Clinical evaluation of effects of local application of aloe vera gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planning in patients with chronic periodontitis

Statement of the Problem: Aloe vera gel contains various components with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory characteristics, which may have potential advantages to treat periodontal diseases

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of local application of aloe vera gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planning in the treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis

Materials and Method: This single-blind clinical trial, performed in a split mouth design, was conducted on 20 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. Following a baseline examination at first day which included the assessments of plaque index [PI], gingival index [GI], and probing depth [PD]; patients randomly received either SRP in one quadrant [control group], or SRP combined with aloe vera gel in another quadrant [experimental group]. All cases were examined again, assessing PI, GI, and PD at 30[th] and 60[th] day

Results: There was no significant difference in PI in the three stages between control and experimental groups. In all patients, there was a significant improvement in the three stages in GI and PD for both quadrants treated only with SRP or combination of SRP and aloe vera. However, experimental group presented significantly lower GI [p= 0.0001] and PD [p= 0.009] than the control group at the end of study period

Conclusion: This study revealed that local application of aloe vera gel could be considered as an adjunctive treatment with scaling and root planning for chronic periodontitis

analysis of visibility and anatomic variations of mandibular canal in digital panoramic radiographs of dentulous and edentulous patients in northern Iran populations

Statement of the Problem: Insufficient information about the anatomical positions and structure of mandibular canal provokes unwanted damage to this important structure of mandible

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the visibility and anatomical variations of mandibular canal in digital panoramic radiographs of dentulous and edentulous patients in a sample of Iranian population

Materials and Method: In this retrospective-analytical research, 249 digital panoramic radiographs in dentulous group and 126 in edentulous group were studied by an expert oral and maxillofacial radiologist. In both groups, the visibility of canal borders in anterior, middle, and posterior areas were examined. In dentulous group, the distance between the canal and apex of the first and second molars were measured. Canal-to-alveolar crest distance and lower mandibular border was measured in three different points for both groups. Finally, the upper-lower positions of canals were determined

Results: In both groups, most visibility occurred in 1/3 of posterior and the least visibility was detected in 1/3 of anterior, with the intermediate being the most visible part [Type 2]. There was no significant difference between the left and right sides in all cases. In dentulous group, no correlation was found between the visibility, age, and gender [p> 0.05]; however, canal position was related to gender [p= 0.03 and p= 0.04 in right and left sides, respectively]. High position was more frequent in females and intermediate position was more common in males. In edentulous group, no correlation was found between age, gender, and canal position [p> 0.05]

Conclusion: The most visibility of mandibular canal was in its third posterior and the least was in its third anterior part. Although the middle position of canal was more frequently visible than the high position in this study, it does not refute the possibility of damaging the mandibular canal in critical surgeries