The role and impact of viruses on cancer development.

This review focuses on three major aspects of oncoviruses' role in cancer development. To begin, we discuss their geographic distribution, revealing that seven oncoviruses cause 20% of all human cancers worldwide. Second, we investigate the primary carcinogenic mechanisms, looking at how these oncogenic viruses can induce cellular transformation, angiogenesis, and local and systemic inflammation. Finally, we investigate the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection reactivating latent oncoviruses, which could increase the risk of further disease. The development of oncovirus vaccines holds great promise for reducing cancer burden. Many unanswered questions about the host and environmental cofactors that contribute to cancer development and prevention remain, which ongoing research is attempting to address.

Association of Down syndrome with periodontal diseases: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Down syndrome (DS) is distinguished by cognitive disability, a concave profile, and systemic complications. Oral diseases have been reported to be common in DS patients. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between DS and periodontal diseases. METHODS: Two independent reviewers searched six bibliographic databases up to January 2023 and used additional search methods to identify published studies on gingivitis or periodontitis in people with and without DS. Meta-analysis, risk of bias, sensibility analysis, publication bias, and evidence grading were all carried out. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were included for analysis. There was a tendency for increased plaque accumulation, periodontal probing, periodontal attachment level, bleeding on probing and indices in DS individuals. Meta-analysis of 11 studies showed a significant association between DS and periodontitis (OR 3.93; 95% CI 1.81-8.53). Probing depth was significantly high in individuals with DS as compared to controls (mean difference 0.40 mm; 95% CI 0.09-0.70). Gingivitis was significantly associated (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.09-3.41) with DS in four studies. The evidence was classified as 'moderate certainty'. CONCLUSION: Medium/low-quality studies demonstrate that Down syndrome is strongly associated with periodontitis and moderately associated with gingivitis.

Occlusal trauma is associated with periodontitis: A retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Excessive occlusal forces and occlusal trauma have been implicated as co-destructive factors for periodontitis in animal models. The objective of this study was to assess the association between occlusal trauma and periodontitis. METHODS: A total of 167 cases and 205 controls were included for analysis. Occlusal trauma was the exposures of interest and was registered for cases and controls. Additional clinical co-variables were registered as well for further analysis. The association of the exposure and periodontitis was determined by the odds ratio and logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Amalgam restorations, pathogenic occlusion and occlusal trauma were more frequent in cases as compared to controls (P ≤ 0.05). The distribution of pathogenic occlusion and occlusal trauma was similar according to the stage and class of periodontitis. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association for cigarette smoking, systemic conditions, amalgam restorations, pathogenic occlusion, and occlusal trauma with periodontitis (P ≤ 0.05). After adjusting for confounding variables in the model, amalgam restorations and occlusal trauma remained strongly associated with periodontitis (P ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Occlusal trauma is strongly associated with periodontitis. Additional long-term prospective studies are necessary to further understand the impact of the occlusal condition and periodontitis.

Association between human cytomegalovirus and periodontitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been associated with periodontitis and apical periodontitis. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the association between HCMV and periodontitis, and apical periodontitis of endodontic origin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines and registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO). The search for potential studies was performed in MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, and SciELO. A quality assessment of the studies, publication bias analysis, and meta-analysis was performed. The results are presented in odds ratio with 95% confidence interval with the corresponding Forest plot. Sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the consistency of the results. RESULTS: Thirty-two studies were included in the quantitative and qualitative analyses. Of these, 26 were in periodontitis patients and 6 in apical periodontitis patients. Forest plot of combined studies revealed significant increased odds for periodontitis when subgingival HCMV was detected (OR 5.31; 95% CI 3.15-8.97). Sensitivity analysis based on quality of the included studies, showed consistent results. In contrast, the odds ratio for apical periodontitis when HCMV was detected from apical lesions was not statistically significant (OR 3.65; 95% CI 0.49-27.10). CONCLUSIONS: The results from the meta-analysis indicate that HCMV is significantly associated with periodontitis. In contrast, HCMV infection is not associated with apical periodontitis.

Association between traumatic occlusal forces and periodontitis: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Occlusal adjustment is commonly recommended for patients with periodontitis and traumatic occlusion. The objective of this systematic review was to analyze available evidence for the association between traumatic occlusal forces and periodontitis. METHODS: Two focused questions were proposed: What is the effect of traumatic occlusal forces on periodontal parameters in patients with and without periodontitis? And what is the effect of occlusal interventions on periodontal parameters in patients with periodontitis? A systematic review of clinical and observational studies was performed and presented in narrative form. RESULTS: After title and abstract review a total of 30 articles were retrieved and of these 14 full-text articles were retrieved for analysis. Two RCTs, 1 cohort, 4 retrospective and 7 cross-sectional studies were included. Cross-sectional studies reported a significant association between occlusal discrepancies and probing depth and clinical attachment level. However, the magnitude of the effect is negligible when groups with and without occlusal discrepancies are compared. Intervention studies reported a minimal effect on probing depth and clinical attachment level after occlusal adjustment in patients with periodontitis as compared to teeth without occlusal adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Available human studies showed that there is limited evidence that traumatic occlusion is associated with periodontitis and to support the implementation of occlusal adjustment to significantly improve the periodontal condition in patients with periodontitis.

Weak Evidence Hinders the Understanding of the Benefits of Periodontal Therapy on Glycemic Control in Patients With Diabetes and Periodontitis.

ARTICLE TITLE AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Treatment of periodontal disease for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus. Simpson TC, Weldon JC, Worthington HV, Needleman I, Wild SH, Moles DR, Stevenson B, Furness S, Iheozor-Ejiofor Z. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015;11:CD004714. SOURCE OF FUNDING: This project was supported by the NIHR, via Cochrane Infrastructure funding to the Cochrane Oral Health Group, School of Dentistry, University of Manchester (UK), Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre (UK), and the National Institute for Health Research (UK) TYPE OF STUDY/DESIGN: Systematic review with meta-analysis.