Assessment of serum vitamin B12 and folic acid in patients with oral Lichen Planus: a case control study

Oral Lichen Planus [OLP] is a chronic immunologic disorder with unknown etiology. Stress and anxiety are some risk factors for OLP and Vitamin B12 and folic acid have been proved to be effective mirco-nutrients for prevention of anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate serum Vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency in patients with OLP. Forty eight individuals [32 cases with histopathologically proven OLP and 16 healthy subjects] were recruited. Serum folic acid and Vitamin B12 were assessed for each individual. T-test was applied for data analysis. Vitamin B12 deficiency was found in 8 of 32 cases with OLP [25%] while in the control group it was found in 12.5% of the subjects [p>0.05]. Of the 32 patients with OLP, one had folic acid deficiency while none of the control subjects had such a deficiency [p>0.05]. Although Vitamin B12 deficiency in OLP patients did not show a statistically significant difference compared with healthy subjects, it was approximately twice as much as the control group. And it can be suggested that Vitamin B12 may have some effective roles in OLP pathogenesis while folic acid deficiency cannot be considered as a prominent risk factor in OLP. More studies are needed to prove such relation

DMFT [decayed, missing, filled, teeth] oral health index in sweets and cable industry workers

The most important factor in evaluating dental health is DMFT [Decayed, Missing, Filled, Teeth]. This research was conducted to compare DMFT index in the workers of sweets and cable factories of Shahrood [Moghan], a small city near 300 km east of Tehran. All the 127 production line workers of cable factory and 124 workers of sweets factory who had the predetermined criteria were selected. A questionnaire was filled out and dental status was recorded for each one. After analyzing the data by SPSS soft ware the results were as follows: Mean and SD of DMFT in sweets factory: 12.59 +/- 6.5; in cable factory: 9.7 +/- 5.4; and Caries free in both factories was less than 1% which was neglectable. Mean and SD of DMFT in 35- 44 yr age group in sweet and cable factory was 11.6 +/- 6.05, and 10.8 +/- 6.5, respectively. With Anova two-way analysis in two groups and with P< 0/000, there was a significant correlation between type of work and DMFT which proved the hypothesis. Accordingly, consumption of sweets and neglecting oral hygiene can be considered of great importance in increasing DMFT in the workers of sweets factory compared to the cable factory