Effect of Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment on Salivary and Plasma Superoxide Dismutase Levels of Patients Suffering from Periodontitis.

Antioxidant capacity is frequently measured by evaluating superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentration in body fluids. The aim of this study was to compare SOD concentrations in the saliva and plasma of patients with periodontitis to those measured in a group of patients with healthy periodontium, as well as to evaluate the influence of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on salivary and plasma SOD in periodontitis patients. For this purpose, 40 systemically healthy patients aged 30-70 years who had at least 20 teeth were recruited, 20 of whom had periodontitis, and 20 served as healthy periodontitis-free controls. In all participants, periodontal status was assessed via the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), papilla bleeding index (PIB), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL), and the SOD concentration in both saliva and plasma was determined by conducting a commercial immunoenzymatic ELISA test. In periodontitis patients, periodontal indices and saliva and blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study, as well as 3 months after periodontal therapy, while in the control group, these data were gathered at the beginning of the study only. SOD values in the saliva of patients with periodontitis (0.244 U/µL) were statistically significantly higher compared with patients with healthy periodontium (0.017 U/µL). Moreover, periodontal therapy led to a statistically significant decrease in this marker in the saliva of patients with periodontitis (p = 0.023), which was comparable with that measured in the control group. On the other hand, no statistically significant differences were noted in plasma SOD values either between the two groups or at follow-up compared with baseline in the group with periodontitis. These findings suggest that the elevated salivary SOD in patients with periodontal disease may represent a mechanism of tissue protection against oxidative stress that occurs in response to periodontal disease.

Study of the risk factors associated with the development of malocclusion.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Research of the most common causes of irregularities of jaws and teeth is designed in order to find the most efficient mode of their prevention. Frequency of orthodontic malformations (malocclusions) is as high as 60% to 80% in this region with an increasing tendency. Researching the risk factors for orofacial irregularities is designed with the purpose of creating a standardized methodology for risk evaluation, frequency and degree of orthodontic irregularities of face, jaws and teeth. The aim of the study was to identify and analyze the causal factors that lead to forming malocclusions in patients from the Province of Vojvodina and create a uniform methodology for epidemiological research. METHODS: The research included 127 patients from the current casuistics of the Vojvodina Stomatology Clinic--Department for Jaw Orthopedics. Data for Questionnaire for Epidemiological Surveillance were obtained from medical records of patients, heteroanamnesis, objective findings, functional analysis of stomatognathic system, and additional diagnostic methods. RESULTS: The average number of the risk factors was 2.59 per patient, of which 56% were morphological factors, and 44% functional. Acquired risk factors made up 61% of the total number, while congenital risk factors made up 39%, of which 15% were hereditary and 24% were nonhereditary. CONCLUSION: Implementing the Questionnaire for Epidemiological Surveillance, general distribution of anomalies could be presented by the Anomaly index (AI), which dictates the introduction of a standardized questionnaire for epidemiological screening, which would preclude ambiguousness and the differences between the epidemiological research data would be cut to the minimum.

[Early detection possibilities of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome].

INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) syndrome represents a significant medical problem due to numerous consequences that may follow it. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze morphology of the maxilla in children with mouth breathing, and to assess possible characteristics in persons with marked clinical features of OSA. METHODS: The sample comprised of 60 examinees aged from 8-10 years, all mouth-breathers. The following X-ray cephalometric parameters were measured: angle of maxillary pragmatism, cranial base angle, angle between the palatal plane and the anterior cranial base, maxillary length, distance from the most prominent labial surface of the maxillary central incisor to NA line, angle between the axis of the upper maxillary incisor and NA line. Following parameters were obtained from the casts: anterior and posterior width of the maxillary arch, height of the maxillary arch, index of the palatal height, as well as the apical base length. Assessed values were then compared to the corresponding norms. RESULTS: Compared to the corresponding norms, statistically significant lower values were determined for the following parameters of the sample: SpP/SN, AW, PW, AB. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the morphological characteristics of the maxilla in mouth breathing children showed characteristics also present in persons with marked clinical features of OSA syndrome, such as a narrow maxilla, insufficient apical base length, as well as the reduced angle of the palatal plane angle to the anterior cranial base. All these suggest a possible increased risk of developing OSA syndrome in children's later age.