Clinical comparison of treatment response patterns following non-surgical periodontal therapy in non-smokers and passive smokers with chronic periodontitis

Smoking is a risk factor for periodontal disease. It has been documented that smoking impairs response to periodontal therapy. The aim of this study was clinical comparison of treatment response patterns following non-surgical periodontal therapy in non-smokers [NS] and passive smokers [PS] with chronic periodontitis. Eighty adult patients [40 NS and 40 PS] with mild to moderate periodontitis were treated with full-mouth subgingival scaling and root planing. Clinical parameters evaluated included probing depth, clinical attachment level, bleeding on probing, and plaque index, collected at baseline, and at 3- and 6-month intervals.. In comparison with the baseline data, both groups showed statistically significant improvements in all the parameters after 3 and 6 months. Full-mouth plaque and bleeding scores at 6 months did not demonstrate any significant differences between the two groups [P = 0.36 and P = 0.69, respectively]. However, the inter-group differences after 6 months were statistically significant with regard to probing depth and clinical attachment level measurements [P = 0.001]. Results demonstrated that response to non-surgical periodontal therapy in non-smokers is better than that in passive smokers

Prevalence, height, and location of antral septa in Iranian patients undergoing maxillary sinus lift

Presence of maxillary septa has been known to be a complicating factor for sinus elevation procedure. This study was aimed at detecting the prevalence, location and height of antral septa in edentulous and dentate Iranian patients scheduled for sinus elevation procedure. A total of 132 sinuses in 66 patients [39 male and 27 female] aged 34-73 years were evaluated through a computed tomography scan analysis. The prevalence of one or more septa was 35.52% [27/76] for edentulous and 21.42% [12/56] for dentate patients [overall 29.54% [39/132]]. The prevalence of septa was not significantly different between males and females. Antral septa were found in the middle [53.84% [21/39]], anterior [30.76% [12/39]], and posterior parts [15.38% [6/39]]. The mean heights of septa were 6.52 +/- 3.87 mm, 7.58 +/- 3.56 mm and 5.33 +/- 4.23 mm in medial, lateral and middle parts of maxillary antrum, respectively. Antral septa may be present in any area of the maxillary sinus with variable prevalence among populations