve the tablet orally before swallowing and were reviewed over a 6-month period. Pain was assessed by patients on an 11-point numerical scale (0 to 10). A nonparametric (Spearman) two-tailed correlation matrix and a two-tailed Mann-Whitney test were performed. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients (27 women, 9 men) met the criteria for inclusion. The mean (± SEM) pain score reduction between pretreatment and final appointment was 4.7 ± 0.4 points. A large percentage (80%) of patients obtained more than a 50% reduction in pain over the treatment period. One patient reported no reduction in pain symptoms, and one third of the patients had complete pain resolution. Approximately one third of patients experienced side effects that were transient and mild. CONCLUSION: This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that the novel protocol of combined topical and systemic clonazepam administration provides an effective BMS management tool.