Evaluation of adjunctive systemic doxycycline with non-surgical periodontal therapy within type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of systemic doxycycline on clinical and microbiological parameters of diabetic subjects with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: This 9-month multi-center, randomized, parallel, single-blinded study was conducted from different hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between April 2010 and December 2010. A total of 76 diabetic subjects with chronic periodontitis were randomized into 2 groups: control group (CG) received only scaling and root planing (SRP), and the treatment group (TG) receiving systemic doxycycline during the reevaluation visit 45 days after the completion of SRP. Probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, gingival index, plaque index, and bleeding on probing were collected at baseline, 45 days after SRP, and one, 3, and 6 months  after the use of systemic doxycycline. Microbiological analysis comprised the detection of Tannerella forsythia (Tf), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), and Prevotella intermedia (Pi) by polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: Sixty-eight (33 CG and 35 TG) subjects completed the study. Greater reduction in the population of Tf, Pg, and Pi were observed in TG compared with CG in the first month after the administration of systemic doxycycline. The TG showed a significant improvement in gingival index scores compared with the CG (p<0.05) by the end of the first and 6 months after the administration of doxycycline. CONCLUSION: Adjunct systemic doxycycline can be associated with a reduction of Tf, Pg, and Pi in the first month after the administration of doxycycline with an improvement in the GI. 

Dental patients' awareness and knowledge in using dental implants as an option in replacing missing teeth: A survey in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

AIM: The purpose of this survey was to assess the level, sources, and need for information about dental implants among a selected sample of dental patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients' knowledge and awareness in using dental implants as an option in replacing missing teeth were evaluated through a standardized self- explanatory questionnaire distributed in two places in Riyadh: Military Hospital and College of Dentistry, King Saud University (Darraiyah campus). The questionnaires were handed to the patients during their regular dental visits. A total of 379 subjects were included in this survey. RESULTS: The results of this study indicate that 66.4% of the subjects knew about dental implants. The subjects' friends and their relatives were the main source of information about dental implants for 31.5% of the subjects, and dentists were the secondary source for 28.3% of the sample. About 82.4% of the subjects need more information about dental implants and 85.2% of them chose the dentist to be the desired source for such information, followed by the internet in 28.5% of the cases. Almost 74.4% of those surveyed did not know if their regular dentists use dental implants. High cost was the major factor in preventing patients from choosing implants in 86.5% of the cases while the long treatment time and fear of surgery was the factor in 71% and 68.6% of the subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this survey showed an acceptable level of awareness about dental implants among a selected sample of dental patients in Riyadh. It also showed the need for providing more general and accurate information to the patients about this treatment modality.