ABSTRACT
Background C-reactive protein (CRP) is the first acute-phase protein and is an exceptional investigative marker for local and systemic inflammation. The periodontitis severity grading scale (PSGS) indicates the extent of periodontal inflammation. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the correlation between the markers of systemic and periodontal inflammation as assessed by CRP and the PSGS in participants with periodontitis. Materials and methods The present study enrolled 85 systemically healthy participants with periodontitis. PSGS and CRP levels were measured in each participant. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for analysis. Results The PSGS scores ranged from 24 to 213, and the CRP levels ranged from 0.5 to 3.23 mg/l. This shows a positive correlation between the periodontal scale and CRP. A nonsignificant (p-value > 0.05) correlation exists between age and CRP score, and a significant association was seen between gender and severity of periodontitis with p-value < 0.02. A highly significant association between gender and CRP score was found with p-value < 0.001. Conclusion The level of serum CRP dramatically increased with the severity of periodontitis. The results of this study point to a highly significant correlation between markers of systemic and periodontal inflammation, as well as a strength of association between the two markers.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Telemedicine incorporates electronic information and medical technology. It connects healthcare through vast distances which would benefit both patients and doctors. The aim of this questionnaire study was to evaluate the effects of telemedicine on patients and medical specialists. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 122 participants (71 patients and 51 doctors) on satisfaction in quality of service, cost-effectiveness, and problems encountered in healthcare provided by the telemedicine in Apollo Tele Health Services, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The data for each group were calculated and compared. RESULTS: About 80% patients and all the doctors reported their satisfaction on the quality of treatment given through telemedicine. Approximately, 90% of the participants found telemedicine cost-effective and 61% of the doctors found an increase in patient's inflow apart for their regular practice. Problems encountered in telemedicine were 47% in technical issues and 39% in time scheduling by doctors and 31% of patients were uncomfortable to face the camera, and 24% had technical issues. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that telemedicine in healthcare could prove to be useful to patients in distant regions and to rural doctors in India. In the near future, telemedicine can be considered as an alternate to face to face patient care.
ABSTRACT
Biomimetic materials are widely used in the treatment of osseous defects as an alternative to autogenous bone graft. The aim of this article was to review the literature and compare the quality of published articles on biomimetic ceramic material used for periodontal regeneration in the treatment of infrabony defects and to discuss the future direction of research. The bibliographic databases PubMed, Ebsco, and Google Scholar were searched from January 2000 to March 2014 for randomized control trials in which biomimetic ceramic graft material was compared with open flap debridement or in combination with any other regenerative material. To avoid the variability of the search terms, the thesaurus Mesh was used. The primary outcome variable assessed was clinical attachment level (CAL). The screening of eligible studies, assessment of the methodological quality of the trials, and data extraction were performed by two observers independently. Twenty-six articles were identified and included in this systematic review. The primary outcome was CAL. Out of the 26 studies, 24 showed more than 2 mm of CAL gain. The difference in CAL change between test and control groups varied from 1.2 mm to 5.88 mm with respect to different biomaterials/biomimetic materials, which was clinically and statistically significant. Meta-analysis was not done due to heterogeneity in results between studies. Overall, biomaterials were found to be more effective than open flap debridement in improving the attachment levels in intraosseous defects. Future research should aim at increasing the osteoinductive capacity of these biomimetic graft materials.
