Nestin and NG2 transgenes reveal two populations of perivascular cells stimulated by photobiomodulation.

Pericytes and glial cells are known to collaborate in dental pulp tissue repair. Cell-based therapies that stimulate these stromal components may be of therapeutic relevance for partially vital dental pulp conditions. This study aimed to examine the early effect of photobiomodulation (PBM) in pericytes from experimentally injured pulp tissue. To accomplish this, we used the Nestin-GFP/NG2-DsRed mice, which could allow the identification of distinct pericyte phenotypes. We discovered the presence of two pericytes subsets within the dental pulp, the Nestin + NG2+ (type-2) and Nestin- NG2+ (type-1). Upon injury, PBM treatment led to a significant increase in Nestin+ cells and pericytes. This boost was mainly conferred by the more committed pericyte subset (NestinNG2+ ). PBM also stimulated terminal blood vessels sprouting adjacent to the injury site while maintaining signs of pulp vitality. In vitro, PBM induced VEGF upregulation, improved dental pulp cells proliferation and migration, and favored their mineralization potential. Herein, different subsets of perivascular cells were unveiled in the pulp tissue. PBM enhanced not only NG2+ cells but nestin-expressing progenitors in the injured dental pulp.

Validation of DIAGNOdent laser fluorescence and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) in diagnosis of occlusal caries in permanent teeth: an in vivo study.

The aim of this in vivo study was to validate the DIAGNOdent laser fluorescence method and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) for caries classification against the gold standard, histological examination, for detecting occlusal caries on permanent molars; the thresholds used were the outer enamel (D1), the inner enamel and outer third of the dentine (D2), and the inner two-thirds of the dentine (D3). Patients with non-impacted third molars (n = 43) were recruited from a university clinic. A trained examiner performed the examinations. After the teeth were extracted, the histological criterion was used to determine the severity of the lesions. Intra-examiner agreement (weighted kappa) for ICDAS was 0.60 and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) for DIAGNOdent was 0.968. The correlations with the histological reference were weak for DIAGNOdent (rs = 0.369) and moderate for ICDAS (rs = 0.515). The areas under the receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve at D1, D2, and D3 were 0.60, 0.69, and 0.91, respectively, for ICDAS and 0.55, 0.65, and 0.92, respectively, for DIAGNOdent. ICDAS and DIAGNOdent proved to be reproducible methods with similar performance in the detection of occlusal carious lesions in dentine. The ability of DIAGNOdent to detect initial enamel lesions was higher than that of ICDAS, but with low specificity. The usefulness of DIAGNOdent as an adjunct method for assessment of initial occlusal caries in permanent molars is questionable.

Cornelia De Lange syndrome: a case report of a Brazilian boy.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a rare multisystem disorder characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, delayed growth and psychomotor skills, behavioral problems, malformation of the upper limbs, and impairment on the quality of life of affected subjects. This article reports a case of a child with the syndrome, emphasizing the orofacial manifestations. Knowledge on the etiopathological aspects and characteristic features of this condition is essential so that professionals can provide health care and help improve the quality of life of affected individuals and their families.

Factors associated to endemic dental fluorosis in Brazilian rural communities.

The present paper examines the relationship between hydrochemical characteristics and endemic dental fluorosis, controlling for variables with information on an individual level. An epidemiological survey was carried out in seven rural communities in two municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Thystrup & Fejerskov index was employed by a single examiner for the diagnosis of dental fluorosis. A sampling campaign of deep groundwater in the rural communities of interest was carried out concomitantly to the epidemiological survey for the determination of physiochemical parameters. Multilevel modeling of 276 individuals from seven rural communities was achieved using the non-linear logit link function. Parameters were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood method. Analysis was carried out considering two response variables: presence (TF 1 to 9) or absence (TF = 0) of any degree of dental fluorosis; and presence (TF ≥ 5-with loss of enamel structure) or absence of severe dental fluorosis (TF ≤ 4-with no loss of enamel structure). Hydrogeological analyses revealed that dental fluorosis is influenced by the concentration of fluoride (OR = 2.59 CI95% 1.07-6.27; p = 0.073) and bicarbonate (OR = 1.02 CI95% 1.01-1.03; p = 0.060) in the water of deep wells. No other variable was associated with this prevalence (p > 0.05). More severe dental fluorosis (TF ≥ 5) was only associated with age group (p < 0.05). No other variable was associated to the severe dental fluorosis (p > 0.05). Dental fluorosis was found to be highly prevalent and severe. A chemical element besides fluoride was found to be associated (p > 0.05) to the prevalence of dental fluorosis, although this last finding should be interpreted with caution due to its p value.

Accuracy of the simplified Thylstrup & Fejerskov index in rural communities with endemic fluorosis.

The aim of the present study was to compare the values of the Thylstrup & Fejerskov Index (TF index) for the determination of the prevalence of dental fluorosis using either all teeth (gold standard) or six upper anterior teeth (simplified TF index). The sample was made up of 396 individuals aged six to 22 years from three Brazilian cities with endemic fluorosis caused by the ingestion of water with high fluoride concentration. The prevalence of dental fluorosis was evaluated by a single trained examiner with excellent intraexaminer agreement (kappa = 0.95). Intraexaminer reproducibilities were calculated at tooth level. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the simplified TF compared to gold standard were 90.6 (95%CI: 86.6 to 93.6), 100 (95%CI: 95.3 to 100), 100 (95%CI: 98.3 to 100) and 77.5 (95%CI: 69.8 to 83.5), respectively. The ROC value was 0.953 (95%CI: 0.933 to 0.973). The simplified TF index proved suitable for determining the prevalence of dental fluorosis in regions with endemic fluorosis caused by the ingestion of water with high concentrations of fluoride.

Prescrição de medicamentos de uso sistêmico por cirurgiões-dentistas, clínicos gerais / Prescription patterns of drugs of systemic use by dentists

Objetivo - Estudar o padrão de prescrição de medicação antimicrobiana e analgésica/antiinflamatória de uso sistêmico na clínica odontológica. Métodos - Estudo observacional realizado a partir de questionários respondidos por uma amostra representativa randômica de 163 cirurgiões-dentistas, clínicos gerais, da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. Alguns dos aspectos verificados foram a prevalência de prescrições dessas medicações nas duas semanas anteriores à aplicação do questionário; uso do nome genérico nas receitas odontológicas; realização de cursos de reciclagem em farmacologia; auto-avaliação sobre o grau de conhecimento e importância dada a esta disciplina para a prática profissional e preenchimento de fichas clínicas e registro nestas das prescrições realizadas. Resultados e Conclusões - Observou-se que os medicamentos são prescritos pelo nome comercial, com tendência a prescrever mais freqüentemente antiinflamatórios em relação aos analgésicos. Uma percentagem de 13 por cento de indivíduos não realiza ficha clínica para todos os seus pacientes e cerca de 43 por cento da amostra não registra suas prescrições. Os cursos de reciclagem em farmacologia parecem não alterar a auto-avaliação sobre o nível de conhecimento em farmacologia e o uso do nome genérico.