Effect of dialyzed saliva on human enamel demineralization.

BACKGROUND: Saliva is supersaturated with respect to calcium and phosphate ions. Salivary ions may well play a role in the subsequent adsorption of proteins and consequently in the formation of the acquired enamel pellicle. Among several biological functions, the enamel pellicle forms a selectively permeable barrier that regulates demineralization processes. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of salivary proteins when adsorbed on enamel surface and the resultant protective effect against demineralization without the presence of salivary ions. METHODS: Enamel surfaces were coated with whole saliva, parotid saliva, dialyzed whole saliva or dialyzed parotid saliva (molecular weight cutoff 1 kDa). Adsorption was allowed to proceed for a period of 2 h. Enamel specimens were then washed with deionized water and immersed into a demineralization solution of pH 4.5 for 12 days. This solution was used to measure the amount of calcium and phosphate released from enamel specimens after the demineralization period. RESULTS: All coated specimen groups showed a significantly higher protection than those not coated with any type of saliva. In addition, undialyzed saliva (whole saliva and parotid saliva) was more effective in protecting the enamel against demineralization than dialyzed saliva. CONCLUSION: The present investigation indicates that the ionic composition of saliva can amplify the demineralization protection effect by reducing acid-induced enamel demineralization. Moreover, a protective effect of salivary proteins without presence of ions was demonstrated in this study.

Impact of oral problems on daily activities of HIV-infected children.

AIM: Oral manifestations are common in HIV+ children, but the impact of these diseases on their daily life is unknown. So the aim of this study was to assess the impact of oral problems on the daily activities of HIV+ children. METHODS: The Child-OIDP-B was used with 59 10-12 year-old HIV+ children, who were outpatients at two public hospitals for HIV treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Caries, biofilm and gingival bleeding indexes were recorded. The Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests as well as the Spearman's correlation coefficient were used for analysis. Statistical evaluation: Replies were analysed using the Statgraphics ® Plus Version 5.0 statistics software system, in order to obtain comparative diagrams and graphs using the ANOVA multifactorial system. RESULTS: The Child-OIDP-B scores ranged from 0 to 30, (mean=6.09) and 71.2% of the children were affected by oral problems. Association was found between oral impact and number of caries (p=0.009). Children receiving HAART therapy had a Child-OIDP-B score (4.87), much lower than those who were not (8.87) (p=0.038). The most reported oral impact of the disease was eating (55.6%), but oral wounds were the most prevalent type of lesions (76.3%). As regards the level of intensity of the impact, moderate severity was prevalent in all 59 children and 66.1% reported that oral impacts affected 1-4 daily activities, 50.8% of all children were not satisfied with their appearance and oral health; 23.7% perceived the impact of HIV-infection on general health. CONCLUSION: Most children suffered the impact of oral problems on their daily activities, mainly functional impacts.

Impact of oral health on the quality of life of 3-6-years old HIV-infected children. Quality of life in HIV+ children.

AIM: The objective was to assess the impact of oral health on the quality of life of HIV-infected patients aged 3-6 years based on their caregivers' perceptions. METHODS: A questionnaire for measuring the perception and the instrument Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) were applied to 31 caregivers whose children were being treated in a public hospital. Results The mean age of the children was 4.52 years (SD 1.22). The total ECOHIS score ranged from 0 to 26, with a mean value of 4.13 (SD 6.66). Seventeen children (54.8%) were found to have at least one impact: toothache (64.7%), herpetic gingivostomatitis (23.5%) or both (11.8%). Statistically significant difference was found between the ECOHIS score and presence of restored teeth, prior dental treatment, AIDS, and viral load. With respect to the caregivers' perception, it resulted to be adequate, as those caregivers whose children had a greater number of decayed teeth and higher biofilm index also considered the oral health to be bad (P<0.001). However, the children's general health was found to be good despite the worse immunological classification (P<0.017).Conclusion The quality of life of the HIV- infected children has been negatively affected by the oral health.

Cariogenic and erosive potential of the medication used by HIV-infected children: pH and sugar concentration.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to analyze pH and sugar concentration in seven antiretroviral and three antibacterial medications frequently prescribed to HIV infected paediatric patients. METHOD: Sugars (sucrose, glucose, lactose and fructose) and pH were measured from every one of ten medications with different serial numbers in two samples. The pH was determined by a previously calibrated digital pHmeter (Beckman). Analysis of free sugars was performed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The pH results and the amount of sugar originated from the two samples in each lot were added. The arithmetic mean of these results were computed. RESULTS: Two antiretrovirals (Zidovudin and Abacavir Sulphate) had pH below critical level (3.55 and 3.93, respectively). All three antibacterials analyzed had pH above 5.5, and one of them (Azithromycin) had the highest pH level of the ten medications examined (9.28). Sugar was present in seven out of 10 of the medications analyzed. The antibacterials contained the highest concentration of sucrose, ranging from 40% to 54%. Glucose was found in one of the ten, sucrose was present in seven of them and none showed lactose. Fructose was not observed with the technique used. CONCLUSIONS: A number of medications frequently used by HIV-infected children may cause a significant risk of both caries and dental erosion.

Salivary IgA to cariogenic bacteria in HIV-positive children and its correlation with caries prevalence and levels of cariogenic microorganisms.

The interrelationship of HIV infection, dental caries and mucosal immune responses remains controversial. In our study population of 40 HIV-infected and 40 healthy control children (ages 2-5 years) there was a significantly higher prevalence of dental caries in HIV-infected children (P<0.05). The extent of caries correlated with the severity of HIV disease. To determine whether the immunosuppression that ensues after HIV infection could contribute to the increased caries prevalence, the concentrations of total IgA and IgA specific to cariogenic bacteria (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus and Lactobacillus acidophilus) were determined in whole saliva by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of the same bacteria were also quantified in saliva using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. A significantly increased level of total salivary IgA was found in the HIV-positive population (P < 0.05), but there were comparable titers of specific IgA to cariogenic bacteria in HIV-positive and healthy controls. The microbiological assessment also demonstrated similar levels of cariogenic microorganisms in both groups. We conclude that HIV-positive children appear to maintain the capacity to mount a mucosal immune response to cariogenic microorganisms, at least until late stages of disease.

[Prevalence of caries and its correlation with clinical and immunological classification in HIV-infected children]. / Prevalência de cárie e sua correlação com a classificação clínica e imunológica em crianças infectadas pelo HIV.

This research aims to determine the relationship between the prevalence of caries and clinical and immunological classification in HIV-infected children. Ninety-two outpatients (42 male and 50 female subjects) with definitive diagnosis of HIV infection took part in this research. The patients were examined in order to determine the prevalence of caries (dmf and DMFT indexes), and medical data were collected from their medical records. The mean age of the subjects was 5.77 years. Although no statistical differences were found, young patients (up to 5 years old) had more caries when they were more clinically and immunologically compromised. The same fact was observed regarding older children.

Oral manifestations related to immunosuppression degree in HIV-positive children.

Oral manifestations often found in HIV-infected children are frequently the first clinical sign of the infection. This article aims to report the prevalence of oral manifestations in soft tissues and their relationship with the degree of immunosuppression in 80 HIV-infected patients (average age 6.30 +/- 3.32 years old) at the IPPMG-UFRJ. Thirty children (38%) presented some type of oral lesion and the percentage of CD4 was lower than that found in lesion-free children (p < 0.05); 22.5% presented candidiasis, 17.5% gingivitis, 8.8% enlargement of parotids, 1.3% herpes simplex and 1.3% hairy leukoplakia. Of the 30 children with lesions, 70% showed severe immunosuppression, 23.3% moderate immunosuppression and in only 6.7% was immunosuppression absent. Oral manifestations were directly related to the degree of immunosuppression and such lesions can be considered as indicators of the progression of the HIV infection in children.

Effects of normalization of GH hypersecretion on lipoprotein(a) and other lipoprotein serum levels in acromegaly.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Lipoprotein(a) has been recognized as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Lipoprotein(a) has been found to be elevated in sera of acromegalic patients, possibly contributing to the increased incidence of coronary heart disease found in these patients. In the present study we sought to determine the effects of GH hormonal status on lipoprotein(a) and other lipid parameters, including lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PATIENTS: Twenty acromegalic patients, with either active (n = 12) or controlled (n = 8) acromegaly, were studied. Twenty-nine healthy subjects served as control group for serum lipid measurements. MEASUREMENTS: Serum GH, IGF-1, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and insulin levels were measured in patients. Insulin resistance was measured by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA). Plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-lipids, apolipoproteins A-I and B, lipoprotein(a) and lipoprotein lipase activity were also measured. RESULTS: The highest lipoprotein(a) levels were observed in patients with active acromegaly, followed by patients with controlled acromegaly, whose lipoprotein(a) concentrations were still significantly higher than those of the control group (means +/- SEM: active acromegaly, 0.67+/-0.13 g/l; controlled acromegaly, 0.41+/-0.12 g/l; controls 0.17+/-0.02 g/l; P<0.05). There were no differences in other lipid and lipoprotein values among the groups. In patients, significant correlations were observed between lipoprotein(a) and basal GH levels (r = 0.56, P<0.02), mean GH levels (r = 0.48, P<0.05) and with insulin resistance estimated by HOMA (r = 0.62, P<0.01). No correlations were found between lipoprotein(a) and IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our present results demonstrate that both active acromegalic patients and those with controlled disease have elevated serum lipoprotein(a) concentrations. The findings might suggest that the present biochemical criteria for cure of acromegaly are not strict enough to result in the normalization of all the undesirable metabolic changes found in this disease, and also that significant cardiovascular risk may persist despite successful treatment of acromegaly.

Gingival status of HIV+ children and the correlation with caries incidence and immunologic profile.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine gingival health and caries levels in HIV-infected children. METHODS: The modified gingival index (GI) of 43 HIV+ children of both sexes, aged between 2 and 12 years, was measured and correlated with the DMFT/dmf. The children's immunodeficiency level was also established by means of the CD4:CD8 ratio. Pearson's product-moment correlation co-efficient and the Mann-Whitney U test were used. RESULTS: The GI was significantly related to the DMFT/dmf. The children with a GI = 0 presented significantly more DMFT/dmf than the children with a GI > or = 0.1, but there were no significant differences between the GIs of caries-free children and those with DMFT/dmf > or = 1. The children who presented a CD4:CD8 > or = 0.5 ratio presented less DMFT/dmf compared with children who presented a CD4:CD8 < 0.5 ratio. The children who presented a CD4:CD8 < 0.5 ratio presented a statistically significant correlation between their GI and their DMFT/dmf, unlike children who presented a CD4:CD8 > or = 0.5 ratio. Children with a CD4:CD8 < 0.5 who showed a greater DMFT/dmf index also showed greater gingival inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, children with greater caries experience showed more gingival inflammation. In addition, a greater immunological deficiency might indicate a greater caries experience in children.