effect of miswak and toothbrush on saliva total bacterial count and cariogenic bacteria

Miswak, a chewing stick prepared from the roots, twigs or stems of Salvadora persica. The beneficial effects of miswak in respect of oral hygiene and dental health are partly due to its mechanical action and partly due to its pharmacological actions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of miswak sticks, miswak extract and toothbrush/toothpaste as antimicrobial agents on total bacterial count in the saliva, and to study the effect of miswak stick, toothbrush/toothpaste and saline on salivary Streptococcus mutans [S. mutans] and lactobacilli in vivo. The study clarified that there was a marked reduction in the total bacterial count among all groups. The reduction was 100%, 100%, 97.5% and 67.5% among users of miswak stick, miswak extract, toothbrush/toothpaste and saline [control], respectively. The results of the current study also showed marked reduction of S. mutans in 66.7% of the individuals using miswak and among individuals using toothbrush/toothpaste, whereas the reduction was only 29.2% among saline users. The reduction of lactobacilli was 62.5%, 58.3% and 54.2% by using miswak stick, toothbrush/toothpaste and saline, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. It can be concluded that miswak has an antimicrobial effect comparable to the use of fluorinated toothpaste. It was clear from the current study that the Caries Risk Test [CRT] kit is a rapid and a simple, semi-quantitative method for counting lactobacilli and S. mutans, which can be used in dental clinics without the need for trained technicians. It is recommended that further studies can be performed on larger sample size of patients, at high risk of developing dental caries

Hepatitis B and C virus infections among patients with gingivitis and adult periodontitis: seroprevalence and public health importance

The aim of the present case control study was to identify seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C virus [HBV and HCV] infections among one hundred cases with periodontal disease [71% gingivitis and 29% adult periodontitis] and one hundred controls with healthy gingiva matched for age and sex. Moreover, it aimed to detect hepatitis markers in saliva samples corresponding to the positive sera. Different risk factors associated with hepatitis infection and detectability rate of hepatitis markers were also studied. Methodology: enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] technique was used to detect the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg], antibody to hepatitis B core antigen [anti HBc], e antigen [eAg] and antibody to hepatitis C virus [anti HCV] both in serum and saliva samples. HCV RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] technique. Oral examination was performed for assessment of simplified Oral Hygiene Index [OHI-S], Papillary Bleeding Index [PBI], probing pocket depth and loss of fibre attachment. cases with periodontal disease showed higher percentages of hepatitis exposure [hepex; anti HCV and/or anti HBc] and significantly higher anti HCV seropositivity than the controls [26% and 13% versus 22% and 8%, respectively]. No difference in HBsAg carrier rate nor in anti HBc seropositivity was elicited. Furthermore, cases with periodontal disease showed higher detectability rate of HBsAg, anti HBc, anti HCV or both anti HCV and/or anti HBc in whole unstimulated saliva than the controls [100% vs 66.7%, 50% vs 23.5%, 23.1% vs 0.0% and 42.3% vs 18.2%, respectively]. Stepwise logistic regression delineated two significant factors associated with the risk of hepatitis exposure, the first predictor was the rural residence and the second one was the history of blood transfusion [OR=3.10, 2.94, respectively]. Periodontal disease, severity of bleeding and bad oral hygiene were associated with the risk of hepatitis infection and with the detectability of hepatitis markers in the whole saliva