Is there any difference based on sublingual varices frequency between hypertensive patients and healthy persons?

BACKGROUND: Sublingual varices (SV) are benign vascular lesions that have questionable associations with aging, smoking, and hypertension. This study purposed to evaluate whether SV frequency differs between hypertensive patients and healthy persons. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 dental patients referred to Yazd Oral Medicine Department. At first sublingual surface of the tongue were examined before the routine oral survey, and blood pressure (BP) was measured in a sitting position. SV were classified into Grade 1 (no/mild), Grade 2 (medium to severe), and Grade 3 (multi-focal). Blood pressure was measured in all participants. Participants based on the obtained BP, divided into normal, prehypertension, stage 1, and 2 groups. Frequency of SV was compared in regarding age, gender, and stage of hypertension. All of the analyses were conducted at a p < 0.05 level of significance by the SPSS22 statistical package using chi-square test. RESULTS: Out of 120 patients, 84 (70%) had SV. The frequency of SV in patients with hypertension (HT) (86.8%) was significantly higher than in others (48.1%); (p < 0.001). Data analysis showed there was a significant difference between the age groups. There was no significant difference based on SV between two genders. There was no significant difference in the frequency of sublingual varices between males and females. Aging could impact the frequency of SV. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that patients with hypertension had more SV. A simple valuable method for dental clinicians to be active in preventive health care is evaluating sublingual surface of tongue.

Nurses' educational needs in the oral health of inpatients at Yazd Province in Iran: a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Oral hygiene is an integral part of general health of a person. Nurses qualified about oral care can play an important role in improving the quality of oral health in hospitalized patients. This study investigated the educational needs of nurses in the field of oral health of hospitalized patients. METHODS: The study used the modified Delphi method in three rounds. Fifty faculty members of the School of Dentistry and Nursing were selected via purposive sampling. The data collection tool was a demographic form and an open-ended questionnaire in the first round and a structured questionnaire in the next rounds. The analysis was performed using both content and descriptive analysis techniques. RESULTS: The top ten oral health education priorities for nurses were greater than 75% with a consensus level: oral anatomy and physiology, learning the signs and symptoms of common oral diseases, learning of oral medications and administration, learning the drugs that cause damage to the mouth and teeth, training in managing dental emergencies, patient education for tooth brushing and taking care of the mouth, especially in the elderly patient, providing oral and dental care, training for unconscious and fasting patients, undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and hospitalization in intensive care unit. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study emphasized the need for interdisciplinary cooperation between nursing and dental professionals for the development of an oral health curriculum for nurses to promote and improve oral health and prevent dental diseases in hospitalized patients and the community.

Oral Complications of The Oromaxillofacial Area Radiotherapy

Background: The incidence of malignancies is on the rise in different communities, making them the second most important cause of mortality in developed countries. One of the treatment modalities for these malignancies, apart from surgery and chemotherapy, is radiotherapy which might in itself lead to some complications in the area receiving radiation. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of oral complications in patients undergoing radiotherapy of the oromaxillofacial area in Shahid Ramazanzadeh Radiotherapy Center in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: The present descriptive/analytical study was carried out from 2014 to 2015 on 144 patients with head and neck malignancies, referring to Shahid Ramazanzadeh Radiotherapy Center, Yazd, Iran. The patients underwent intraoral examinations before radiotherapy, during the second week after radiotherapy and at the end of radiotherapy. The patients' background data and the presence of oral complications were recorded in special forms. Data were analyzed with SPSS 17, using chi-squared test. Results: Of 144 patients evaluated, 51 were male and 93 were female. During the final examination, all the subjects (100%) had mucositis, xerostomia and candidiasis, with 85.4% of the subjects (123 patients) suffering from gustatory disturbances. Although only 38.1% of the subjects had oral ulcers at the end of the second week, all of them (100%) exhibited such lesions in the final examination. The prevalence rate of tooth hypersensitivity at this stage was 22.9%. During the second examination, 117 subjects (83.3%) exhibited grade I trismus, 42 of which exhibited deterioration toward grade II during the final examination. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed a high rate of oral complications in patients undergoing head and neck radiotherapy. Mucositis, xerostomia and candidiasis were the most prevalent complications.

Randomized DoubleBlind PlaceboControlled Trial of Propolis for Oral Mucositis in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Propolis based preparations have a wide range of applications in various specialties of dentistry. The aim of this clinical trial was to test the efficacy of propolis as a mouthwash in the reduction of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis (OM) in a single center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomised, controlled study patients undergoing chemotherapy were included consecutively and randomised to an experimental group receiving propolis mouthwash (n = 20) and a control group receiving diluted water (n=20). Oral mucositis, erythema and eating and drink ability were assessed at baseline and after 3 and 7 days using the World Health Organization (WHO) scale and the oral mucositis assessment scale (OMAS). RESULTS: There were significant differences in OM, wound and erythema in propolis group compared to placebo, but no significant difference in eating and drink ability. However, it was interesting that 65% of the patients in the propolis group were completely healed at day 7 of the trial. No significant adverse events were reported by the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that oral care with propolis as mouthwash for patients undergoing chemotherapy is an effective intervention to improve oral health. Our findings shouldlencourage health practitioners to apply propolis mouth rinse for the oral care of patients under chemotherapy.