Primary tuberculosis of the oral cavity.

There is a well-known phrase that states, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." This expression continues to apply to tuberculosis (TB), a widespread infectious disease traced back to the earliest of centuries. TB has claimed its victims throughout much of known human history. Mycobacterium tuberculosis may have killed more persons than any other microbial pathogen and is one of the major causes of ill health and death worldwide. Although the overall incidence of TB has decreased, recently, the incidence of this disease appears to be increasing. Oral lesions of TB though uncommon are seen in both the primary and secondary stages of the disease. In secondary TB, the oral manifestations may be accompanied by lesions in the lungs, lymph nodes, or in any other part of the body and can be detected by a systemic examination. Most of the cases are secondary to pulmonary disease and the primary form is uncommon. Here, we present a case of primary oral TB, affecting the gingiva and hard palate in a 40-year-old Indian female patient.

Chlorhexidine chip and tetracycline fibers as adjunct to scaling and root planing: a clinical study

Aim: Prevention of periodontal disease progression is the primary goal of periodontal therapy. When conventional therapy is found inadequate to attain periodontal health in chronic periodontitis, local antimicrobial agents have been used as adjunct to scaling and root planing, producing encouragingresults. Hence, a study was undertaken to evaluate clinically, the newly released sustained drugs, PerioColTMCG(Chlorhexidine - CHX- chip) with Periodontal Plus ABTM (Tetracycline fibers). Methods: Patients wereallocated in 3 experimental treatment groups, Group A- SRP + CHX Chip, Group B- SRP + Tetracycline fibers, and Group C- SRP alone (control group). Forty-five sites in 14 patients (9 females and 5 males) with chronic periodontitis (5-8mm probing depth), were evaluated clinically for probing depth (PD) and relative attachment level (RAL). Results: All the treatment groups were found to be efficacious in the treatment of periodontal disease as demonstrated by improvement in PD and RAL. Conclusion: Combination of SRP + CHX chip (Group A) resulted in added benefits compared to the other two treatment groups.