[Oral mycotic flora and its association with dental caries in Babol dental students in 2005]

Candida albicans is colonized on different oral surfaces such as tongue, palate, dental caries and plaques. Different factors like age, sex, diet, dietary habits and oral hygiene play role in amount and severity of colonization of this microorganism. Our goal was to determine the relationship between the existence of Candida albicans in oral cavities and dental caries in students of dentistry. This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 121 students of Babol dental school without any history of systemic disease and use of antibiotics or streoidal drugs. After explaining study goals and getting informed consent, the students' demographic information and medical histories were recorded in data sheets. Then clinical examination for determination of DMFT and plaque index was done. Salivary PH was measured. Dental plaque samples were cultured. Data were analysed by SPSS 10.5 using Student t-test, Fisher's Exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-Square test. 63 [52.1%] students were male and 58 [47.9%] female. The mean age was 24.61 +/- 5.2 years. Candida culture was positive in 53 [43.8%] salivary and 51 [42.1%] plaque samples which in 50[94.3%] of salivary and 45 [88.3%] of plaque cultures was Candida Albicans. 44 students [36.4%] were caries free. The positive Candida cultures were more common in students with more dental caries, less than 7 restorations, oral PH<7, and moderate dental plaque [P<0.05]. It was also more common among smoker students. Presence of Candida Albicans in saliva and plaque samples had no relationship with sugar intake, number of brushing times and sex. Dental caries have significant relationship with existence of Candida Albicans in mouth, low salivary PH and smoking [P<0.05]. Candida Albicans is the most common type of Candida in oral cavity

Knowledge of parents and status of dental health in children at risk of infective endocarditis

Congenital heart disease is the most common disposing factor to bacterial endocarditis. Since the people with cardiac disease are in high risk of caries and some microorganisms of endocarditis are due to streptococci [caries initiation], good dental and oral health in these people are very important. The purpose of this study was to determine the parent's knowledge about antibiotic prophylaxis before dental procedure and dental health [dmft/DMFT] of the children at risk of endocarditis. This is a cross-sectional descriptive analytical study performed on 84 people subjects [38 M, 46 F] being 2-17 years old and at risk of endocarditis in Amirkola and Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Babol. After clinical examination of the patients and completing of the questionnaires, findings were analyzed according to SPSS program and Chi-Square test. The percentage of parents who understood the meaning of 'heart infection' was 42.9% those, who knew the possibility of endocarditis occurrence to be caused by a dental procedure was 57.1%, those who understood the requirement for antibiotic cover before dental treatment was 16.7%, and those who understood the importance of a good oral health to prevent infective endocarditis was 60.7%. Regarding oral health behaviour, 51.2% of children brushed their teeth at least once a day and 48.8% did not brush their teeth or brushed irregularly. Only 2.4% of children referred a dentist every six months and 44% had never visited a dentist before. 26.1% of subjects were free of caries and the mean of dmft was 1.86 +/- 2.47 and for DMFT was 2.23 +/- 2.97. The parents' knowledge about the importance of dental health and its role in prevention of endocarditis was low. Absence of caries in these children was low making them susceptible to bacterial endocarditis

Dental health status in asthmatic children

Asthma is a common disorder that affects children. Only a limited number of studies have investigated the effect of asthma on dental caries. The purpose of this study was to determine the dental caries status in children with bronchial asthma. In this crossectional study, 75 asthmatic and 75 non asthmatic children who were matched according to age and sex were examined for dental caries. All children were four to Eighteen years old. The children were divided into four groups according to the severity of bronchial asthma as mild, moderate, Severe and intermittant asthma. They were also distributed according to the dental status as primary and permanent dentition and depending on the medication being used into inhaler, syrup, tablet and combination group. The data were analysed with Mann-Wintney and Kruscall-Wallis tests. A significant difference was found in DMFT between asthmatic group [2.27 +/- 2.65] and control group [0.8 +/- 1.41] but significant difference was found in DMFT between asthmatic [3.53 +/- 3.06] and control group [3.22 +/- 3.13]. Mean of DMFT in asthmatic male was significantly more than the control group and also there was a significant difference in DMFT in children between 11-18 years old. There was no significant difference between asthmatic and control groups regarding severity of the disease, kind of drugs and the method the medication used. It was concluded that asthmatic children had higher caries prevalence in their permanent teeth, and the severity and the method of the mediaction being used had no effect on the dental caries in asthmatic children

Microbiological evaluation of dental unit water at dental offices and dental school in the city of Babol

The quality of dental unit water is of considerable importance since patients and dental staff are regularly exposed to water and aerosols generated from the dental unit. Following ADA instruction, this study was performed to control the contamination of Dental Unit Water Line [DUWL] to less than 200 CFU/ml. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the microbiology of DUWL at dental offices and dental faculty of Babol. In this laboratory study, DUWL of dental offices from different areas as well as that of the dental faculty of Babol was microbiologically evaluated. An amount of five ml water from the syringes and high speed hand pieces before and 2 minutes after flushing and drinking water of units and tap water were gathered in three different sterile polyethylene dishes. Then the samples were cultured on the specific media and the number of the bacterial colonies were counted after keeping at 37 for 48 hours. The data were analysed by SPSS software and chi-square, Fisher's exact and Paired t-tests as well as ANOVA were used. 33.3% of all species samples were positive for presence of bacteria. Microorganisms isolated were as follow: Staphilococcus aureus, coliform, E.coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Streptococcus [except beta hemolytic group A], Klebsiella, coagulase negative staphylococcus and proteus. The number of the colonies were more than the standard limit. Contamination of the water of hand pieces was reduced after flushing. Contamination of tap water compared to the water of handpieces was less and mean contamination of the samples gathered from the dental offices was higher than those gathered from the dental faculty. Flushing decreases the contamination of DUWL, but in surgeries and in persons with immunodeficiency, the use of other methods of DUWL control and decontamination is recommended