Microbial Sampling Using Interdental Brushes and Paper Points around Teeth and Implants: A Pilot Study for Comparison.

Inflammatory periodontal and peri-implant diseases follow dysbiotic shifts in a susceptible host. A well-established tool for microbial sample collection is the use of paper points. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the use of interdental brushes compared to paper points. Biofilm samples were collected with paper points and later interdental brushes from ten patients. Five patients were represented with a community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN) of 0-2 around the teeth and an implant with PPD ≤ 5 mm and no radiological bone loss. The remaining five patients had a CPITN ≥ 3 and one implant with peri-implantitis. Microbial samples were analyzed with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The results showed higher amounts of DNA in samples taken by interdental brushes but also higher Ct values. Both methods detected Filifactor alocis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola in the majority of samples, while Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was rarely found. A microbial dysbiosis index showed comparable or higher values in sites with no periodontitis/peri-implantitis with interdental brushes. The results of this pilot study indicate that interdental brushes might be a valid technique for microbial sampling and particularly advantageous in the early detection of dysbiotic shifts around teeth and implants. Larger studies with more participants are needed to validate the proposed microbial sampling method with interdental brushes.

Ocular involvement in Adamantiades-Behçet's disease in Berlin, Germany.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies demonstrate a prevalence of Adamantiades-Behçet's disease (ABD) in the range of 0.12-420 per 100,000 inhabitants, with the highest rates in Istanbul, Turkey, and the lowest rates in the USA. Ophthalmological data on the prevalence of ocular involvement are limited for ABD in Germany, because most epidemiological studies are based on rheumatological or dermatological data. Berlin is the city with the highest number of non-native German inhabitants, and its multi-ethnic character renders it uniquely appropriate for epidemiological studies on ABD. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all ABD patients seen in our department since 1982. All patients fulfilled the criteria of the International Study Group for Behçet's Disease. We found 140 patients (63 female, 77 male), with a mean follow-up of 6.4 years (0.5-22 years). RESULTS: The mean age was 23 at the first manifestation and 32 when the full-blown disease was noted. The mean age at onset of ocular involvement was 30. Most of the patients were of Turkish (n = 73) or German (n = 34) origin. Fifty-six percent developed ocular involvement, which was the first manifestation in 8.6% and the second manifestation in 19.3% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: More than half the patients developed ocular involvement. The calculated prevalence of ocular involvement in ABD is 1.77/100,000 inhabitants for the municipality of Berlin.

Longterm visual prognosis of patients with ocular Adamantiades-Behçet's disease treated with interferon-alpha-2a.

OBJECTIVE: Relapsing ocular involvement is one of the major manifestations in Adamantiades-Behçet's disease (ABD). Combining systemic corticosteroids with cyclosporin A is currently the treatment of choice. Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) has proven to be effective in mucocutaneous ABD and has been reported to improve ocular lesions. We examined the longterm effects of IFN-alpha-2a in a case series of 45 patients with ocular involvement. METHODS: Since 1988, 45 patients (79 eyes of 90 eyes) with ocular involvement in ABD have been treated with IFN-alpha (3 x 6-9 Mio IU per wk). In the initial acute phase of the disease, patients additionally received short-term corticosteroids (oral prednisolone 100 mg/day), tapered to a maintenance dose of 10 mg/day within 2 weeks. IFN-alpha-2a was administered as longterm therapy with a mean duration of 30 months (range 1.1-101 mo). RESULTS: IFN-alpha-2a/prednisolone treatment was effective against vasculitis, optic nerve neuropathy, and iritis. Sixty-four eyes had no recurrence under therapy. To date, recurrences have been seen in 26 eyes under IFN-alpha treatment. Flu-like symptoms were recorded in nearly all patients (n = 43). Further side effects were dose-dependent reversible thrombocytopenia (n = 1), psychosis (n = 3), depression (n = 13), thyroiditis (n = 1), and reversible diffuse alopecia (n = 7). In our series, 92% of all eyes showed stable or improved visual acuity in longterm followup. CONCLUSION: Longterm remission of ocular inflammation can be achieved with the combination of IFN-alpha and low-dose corticosteroids.