ABSTRACT
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.
ABSTRACT
AIM: This study aims to examine the correlation between age and number of incremental lines in human dental cementum among single-rooted teeth (incisors and canines) and to assess the best tooth to estimate age group by studying cementum under phase-contrast microscope and to assess the use of cementum in age estimation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was carried out in the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology. A sample of eighty single-rooted undecalcified longitudinal ground sections is prepared from freshly collected teeth with age noted separately and observed under phase-contrast microscope, photographed and counted. Counting the number of alternating dark and light lines of the cementum and adding them to the average age at which the analyzed tooth erupts provided an estimate of the chronological age of the individual. RESULTS: The results obtained in the present study were statistically significant and positive correlation was observed between the actual age and the estimated age. The number of incremental lines was found to be gradually increased with increase in age of the individual. On an average, ±2 years of age difference were observed in our study on comparing the actual age with estimated age. CONCLUSION: Hence, the incremental lines of the cementum were found to be gradually increased with increase in age and hence can be used as one of the adjuvant tools in dental age estimation.
