The relationship between periodontal diseases and preterm low birth weight / 实用口腔医学杂志

Objective:To assess the periodontal diseases as a possible risk factor for preterm and low birth weight. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional study was carried out in Hubei. The samples were chosen randomly by the rule of admittance. Socio-demographic information relating to health and maternal habits was collected through a questionnaire. The clinical parameters were debris index-simplified (DI-S), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAJ). The birth time and weight were recorded. The result was analyzed with chi-square test and logistic regression analysis.Results: The incidence of preterm low birth weight was 12.3%. The gingivitis and periodontitis were diagnosed in 86.6% and 64.2% of preterm low birth weight cases. The odds ratio of having gingivitis and preterm low birth weight was 1.30(95%confidence interval: 0.53-3.22). The odds ratio of having periodontitis and preterm low birth weight was 2.69(95%confidence interval: 1.37-5.27). Conclusion: The periodontal diseases of pregnancy can be regarded as an important risk factor for preterm low birth weight.

A survey on dental knowledge and behavior of mothers and teachers of school children / 华西口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The purpose of this survey was to assess dental knowledge and behaviors of the teachers and mothers of school children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All data was collected from 1365 mothers of first grade students and 215 schoolteachers in Yichang, Hubei by using questionnaires and, analyzed using SPSS software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The level of dental knowledge was higher among schoolteachers than among mothers; the mothers were mostly informed through television/book (62.4%/51.5%), while teachers received information from various sources, including the dentists (75.3%). Most of the children (94.0%) didn't have practical support from their parents in daily tooth cleaning. Only 18.9% of them visited the dentist at least once per year.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This finding suggested that we should emphasize oral healthy education among mothers and schoolteachers, in order to promote school-based oral health education program.</p>

Construction and cellular expression of GTF-PAc fusion anti-caries DNA vaccine / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct a fusion anti-caries DNA vaccine pGLUA-P carrying GLU fragment from gtfB gene of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 and A-P fragment including the A region and P region of PAc protein from a DNA anti-caries vaccine pCIA-P, and to investigate its expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The sequence of GLU fragment in pGLU plasmid was testified by DNA sequencing. The fusion anti-caries DNA vaccine was constructed by ligating A-P fragment from pCIA-P to pGLU. The expression of GLUA-P fusion protein in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was induced by IPTG and checked by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. pGLUA-P was transfected in vitro to cultured rat primary muscle cells by cation liposome Dosper, and immunohistochemical method was used to test the expression of GLUA-P fusion protein in cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>GLU sequence was identical with relative sequence of GTF-I (GS-5 strain) in Gene Bank. Recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid pGLUA-P was confirmed to have both GLU and A-P fragment. After pGLUA-P was transferred into E. coli (DE3), it could express a new 115 000 protein by the induce of IPTG. Specific brown products could be found in the cytoplasm of cultured rat primary muscle cells transfected by pGLUA-P.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Fusion anti-caries DNA vaccine pGLUA-P is successfully constructed and confirmed by sequencing and enzymes digestion. Fusion GLUA-P protein can be correctly expressed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.</p>