Relationship between Fixed Dental Crowns and Volatile Sulphur Compounds.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the level of halitosis in patients with/without fixed crowns and in addition the influence of various crown parameters on halitosis was also explored. METHODS: In total, 96 subjects (fixed crowns = 52; no crowns = 44) participated in the study. The levels volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), methyl mercaptan (CH3SH), and dimethyl sulphide (CH3SCH3) were evaluated with breath samples using gas chromatography and used for classification as presence or absence of halitosis. The periodontal clinical parameters for all the participants as well as the crown parameters for participants with fixed crowns were also evaluated. Cross tabulation, Chi-square test, and one-way analysis of variance tests were used for the statistical analysis and comparisons. RESULTS: Breath samples revealed, 50 (52.1%) participants were suffering from halitosis. Out of VSCs, the level of CH3SCH3 (62.5%) was found to be the most prevalent. Significant correlations were observed between the presence of fixed crowns and oral halitosis (p < 0.001). Statistically significant difference in the concentration of H2S and CH3SH (p < 0.001) and no significance for CH3SCH3 (p = 0.075) between patients with/without fixed crowns was found. The presence of halitosis was more prevalent in the subjects with crown parameters (subgingival margin, over-contoured margin, open-crown margin, over-contoured and under-contoured crowns) considered clinically defective/unacceptable (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Presence of fixed dental crowns significantly contributes to the oral halitosis. Dental crowns with defects significantly impair the hygienic conditions and oral microflora resulting in high prevalence of halitosis.

Comparative study of the prevalence of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritic changes in cone beam computed tomograms of patients with or without temporomandibular disorder.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritic changes in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and non-TMD patients. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of CBCT images of the joints of TMD and non-TMD patients was performed. The presence or absence of osteoarthritic changes (condylar erosion, osteophyte, subcortical cyst, or generalized sclerosis) in each TMJ was evaluated. The prevalence within the two study groups were compared by using Chi-square statistics. RESULTS: At least one type of osteoarthritic change was present in78.6% of joints in the TMD group and 79.7% in the non-TMD group. No significant difference was found in prevalence of osteoarthritic changes between the TMD and non-TMD groups in the overall study sample or within the subsets of gender and age in the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of a significant difference in prevalence of TMJ osteoarthritic changes in TMD and non-TMD patients highlights the equivocal relationship between osseous TMJ morphology and degenerative bone disease.