Periodontal Disease, Tooth Loss, and Systemic Conditions: An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: Although systemic medical conditions are associated with periodontitis and tooth loss, large-scale studies that include less prevalent systemic conditions are needed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the link between periodontal disease and tooth loss with systemic medical conditions in a large and diverse population. METHODS: Dental charts of adult patients who had attended the dental clinics seeking dental therapy of the universities contributing data to the BigMouth network and accepted the protocol of the study were included. Dental Procedure Codes and Current Procedural Terminology procedures were utilised to identify patients with and without periodontitis. Data were extracted from patients' electronic health records including demographic characteristics, dental procedural codes, and self-reported medical conditions as well as the number of missing teeth. RESULTS: A total of 108,307 records were ultimately included in the analysis; 42,377 of them included a diagnosis of periodontitis. The median age of the included population was 47.0 years, and 55.2% were female. Older and male individuals were significantly more likely to be in the periodontitis group and have higher number of missing teeth. A number of systemic conditions are associated with periodontitis and a higher number of missing teeth. High blood pressure, smoking, drug use, and diabetes were all found to be significant. Other significant conditions were anaemia, lymphoma, glaucoma, dialysis, bronchitis, sinusitis hepatitis, and asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this retrospective study that utilised the BigMouth dental data repository, the association of a number of systemic conditions such as smoking, diabetes, and hypertension with periodontitis and tooth loss has been confirmed. Additional connections have been highlighted for conditions that are not commonly reported in the literature.

Relationship of Medication Intake and Systemic Conditions with Periodontitis: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the potential relationship of medication intake and systemic conditions with periodontitis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 1985 patient records with a diagnosis of periodontal health and stage III and IV periodontitis were included in the analysis. Demographic characteristics, the number of missing teeth, patient-reported medical conditions and medication intake as well as smoking habits were recorded. Regression models were performed to explore the outcomes. RESULTS: Older individuals, Hispanic ethnic groups, Black and Hispanic or Latino racial groups and non-White individuals in general were significantly more frequently diagnosed with periodontitis than health. Hypertension, glaucoma, anxiety and depression were significantly associated with periodontitis, while cancer, alcohol use, kidney problems, asthma, sleep apnea and gastrointestinal disorders were associated with periodontal health. Patients who reported taking anticoagulants, statins and ACE inhibitors demonstrated 3.546 (95% CI: 1.982, 6.343), 2.771 (95% CI: 1.877, 4.09) and 4.847 (95% CI: 2.785, 8.434) times higher odds of having periodontitis, respectively. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this retrospective study that utilized the BigMouth dental data repository, there is a possible relationship between systemic medications including anticoagulants, ACE inhibitors and statins as well as systemic medical conditions including hypertension, glaucoma, anxiety and depression with periodontitis.

Retrospective analysis of 50,333 implants on implant failure and associated patient-related factors.

PURPOSE: The aim of this investigation was to retrospectively evaluate the long-term implant loss rates and to identify associations between implant failure and patient-related factors in a sample of patients who had consecutively received implant therapy in ten dental universities in the United States using a large database. METHODS: Dental records of adult patients who had attended the dental clinics of the universities contributing data to the BigMouth network between 2011 and 2022 seeking dental therapy were evaluated. Information regarding patients' characteristics including age, gender, ethnicity, race, tobacco use and systemic medical conditions were extracted from patients' files. RESULTS: A total of 20,842 patients who received 50,333 dental implants over a 12-year period (2011-2022) were included. The mean age of the cohort was 57.50±14.27 years which consisted of 51.8% females, 91.1% non-Hispanic, 66.3% white individuals and 8% tobacco users. In the univariate analysis, ethnicity, race and marijuana use were significantly associated with implant treatment outcome. Race and ethnicity were significantly associated with implant loss in the multivariate analysis. The implant failure rate was estimated to be 2.7% at the patient level and 1.4% at the implant level. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this retrospective study that utilized records of 50,333 dental implants placed in ten institutions contributing data to the BigMouth network, the implant failure rate was estimated to be 2.7% at patient level and 1.4% at implant level. Ethnicity and race were significantly associated with implant failure, while none of the examined systemic conditions were associated with implant loss.

Association between Periodontitis Extent, Severity, and Progression Rate with Systemic Diseases and Smoking: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between extent, severity (stage), and rate of progression (grade) of periodontitis with systemic diseases as well as smoking using a large database. METHODS: Patients' records identified in the BigMouth Dental Data Repository with a periodontal diagnosis based on the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions were evaluated. Patients were further categorized based on extent, severity, and rate of progression. Data were extracted from patients' electronic health records including demographic characteristics, dental procedural codes, and self-reported medical conditions, as well as the number of missing teeth. RESULTS: A total of 2069 complete records were ultimately included in the analysis. Males were more likely to have generalized periodontitis and stage III or IV periodontitis. Older individuals were more likely diagnosed with grade B and stage III or IV periodontitis. Individuals with generalized disease, grade C, and stage IV demonstrated a significantly higher number of missing teeth. Higher numbers of tooth loss reported during supportive periodontal treatment were noted in generalized disease and stage IV periodontitis. Multiple sclerosis and smoking were significantly associated with grade C periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this retrospective study that utilized the BigMouth dental data repository, smokers were significantly associated with rapid progression of periodontitis (grade C). Gender, age, number of missing teeth, and number of tooth loss during supportive periodontal treatment were associated with disease characteristics.

Prevalence and risk indicators of peri-implantitis: a university based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of peri-implantitis and identify risk and protective indicators of peri-implantitis in a population that underwent implant therapy in a university dental clinic. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Randomly selected patients from a postgraduate university dental clinic were invited to participate. Clinical and radiographic examinations were recorded. Peri-implantitis was defined as the presence of bleeding and/or suppuration on probing, probing depths of ≥ 6 mm, and bone loss ≥ 3 mm. Patient-, implant-, and bone- related factors were recorded and analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 355 dental implants placed in 108 patients and exhibiting at least 1 year loading time were included. The prevalence of peri-implantitis was 21.3% at patient-level, while 10.7% at implant-level. Simultaneous guided bone regeneration (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.07-7.12, P = .035), recurrent periodontitis (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.02-9.45, P = .045) and significant medical history (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.08-7.59, P = .034) were identified as risk indicators for peri-implantitis. The mean peri-implant bone loss was estimated to be 2.18 ± 1.57 mm for the total number of implants, whereas implants diagnosed with peri-implantitis demonstrated 4.42 ± 1.12 mm in a time period between 12 to 177 months. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the study, the prevalence of peri-implantitis in a cohort receiving dental implant therapy at a university dental clinic was 10.7% at implant level and 21.3% at patient level. Patient-reported systemic comorbidities and recurrent periodontitis as well as implants placed in ridge augmented sites were associated with greater risk of peri-implantitis.

Dental implant failure and bone augmentation: A retrospective study.

Background: To retrospectively assess the failure rate of implants placed in augmented and non-augmented sites and to investigate whether the time of implant and bone placement are associated with the risk of implant failure in a university setting. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, data were retrieved from the electronic patient database of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, USA to identify patients older than 18 years of age who received dental implant treatment. Patient characteristics and the adequacy of available bone were retrieved from the patients' dental records and analyzed. Performing sinus lift and/or alveolar ridge augmentation in stages or simultaneously with implant placement and the need for multiple bone regeneration procedures were recorded. Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox regression models were created to analyze the data. Results: Data from 553 implants were analyzed in the study. More than half of the implants were placed in the maxilla (56.8%) and posterior regions (74.3%). The overall survival rate was 96.9%. Sinus augmentation was performed in 19.5% of the cases, while in 12.1% of the included treatments an implant was placed simultaneously. Staged and simultaneous ridge augmentation occurred in 45.2% and 18.8% of the cases, respectively. Implants placed in an area following (p=0.018) or simultaneously (p=0.025) with sinus augmentation showed a significantly reduced survival. Cox regression analysis showed that smoking and simultaneous ridge augmentation and implant placement increased failure rates. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, implants placed in tobacco users as well as in augmented maxillary sinuses, simultaneously or in stages, and in augmented ridges lead to higher implant failure rates. Key words:Bone grafting, dental implant, osseointegration, risk factor, survival rate, treatment outcome.

Local drug delivery in the treatment of furcation defects in periodontitis: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of subgingival administration of various antimicrobials and host-modulating agents in furcation defects as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) compared to SRP alone or combined with placebo. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out using MEDLINE-PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for articles up to October 2022 in addition to hand searches. All longitudinal studies that evaluated the effect of subgingival application of antimicrobial and host-modulating agents in furcation defects as adjuncts to SRP compared to SRP alone or SRP + placebo with at least 3 months of follow-up were eligible for inclusion. RESULTS: A total of eight studies were included. Superior clinical treatment outcomes were shown when alendronate, rosuvastatin, boric acid, simvastatin, and tetracycline (only at 3 months) were utilized in furcation defects in conjunction with SRP alone or SRP + placebo. Significant improvement was reported in radiographic bone defect depth and defect depth reduction when SRP was supplemented with alendronate, rosuvastatin, boric acid, and simvastatin. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this review, the adjunctive subgingival administration of medications and host-modulating agents in furcation defects may confer additional clinical and radiographic benefits than non-surgical periodontal treatment alone. Future investigations are needed to confirm their long-term effectiveness. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Local host modulators and antimicrobials may be used supplementary to enhance the clinical and radiographic treatment outcomes of conventional periodontal therapy in furcation defects.

Dental implant failure and factors associated with treatment outcome: A retrospective study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively 1) investigate the association between implant-, patient- and bone-related parameters with the risk of implant failure; 2) analyze the survival rates of dental implants placed in a university clinical setting. METHODS: Data were retrieved from patient charts from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry to identify patients older than 18 years of age who received dental implant treatment by faculty, residents or students in the university dental clinics. Implant-, patient- and bone-related parameters such as implant system, length, diameter, jaw, region, installation protocol, gender, smoking, medical history, history of periodontal disease, self-reported oral parafunctions, type of bone, and operator were manually retrieved and analyzed. RESULTS: Five hundred and fifty-three implants were randomly selected from a total of 4,424. Of these 553 implants, 440 (79.6%) were associated with a >10 mm length, 371 (67.1%) with a >4 mm diameter and 431 (77.9%) had replaced a single tooth. Submerged healing mode was followed in 363 (65.6%) of the implants with the mean healing time being 3.2 months. History of periodontal disease was identified in 294 (53.2%) of these cases. A total of 17 implants failed after a mean time of 6.29 ± 6.75 months, resulting in an overall survival rate of 96.9%. Based on a univariate analysis, implant system, operator, time between extraction and implant surgery, time between bone grafting and implant placement, tobacco use as well as clenching and grinding were considered potential implant failure predictors and were further included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Tobacco use (p < 0.001) was significantly associated with implant failure. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this retrospective randomly selected university-treated sample tobacco use increased the risk for implant failure. Failure occurred in 17 implants representing a 3.1% failure rate.

Clinical Effectiveness of Herbal Oral Care Products in Periodontitis Patients: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The use of herbal products in oral cavity has shown an increased popularity and potential benefits due to their additional anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well as the lack of side effects related to their use. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical effectiveness of herbal dental products (mouthwash, dentifrice, gel) when compared to conventional products or placebo in periodontitis patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review with 22 studies was carried out using MEDLINE/Pubmed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases in addition to hand searches. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effect of any herbal dental product and compared it with conventional products or placebo in periodontitis patients and published up to March 2022, were screened. RESULTS: Herbal products used as adjuncts to scaling and root planing (SRP) or supragingival debridement (SPD) led to superior clinical outcomes than placebo or no adjuncts (8 studies). In conjunction with SRP, these products showed comparable outcomes with chlorhexidine (6 studies) or better (4 studies). When used as adjuncts to SPD, herbal oral care products demonstrated comparable outcomes with chlorhexidine and conventional products (4 studies). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this systematic review, herbal oral care products may play a key role in the management of periodontal disease. Further well-designed studies are needed to establish their efficacy.

Survival Rates and Factors Affecting the Outcome Following Immediate and Delayed Implant Placement: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Immediate implant placement into extraction sockets has become a widely acceptable treatment option to decrease treatment time and enhance esthetics. The objectives of this study were to assess and compare the survival rates of immediate and delayed implant treatment as well as to investigate the effect of patient- and site-related variables on the treatment outcome in a large-scale population-based study. Methods: Dental records of patients who received implant therapy were retrieved from the electronic records of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. Demographic characteristics, dental insurance status, socioeconomic status as well as medical history and tobacco use were recorded. The treatment outcome was included as a binary variable (survival/failure). Time to failure (date of procedure to date of visit with failure) was compared between immediate and delayed implant treatment in Cox regression models. Kaplan−Meier plots for the survival of both treatment modalities were created. Patient-sites without failure were censored at the last follow-up visit. Results: A total of 4519 records of implants were included. The sample mean age was 60.27 years and included 50.7% males and 12.9% tobacco users. High socioeconomic status was characterized for 82.3% of the included population and 63.0% of them were self-payers. Immediate implants were significantly more frequently placed in the maxillary arch (p < 0.001) than in the mandible. Tobacco users received more often a delayed rather than an immediate implant placement (p = 0.001). The survival rate analysis revealed there were no significant differences between immediate and delayed implant placements (p = 0.48). The mean follow-up time was 32.27 months during which 1.5% immediate and 1.1% delayed implants were removed. The estimated mean survival time for immediate implants was 68.90 months, while delayed implants placed in healed sockets showed a mean survival time of 75.11 months. A statistically significant association was found between gender (p = 0.03) and osteoporosis (p = 0.001) with treatment outcome. Conclusions: The placement of immediate implants achieved similarly high survival rates when compared to delayed implants placed in healed sites. Males and osteoporotic individuals showed significantly higher implant failure than females and non-osteoporotic patients. This study demonstrated that both immediate and delayed implant placements are sound options with predictable treatment outcome.

Periodontal disease progression and gene polymorphisms: results after 3 years of active periodontal treatment.

BACKGROUND: Although non-surgical periodontal treatment is considered the gold standard, a subgroup of patients displays recurrence/progression of periodontitis after treatment. The aim of the present prospective study was to assess the effect of IL-6 -572 G/C and IL-10 -592 C/A gene polymorphisms on the risk of disease recurrence/progression at 3 years following non-surgical periodontal treatment. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis received oral hygiene instructions and non-surgical periodontal treatment and were monitored for 3 years. All individuals were clinically evaluated for PPD, CAL and BOP at baseline and 3 years. Based on the clinical findings at 3 years, all subjects were considered either "at risk" or "not at risk" of periodontal disease progression based on specific criteria. Blood samples were collected at baseline and genotyping of the polymorphisms in IL-6 (rs1800796) and IL-10 (rs1800872) genes were performed by PCR. RESULTS: Following DNA separation and genotyping, 70.3% of the patients were homozygous carriers of the IL-6 -572G and 45.9% were carriers of the IL-10 -592A allele. Individuals at risk of disease progression ranged from 16.2% to 56.8% based on the criteria used. IL-6 -572 G/C and IL-10 -592 C/A polymorphisms were not associated with an increased risk of further disease progression (P>0.05) when the three criteria were examined. All examined periodontal clinical measures were significantly improved (P<0.05) after treatment. Males showed a significantly higher risk of disease progression than females when full-mouth BOP ≥30% was considered (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this 3-year prospective study, individuals susceptible to periodontal disease as determined by the presence of the IL-6 -572GG genotype or the IL-10 -592A allele were not associated with an increased risk of further disease progression and the potential need for further treatment following non-surgical periodontal treatment. Males were more prone to be at risk of disease progression than females.

Expression of Wnt signaling agonists and antagonists in periodontitis and healthy subjects, before and after non-surgical periodontal treatment: A systematic review.

Periodontitis is a preventable and treatable multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease that can lead to irreversible periodontal destruction and tooth loss. Wnt signaling and its regulators play an important role in periodontal inflammation, destruction, regeneration, and reconstruction. This systematic review aimed at investigating the involvement of Wnt signaling agonists and antagonists in periodontitis and healthy subjects, before and after periodontal treatment. Electronic searches were carried out using MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases in addition to hand searches. Studies having different designs assessing the levels of Wnt signaling antagonist and agonist levels in gingival crevicular fluid, serum, and tissue in patients diagnosed with periodontitis or gingivitis, compared with healthy individuals were included. In addition, studies compared these levels in periodontitis patients before and after non-surgical periodontal therapy were also eligible. Sixteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Sclerostin (SOST) has been mainly investigated in the literature (8 publications). Sclerostin (5 studies), Wnt-5a (2 studies), secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) (3 studies), and ß-catenin (3 studies) show increased levels in periodontitis compared with periodontal health. Strong correlations between marker levels and periodontal clinical parameters were identified for SOST (5 studies), SFRP1 (2 studies), and ß-catenin (2 studies). SOST (3 studies) and SFRP1 (1 study) levels significantly decrease following non-surgical periodontal treatment. The present systematic review demonstrated an association between Wnt signaling agonist and antagonist levels and periodontitis. Wnt agonists and antagonists may serve as valuable diagnostic and prognostic markers for periodontitis onset and progression. Further case-control and longitudinal studies should be conducted for different Wnt signaling agonists and antagonists.

Postextraction ridge preservation by using dense PTFE membranes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The use of dense polytetrafluoroethylene (dPTFE) membranes in alveolar ridge preservation may help reduce the risk of bacterial contamination and infection, maintaining the soft-tissue anatomy. However, systematic reviews on their efficacy in postextraction sites are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of alveolar ridge preservation with dPTFE membranes when used alone or in combination with bone grafting materials in postextraction sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An electronic search up to February 2021 was conducted by using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library to detect studies using dPTFE membranes in postextraction sites. An additional manual search was performed in relevant journals. Clinical and radiographic dimensional changes of the alveolar ridge, histomorphometric, microcomputed tomography, implant-related findings, and rate of complications were recorded. One-dimensional meta-analysis was performed to calculate the overall means and 95% confidence intervals (α=.05). RESULTS: A total of 23 studies, 14 randomized controlled trials, 4 retrospective cohort studies, 3 case series, and 2 prospective nonrandomized clinical trials, met the inclusion criteria. Five studies were included in the quantitative analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the use of dPTFE membranes resulted in a statistically significant (P=.042) increase in clinical keratinized tissue of 3.49 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16, 6.83) when compared with extraction alone. Metaregression showed that the difference of 1.10 mm (95% CI: -0.14, 2.35) in the radiographic horizontal measurements was not significant (P=.082), but the difference of 1.06 mm (95% CI: 0.51, 1.62) in the radiographic vertical dimensional change between dPTFE membranes+allograft and extraction alone was statistically significant (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of dPTFE membranes was better than extraction alone in terms of keratinized tissue width and radiographic vertical bone loss.

Flapless application of enamel matrix derivative in non-surgical periodontal treatment: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of the flapless application of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) in combination with non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) when compared to non-surgical periodontal treatment alone in adult patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Library up to March 2021 complemented by a manual search. Human longitudinal studies of >5 participants and at least 3 months follow-up were eligible for inclusion in the review. Clinical outcomes were extracted and pooled. Meta-analysis of the included studies was not possible due to methodological differences. RESULTS: A total of 1199 publications were identified and reviewed for eligibility. Nine of them fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eight studies were randomized clinical trials. The clinical findings of the majority of the included studies demonstrated that the adjunctive use of EMD with NSPT could lead to significantly improved treatment outcomes including higher PPD reduction, more CAL gain, more robust BOP reduction, higher number of sites with PPD < 5 mm and more frequent pocket closure which reduces the need for further periodontal surgical treatment. Limited biological, microbiological and histological findings were reported. Minimal adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: The flapless application of EMD during NSPT leads to an improved clinical outcome in regards to CAL gain and PPD reduction when compared to conventional treatment alone. The potential effect on the biological and microbiological outcome is unclear.

WNT-5a and SOST Levels in Gingival Crevicular Fluid Depend on the Inflammatory and Osteoclastogenic Activities of Periodontal Tissues.

Background and Objectives: Wnt signaling leads to stimulation of osteoblasts and it reduces osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption via the regulation of the osteprotegrin and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligan (RANKL). Wnt signaling pathways are regulated by their physiological antagonists such as sclerostin (SOST) as well as WNT-5a. The aim of this study was to determine the total amount of Sclerostin and WNT-5a in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in sites with a continuum from a healthy to diseased periodontium. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 20 patients with generalized periodontitis, 10 subjects with gingivitis as well as 14 individuals with a healthy periodontium were recruited upon clinical and radiographic periodontal examination. In patients diagnosed with periodontitis, GCF samples were collected from periodontitis, gingivitis and healthy sites, while gingivitis patients provided samples from gingivitis and healthy sites. In healthy patients, only healthy sites were sampled. Protein total amount of SOST and WNT-5a were quantified by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: A total of 108 GCF samples were collected from a total of 44 individuals. When all periodontitis (n = 51), gingivitis (n = 12) and healthy (n = 45) sites were analyzed regardless of the patient diagnosis, periodontitis sites demonstrated significantly elevated WNT-5a total amounts (p = 0.03) when compared to gingivitis sites. Gingivitis sites demonstrated a trend of more total SOST (p = 0.09) when compared to periodontitis and healthy sites. Within each patient diagnostic category, sites showed similar SOST and WNT-5a total amounts (p > 0.05). Conclusions: WNT-5a levels in GCF depend on the stage of periodontitis sites. SOST trended higher in the GCF of gingivitis sites but similar in chronic periodontitis and healthy sites. WNT-5a and SOST play a crucial role in periodontal tissue remodeling and depend on the inflammatory and osteoclastogenic activities.

Association between Periodontal Disease and Systemic Inflammatory Conditions Using Electronic Health Records: A Pilot Study.

AIMS: To investigate the association between periodontal disease and systemic inflammatory conditions and examine the link between medical conditions and the extent of missing teeth in a large population. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 4890 randomly selected patients who had attended the University of Minnesota dental clinics were analyzed. Severity of periodontal disease was determined based on the percentage of bone loss, evaluated through the examination of a full-mouth intraoral series of radiographs. The number of missing teeth was calculated from the examined radiographs, while ten systemic inflammatory conditions were extracted from patients' self-reported medical histories. RESULTS: Moderate bone loss was observed in 730 (14.9%) and severe in 323 (6.6%) patients of the total population, while the mean number of missing teeth was 3.54 ± 3.93. The prevalence of systemic conditions and tobacco use were gender-dependent (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that hypertension, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and HIV were associated significantly with the severity of bone loss, while diabetes and lupus with the extent of missing teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reported in our study add to this body of knowledge, strengthening the association between periodontal disease with systemic inflammatory conditions.

Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-10 Gene Polymorphisms in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis and Response to Treatment after 3 Years.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic susceptibility to chronic periodontitis, conferred by the presence of the IL-6 -572GG genotype or the IL-10 -592A allele, influences the outcomes following a non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT)over a long period of time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-seven chronic periodontitis patients were divided into two groups according to genotype as susceptible (SCP) and non-susceptible (NSCP). All subjects were clinically evaluated at baseline and 3 years following NSPT. Blood samples were collected at baseline from the individuals who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All participants received NSPT from a single periodontist who was blind to the genotype status of each patient. A statistical analysis was performed by comparing the variables between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test and between baseline and 3 years for each group using the Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: The mean age of the population was estimated to be 47.68±8.64 years and it included 51.4% females, 48.6% smokers, and 45.9% alcohol consumers. Following a genetic analysis, 70.3% of patients were homozygous carriers of the IL-6 -572G (IL-6 SCP), and 46.0% of them were carriers of the IL-10 -592A allele (IL-10 SCP). NSPT reduced all studied parameters (probing depth, attachment loss, bleeding on probing, percentage of sites with 4-6mm and ≥7mm pocket depth and attachment loss) to all participants, but the treatment outcome was not associated with the genotype. The SCP and NSCP individuals showed similar clinical parameters at baseline and at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this 3-year prospective cohort study in Caucasians diagnosed with chronic periodontitis, individuals susceptible to periodontal disease as determined by the presence of the IL-6 -572GG genotype or the IL-10 -592A allele showed similar treatment outcome following NSPT.

Symptoms of temporomandibular disorder, self-reported bruxism, and the risk of implant failure: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between symptoms of temporomandibular disorder and self-reported bruxism with the risk of implant failure. METHODS: This retrospective study is based on 2127 records of patients who had 4519 implants placed and restored at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. Patient and implant level information were retrieved from each dental record: age, gender, implant location, as well as history of clicking, pain, difficulty opening, difficulty chewing, and clenching or grinding. RESULTS: A total of 51 implant failures were identified in the sample. This corresponded to a failure rate of 1.1% at the implant level and 1.7% at the patient level. Among all the patient and implant level variables, the binary logistic regression showed that none of them were significantly associated with implant failure (p > 0.05). DISCUSSION: The identification of risk indicators for implant loss can foster long-term implant survival, peri-implant health, and ultimately, implant prosthesis survival.

Sclerostin and WNT-5a gingival protein levels in chronic periodontitis and health.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Wnt signaling pathways regulate osteoblast differentiation and bone formation and are associated with inflammatory responses driven by innate and adaptive immunity via the NF-κB pathway. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of sclerostin (SOST), WNT-5a, and TNF-α between chronic periodontitis and periodontally healthy sites and determine their value as diagnostic markers of chronic periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional assessment 25 chronic periodontitis cases and 25 periodontally healthy controls were selected upon clinical and radiographic periodontal evaluation. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was collected cross-sectionally from diseased and healthy sites in periodontitis patients and from healthy sites in each control subject. In a subgroup analysis, ten patients with generalized moderate and severe chronic periodontitis and ten generalized periodontally healthy individuals were included. The protein levels of SOST, WNT-5a, and TNF-α in GCF were measured by sandwich ELISA. The Shapiro-Wilk test was utilized to assess the normality of the distribution and non-parametric comparisons were performed. RESULTS: The protein levels of SOST were significantly higher in the generalized moderate and severe chronic periodontitis subgroup when compared to the generalized healthy (P = 0.002), while the WNT-5a and TNF-α GCF total amounts were similar (P > 0.05). Diseased sites in the periodontitis patients exhibited significantly higher total protein levels of WNT-5a than in healthy sites (P = 0.017), whereas no differences were detected for SOST and TNF-α (P > 0.05). The total protein levels of SOST, WNT-5a, and TNF-α in GCF were similar in periodontitis and non-periodontitis patients (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sclerostin and WNT-5a gingival protein levels demonstrated a high diagnostic value for generalized moderate and severe chronic periodontitis, while a low accuracy was detected for localized chronic periodontitis.