Periodontal vaccine.

Vaccine is the name applied generally to a substance of the nature of dead or attenuated living infectious material introduced into the body with the object of increasing its power to resist or get rid of a disease. Vaccines are generally prophylactic, i.e. they ameliorate the effects of future infection. One such vaccine considered here is the "Periodontal vaccine". Till date, no preventive modality exists for periodontal disease and treatment rendered is palliative. Thus, availability of periodontal vaccine would not only prevent and modulate periodontal disease, but also enhance the quality of life of people for whom periodontal treatment cannot be easily obtained. The aim of the research should be development of a multispecies vaccine targeting the four prime periodontal pathogens, viz. Porphyromonas gingivalis, T. forsythus, T. denticola and A. comitans. Success is still elusive in case of periodontal vaccine due to the complex etiopathogenesis of the disease.

Bone allografts: A review of safety and efficacy.

Although bone allografts are being widely used in dentistry, many of clinicians appear to be unfamiliar with their preparation and processing as well as their use as safe and effective graft materials. The major concerns associated with these materials are antigenicity and risk of disease transmission from donor to recipient. To minimize this risk, the production of an allograft worthy of distribution and implantation requires strict attention to detail through a comprehensive process. With an increasing clinical requirement for bone grafting procedures, there is a commensurate increase in patients' demands for assurance that bank bone will not be infected with pathogens. To ensure the patients, dental surgeons should be able to cite factual information and recommendations by responsible organizations regarding safety of allografts. Knowledge of human bone allograft procurement, processing, and tracking may allow dentists to better educate patients and address concerns about this valuable treatment option. The purpose of this review is to furnish and update the current knowledge on processing, safety, and efficacy of allograft materials.

Alkaline phosphatase as a periodontal disease marker.

Background: The potential of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as an important diagnostic marker of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) has been the subject to investigation since 1970. ALP is stored in specific granules and secretory vesicles of the neutrophils and is mainly released during their migration to the site of infection. It is also present in bacteria within dental plaque, osteoblasts and fibroblasts. It has, thus, become important to elucidate whether GCF levels of ALP are potential measures of the inflammatory activity occurring in the adjacent periodontal tissues. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the total activity of ALP in the GCF collected from healthy sites, sites with gingivitis and with chronic adult periodontitis. An attempt was also made to establish the correlation of ALP activity with plaque index, gingival index, bleeding index and probing depth. Materials and Methods: A total of 18 patients were divided into three groups: viz., healthy sites, Group I; gingivitis, Group II; chronic periodontitis, Group III. Clinical parameters like plaque index, bleeding index, gingival index and probing depth were recorded. The ALP level in GCF of all three groups was determined by spectrophotometric analysis. Results: Total enzyme activity of ALP was significantly higher in periodontitis as compared with that in healthy and gingivitis sites, and was significantly and positively correlated with probing depth. Conclusion: ALP can be considered as a periodontal disease marker as it can distinguish between healthy and inflamed sites. However, to better define its capacity for periodontal diagnosis, additional longitudinal studies are required.