ABSTRACT
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common inflammatory, autoimmune disorder that affects stratified squamous epithelium. The exact etiopathogenesis of this mucocutaneous disease is still uncertain. Although OLP has been associated with altered Quality of Life and considerable morbidity, with important note for erosive type of OLP, its treatment is often disappointing and controversial. Though corticosteroids remained the first line of treatment for OLP, the associated adverse effects of corticosteroids are not acceptable. Hence, there is a need of drugs with steroid sparing effect. Use of immunomodulators is systemic pathologies is widely encountered. However, their use in oral lesions is not frequently seen. Use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an age-old disease-modifyinganti-rheumatic-drug, has been widely used in various autoimmune diseases; however, it received little attention in treatment of OLP. This article presents a case series of three patients with erosive OLP which were managed with HCQ. The results presented allow the authors to consider systemic HCQ as a newer therapy for atrophicerosive lichen planus.
ABSTRACT
Background Micronuclei are small, additional nuclei formed as a result of exclusion of chromosome fragments or the whole-chromosome lagging at mitosis. Micronuclei indirectly reflect the chromosomal breakage or impairment of mitotic apparatus. Micronuclei in exfoliated oral epithelial cells are widely used as biomarkers of chromosomal damage, genome instability and cancer risk in humans. Micronuclei scoring can be used as a biomarker to identify different preneoplastic conditions much earlier than manifestations of clinical features and might specifically be exploited in screening of high-risk population for a specific cancer. Aim To correlate frequency of micronuclei in oral exfoliated cells in clinically diagnosed cases of potentially malignant disorders (PMDs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Material and Methods The study subjects consisted of clinically and histopathologically diagnosed cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral sub mucous fibrosis and leucoplakia. Healthy subjects without any tobacco consumption habits formed the control group. The cytosmear from all the four groups were stained with Papanicolaou stain. Micronuclei were identified according to the criteria given by Tolbert et al. (1992). Result The frequency of micronuclei was higher in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma as compared to the other subject groups and the difference was found to be highly significant. Conclusion This study concluded that there is gradual increase in micronuclei counts from normal oral mucosa to PMDs to oral carcinoma.
ABSTRACT
Objectives Intra oral radiographic imaging is the most widely used method for obtaining information about root canal anatomy and working length determination. Measuring exact working length is the most essential step for the success of root canal treatment. Bisecting angle technique (BAT) is the most widely used technique for this purpose. However, zygomatic superimposition over the apices of maxillary molars makes it difficult for the dentist to estimate exact working length. The present study made certain modifications in BAT to overcome these undiagnostic shadows. The aim of the study is to compare three techniques, namely paralleling cone technique (PCT), BAT and modified bisecting angle technique (MBAT) to prevent such superimposition over molar apices. Materials and Methods A total of 53 patients requiring endodontic treatment for maxillary molars were included in the study. Three radiographs one with each PCT, BAT, MBAT were made. Each radiographic image was recorded acceptable or unacceptable based on the zygomatic superimposition. The data thus collected was subjected to statistical analysis using chi-square test. Results The percentage of acceptability in MBAT was 56.6% (n = 30) when compared with BAT which was only 28.3% (n = 15) and PCT was 58.3% (n = 31) indicating statistically significant difference between BAT and MBAT. But no statistically significant difference was found between MBAT and PCT. Conclusion In the present study, MBAT was found to be more accurate than BAT, and it was relatively as accurate as PCT in eliminating zygomatic superimposition over the apices of maxillary molars.