effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on Trichomonas Tenax and Entamoeba Gingivalis in patients with chronic periodontitis

Statement of the Problem: Trichomonas tenax and Entamoeba gingivalis are commensal protozoa which inhabit the human oral cavity. These parasites are found in patients with poor oral hygiene and might be a reason for progressive periodontal diseases

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nonsurgical periodontal treatment on the frequency of these protozoa in saliva and plaque samples

Materials and Method: In this clinical trial, samples of saliva and dental plaque were collected from 46 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis before and after periodontal therapy. The samples were assessed for the frequency of parasites

Results: The frequency of Entamoeba gingivalis was reduced in saliva [p= 0.007] and plaque [p= 0.027] three weeks after the treatment. Likewise, the frequency of Trichomonas tenax reduced in saliva [p= 0.030]; however, the decrease was not significant in plaque [p= 0.913]. Trichomonas tenax frequency in dental plaque directly related to the severity of periodontitis [r= 0.565, p

Conclusion: Nonsurgical periodontal treatment could reduce the number of Trichomonas Tenax and Entamoeba gingivalis in the oral environment of patients with chronic periodontitis

Effect of 1% phenytoin muco-adhesive paste on improvement of periodontal status in patients with chronic periodontitis: a randomized blinded controlled clinical study

Statement of the Problem: Phenytoin [PHT] has been known to promote wound healing in some medical conditions owing to its proliferative as well as anti-inflammatory effects. Yet, its application in oral lesions was less investigated

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in periodontal indices following the topical use of phenytoin in chronic periodontitis

Materials and Method: In this doubled-blind, randomized, split-mouth controlled clinical study, 20 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis referred to Periodontology Department of Shahid Sadoughi Medical University of Yazd in 2014 were selected consecutively. After initial therapy [scaling and root planning and oral hygiene instructions], periodontal indices including bleeding on probing [BOP], periodontal pocket depth [PPD] and modified gingival index [MGI] were recorded. Gingival facial surface of two posterior sextants with at least two teeth with similar conditions, were selected randomly. Then one surface received PHT paste whereas the other side had placebo as control. Patients were received the mucoadhesive pastes under strict control by an examiner, twice a day for a week. Periodontal indices were measured 3 weeks after treatment. Data was analyzed with t-test and paired t-test by using SPSS 21 software

Results: It was observed that periodontal pocket depth was significantly more decreased in phenytoin side in comparison with placebo one [p< 0.05]. In addition, inflammatory indices including bleeding on probing and modified gingival index declined more in the phenytoin group [p= 0.001 and p< 0.05 respectively]

Conclusion: These encouraging results support the use of 1% phenytoin mucoadhesive paste as an adjunctive in periodontal treatment

Self-reported oral health and quality of life in the elderly

Introduction: Given growing elderly population and high prevalence of oral and dental diseases in this age group, this study was conducted to investigate oral health status and related quality of life among older adults in Yazd located in central Iran

Methods: The cross sectional study was carried out on 210 elderly people aged >/= 60 years under the guise of Yazd health care centers who entered the study via cluster random sampling. Oral health was assessed by DMFT index; and self-reported oral and dental health scale was also tested. Further, to measure the oral health-related quality of life, the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index was applied. Data were then analyzed by SPSS software through descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient

Results: The mean score of age for the studied population was 67.22 +/- 5.62 years. Of whom 60.48% were women, 79.05% were married and 42.4% were edentulous. The oral health-related quality of life mean score was 42.46 +/- 5.76 [possible rang 12-60] and the DMFT index mean score was 20.33 +/- 4.76. The correlation of oral health-related quality of life score with age [r = -0.213, p = 0.002] and DMFT index [r = -0.542, p < 0.001] was inversely significant. Further, that had a direct significant correlation with self-reported oral health score[r = 0.302, p < 0.001]

Conclusion: Elderly people's oral health-related quality of life, self-reported oral and dental health status was not desirable. These factors have significant relationships with each other so that increase in DMFT index was associated with decrease in self-reported oral and dental health

CPITN changes during pregnancy and maternal demographic factors 'impact on periodontal health

There have been speculations about the effects of hormonal changes and socio-demographic factors on periodontal health during pregnancy. According to the lack of sufficient epidemiologic information about the periodontal status of pregnant women in Yazd, this study was accomplished to determine the changes of Community Periodontal Index for Treatment Needs [CPITN] during pregnancy and evaluating the possible relationship between this index and demographic characteristics of the mothers. This was a longitudinal descriptive study. The samples included 115 pregnant women who were referred to health centers of Yazd, Iran. The mothers' data were obtained from a questionnaire consisted of 3 parts: consent paper, demographic data and CPITN records. Examination was performed with dental unit light, flat dental mirror and WHO's scaled probe. In the beginning of the study, 60.1% of checked sextants had healthy gingival status. 25.9% had code1 and 14% had code 2. Code 3 and 4 were not seen in any sextants. There was a significant relationship between lower CPITN and higher maternal education, occupation and more frequencies of tooth-brushing but there was not a relationship between CPITN and mother's age and number of pregnancies. CPITN had a significant relationship with increasing of the gestational age. There might be a relationship between increasing the month of pregnancy and more periodontal treatment needs. CPITN Increasing during pregnancy shows the importance of periodontal cares during this period

Evaluation of the effects of diode [980 Nm] laser on gingival inflammation after nonsurgical periodontal therapy

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, for which, scaling and root planning [SRP] is the common approach for non-surgical control of inflammation. Using lasers is another approach in the first phase of periodontal treatment for control of inflammation. Diode laser has some beneficial effects such as acceleration of wound healing, promotion of angiogenesis and augmentation of growth factor release. Thus the aim of this study is the evaluation of diode laser [980 nm] effect on gingival inflammation when it is used between the first and second phase of periodontal treatment, in comparison with common treatment [SRP] modality alone. In this study, 21 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were selected and divided in to control group [SRP] and test group [SRP + laser]. Two months after the last scaling and laser radiation, indexes including gingival level [GL], bleeding on probing [BOP] and modified gingival index [MGI] were recorded and compared with baseline. Two months after the beginning of the study, all indices improved in both groups. The indices were not different between two groups except for BOP which was lower in laser group. Based on overall improvement in parameters such as superiority of laser application in some indices, lack of thermal damage and gingival recession with the specific settings used in this study, the application of laser as an adjunctive treatment together with common methods is preferable

Relationship between maternal periodontal disease and low birth weight babies

Periodontal infections, which serve as a reservoir of inflammatory mediators, may pose a threat to the fetal-placental unit and cause adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was assessing the periodontal status of women during puerperium and determining the possible relationship between their periodontal disease and low birth weight delivery. This was a case-control study. The sample included 88 ex-pregnant women were seen at maternity hospitals of Yazd, Iran. Half of the mothers had low birth babies [LBW] [birth weight below 2500g- case group] and the others had normal weight babies [>2500g- control group]. The mothers' data were obtained from medical files, interview and periodontal clinical examination carried out up to 3 days after delivery. Bleeding on probing, presence of supra-gingival calculus and CPITN [Community Periodontal Index for Treatment Needs] were used for periodontal assessment. Among the known risk factors of LBW babies, history of previous LBW infant among case mothers reached statistical significance [p=0.0081, Student t-test]. Mothers of LBW infants had less healthy areas of gingiva [p=0.042], and more deep pockets [p=0.0006, Mann-Whitney test]. The maternal periodontal disease can be a potential independent risk factor for LBW

[Cost-income analysis of oral health units of health care centers in Yazd city]

Increasing demands for health care's services on one hand and limited resources on the other hand brings about pressure over governments to find out a mechanism for fair and appropriate distribution of resources. Economic analysis is one of the appropriate tools for policy making on this priority. The aim of this study was to assess capital and consumption of oral health units of health care centers in Yazd city and comparing it with revenue of these centers and determining of cost effectiveness. In this descriptive cross sectional study, all health care centers of Yazd city with active dentistry department were evaluated. The data has been extracted from current documents in health care center of county based issued receipts and daily information registers. Expended cost for providing of oral hygiene services in second half of 2008 in 13 medical health centers of Yazd included active dentistry section was 557.887.500 Rials and revenue to cost ratio was about 34%. The most provided service was related to tooth extraction and the average of tooth restoration in each working day was 0.48. With attention to low tariffs of dentistry services in medical health centers and paying subsidy to target groups, expenses of oral hygiene are always more than its revenue.