ABSTRACT
AIM: This study sought to evaluate possible higher risk for dental caries among asthmatic children undergoing treatment with short-acting beta2-agonists. METHODS: Dental clinical assessments, saliva analysis and a questionnaire survey were carried out on 60 children aged 6-12, of whom 30 were asthmatic subjects undergoing treatment with short-acting beta2-agonists and 30 were used as controls. The obtained data for DMFT/dmft scores, Silness-Löe plaque index, buffer capacity and bacteria counts for Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus in the saliva, oral hygiene and dietary habits were compared using Student t-test and Pearson chi-square test. RESULTS: We registered a higher DMFT score among asthmatics of 1.2-/+1.8 (SD) and 0.3-/+0.8 among non-asthmatic patients (p<0.05), while comparison of dmft scores between the examined groups showed not significant (Student t-test). Saliva analysis revealed lower buffer capacity in 43.3% of the asthmatic children, followed by higher cariogenic bacteria counts in their saliva (p<0.05 Student t-test). These results show the lower plaque index in the asthmatic group (1.6+/-0.4) compared with the control (2.1+/-0.3). Asthmatic children expressed better oral-health habits with more frequent tooth- brushing and usage of fluorides. CONCLUSION: The results from our study suggest a higher caries-susceptibility among asthmatic children undergoing treatment with short-acting beta2-agonists, but a clear association between these drugs, salivary changes and dental caries among children, still remains to be demonstrated.
Subject(s)
Adrenergic beta-Agonists/therapeutic use , Anti-Asthmatic Agents/therapeutic use , Asthma/drug therapy , Dental Caries/etiology , Buffers , Cariostatic Agents/therapeutic use , Child , Colony Count, Microbial , DMF Index , Dental Caries Susceptibility , Dental Plaque Index , Feeding Behavior , Female , Fluorides/therapeutic use , Humans , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Lactobacillus/isolation & purification , Male , Oral Hygiene , Risk Factors , Saliva/chemistry , Saliva/microbiology , Saliva/physiology , Streptococcus mutans/isolation & purification , ToothbrushingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two chemotherapeutic agents against bacterial forms responsible for prosthesis-related infections. METHODS: The evaluation was made on the basis of a count using optical microscope 1000x after GRAM staining of the main bacterial forms found in periprosthetic inflammatory exudate both before and after treatment. Two drugs used: ornidazole and minocycline. A group of 20 patients were studied (12 women and 8 men) aged between 42 and 71 years old with an advanced stage of periprosthetic inflammatory pathology. The pharmacological protocol was administered to the two groups of patients for a period of approximately 15 days. RESULTS: At the end of treatment there was a marked reduction in all the bacterial forms involved in periprosthetic pathology in both groups, with a gradual recovery of normal bacterial flora (gram forms) coupled with a clinical improvement in the implant sites examined. CONCLUSIONS: Given the specificity of action shown by ornidazole against pathogenic anaerobic, gram-; bacteroides and sporigenic forms, it is recommended for systemic use against prosthesis-related inflammatory disease.
