An Evaluation of Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of periodontal scaling and oral hygiene instruction for patients with mild chronic periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis through clinical periodontal parameters and laboratory tests for CRP (C- reactive protein) and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate). Twelve individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and 12 healthy individuals were evaluated, with a mean age of 45.38 and 46.75 respectively, all female and with mild, chronic periodontitis. The participants were evaluated clinically and periapical radiographs were taken (T1), after which periodontal treatment was instituted. After ninety days (T2), new clinical and laboratory data were obtained. Probing depth, bleeding index, and plaque indexes were observed in both groups, and the results demonstrated reductions but no statistical differences. Laboratory tests for CRP and ESR produced higher values for the rheumatoid arthritis group with T1- T2 reductions on the average, but the values were still higher than in the health group. We conclude that periodontal therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and mild chronic periodontitis showed a improvement in the periodontal clinical parameters and laboratory tests that were evaluated.

Effect of photoactivation mode on the hardness and bond strength of methacrylate- and Silorane monomer-based composites.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the Knoop hardness (KH) and the bond strength (BS) at the tooth/restoration interface of conventional methacrylate- (Filtek Supreme) and silorane-based (Filtek P90) composites photoactivated by different methods using an LED Freelight 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bond strength was tested in a universal testing machine by the "push-out" test in restored cavities measuring 2 × 1.5 × 2 mm with a C-factor of 2.2, prepared in 60 bovine teeth. To restore the cavities, the respective adhesive system of each composite was used (Single Bond 2 and P90 system adhesives). The composites were photoactivated by 3 different methods: continuous light: 40 s at 1000 mW/cm²; soft-start: 10 s at 150 mW/cm² + 38 s at 1000 mW/cm²; pulse delay: 5 s at 150 mW/cm², followed by a 3-min wait (without photoactivation) and 39 s at 1000 mW/cm². Before the push-out test was performed, the KH was analyzed at the top and bottom of the restorations. Data were statistically anaylzed using ANOVA and Tukey's test. RESULTS: The photoactivation methods produced no differences in BS or KH in the same composite, while Filtek P90 (28.0 MPa) showed higher BS values than Filtek Supreme (22.3 MPa) and a lower KH. CONCLUSION: The composite Filtek P90 was capable of increasing bond strength, but presented lower Knoop hardness.

Influence of re-using reversible hydrocolloids on the linear alteration of coating models.

Reusing reversible hydrocolloids too many times may cause alterations of the coating model and produce unsatisfactory RPPs. The aim of this study was to analyze the linear alterations of coating models reproduced from molds obtained with two commercial brands of reversible hydrocolloid (RH) with 15 reuse cycles of the material. A metal model was used with 4 marks (A, B, C and D) on which the distances AB, BC, CD, DA, BD and AC could be measured lineally. Ten models were divided into two groups according commercial brand of RH: group VIPI-Duplicator VIPI and group K27--Duplicator K27l. The RH was heated in a microwave oven and poured into a flask containing the model. The mold was filled with the ethyl silicate coating, and after crystallization, refractory models were obtained. This was repeated in the 15 re-use cycles of each RH. The refractory models obtained from the 1st, 5th, 10th and 15th times of re-use of RHs were measured under a measuring microscope. The means were submitted to the Analysis of Variance, Tukey and Dunnet tests, to a 5% level of significance. Group VIPI showed linear alterations in relation to the plaster models, for distances AB (1 use = -1.25% and 5th re-use = -1.20%); AD (1st use = 0.76%, 10th re-use = 0.65% and 15th re-use = 0.52%); BD (1st use = 0.58%). Both commercial brands analyzed produced coating models with acceptable linear alterations in up to 15 reuse cycles, no statistical difference being observed between them.

Degree of conversion of simplified contemporary adhesive systems as influenced by extended air-activated or passive solvent volatilization modes.

This study evaluated the effect of five methods of solvent volatilization on the degree of conversion (DC) of nine one-bottle adhesive systems using Fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflectance (FTIR/ATR) analysis. Nine adhesives were tested: Adper Single Bond 2 (SB), Adper Easy One (EO), One Up Bond F Plus (OUP), One Coat Bond SL (OC), XP Bond (XP), Ambar (AM), Natural Bond (NB), GO, and Stae. The adhesive systems were applied to a zinc-selenide pellet and 1) cured without solvent volatilization, 2) left undisturbed for 10 seconds before curing, 3) left undisturbed for 60 seconds before curing, 4) air-dried with an air stream for 10 seconds before curing, and 5) air-dried with an air stream for 60 seconds before curing. FTIR/ATR spectra were obtained, and the DC was calculated by comparing the aliphatic bonds/reference peaks before and after light activation for 10 seconds (FlashLite 1401). The DC means of each material were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey test (p<0.05). The DC of GO and Stae adhesive systems was not affected by the five evaporation conditions. Air-drying for 60 seconds before curing yielded the highest DC for SB, EO, and OC. Extended solvent volatilization time (60 seconds) either with or without air-drying before curing provided the highest DC for AM, NB, XP, and OUP. Thus, the monomer conversion of adhesive systems was material dependent. In general, the 60-second passive or active air-drying modes to volatilize solvents before curing enhanced the degree of conversion for the one-bottle simplified adhesive systems.

Light- and time-dependent polymerization of dual-cured resin luting agent beneath ceramic.

OBJECTIVE: In this study we investigated the degree of conversion (DC) of a dual-cured resin luting agent beneath a ceramic of different thickness. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The luting material (RelyX) was photo-activated for 40s through ceramic disks (Empress Esthetic, 0.7, 1.4, or 2mm thick). Dual (DUC) and chemically cured (CC) control groups were obtained. A delayed exposure (DE) procedure was tested in which the material was light-activated after 5 min without using ceramic. DC (%) was measured using infrared spectroscopy at 40 s, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 min. Light irradiance and spectrum transmitted through ceramic were measured using a power meter and a spectrometer. RESULTS: A decrease in irradiance was detected with increasing ceramic thickness, but no alteration in the emission profile was observed. At 10 min, all groups showed DC higher than at 40s. No significant differences were detected for DUC compared with the groups indirectly activated through the ceramic disks. Generally, CC showed the lowest DC values. No significant effect in DC was detected for DE after 10 min. A significant increase in DC was generally detected only up to 4 min. CONCLUSIONS: The luting agent was dependent on light exposure and time to obtain improved DC. Neither the indirect activation nor the DE procedure significantly influenced the final DC.