ABSTRACT
Furcation involvement is a common sequela of severe chronic periodontal disease. Its effective management has a profound influence on the outcome of periodontal therapy. For the efficient clinical management of furcation defects, it is necessary to have a reliable diagnostic tool that can accurately measure and quantify the furcation defect. This article addresses the various diagnostic methods available and assesses their limitations. Further, it also highlights some new frontiers in the field of furcation diagnosis and measurements.
Subject(s)
Furcation Defects/diagnosis , Furcation Defects/classification , Humans , Periodontics/instrumentation , Radiography, Dental, Digital/methods , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methodsABSTRACT
Periodontal disease can be considered to be one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases inflicting humans. With the advent of advanced molecular diagnostic techniques, a better understanding of the role of specific pathogens and the contributory role of the host immune response in the initiation and progression of periodontal disease has been possible - although not completely. However, successful vaccine development that fully utilizes the current level of understanding has not yet occurred for human use. This paper reviews various in vitro, animal studies and human trials undertaken to develop a vaccine against periodontal disease, with emphases on the shortfalls of these efforts and future prospects of developing a successful vaccine against periodontal disease.
Subject(s)
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/immunology , Bacterial Vaccines/immunology , Periodontitis/prevention & control , Porphyromonas gingivalis/immunology , Vaccination , Adhesins, Bacterial/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Bacterial/immunology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Bacterial Capsules/immunology , Cysteine Endopeptidases/immunology , Dental Plaque/microbiology , Fimbriae Proteins/immunology , Gingipain Cysteine Endopeptidases , Humans , Immunization, Passive , Vaccines, Synthetic/immunologyABSTRACT
With the advent of effective drug therapy, tuberculous lesions of the oral cavity have become so rare that they are frequently forgotten. Primary gingival tuberculosis is extremely rare and usually manifests as ulcer. We report the first case of primary tuberculosis manifesting as gingival enlargement, which was the only presenting sign of tuberculosis. Diagnosis was based on histopathology (hematoxin and eosin staining), complete blood count, polymerase chain reaction assay and immunologic investigation with the detection of antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The possibility of gingival enlargement due to drugs, leukemia, fungus and sarcoidosis was ruled out. Antituberculous therapy over 6 months was followed by surgical excision of the residual enlargement under local anesthesia. After 1-year follow-up there was no recurrence of the disease. This case emphasizes the need for dentists to include tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of gingival enlargement so that they may play a role in its early detection.
