MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty discs each of Fuji LX, Fuji VII and of Vitrebond were prepared in a plastic mould. Twenty discs of each material were coated for 30 seconds with a 10% solution of AgF. Five discs each of coated and uncoated material were placed individually in 4m1 of differing eluant solutions. The eluant solutions comprised deionized distilled water (DDW) and three separate acetate buffered solutions at pH 7, pH 5 and pH 3. After 30 minutes the discs were removed and placed in five vials containing 4m1 of the various solutions for a further 30 minutes. This was repeated for further intervals of time up to 216 hours, and all eluant solutions were stored. Fluoride concentrations in the eluant solutions were estimated using a fluoride specific electrode, with TISAB IV as a metal ion complexing and ionic concentration adjustment agent. Cumulative fluoride release patterns were determined from the incremental data.
RESULTS: The coating of AgF greatly enhanced the level of fluoride ion release from all materials tested. Of the uncoated samples, Vitrehond released the greater concentrations of fluoride ion, followed by Fuji VII. However, cumulative levels of fluoride released from coated samples of the GICs almost matched those from coated Vitrebond.
CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that a coating of 10% AgF on GICs and a resin modified GIC greatly enhanced the concentration of fluoride released from these materials. This finding might be applied to improving protection against recurrent caries, particularly in high caries risk patients, and in the atraumatic restorative technique (ART) of restoration placement.
Result: All four patients revealed a good esthetic outcome and reported no pain postoperatively. Healing was uneventful, and definitive restoration was delivered within two to four weeks postoperatively.
Conclusion: Within the limitation of these case series, the dual-wavelength super pulsed diode laser has the capacity to deliver peak powers resulting in efficient cutting and less tissue charring and also as an alternative tool for removal of gingival pigmentation. Prospective clinical research with larger sample size is needed for conclusive results.
Materials and Methods: A total number of 50 participants (40 with chronic generalized periodontitis and 10 periodontally healthy volunteers) of 30-50 years were included in the study. Clinical parameters such as simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), gingival index, probing depth, and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were measured, and then, saliva and blood sample collection was done and analyzed for ALP levels by spectrometry. The clinical parameters along with saliva and serum ALP levels were reevaluated after 30 days following Phase I periodontal therapy. The results were statistically analyzed using paired t-test and one-way ANOVA.
Results: The saliva and serum ALP levels were significantly increased in patients with chronic generalized periodontitis with an increase in clinical parameters such as OHI-S, gingival index, probing depth, and CAL when compared with periodontally healthy individuals. The saliva and serum ALP levels were significantly decreased following Phase I periodontal, therapy along with improvement in clinical parameters.
Conclusion: With the limitations of the present study, it could be concluded that ALP levels in saliva can be used for the diagnosis of active phase of periodontal disease and also for evaluation of the treatment outcomes following Phase I periodontal therapy.
Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire constructed in local Malay language consisting of 13 questions on sociodemographic details and 10 questions on the knowledge domain was distributed to eligible respondents while they were waiting for their consultation in the periodontal clinic waiting hall. There were 330 study participants aged 16 years old and above, who participated in this study from all 12 dental clinics in the state of Perlis, Malaysia. Data were entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sociodemographic data, whereas association between potential factor and the knowledge of awareness was found using the Pearson Chi-square test of independence or a Fisher's exact test, depending on the eligibility criteria.
Results: Our study showed that 4.5% (n = 15) of the respondents were not aware that smoking did add risk for oral cancer, 14.5% (n = 48) were not aware that smoking could cause gum disease. Smoking status was significantly associated with the awareness of smoking effect on gum disease (P = 0.002). The proportion of the active smokers being aware that smoking could potentially cause gum disease was considerably less as compared to the nonsmokers (62.7% vs. 83.3%).
Conclusions: Continuous dental health campaigns and awareness program are crucial to instil awareness and health-seeking behavior as well as to enforce public's knowledge.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Buccal mucosa of the maxillary right central incisor teeth of 171 participants was evaluated using four methods, which were direct measurements using calliper, transgingival probing method using an endodontic probe, and probe visibility method using Colorvue biotype probe (CBP) and UNC-15 probe. The pigmentation of the gingiva was assessed using the Dummett-Gupta oral pigmentation lesion index.
RESULTS: The average gingival thickness of the selected population was 1.22 ± 0.38 mm with a distribution of 70% thick and 30% thin gingiva. Transgingival and calliper methods showed good agreement and significant correlation (r = 0.229; p = .003). Visual assessment using CBP and UNC-15 probe showed poor agreement with the direct measurement methods. Gingival pigmentation significantly affected the probe visibility assessment, reducing the visibility of both the CBP (odds ratio [OR] = 4.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.83-8.74) and UNC-15 probe (OR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.05-3.23) while controlling for thickness of the gingiva.
CONCLUSION: The probe visibility method using either CBP or the UNC-15 probe is affected by the degree of gingival pigmentation. Direct measurements using either a calliper or transgingival probing are recommended as methods to measure the gingival thickness in populations with gingival pigmentation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This longitudinal study included 2198 participants with mean age 43.4 ± 7.7 years, who underwent dental examinations in Yokohama, Japan, at two time points, 2003-2004 and 2008-2009, at an interval of 5 years. Periodontal condition was assessed by the mean value of probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL). Glycaemic status was assessed by fasting glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).
RESULTS: The cross-lagged panel models showed the effect of HbA1c at baseline on mean PPD at follow-up (β = 0.044, p = .039). There was a marginal effect of fasting glucose on the mean PPD (β = 0.037, p = .059). It was similar to the effect of fasting glucose or HbAlc on mean CAL. However, in the opposite direction, no effect of mean PPD or CAL at baseline on fasting glucose or HbAlc at follow-up was identified.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a unidirectional relationship between glycaemic status and periodontal condition. The study population, however, had mostly mild periodontitis. Future studies are needed to investigate the effect of periodontal condition on glycaemic status in patients with severe periodontitis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was collected using a self-administered pilot-tested questionnaire. Dentists awareness about link between oral and systemic link was assessed on five point likert scale. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS.
RESULTS: Of the 588 dentists, 500 completed the questionnaire (response rate 85.03%). About 93% of the participants (mean age 25.82 ± 4.21 years) agreed that oral health was associated with systemic health. Most dentists were aware of a connection between periodontal disease and diabetes (84.4%) and heart disease (70.2%). Similarly, 85.6% believed in the negative impact of oral disease on the quality of life of patients. More female than male dentists were aware of the relationship between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis (P < 0.001). Most dentists (97%) believed that more patients would seek oral care if they were aware of the oral-systemic link. After adjustments, private dentists were 4.65 times more likely than public dentists to believe in improving access to oral care with increased patient awareness of the oral-systemic connection (P = 0.011).
CONCLUSIONS: Most dentists were aware of the oral-systemic link. They believed that patients' access to oral care would improve if they were aware of a connection between oral and systemic health. Therefore, patients should be informed of the oral-systemic link to improve their oral health.