A postal survey of 730 Malaysian dental practitioners was undertaken to assess their awareness and acceptance of the plasma derived hepatitis B vaccine. Only 32% of the 325 practitioners who responded had been vaccinated, 41% intended to be and 15% categorically refused vaccination. The main reservations about vaccine acceptance were fear of side effects including AIDS, cost of the vaccine and lack of information. Vaccine efficacy was not confirmed by serology in two-thirds of the vaccinees and two-fifths of the respondents were unaware that 5% of the vaccinees do not develop a successful antibody response after vaccination. Seventy-eight percent of dentists believed that their risk of contracting hepatitis B was high or very high while 71% recalled having received needle stick injuries in the 3 yr prior to the survey. Only 13% of respondents were aware of delta hepatitis while 63% were aware of non-A non-B hepatitis. The survey has highlighted the need for dissemination of information on hepatitis B vaccine among dentists in Malayasia.
The twenty-fifth reported case of squamous odontogenic tumor is presented. The patient was a 39-year-old Chinese Malaysian male. The lesion was asymptomatic and did not recur after excision. It is important to distinguish this type of lesion from squamous odontogenic tumor-like proliferation. The rest of Malassez is thought to be responsible for the histogenesis of the lesion. Better understanding will only be achieved when more cases are reported and studied.
Among 350 inhabitants of two villages, 31 (8.9%) cleaned their teeth using table salt and charcoal applied to their forefinger or a Melastoma brush. As a result, all had distinct forms of abrasion cavity on the labial surfaces of their teeth. All of the above three agents are highly abrasive and injurious to both the hard and soft oral tissues. This dying practice is only popular among a very small number of persons in the older age group, and should be discouraged.
The radiographs of fifteen Malaysian patients with presenting ameloblastoma aged between 20-55 years (average 35 years) were studied for any peculiar local features. The most common features were cortical plate expansion (80%), corticated scalloped margin (67%), multiloculation (87%), and resorption of tooth roots (47%). The latter two features are constantly found in advanced tumour stage. As pain was not a frequent complaint, many Malaysian patients seek treatment only at a very late stage after the tumours have reached large dimensions. Although ameloblastomas may be diagnosed often through radiographs, it should not be relied upon solely.
Belief in a golden age has provided mankind with solace in times of despair and with élan during the expansive periods of history. Dreamers imagine the golden age in the remote past, in paradise lost, free from toil and grief. Optimists put their faith in the future and believe that mankind, Prometheus-like, will master the arts of life through power and knowledge. Thus, the golden age means different things to different men, but the very belief in its existence implies the conviction that perfect health and happiness are birthrights of men. Yet, in reality, complete freedom from disease and from struggle is almost incompatible with the process of living.
The concentrations of calcium, phosphate, protein and nitrite in whole unstimulated saliva, and the salivary flow rate under fasting conditions (saliva collected at least after 6 h without food and water) were compared with those under control conditions (saliva collected within 30 min to 1 h after food). The flow rate of fasting saliva was half that of control (0.098 ml/min vs 0.208 ml/min) and no significant differences in the flow rate were observed between sexes. The concentration of nitrite under fasting conditions was 50% higher than that in control saliva (p less than 0.05). The protein concentration was decreased, but not significantly, under fasting conditions. The composition of fasting saliva with regard to calcium and phosphate concentrations was comparable to that of the control. No significant variations in these components between sexes were observed under either condition.
Fresh samples of human whole saliva containing approximately 20-40 micrograms protein were analyzed using SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis systems. More than 20 protein bands were revealed by Coomassie Brilliant Blue R 250 staining. Some of the protein bands were shown to be glycoprotein-positive with PAS (periodic acid-Schiff) reagent. The protein bands with alpha-Amylase activity appeared within a molecular weight range of 120,000-180,000, which is 2 to 2.8 times higher than the normal molecular weight reported for alpha-Amylase from parotid saliva, and showed positive staining with PAS reagent. These results show that the alpha-Amylase in whole saliva appears to exist in a macromolecular form which is not dissociated in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).
Histiocytosis X is a rare disorder with no particular predilection for race, age or sex. Since its discovery by Hand in 1893, the etiology has remained unknown, although viruses, bacteria and genetic factors have been implicated. Familial occurrence of this disease is very rare, and only a handful of such cases have been reported. The present study adds further evidence to support the influence of genetic factors in the etiology of histiocytosis X.
Determining the racial affinity of an unknown individual from dentition for identification is indeed a difficult endeavour. However, there are certain dental characteristics which are predominant in certain racial groups and these contribute important indicators in the identification process. Inherited dental characteristics are modified by prenatal and postnatal environmental and nutritional conditions. They can also become less discernible due to admixture of the various races.
Teeth are the most durable structures in the human body. The timing and sequence of their development, as contained in dental development charts, have been used as valid criteria for age determination. The third molars however are the last teeth to erupt and are regarded as the most variable in the dentition. Age estimation in a legal context, using developing third molars must be carefully applied otherwise justice may miscarry. A case of wrongful use of the technique is presented here.
The prevalence and cellular distribution of human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) in archival labial salivary glands was analysed for virus-specific DNA sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization signals. In addition, the cellular expression of HHV-7-encoded protein was detected by immunohistochemical staining with a virus-specific monoclonal antibody. Eleven of 20 samples were positive for the HHV-7 DNA sequence by PCR. Eighteen of 20 tissues analysed by in situ hybridization showed signals in ductal, serous and mucous cells. Some nuclei of these cells and also the myoepithelial population were positive. In immunolocalization studies, all 20 salivary glands consistently showed HHV-7-expressed protein in the cytoplasm of ductal cuboidal and columnar cells. The protein was also found in the cytoplasm of mucous and serous acinar cells that were immunopositive for HHV-7. The observations are consistent with the suggestion that the labial salivary gland is a site for virus replication, potential persistence and a source of infective HHV-7 in saliva.
Today, one critical goal in implant placement is the achievement of optimal soft tissue integration. Reports thus far have demonstrated successful soft tissue preservation in delayed loaded implants placed in anterior jaws. The aim of this study was to histomorphometrically examine the soft tissues around immediately loaded implants placed in the macaque posterior mandible.
The aim of this randomised, parallel, double-blind study, in which 28 adult patients diagnosed with chronic gingivitis or early stages of chronic periodontitis were recruited, was to evaluate the efficacy of 'Gamadent' toothpaste compared to a placebo toothpaste. 'Gamadent' toothpaste has all the basic constituents of a toothpaste with the addition of a sea cucumber extract (SCE) of the species Stichopus sp. 1 to improve the healing potential of tissues. The placebo has the same basic constituents minus the extract. Out of the 28 patients, 14 were placed in the test group who used the 'Gamadent' toothpaste, and 14 patients were placed in the control group (2 control subjects defaulted and were excluded), who brushed using the placebo toothpaste. The longitudinal study was carried out over a period of 3 months with assessments made at baseline, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months after conventional therapy at the baseline visit. The clinical parameters used during the trial were Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Papilla Bleeding Index (PBI) and Probing Pocket Depth (PPD). A predetermined number of sites on a molar, premolar, canine and an incisor were examined and evaluated in each quadrant. After the baseline assessment, the patients had full mouth scaling and debridement as well as oral hygiene instructions. Patients were instructed to brush their teeth twice a day with the toothbrush provided (Oral-B plus, size 35) and toothpaste (test or control), using the Bass technique. At the 1-month assessment, there were significant mean reductions to baseline mean values in PI (P < 0.005) and GI (P < 0.001) in the test group as compared to the control group. At the end of the 2-month interval, significant reductions were observed in PI, PBI and PPD (P < 0.001). By the end of 3 months, there were significant differences in the mean reduction of all the parameters i.e. PI, PBI, GI and PPD (P < 0.001), between the test and control sites. In conclusion, 'Gamadent' toothpaste provided noteworthy benefits, producing statistically significant improvement in all clinical parameters compared to the placebo during the healing phase after conventional initial therapy.
Involvement of oral health educators among non-health professionals in oral health promotion is important in the prevention of oral diseases. This study was carried out to compare the level of oral health knowledge among pre-school teachers before and after oral health seminar. Pre-test data was collected by distributing questionnaire to pre-school teachers in Pasir Mas, who attended the seminar on "Oral Health" (n=33) and they were required to fill anonymously before the seminar started. The questions consisted of information on general background, perceived oral health status, oral health knowledge and the environment where they work. After two weeks, post-test data was collected using the same structured questionnaire and identification code was used to match the pre and post data. SPSS 11.5 was use for statistical analysis. Two out of 33 eligible preschool teachers were considered non-respondents due to absenteeism during the post-test data collection. The response rate was 94.0% (n = 31). The study shows a significant improvement in oral health knowledge among pre-school teachers in Pasir Mas, after seminar (p < 0.001) as compared to controls. Thus, we can conclude that the oral health programme (seminar) appeared effective at influencing oral health educator's knowledge towards oral health.
Dihydroactinidiolide (1) and a mixture of sterols [campesterol (2), stigmasterol (3) and beta-sitosterol (4)], together with the previously isolated individual compounds beta-sitosterol (4), 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (5), alpha-tocopherol (6), phytol (7) were isolated from the active ethyl acetate fraction of Pereskia bleo (Kunth) DC. (Cactaceae) leaves. Cytotoxic activities of the above mentioned compounds against five human carcinoma cell lines, namely the human nasopharyngeal epidermoid carcinoma cell line (KB), human cervical carcinoma cell line (CasKi), human colon carcinoma cell line (HCT 116), human hormone-dependent breast carcinoma cell line (MCF7) and human lung carcinoma cell line (A549); and non-cancer human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) were investigated. Compound 5 possessed very remarkable cytotoxic activity against KB cells, with an IC(50 )value of 0.81microg/mL. This is the first report on the cytotoxic activities of the compounds isolated from Pereskia bleo.
Investigations on the cytotoxic effects of the crude methanol and fractionated extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate) C. mangga against six human cancer cell lines, namely the hormone-dependent breast cell line (MCF-7), nasopharyngeal epidermoid cell line (KB), lung cell line (A549), cervical cell line (Ca Ski), colon cell lines (HCT 116 and HT-29), and one non-cancer human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) were conducted using an in-vitro neutral red cytotoxicity assay. The crude methanol and fractionated extracts (hexane and ethyl acetate) displayed good cytotoxic effects against MCF-7, KB, A549, Ca Ski and HT-29 cell lines, but exerted no damage on the MRC-5 line. Chemical investigation from the hexane and ethyl acetate fractions resulted in the isolation of seven pure compounds, namely (E)-labda-8(17),12-dien-15,16-dial (1), (E)-15,16-bisnor-labda-8(17),11-dien-13-on (2), zerumin A (3), β-sitosterol, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited high cytotoxic effects against all six selected cancer cell lines, while compounds 2 showed no anti-proliferative activity on the tested cell lines. Compound 1 also demonstrated strong cytotoxicity against the normal cell line MRC-5. This paper reports for the first time the cytotoxic activities of C. mangga extracts on KB, A549, Ca Ski, HT-29 and MRC-5, and the occurrence of compound 2 and 3 in C. mangga.