Effect of Sudarshan Kriya Pranayama on periodontal status and human salivary beta-defensin-2: An interventional study.

BACKGROUND: Yogic stretching (asana) has been proven to have an effect on salivary human beta-defensin-2 (HBD-2) concentration, which is an antimicrobial peptide and is an inflammatory marker in periodontal disease. Sudarshan Kriya Pranayama (SKP) is a part of yoga which involves rhythmic breathing. Hence, we aim to evaluate the periodontal parameters and to estimate the salivary HBD-2 level before and after SKP program in periodontitis individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An interventional study was designed and individuals were divided into three groups: Group I - healthy periodontium, Group II - chronic gingivitis, and Group III - chronic periodontitis. SKP was the interventional tool. The clinical parameters such as plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and salivary HBD-2 level were analyzed at baseline and 90 days after the SKP practice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to evaluate salivary HBD-2. McNemar's Chi-square, Paired samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the results. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Following the SKP intervention, the clinical parameters such as PI and GI improved significantly in all the groups (P < 0.001); however, Group III showed a significant reduction as compared to the other groups. The mean baseline salivary HBD-2 levels of Group I, Group II, and Group III were 91.78 ng/µl, 110.22 ng/µl, and 157.63 ng/µl which was further decreased to 95.22 ng/µl, 98.22 ng/µl, and 132.88 ng/µl, respectively, following SKP intervention (P < 0.001). However, Group III had a higher HBD-2 level at 90 th day as compared to other groups. CONCLUSION: There was an improvement in PI and GI with a decrease in salivary HBD-2 in chronic periodontitis patients following SKP. Hence, SKP can be considered as an adjunct to treatment modality in patients with periodontal disease.

Antimicrobial Effect of Leaves of Phyllanthus niruri and Solanum nigrum on Caries Causing Bacteria: An In vitro Study.

INTRODUCTION: Solanum nigrum and Phyllanthus niruri are common herbs which are indigeneous to India. Solanum nigrum commonly called 'manathakkali Keerai' in Tamil, forms an indispensable part of South Indian diet. Phyllanthus niruri (keezhanelli in Tamil) is a widely used medicinal plant, the leaves of which have been used extensively in Ayurveda and native medicine to cure various liver ailments. The herbs Solanumnigrum and Phyllanthus niruri have been found to be effective against numerous enteropathogens in various in vitro studies. AIM: To assess and compare the antibacterial efficacy of the crude alcoholic extract of the leaves of Solanum nigrum and Phyllanthus niruri against five cariogenic organisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standard strains of the micro-organisms were obtained from ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) and MTCC (Microbial Type Culture Collection) which comprised of Streptococcus mutans MTCC no. 890, Streptococcus oralis MTCC no 2696, Lactobacillus acidophillus MTCC no. 10307, Streptococcus sanguis ATCC no. 10556 and Streptococcus salivarius ATCC no. 13419. The organisms obtained were revived and lawn cultured on Trypticase Soy Agar-Blood Agar (TSA-BA) and de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar media. The antibacterial effect of the dried and powdered leaves of Solanum nigrum and Phyllanthus niruri was tested using agar well diffusion method. The zones of inhibition obtained after incubation were measured and tabulated. The antibacterial activity for the two herbs was compared using the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The antibacterial zones of inhibition obtained for the herb Solanum nigrum was in the range of 12.3-14.6 mm and ranged from 9.7-11.6 mm for the herb Phyllanthus niruri. When the zones of inhibition were compared for the herbs, Solanum nigrum showed significantly greater zones of inhibition compared to Phyllanthus niruri for the organisms Streptococcussanguis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mutans (p-value<0.05). CONCLUSION: The alcoholic extract of leaves of Solanum nigrum and Phyllanthus niruri showed significant antibacterial activity against cariogenic organisms, with Solanum nigrum being more anti-cariogenic than Phyllanthus niruri.

Effect of Pranayama on Ppar-γ, Nf-κB Expressions and Red Complex Microorganisms in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis - A Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Sudarshankriya pranayama is the control of breathing movements to regulate the energy flow throughout the body, which has shown to positively affect immune function, autonomic nervous system and psychologic-neuro pathways. The practice of pranayama has been proven to show several benefits such as reduction in stress levels, relieves anxiety and depression, increase in antioxidant levels, reduces insulin resistance and improves respiratory function. AIM: The objective of the study was to evaluate the levels of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPAR-γ), Nuclear Factor-Kappa B (NF-κB) and the presence of Red Complex Microorganisms (RCM) such as Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia in the subgingivalpl aque samples of chronic periodontitis subjects before and after intervention with pranayama as an adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing (SRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 subjects (control group) were treated with SRP and 30 subjects (pranayama group) underwent SRP and pranayama for three months. Probing Pocket Depth (PPD), Clinical Attachment Level (CAL), Bleeding Index (BI) and Plaque Index (PI) were recorded and the presence of PPAR-γ, NF-κB and RCM were assessed at baseline and after three months using polymerase chain reaction. ANCOVA test was done to compare the clinical parameters between the groups. Fisher's Exact test was done to identify RCM and Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon-signed test was used to identify the expression of NF-κB and PPAR-γ in the plaque samples. RESULTS: The change in the mean CAL from baseline to third month was significantly higher in pranayama group compared to control group (p≤0.05). There was a statistically significant reduction in the expression of NF-κB and increase in PPAR-γ expression levels in pranayama group on comparison with the control group (p<0.001). The reduction in number of positive samples with T.denticola, P.gingivalis and T.forsythia at third month post-intervention did not affect the change in the expression levels of NF-κB and PPAR-γ. CONCLUSION: The CAL showed significant improvement with reduction in the RCM, NF-κB and increase in PPAR-γ levels in subjects who underwent pranayama as an adjunct to SRP. In future, pranayama can be used as an additional treatment modality to provide a new dimension in treatment of periodontitis.

Verrucoid Variant of Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Oral Submucous Fibrosis: A Clinicopathological Challenge.

Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is an exophytic, low-grade, well-differentiated variant of squamous cell carcinoma. It is described as a lesion appearing in the sixth or seventh decade of life that has minimal aggressive potential and, in long-standing cases, has been shown to transform into squamous cell carcinoma. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder, and about one-third of the affected population develop oral squamous cell carcinoma. The histopathological diagnosis of verrucous carcinoma is challenging, and the interpretation of early squamous cell carcinoma requires immense experience. Here we present a rare case of a 24-year-old male with OSMF transforming to verrucous carcinoma with invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Even though the case had a straightforward clinical diagnosis, the serial sectioning done for pathological diagnosis disclosed the squamous cell carcinoma.

Enzymatic antioxidants and its role in oral diseases.

Antioxidants are substances that when present at very low concentration inhibits the oxidation of a molecule. It has the capacity to nullify the ill effects of oxidation caused by free radicals in the living organisms. The unpaired electrons of these free radicals are highly reactive and neutralize the harmful reactions of human metabolism. Protection of the body against free radicals is provided by some enzymes which come under a distinctive group, concerned solely with the detoxification of these radicals. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase are the key enzymatic antioxidants of this defense system by which the free radicals that are produced during metabolic reactions are removed. This review highlights the mechanism of action of enzymatic antioxidants SOD, GPX and catalase and its role in oral disease.

Antimicrobial effect of herbal dentifrices: An in vitro study.

AIM: This study was taken up to compare the antimicrobial effect of few herbal dentifrices against cariogenic organism such as Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was an in vitro model using the well method of microbial culture. Colgate total was used as the positive control and distilled water as the negative control. Dentifrices were prepared in 1:1 dilution using sterile distilled water. The standard strains were inoculated and incubated for 4 h. They were then lawn cultured. Wells were made using a standard template, and the dentifrices were placed in these wells Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In case of S. mutans, the maximum antimicrobial effect among the six dentifrices was shown by Babool followed by Colgate Herbal. For L. acidophilus, the antimicrobial zone exhibited by all the six dentifrices were similar to the positive control. CONCLUSIONS: Babool and Colgate Herbal have more inhibitory effect against S. mutans than the other dentifrices of the group. Dabur Red, Colgate Herbal, and Himalaya are efficient against L. acidophilus.

Prediction of anthropometric measurements from tooth length--A Dravidian study.

BACKGROUND: Anthropometric measurement is essential for identification of both victims and suspects. Often, this data is not readily available in a crime scene situation. The availability of one data set should help in predicting the other. This study was hypothesised on the basis of a correlation and geometry between the tooth length and various body measurements. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To correlate face, palm, foot and stature measurements with tooth length. To derive a regression formula to estimate the various measurements from tooth length. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted on Dravidian dental students in the age group 18 - 25 with a sample size of 372. All of the dental and physical parameters were measured using standard anthropometric equipments and techniques. RESULTS: The data was analysed using SPSS software and the methods used for statistical analysis were linear regression analysis and Pearson correlation. The parameters (incisor height (IH), face height (FH), palm length (PL), foot length (FL) and stature (S) showed nil to mild correlation (R = 0.2 ≤ 0.4) except for palm length (PL) and foot length (FL). (R>0.6). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that odontometric data is not a reliable source for estimating the face height (FH), palm length (PL), foot length (FL) and stature (S).