A tangible prospect for the treatment of gingivitis using a potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum MK06 isolated from traditional dairy products: a triple blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Frequent bacterial plaque buildup at the gingival margin and crevice can provoke an inflammatory reaction in gingival tissues which manifests as gingivitis. Probiotics could serve as a beneficial complementary therapy for treating gingival inflammation. The main aim of this research was to investigate the effect of the Lactobacillus plantarum MK06 probiotic strain on the treatment of gingivitis. METHODS: Patients with gingivitis, who were referred to a private clinic and were systematically healthy, were included in this randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial. They were instructed to use either placebo or Lactobacillus plantarum suspensions for one minute two times a day after tooth-brushing for four weeks. Then, the clinical parameters of gingivitis, including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and oral hygiene index (OHI-s), were measured in the first, second, and fourth weeks. A total of forty-two patients were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 21) and control (n = 21) groups. The mean age of the experimental and control groups was 29.10 and 28.48, respectively. RESULTS: The mean scores of BOP, GI, PI, and OHI-s reduced over time in both the control and test groups. However, according to the Mann-Whitney test, the difference between the two groups was not significant at the same time intervals (P ≥ 0.05) and only GI showed a significant difference in the fourth week (GI-3, P = 0.006). Nevertheless, the experimental group experienced a higher overall reduction rate than the control group. The BOP, GI, PI, and OHI-s scores decreased by 0.081, 0.204, 0.186, and 0.172 times in the second week, respectively, resulting from the interaction of time and the intervention, which considerably diminished these indices. CONCLUSION: This study shows the potential of the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum MK06 suspension as a promoting therapeutic adjuvant in the treatment of gingivitis.

Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Demineralized Freeze-Dried Cancellous Block Allograft for Ridge Augmentation: A Pilot Study.

Bone resorption after tooth extraction is a common problem in implant dentistry. Allografts are one of the therapeutic techniques used to reconstruct the deficient ridge. Although this technique eliminates the need for a surgical donor site, it has yielded contradictory results. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of the use of demineralized freeze-dried cancellous block allografts (DFDCBAs) in lateral ridge augmentation. Seven patients were included in this study. Lateral reconstruction of bone was performed using DFDCBA with stabilizing screws and resorbable collagen membranes. The ridge width was initially measured during the augmentation surgery. A second measurement was taken 6 months later at the time of implant placement. In addition, cone bean computed tomography images were used at both baseline and at 6-month reentry for measuring the width of bone by applying an acrylic stent with a radiopaque marker at the edentulous area. Paired t test was used to evaluate the statistical differences. The mean increase in the clinical and radiographic ridge widths were 1.70 ± 1.90 and 1.28 ± 1.52 mm, respectively, which were not statistically significant (P = 0.56 and P = 0.067, respectively). The results showed that the use of DFDCBAs in conjunction with resorbable membrane does not yield predictable results in the reconstruction of ridge width deficiencies.