ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Dental caries are common and have a high incidence among populations. Radiographs are essential for detecting proximal caries. The best technique should be recognized for accurate detection of caries. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of detection of proximal caries using intraoral bitewing, extraoral bitewing, improved interproximal panoramic, improved orthogonality panoramic and conventional panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive cross sectional study, 100 extracted human teeth with and without proximal caries were used. Intra and extraoral radiographs were taken. Images were evaluated and scored by two observers. Scores were compared with the histological gold standard. The diagnostic accuracy of radiographs was assessed by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (P<0.05). RESULTS: Microscopic evaluation of proximal surfaces revealed that 54.8% of the surfaces were sound and 45.2% were carious (with different depths). The differences in the area under the ROC curve (Az value) among the five techniques were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Improved interproximal panoramic and extraoral bitewing radiographs were superior to conventional panoramic radiography for detection of proximal caries ex vivo and should be considered for patients with contraindications for intraoral radiographs.
ABSTRACT
Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) which is a rate-limiting enzyme in heme degradation processes shows a dinucleotide GT repeat in the promoter that alters the level of gene transcription. This study is aimed to assess the association of HO-1 gene promoter polymorphism and metabolic syndrome (MetS). A hundred and fifty two individuals, who were followed in Isfahan Cohort Study since 2001, were enrolled in this study. They consisted of 78 MetS patients and 74 controls without MetS. Blood samples were obtained from all participants and after extracting the genomic DNA, promoter sequence was determined by PCR-based genotyping. The serum levels of iron, ferritin and bilirubin were also measured in all subjects. The proportion of short and long allele frequency did not significantly differ in patients with metabolic syndrome compared to control group. In conclusion, the results showed that there is no significant difference between two groups in (GT)n repeat of HO-1 gene promoter. These findings suggest the insignificant role of genetic risk factors compared to environmental risk factors in the development of MetS.
