Streptococcus M utans-Specific Antimicrobial Peptide C16G2-Mediated Caries Prevention: A Review.

Oral biofilms are a group of healthy synergistic organisms, that on interplay with the immune system undergo transition and colonize the pathogenic bacteria, leading to various diseases like dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis and a few systemic conditions. Dental caries being the most common disease of the oral cavity, comprise a heterogeneous group of bacteria that can cause imbalance in the biofilm. Caries prevention has been in research for decades, where antibiotics, chemical biocides and fluoride-antimicrobial approaches have not been adequate for this multifactorial disease. In recent years, the major focus of caries prevention has been shifted to plaque-biofilm modification as an ecological approach that would prevent bacterial colonization. Saliva produces various natural antimicrobial peptides that can regulate biofilm modification. Synthetic production of antimicrobial peptides concentrates on selective elimination and a targeted approach towards cariogenic pathogens, precisely Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). A search in Medline/PubMed, EBSCO and ScienceDirect databases on C16G2, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and S. mutans, using MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) terms was performed and papers published until 2020 were included for further evaluation. A total of eight articles written in English with available full texts were selected based on the search strategy. They included four publications on AMPs against S. mutans and another four articles on AMPs in caries prevention. This review focuses on C16G2 antimicrobial peptide and its potential to modify biofilm and inhibit the targeted bacteria causing dental caries.

A review of research on cytological approach in salivary gland masses.

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) in salivary gland pathologies. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the PubMed database using related Medical Subject Heading terms "sensitivity and specificity of FNA in salivary gland" and "diagnostic accuracy of FNA in salivary gland" for the period 1980-2016, and we found that 414 research studies had been published. PRISMA technology was utilized to prepare flow chart for displaying data search strategy. A total of 385 articles were excluded based on the established inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. Twenty-nine research studies were included. Those twenty-nine studies on the sensitivity and specificity of FNAs in salivary gland pathology consisted of 5274 cases of benign, malignant and inflammatory salivary gland lesions. The present study identified a range of 87%-100% sensitivity and 90%-100% specificity for the usefulness of FNAs in distinguishing benign and malignant salivary gland lesions. Although a considerable number of studies have been identified that reported on sensitivity and specificity of FNAs in salivary gland pathologies, each study had a different approach in reporting the sensitivity and specificity. We emphasize that standardized reporting protocols of sensitivity and specificity report supported with checklists would help future researchers to interpret this cytological method and make more accurate clinical utility and usefulness reports on salivary gland pathologies.