Atrophy of the residual alveolar ridge following tooth loss in an historical population.

OBJECTIVES: To study the natural aetiopathology of jaw atrophy after tooth loss, unaltered by prosthetic procedures, an historical population without modern dental treatment was examined. METHODS: Based on the hypothesis that there are predictable changes in shape during jaw-atrophy, frequency and degree of atrophy as well as clinical aspects of bone quality and resorption were determined in the skeletal remains of 263 individuals. The potential association between age and frequency/severity of atrophy was analysed. RESULTS: Atrophy in at least one jaw segment was present in 45.2% of the analysed jaw specimens. The residual ridge underwent a series of changes in shape and height following the pattern of resorption described for modern populations. The severity of these alterations was associated with the age of the individual and the region within the jaw. Atrophy was frequently related to structural degradation of the covering cortical layer. CONCLUSIONS: These findings prove that atrophy of the jaw evidently does occur, displaying similar patterns of resorption in a population without modern prosthetics, where the negative effect of ill-fitting dentures is excluded. The basic information about alterations of shape and the cortical layer covering the residual crest might help to provide a deeper insight into aetiopathological mechanisms of this common oral disease.

[The treatment and rehabilitation of patients with secondary adentia and atrophy of alveolar process of maxilla].

The novel method of surgical treatment and rehabilitation of patients with secondary adentia and atrophy of alveolar process of maxilla was suggested. The method allows to preserve satisfactory microcirculation of the implantation area and to achieve hermetizm by wound closure. The use of the endoscope for visualizing the operation field minimizes the possibility of the sinus membrane intraoperative perforation and decreases the overall surgical traumatizm.

Periodontal and gingival incisor findings in patients with anterior open bite in the mixed dentition.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate any association between anterior open bite and periodontal health of the front teeth during mixed dentition. We investigated the periodontal and gingival status of the teeth with dysfunctional and/or subfunctional loading in the open-bite area in 9- to 12-year-old children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We examined 36 subjects with anterior open bite between the ages of 9 and 12 years who had presented for the first time at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Tübingen. A control group of 36 children of the same age with a physiologic incisor relationship--vertical overbite and sagittal overjet were between 1 and 3 mm--were compared. In addition to overjet, the Silness-Löe plaque index, the modified Löe-Silness gingival index, pocket depth and attachment loss were measured and documented at each of the four surfaces (mesial, distal, oral and vestibular) of the upper and lower incisors. RESULTS: The subjects with anterior open bite exhibited significantly more plaque in the malocclusion area than children with a physiologic incisor relationship; the differences were statistically highly significant. The subjects with anterior open bite demonstrated slightly higher degrees of inflammation and a slight increase in periodontal pocket depths than the control group. Periodontal attachment loss was diagnosed in very few areas in both study groups, while attachment loss was slightly more frequent in those with anterior open bite. CONCLUSION: We observed a higher risk for caries in the malocclusion area in the late mixed dentition phase, as the subjects with anterior open bite presented significantly more plaque accumulation in the incisor area. However, no pathological periodontal anomalies have been detected so far.

Association of gingival crevicular fluid biomarkers during periodontal maintenance with subsequent progressive periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: The analysis of biomarkers in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) may be helpful in forecasting patient vulnerability to future attachment loss. The purpose of this study is to correlate GCF biomarkers of inflammation and bone resorption with subsequent periodontal attachment and bone loss in a longitudinal trial of a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor. METHODS: GCF was collected from two periodontal pockets (mean +/- SD: 5.1 +/- 1.0 mm) at baseline and annually in postmenopausal females with moderate to advanced periodontitis undergoing periodontal maintenance every 3 to 4 months during a 2-year double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of subantimicrobial dose doxycycline (SDD; 20 mg two times a day). Subjects were randomized to SDD (n = 64) or a placebo (n = 64). GCF was analyzed for the inflammation markers interleukin (IL)-1beta (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), total collagenase activity (using hydrolysis of a synthetic octapeptide), and MMP-8 (using a Western blot) and the bone-resorption marker carboxyterminal telopeptide cross-link fragment of type I collagen (ICTP) (using a radioimmunoassay). Generalized estimating equations were used to associate these biomarkers, categorized into tertiles, with subsequent clinical attachment (using an automated disk probe) or interproximal bone loss (using radiography). Odds ratio (OR) values compared highest to lowest tertile groups. RESULTS: Increases in GCF IL-1beta and MMP-8 during the first year of periodontal maintenance were associated with increased odds of subsequent (year 2) periodontal attachment loss (OR = 1.67; P = 0.01 and OR = 1.50; P = 0.02, respectively) driven by the placebo group. Elevated baseline ICTP was also associated with increased odds of 1- and 2-year loss of alveolar bone density (OR = 1.98; P = 0.0001) in the placebo group, not the SDD group, and a loss of bone height (OR = 1.38; P = 0.06), again driven by the placebo group. CONCLUSION: These data support the hypothesis that elevated GCF biomarkers of inflammation and bone resorption from a small number of moderate/deep sites have the potential to identify patients who are vulnerable to progressive periodontitis, and SDD may modify that risk.