ABSTRACT
Xerostomia is defined as the subjective complaint of a dry mouth. Xerostomia is common in menopausal women owing to the hormonal changes which take place during midlife. Studies show a higher incidence of oral cancer in the postmenopausal period which substantiates the theory of estrogen deficiency in carcinogenesis. Radiotherapy in the treatment of these cancers can lead to oral dryness. Other etiological factors of xerostomia include systemic diseases commonly occurring in middle-aged individuals and xerogenic drugs. Saliva plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of oropharyngeal health and xerostomia can severely impair the quality of life. The aim of this review was to provide vital information pertaining to the etiology, signs, diagnosis, and treatment of xerostomia with an emphasis on midlife health. The articles for this review were obtained from PubMed Central, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Science Direct, Medknow, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and authorized textbooks published between 1988 and 2021.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease for which the pathogenesis is complex and not fully understood; autoimmunity has been suggested as a causative factor. World health organization (WHO) has classified OLP as a potentially malignant lesion. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an inducible key enzyme that generates prostanoids which play a critical role in inflammation, immunopathology; also considered as a malignant potential marker. AIMS: The present study was conducted to analyze and compare epithelial COX-2 expression in OLP clinical subtypes and normal oral mucosa to evaluate its role in the pathophysiology of the disease process. METHODS: This retrospective immunohistochemistry (IHC) study was performed on tissue sections of 30 OLP and 10 normal oral mucosae for COX-2 expression. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive and comparative statistical methods were done using 'one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), 't' and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: All the OLP showed epithelial COX-2 expression; strong expression was noted in 80% of the OLP while normal oral mucosa sections showed no expression. Cox-2 expression was significantly higher in erosive lichen planus compared to reticular lichen planus. CONCLUSIONS: Strong expression of COX-2 in OLP suggested its important role in pathogenesis. Although COX-2 has been connected to malignant development and autoimmunity, as the malignant development in OLP is quite rare, this study suggests that increased levels of COX-2 seen here may support an autoimmune cause of the disease process.
Subject(s)
Cyclooxygenase 2/genetics , Immunohistochemistry/methods , Lichen Planus, Oral/genetics , Mouth Mucosa/pathology , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Lichen Planus, Oral/immunology , Lichen Planus, Oral/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Dental morphology is a highly heritable characteristic which is stable with time and has a fairly high state of preservation. Nonmetric dental traits have crucial role in ethnic classifications of a population that helps in forensic racial identification purposes. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency and variability of possible nonmetric tooth traits using extracted permanent posterior teeth from Kerala population for discerning racial ethnicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative, cross-sectional study was carried out using 1743 extracted intact permanent posterior teeth collected from different dental clinics situated all over Kerala. RESULTS: The more common features on premolars were multiple lingual cusps (31.21%), distal accessary ridges (16.28%) and Tom's root (17.9%). In upper first molars, Carabelli trait expression was 17.78% and other common features included metaconulo, cusp 5 and enamel extensions. CONCLUSION: Posterior tooth traits had variable expression in the study population. Low prevalence rate of Carabelli trait in this study is characteristic of Asian population. This research explored new elements of invaluable tooth traits values to understand racial ethnicity of Kerala population.
