Influence of smoking on clinical parameters and gingival crevicular fluid volume in patients with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking is regarded as one of the most significant risk factors for the development and progression of periodontal disease. In particular, studies have shown an alteration in Gingival Crevicular Fluid (GCF) volume and its components in smokers. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the GCF volume in smoking and non-smoking Saudi subjects with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: In this study, 30 smoking patients and 30 non-smoking patients with chronic periodontitis were enrolled. Periodontal Probing Depth (PPD), Clinical Attachment Level (CAL), Plaque Index (PI), and Bleeding on Probing (BOP) were measured to assess the pattern of periodontal destruction for each patient at six sites in selected teeth. Gingival inflammation was registered at six sites, where Gingival Crevicular Fluid (GCF) was also collected. The GCF volume was measured with a Periotron 8000®. Comparisons were made between smoking and non-smoking groups with periodontitis. RESULTS: Smokers demonstrated significantly deeper periodontal pockets (4.64±0.30 mm) than non-smokers (4.24±0.38 mm). Smoking subjects also presented significantly greater attachment loss (3.08±0.28 mm) than non-smoking subjects (2.74±0.42 mm), whereas the GCF volume was found to be significantly lower in smokers (0.25±0.04 µl) than in non-smokers (0.31±0.05 µl) (P<0.01). Among smoking subjects, lingual sites showed reduced GCF levels compared to facial sites (0.22±0.03 µl vs. 0.25±0.03 µl). CONCLUSION: Smoking appears to have considerable adverse effects on the inflammatory process, thereby promoting the progression of periodontal disease in smokers. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The adverse effect of smoking on the initiation and progression of periodontal disease is highlighted in this study. In particular, estimation of the GCF volume may serve as an indicator to assess the severity as well as the prognosis of periodontitis in smokers.

The effect of two different demineralization methods with saturated tetracycline hydrochloride on the attachment and growth of gingival fibroblasts. A scanning electron microscopic study.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate in vitro, the influence of two different methods of surfaces conditioning of dentin by tetracycline hydrochloride on human gingival epithelial cell attachment. A flat dentin surface was created on human teeth extracted due to severe periodontitis: 36 specimens were divided into 3 equal groups and etched in the following way: group 1 (saline); group 2 (immersion in TTC for 3 min); group 3 (burnishing with TTC for 3 min). The specimens and fibroblasts were incubated in a culture medium for 24 hours, one and two weeks and photographed using scanning electron microscope. No fibroblasts could be seen on the saline groups. More fibroblasts could attach to the root surface at one and two weeks irrespective of the method used.

Similarity of the oral microbiota of pre-school children with that of their caregivers in a population-based study.

This study evaluated the similarity between the oral microbiota of young children and that of their adult caregivers. Oral samples from children (174 dentate and 18 pre-dentate) aged 6-36 months and their caregivers in Saipan were assayed using a DNA probe assay. Many species including Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Actinomyces species, Campylobacter rectus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, and Porphyromonas gingivalis were detected in dentate and pre-dentate children, whereas Bacteroides forsythus was detected only in dentate children. A higher percentage of children were positive for the detection of an individual species if the caregiver was also positive. There were significant relative risks of species detection between dentate children and their caregivers. By logistic regression, there were significant positive associations between species detection in caregiver and in child, but not between species detection and child age or maternal education level. In conclusion, dental pathogens were detected in young, including pre-dentate, children. The microbial profiles of children were strongly associated with the microbiota of their caregivers.

Periodontal pathogen detection in gingiva/tooth and tongue flora samples from 18- to 48-month-old children and periodontal status of their mothers.

Few studies have detected periodontal pathogens in young children, and when detected the prevalence has been relatively low. In this epidemiological study, we determined the prevalence of periodontal pathogen colonization in young children and examined the relationship between periodontitis in mothers and detection of periodontal pathogens in their children aged 18-48 months. Children were selected and enrolled randomly into the study; tongue and gingival/tooth plaque samples were harvested and analyzed by DNA probe checkerboard assay for Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythus. Clinical measurements included a gingival bleeding score in the children and a periodontal screening and recording (PSR) score in the mothers. Mothers having one or more periodontal sites with probing depths > 5.5 mm were classified as having periodontitis. In this population, 71% (66/93) of the 18- to 48-month-old children were infected with at least one periodontal pathogen. Detection rates for children were 68.8% for P. gingivalis and 29.0% for B. forsythus. About 13.8% (11/80) of children had gingival bleeding in response to a toothpick inserted interproximally. Children in whom B. forsythus was detected were about 6 times more likely to have gingival bleeding than other children. There was no relationship between bleeding and detection of P. gingivalis. 17.0% (16/94) of the mothers had periodontitis. When all mother-child pairs were considered, the periodontal status of the mother was found not to be a determinant for detection of periodontal pathogens in the floral samples from the children. However, the odds ratio that a daughter of a mother with periodontitis would be colonized was 5.2 for B. forsythus. A much higher proportion of children in this population were colonized by P. gingivalis and/or B. forsythus than has been previously reported for other populations. A modest level of association between manifestations of periodontitis in mothers and detection of B. forsythus in their daughters was observed.

The microbiota of young children from tooth and tongue samples.

This study determined the frequency with which 38 microbial species were detected in 171 randomly selected children from 6 to 36 months of age. Children were sampled and dental caries measured. Oral samples were assayed by means of a checkerboard DNA probe assay. The detection frequencies from tongue samples in children under 18 mos were: S. mutans 70%, S. sobrinus 72%, P. gingivalis 23%, B. forsythus 11%, and A. actinomycetemcomitans 30%, with similar detection frequencies in children over 18 mos. Thus, S. mutans and the periodontal pathogens, P. gingivalis and B. forsythus, were detected even in the youngest subjects. Species associated with caries included S. mutans (children ages 18-36 mos) and A. israelii (children ages < 18 mos), the latter species possibly reflecting increased plaque in children with caries. Species detection from tooth and tongue samples was highly associated, with most species detected more frequently from tongue than from tooth samples in children under 18 mos, suggesting that the tongue was a potential microbial reservoir.

Prevalence of shovel-shaped incisors in Saudi Arabian dental patients.

The prevalence of maxillary incisor shoveling was studied radiographically in 990 Saudi patients. According to the radiomorphologic characteristics, a new classification was developed and shovel teeth were categorized. The findings of this study showed 9% shovel-shaped incisors; among those, 4% were central incisors and 5% were lateral incisors. Frequency of dens invaginatus occurrence with the shovel-shaped incisors was also investigated. Eight percent of shovel-shaped incisors showed presence of dens invaginatus. Prevalence was found to be 4% in central shovel-shaped incisors, whereas that in lateral shovel-shaped incisors was 11%.

Shovel-shaped incisors and associated invagination in some Asian and African populations.

Shovelling of the incisors is considered to be a polygenic inheritable trait. Shovelling differs considerably between groups of racial populations but is relatively stable within each group. Presence or absence of shovelling helps in racial identification and in exploration of ancestry. Periapical radiographs of patients of several nationalities from Asian and African continents were obtained. Shovelling and invaginations associated with the shovel-shaped incisors was studied according to nationality. Results indicated that the incidence of shovelling in Syrians, Jordanians, Palestinians and Filipinos was 5-6 per cent. In Saudi Arabians, Pakistanis and Indians, the incidence of shovelling was 10-12 per cent. Among Yemenis, Sudanese and Egyptians, the incidence of shovelling was 20-25 percent. The occurrence of invaginations in shovel-shaped incisors was 11 per cent.