[Psychological assessment of patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers]

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis [RAS] is among the most common oral conditions and psychological disorders are among its predisposing factors. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and type of psychological disorders in patients with RAS. Seventy-five patients referred to Mashhad Dental School were enrolled in this cross-sectional study: 35 patients with RAS [15 males and 20 females] constituted the study group and 40 healthy patients [15 males and 25 females] comprised the control group. The SCL-90 questionnaire consisting of 90 multiple choice questions was completed by all subjects and a psychologist scored and analyzed the results in order to evaluate the psychological status of patients. The overall frequency of psychological disorders was 44%; this rate was 68.6% in the RAS patients and 22.5% in the control group [P<0.0001]. The frequency of anxiety disorder was 42.9% in RAS patients and 7.5% in the control group [P<0.0001]. The frequency of somatization disorder was 17.1% in RAS patients and 0% in the control group [P=0.008]. The frequency of depression was 28.6% in RAS patients and 15% in the control group [P=0.004]. All these differences were statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in other psychological disorders. The results showed that psychological disorders were generally more frequent among RAS patients compared to the control group. The most common psychological disorder was anxiety disorder and the frequency of anxiety, depression and somatization was higher in RAS patients

[Approach to orofacial granulomatosis and review of literature]

Orofacial granulomatosis [OFG] comprises a group of diseases characterized by non-caseating granulomatous inflammation affecting the soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. Wiesenfeld introduced the term orofacial granulomatosis in 1985 for the first time. The precise cause of OFG is unknown; however, some theories have been suggested including allergy, infection and genetic predisposition. The clinical presentation can be highly variable, making the diagnosis difficult to establish. The aim of this review was to define clinical features, differential diagnosis and treatment protocols of OFG. All English articles from 1950 to 2010 in Pubmed, InterScience, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar databases were searched using the keywords: orofacial granulomatosis, approach, and treatment. Persian articles were also selected from Iran Medex. Because of the relatively nonspecific clinical findings associated with a variety of granulomatous diseases, the diagnosis of orofacial granulomatous often presents a dilemma for the clinician. The most common differential diagnosis includes Crohn's disease, sarcoidosis, and infection. However, a variety of other conditions may be associated with granuloma formation. Often an extensive clinical, microscopic, and laboratory evaluation may be required to reach to definite diagnosis and proper treatment

[ update review of prophylactic antibiotic in dentistry]

Despite the absence of any signs of infection in the oral cavity, all dentists and specialists should take prevention of infection and conditions leading to high risk infection into account. Antibiotic prophylaxis could inhibit or lessen the rate of such occurrences

The aim of this review was to describe all risks and side effects of missing prophylaxis and also to mention mechanisms and conditions which precipitate these risks. Hence, we could categorize and exactly define these risks and patients at risk and recommend the best approaches to preventing the risks, selecting antibiotic type, appropriate time for indication, duration of administration, and also all changes based on specific cases

Prevalence of rotavirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus infections among patients with acute gastroenteritis in, Northern Iran

The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis associated with diarrheal diseases in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. A total of 400 symptomatic cases from patients with acute gastroenteritis from Mazandaran Province in Iran were screened using EIA method for the presence of rotavirus, adenovirus and astrovirus during 2005-2006. Chi-square tests were used for testing relationships between different variables. Rotavirus, adenovirus and astrovirus were detected in 62%, 2.3%, and 3% of samples, respectively. The maximum rate of rotaviruses was detected in the<1-year-old age group, while minimum rate was found in the 10 years and older age group. Astrovirus and adenovirus were detected predominantly in the 2-5-year-old age group of children, with a prevalence of 8.3% and 3.5% respectively. All studied viral gastroenteritis peaked in the winter, and minimum rate were found in summer. Our statistical analyzes indicated that viral gastroenteritis, especially Rota-viral, had the highest number of occurrences in colder seasons notably in winter and more frequently were observed among younger children

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis associated with osteogenesis imperfecta: a case report

A male patient aged 6.5 years [patient No.l] is reported with chief complaint of white lesions in his mouth from birth, which was finally diagnosed as chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis [CMC]. Clinical, radiographical and histopathological examinations revealed dentinogenesis imperfecta associated with Osteogenesis imperfecta in both the patient and his sister [patient No.2]. The importance of early diagnosis and treatment of both diseases is discussed in this report

[Lip leishmaniasis [2 case reports]]

Leishmaniasis is a common cutaneous disease which is due to the infection with protozoan parasite named leishmania. This parasite is transmitted to a human by an infected sand fly. Both clinical forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis [dry-wet] are endemic in Khorasan province. The purpose of this study was to report two leishmaniasis cases with just lip involvement. This report is about two patients with lip leishmaniasis, without any skin or mucusal involvement in which the clinical features were diffuse lip swelling and ulcer in lower lip vermelion. These patients had been referred to oral medicine department of Mashhad dental school where a smear and biopsy were obtained which confirmed the clinical diagnosis of leishmaniasis. Thereafter, the patients were referred to a dermatologist for treatment. In later follow up, complete healing of lesions was observed. The city of Mashhad is one of the centers with high frequency of dry cutaneous leishmaniasis and facial involvement in this disease is common. So it is necessary for dentists to consider leishmaniasis in differential diagnosis of lip and nose swellings and ulcers

[ study on general knowledge of the patients referring to Mashhad Dental School about AIDS]

This was a descripitive cross- sectional study of which purpose was evaluation of the knowledge of patients in clinics of Mashhad dental school about AIDS. In this study 300 patients [40% male and 60% female] were randomly selected. To gather the information, a standard questionnaire including two parts was prepared. The first part was about personal information and the second part consisted of 24 questions on the nature, diagnostic methods, HIV transmission and Attitudes toward AIDS. Chi-square test and t-test were used for data analysis. The mean age of cases was 32.04 years and most of them had high school diploma or associate degree. 93.7% of the cases inhabited in the urban areas. The mean knowledge score in this study was 14.57 +/- 4.6 of the total 24 [24 questions]. The lowest level of knowledge as well as the attitudes belonged to the inhabitants of rural areas. There was no significant relationship between the level of general knowledge and sex, while we found a significant relationship between the level of general knowledge and marital status, age, education, occupation and the residence place. 75.3% of the cases in this study asked for diagnostic trials for AIDS before any dental treatment on all the patients. According to this study a more serious education on AIDS specially in rural groups must be considered, necessitating our efforts to modify the negative attitude toward AIDS