A clinical,randomized study on the influence of dental whitening on Streptococcus mutans population

Background

Dental whitening with peroxides has been popularized through the at‐home technique, which employs low concentrations of peroxide applied in individual trays. However, there are few clinical trials reporting the effects of its continuous use on oral microbiota. Thus, the purpose of the present clinical, randomized study was to evaluate the influence of at‐home whitening treatment on Streptococcus mutans in saliva, buccal mucosa, and subgingival and supragingival plaque.

Methods

Thirty volunteers were randomly divided into two study groups (N = 15) according to the whitening therapy: G CP, whitening using 10% carbamide peroxide 4 h daily for 21 days; and G HP, whitening using 6% hydrogen peroxide 1.5 h daily for 21 days. Samples from the predetermined locations were collected at three evaluation periods: T1, before; T2, immediately after; and T3, 30 days after the beginning of the treatment. The microbiological evaluation was made using conventional and molecular methods.

Results

Student's t‐test demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in S. mutans population in the subgingival and supragingival plaque for HP samples between T1 and T2 no difference was found between T1 and T3 regardless of the location and the whitening product used (α = 0.05).

Conclusions

Although HP reduced S. mutans during treatment, the levels returned to baseline when assessed 30 days after the treatment.     

Investigation of factors that influence pain experienced and the use of pain medication following periodontal surgery

Aims

To determine the relationship between anticipated pain and actual pain experienced following soft tissue grafting or implant surgery; to identify the factors that predict actual pain experienced and the use of pain medication following soft tissue grafting or implant surgery.

Materials and Methods

Prior to dental implant placement (n = 98) or soft tissue grafting (n = 115) and for seven days following the procedure, patients completed a visual analog scale indicating anticipated or experienced pain, respectively. The use of pain medication and alcohol, and smoking were measured.

Results

Actual pain experienced on day 1 was lower (p < .01) than anticipated pain and continued to decrease (p ≤ .01) for each of the 7 consecutive days. Anticipated and actual pain were positively correlated. Increasing age (p < .05), having sedation during the surgery (p < .05), and lower use of pain pills (p < .01) predicted lower pain experienced. Actual pain experienced was a predictor of pain pill use (p < .01). Greater nervousness (p < .01) prior to surgery was a predictor of greater anticipated pain.

Conclusions

Patients anticipated more pain than they actually experienced. Sedation, age and number of pain pills used predicted pain experienced. This trial was registered with clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03064178.     

Spinal disorders and mastication: The potential relationship between adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and alterations of the chewing patterns

Objective

To evaluate mastication in a group of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) with a control group, by means of the prevalence of reverse chewing cycles (RCCs).

Material and Methods

This study included a group of patients (N = 32; F = 24; M = 8; mean age ± SD = 14 ± 3 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of AIS and a group of control subjects (N = 32; F = 24; M = 8; mean age ± SD = 13 ± 6 years) without spinal disorders. Mastication was recorded with both a hard and a soft bolus, following a standardized protocol, and the prevalence of RCCs was compared between the groups.

Results

The prevalence of RCCs was significantly higher in the AIS group, with both a soft and a hard bolus, compared to the control group (P < .001).

Conclusion

The results of this study indicate that the presence of AIS influences mastication, one of the main functions of the stomatognathic system. A multidisciplinary approach to these patients may be relevant in providing the best possible treatment outcomes.     

An unusual case of hemifacial microsomia with overgrowth of the facial muscles

Aim  

To present a case of severe hemifacial microsomia with unusual muscle overgrowth at presentation.     

Adapting the German version of the dental environment stress questionnaire

Aims

To develop a German version of the Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire, and to evaluate its reliability and validity.

Methods

The original English DES questionnaire was translated into German using a forward–backward translation process. To evaluate construct stability, a subgroup of dental students (n = 43) completed the DES twice (interval: 1 week). To evaluate how the DES responds to anticipated changes in stress, all dental students' (n = 64) DES scores and saliva cortisol levels administered from a clinical study were compared between holiday and term time. Furthermore, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and a stress self-assessment were used to determine the validity of the DES. Reliability analyses were calculated using Kendall's tau correlations. To estimate reliability strength, correlation coefficients and intraclass correlations (ICCs) were used.

Results

Regarding construct stability, 24 of 25 DES items had at least moderate correlations, and most items showed strong correlations. Correlations for the seven subdomains were good (range: 0.778–1.000). The same was true for the total DES score (ICC: 0.944). Correlations for response to term-time stress were weaker and more varied. Validity analyses revealed fair correlations between the DES and students' self-assessment (Pearson's r = .592) and DASS score (Pearson's r = .392), suggesting satisfactory validity. Stress levels were quite similar between baseline and follow-up.

Conclusion

The German DES is a reliable tool for evaluating stress in dental students. Because it can be used to identify individual stressors in various categories, it might enable the detection of specific stress situations in educational situations and facilitate solutions (adjustment of curricula, tailored consulting services).     

Extended Nasolabial Flaps in the Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Purpose  

We evaluated the use of extended nasolabial flaps in the management of oral submucous fibrosis.     

Radiographic study of tooth agenesis in the Turkish population

Objectives  

This retrospective study used panoramic radiographs of a large number of Turkish patients to determine the prevalence of tooth agenesis.     

Efficacy of two point rigid internal fixation in the management of zygomatic complex fracture

Purpose  

To evaluate the efficacy of two point rigid internal fixation in the immobilization of zygomatic complex fractures.     

Management of Post-Operative Maxillofacial Oncology Patients Without the Routine Use of an Intensive Care Unit

Aim  

To assess the safety and efficacy of immediate postoperative management of major maxillofacial oncology patients in a High Dependency Unit (HDU).     

Effects of the vertical projection angle in intraoral radiography on the detection of furcation involvement of the mandibular first molar

Objectives  

To investigate the effects of vertical projection angle alterations in intraoral radiography on the detection of furcation defects in the mandibular first molar, and to clarify the possible cause of variations in detectability.     

Reliability and cross-cultural validity of a Japanese version of the Dental Fear Survey

Background  

This study established the reliability and cross-cultural validity of a Japanese version of the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).     

Verrucous Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity: A Histopathologic Study of 10 Japanese Cases

Objective  

To reports ten Japanese surgical cases of verrucous carcinoma (VC) of the oral cavity.     

Lag Screw Fixation of Fracture of the Anterior Mandible: A New Minimal Access Technique

Objective  

Purpose of this study to introduce a new minimal access technique for management of anterior mandible fracture with several advantages over conventional methods.     

Relationship between the appearance of tongue carcinoma on intraoral ultrasonography and neck metastasis

Objective  

To evaluate the usefulness of intraoral ultrasonography (IOUS) as a tool for predicting neck metastasis.     

Effects of xylitol on the femur and mandibular bone in ovariectomized rats

Objective  

To examine the effects of oral xylitol administration on the femur and mandibular bone of ovariectomized (OVX) rats.     

Prevalence of comorbidities in periodontitis patients compared with the general Austrian population

1 Background

The majority of patients with periodontitis present with comorbidities, however only little is known on prevalence of these comorbidities in comparison with the general population. This study aims to analyze the prevalence and impact of comorbidities in patients with periodontitis in Austria.

2 Methods

Prevalence of comorbidities was evaluated in 1,199 patients with periodontitis (median age: 49, range: 14 to 83 years). These data were compared with a randomly selected age‐ and sex‐matched cohort of the Austrian population by an unconditional logistic regression model.

3 Results

Comorbidities were found in 821 of 1,199 (68.5%) patients. Allergies had the highest prevalence (29.2%), followed by hypertension (19.4%), musculoskeletal (11.2%), and endocrine disorders (9.7%). Chronic pulmonary disorders (no influenza/pneumonia) were associated with a higher approximal plaque index (72% versus 63%, P = 0.02). No association between characteristics of periodontitis and comorbidities was observed. Prevalence of allergies (29.2% versus 22.9%) and pulmonary disorders (8.5% versus 4.3%) was significantly higher in periodontitis patients compared with the Austrian population (P < 0.001), whereas asthma (1.5% versus 5.6%), cardiovascular disorders (1.8% versus 10.5%), depression (7.1% versus 10.4%), headache (1.3% versus 20%), hyperlipidemia (6.4% versus 14.8%), hypertension (14.2% versus 24.5%), musculoskeletal disorders (11.2% versus 41.7%), and osteoporosis (2.8% versus 5.1%) were found less frequently (P < 0.001). No differences were observed for cancer, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal disorders, or psychiatric disorders (P = 0.95, P = 0.76, P = 0.68, P = 0.23, respectively).

4 Conclusion

In Austria, the majority of patients with periodontitis present with comorbidities, and the adjusted prevalence differs significantly from the general population.     

Endosseous alveolar distractor (LEAD™) in the management of residual alveolar ridge resorption

Background  

Lack of sufficient alveolar bone height or width is one of the most frequent problems in the dental rehabilitation of the edentulous patient.     

M-mode echomyography: functional assessment of the effects of thumb-sucking habit on masticatory and circumoral musculature

Aim  

To assess and compare the function of masticatory and circumoral musculature in patients with and without thumb-sucking habit by using M-mode ultrasonography.     

CT analyses of the location of the maxillary third molar in relation to panoramic radiographic appearance

Objective  

We compared the relationship between anatomical structures analyzed by panoramic radiographs and CT images of uninfected impacted maxillary third molars and investigated the pathway of infection originating from pericoronitis of maxillary third molars.     

Effect of abutment height on interproximal implant bone level in the early healing: A randomized clinical trial

Objective

The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the effect on the interproximal implant bone loss (IBL) of two different heights (1 and 3 mm) of definitive abutments placed at bone level implants with a platform switched design.

Material and methods

Twenty‐two patients received forty‐four implants (6.5–10 mm length and 3.5–4 mm diameter) to replace at least two adjacent missing teeth, one bridge set to each patient—two implants per bridge. Patients were randomly allocated, and two different abutment heights, 1 and 3 mm using only one abutment height per bridge, were used. Clinical and radiological measurements were performed at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Interproximal bone level changes were compared between treatment groups. The association between IBL and categorical variables (history of periodontitis, smoking, implant location, implant diameter, implant length, insertion torque, width of keratinized mucosa, bone density, gingival biotype and antagonist) was also performed.

Results

At 3 months, implants with a 1‐mm abutment had significantly greater IBL (0.83 ± 0.19 mm) compared to implants with a 3‐mm abutment (0.14 ± 0.08 mm). At 6 months, a greater IBL was observed at implants with 1‐mm abutments compared to implants with 3‐mm abutments (0.91 ± 0.19 vs. 0.11 ± 0.09 mm). The analysis of the relation between patient characteristics and clinical variables with IBL revealed no significant differences at any moment except for smoking.

Conclusions

Abutment height is an important factor to maintain interproximal implant bone level in early healing. Short abutments led to a greater interproximal bone loss in comparison with long abutments after 6 months. Other variables except smoking showed no relation with interproximal bone loss in early healing.