Gingival Crevicular Blood Glucose as a Novel Method for Screening Diabetes Mellitus in Periodontally Compromised Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with periodontitis are significantly more likely to have undetected diabetes mellitus (DM). Self­monitoring devices like glucometers provide a simple method for rapid monitoring of the glucose level in blood by utilizing a blood sample from the finger, but this method requires puncturing to obtain blood. Bleeding from the gingival sulcus, obtained during oral hygiene examination, can be utilized for screening DM patients. Therefore, this study was performed with the aim of determining the efficacy of gingival crevicular blood as a non-invasive screening method for DM patients, as well as correlating and comparing gingival crevicular blood glucose (GCBG) levels with finger capillary blood glucose (FCBG) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) among non-diabetic and diabetic group patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional comparative study, a total of 120 participants having moderate to severe gingivitis/periodontitis with an age range of 40 to 65 years were divided into two groups on the basis of FBG range taken from an antecubital vein: non-diabetic (≤126, n=60) and diabetic (≥126, n=60) groups. Blood oozing during the routine periodontal examination from the periodontal pocket was recorded using a test strip of a glucose self-monitoring device (AccuSure®Simple) as GCBG. Concomitantly FCBG was collected from the fingertip. These three parameters were statistically analyzed using the Student's t-test and the one-way ANOVA test and correlated with Pearson's correlation coefficient for both groups. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation for the three parameters GCBG, FBG, and FCBG were 93.78±12.03, 89.98±13.22, and 93.08±15.56, respectively, for the non-diabetic group and 154.52±45.05, 159±47.00, and 162.23±50.60 subsequently for the diabetic group. Comparing glucose level parameters among the non-diabetic and diabetic groups suggests a significant difference with the p-value <0.001*(inter-group). ANOVA test was done for both groups suggesting no significant difference among these three methods of measuring blood glucose level, where the p-value found was 0.272 for the non-diabetic and 0.665 for the diabetic group (intra-group comparison). Pearson's correlation values suggested a good positive correlation for the non-diabetic group, with parameters GCBG and FBG (r=0.864), GCBG and FCBG (r=0.936), and FBG and FCBG (r=0.837). The diabetic group's Pearson's correlation suggested a highly significant positive correlation between three different methods in which GCBG and FBG (r=0.978), GCBG and FBG (r=0.977), and FBG and FCBG (r= 0.982). CONCLUSION: Blood oozing from the periodontal pocket during routine oral hygiene examination can be utilized by dental healthcare professionals to screen pre-diabetic patients which can be used as a simple and less invasive method for DM patients.

Removable versus fixed myo-functional appliances in class II malocclusion among Indians.

It is of interest to compare two myofunctional appliances (frankal appliance and twin bloc) and two fixed orthodontic appliances (PowerScope and Forsus) in management of class II div 1 malocclusion. A total of 56 Class II division 1 malocclusion patients indicated for treatment with myofunctional appliances and fixed functional appliances were randomized. They were equally divided among frankal appliance (n=14), twin block appliance (n=14), PowerScope (American Orthodontics) (n=14), Forsus (3M Unitek Corp) groups (n=14). Skeletal and dentoalveolar effects of all appliances were compared. SNB increased remarkably by 4.2° in the Twin block group and it was high among all treatment groups. There was a significant decrease in vertical dimensions (SN-GoGn) in the Twin block (p = 0.002). Early treatment of Class II due to mandibular retrusion with Twin block functional appliance is recommended due to its favorable skeletal effect.

Socioeconomic and cultural impact of tobacco in India.

Tobacco consumed either in the form of smoke or smokeless is hazardous to the human body. Death toll due to tobacco globally, has risen to about 6.4 million annually, and is on a constant increase. Since long, tobacco consumption has been attributed to a variety of factors including geographical variation, cultural factors and other associated variables. Earlier tobacco was considered as a taboo, but with advent of 21st century and commercialization of tobacco it has been prevalent among males and females. Global adult tobacco survey (GATS) in India 2016-17 revealed that there has been drop of 34.1% tobacco consumers in India, mainly due to the increasing awareness and anti-tobacco campaigns and tobacco hazards warning on the packs. Analysing the changes in trends by healthcare professionals can prove to be a valuable tool in devising strategies to control and limit the morbidity and mortality caused due to tobacco consumption.

Periodontal status and oral health behavior in hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AIM: We evaluated the periodontal health status and oral health behavior among hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to assess the association of COPD with dental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of 100 hospitalized patients with COPD and a group of 100 age, sex, and race-matched control patients were included in this study. Detailed case histories along with standardized measures of oral health including gingival index, plaque index (PI), and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI) were estimated and compared. Probing depths and clinical attachment levels (CALs) were recorded at four sites per tooth. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in saliva and serum were also measured. RESULTS: The study subjects had similar demographics and distribution in either group. Patients with COPD had significantly lower brushing frequency, poor periodontal health (OHI and PI), greater gingival inflammation, and deeper pockets/CALs compared to controls. Further COPD patients had significantly higher serum and salivary CRP levels compared to control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lower brushing frequency, poor oral health, and presence of destructive periodontal disease were observed among patients with COPD, which warrants promoting dental care and oral health knowledge as an integrated approach to treating COPD patients.

Comparison and Correlation of Glucose Levels in Serum and Saliva of Both Diabetic and Non-diabetic Patients.

BACKGROUND: To detect and compare salivary glucose with plasma glucose level and postprandial blood sugar (PPBS) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients were participated in this study. They were divided into two groups, each group consist of 50 patients. Un-stimulated saliva and blood were collected and investigated for glucose levels. RESULTS: FBS, PPBS, plasma glucose levels and salivary glucose levels were higher in diabetic patients than healthy controls. FBS, PPBS, plasma glucose level and salivary glucose levels were significantly correlated with each other in diabetic patients. CONCLUSION: Salivary glucose level can be used for monitoring tool to assess the glycemic status of diabetes mellitus patients as it is noninvasive and diagnostic method.

Comparative Evaluation of Fracture Resistance of Endodontically Treated Teeth Obturated with Resin Based Adhesive Sealers with Conventional Obturation Technique: An In vitro Study.

BACKGROUND: To compare fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth obturated with different resin-based adhesive sealers with a conventional obturation technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 Single canaled teeth were divided into five groups. The first group was taken as a negative control. The rest of the groups were shaped using ProFile rotary files (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). The second group was obturated with gutta-percha and a ZOE-based sealer Endoflas FS (Sanlor Dental Products, USA). The third group was obturated with gutta-percha and an epoxy-based sealer AH Plus (Dentsply, DeTrey, Germany). The fourth group was obturated with Resilon (Pentron Clinical Technologies, Wallingford, CT) and RealSeal sealer (Pentron Clinical Technologies). The fifth group was obturated with EndoREZ points and EndoREZ sealer (both from Ultradent, South Jordan, UT). Roots were then embedded into acrylic blocks and were then fixed into a material testing system and loaded with a stainless steel pin with a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min until fracture. The load at which the specimen fractured was recorded in Newtons. RESULTS: It was found that forces at fracture were statistically significant for the newer resin systems, Resilon, and EndoREZ. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that roots obturated with newer resin systems (Resilon and EndoREZ) enhanced the root strength almost up to the level of the intact roots.