Histological characteristics of dental pulp in teeth with periodontal problems and healthy teeth.

Background: Chronic periodontitis is the most common type of periodontitis, which is associated with calculus and plaque accumulation. Several studies have indicated that uncured periodontitis can affect the dental pulp. However, this relationship is controversial. This study aimed to compare histopathological results obtained from the dental pulp in teeth with periodontal problems and healthy teeth. Methods: In this study, 23 teeth with periodontal problems and 23 healthy teeth were extracted. After cutting off 2 mm from the root apex, the teeth were sectioned into apical, middle, and coronal thirds. Then, the specimens were evaluated in both groups based on histopathological features. Results: According to the evaluations, in the middle third, the amount of inflammation was only statistically significant in the group that consisted of teeth with periodontal problems (P=0.014). There was no significant difference in fibrosis and blood vessel diameter between the two groups. Necrosis in the middle (P=0.002) and coronal thirds (P=0.004) of teeth with periodontal problems was more than the healthy teeth. The lack of odontoblastic integrity in all the sections of teeth with periodontal problems was more than that in healthy teeth (P=0.0001). Conclusion: Inflammation of the periodontium in chronic periodontitis can lead to histological changes in the pulp, including an increase in inflammation, necrosis, and loss of odontoblastic integrity.

Effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate on tumor necrosis factor-alpha production by human gingival fibroblasts stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide: An in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence shows that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in green tea has anti-inflammatory effects. AIM: This study assessed the effect of EGCG on the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as an inflammatory cytokine in periodontitis, which produced by human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Porphyromonas gingivalis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, HGFs were cultured and subjected to LPS and EGCG. Cell viability of different concentrations of EGCG (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 µM) and LPS (1, 10, 20, and 50 µg/mL) was assessed using methyl-thiazole-tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Then, the best concentrations of EGCG and P. gingivalis LPS were used simultaneously and separately to assess the production of TNF-α by HGFs using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Assessments were done at 1, 3, and 5 days. Data were read using the ELISA reader and analyzed by the SPSS through two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: LPS at 1, 10, and 20 and EGCG at 10.25 and 50 µM showed the least cytotoxicity in MTT assay. ELISA showed EGCG alone decreased the production of TNF-α in all days, except 10 µM on day 1. 1, 10, and 20 µg/mL LPS increased the output of TNF-α on days 1 and 3 while reducing it on day 5. The combination of EGCG and LPS showed a decrease of TNF-α in all days except on day 5 that revealed an increase in the production of TNF-α at 25 and 50 µM EGCG. CONCLUSION: In the combination use of EGCG and LPS, EGCG shows anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing the production of TNF-α by HGFs stimulated with P. gingivalis.

Proliferative and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Resveratrol and Silymarin on Human Gingival Fibroblasts: A View to the Future.

OBJECTIVES: It has been demonstrated that polyphenol components such as silymarin and resveratrol have anti-inflammatory properties. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the breakdown of dental supporting tissues and tooth loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of silymarin and resveratrol on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: HGFs were treated with different concentrations of silymarin and/or resveratrol (25, 50, 100 and 200µg/ml). The effects of silymarin and resveratrol on cell viability and proliferation were assessed by MTT assay and cell cycle analysis, respectively. Also, HGFs were treated with silymarin and/or resveratrol and were stimulated with LPS. The levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: After treatment with silymarin, the viability of fibroblasts significantly increased, whereas treatment with resveratrol did not have any significant effect on cell viability. However, the combination of these flavonoids (50µg/ml silymarin and 100µg/ml resveratrol) significantly increased the viability of fibroblasts. Resveratrol significantly inhibited LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-8 secretion by HGFs, but silymarin did not show such a significant effect. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol and its combination with silymarin. Therefore, the combination of silymarin and resveratrol may be useful as a therapeutic agent for treatment of periodontal diseases.

Health literacy among adults in Yazd, Iran.

The purpose of this survey was to assess the health literacy levels and determine the relationship between health literacy with demographic variables and the socioeconomic status Three hundred and eighty adults, 18 years and older, were randomly selected and assessed by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) instrument in two sections of reading comprehension and numeracy. The second instrument used to detect the relationship between the demographic variables and socio-economic status and the level of health literacy of the subjects of adults in Yazd district. Three hundred and eighty adults, 18 years and older, were randomly selected and assessed by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) instrument in two sections of reading comprehension and numeracy. The second instrument used to detect the relationship between the demographic variables and socio-economic status and the level of health literacy of the subjects. The mean score of a participant's health literacy was 73.33 ± 1.29. Fifty-four percent of the individuals had adequate health literacy and the rest of them had limited health literacy. The mean score of functional health literacy was significantly different by socio-economic status (p0.05) and the years of schooling (P = 0.00). On the basis of linear regression, in this research, the years of schooling (B0.28, p0.01) and marital status (B = 3.08, p0.05) were two predictors of health literacy.

Evaluation of the effects of diode (980 nm) laser on gingival inflammation after nonsurgical periodontal therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, for which, scaling and root planning(SRP) is the common approach for non-surgical control of inflammation. Using lasers is anotherapproach in the first phase of periodontal treatment for control of inflammation. Diode laserhas some beneficial effects such as acceleration of wound healing, promotion of angiogenesisand augmentation of growth factor release. Thus the aim of this study is the evaluation of diodelaser (980 nm) effect on gingival inflammation when it is used between the first and secondphase of periodontal treatment, in comparison with common treatment (SRP) modality alone. METHODS: In this study, 21 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were selectedand divided in to control group (SRP) and test group (SRP + laser). Two months after the lastscaling and laser radiation, indexes including gingival level (GL), bleeding on probing (BOP)and modified gingival index (MGI) were recorded and compared with baseline. RESULTS: Two months after the beginning of the study, all indices improved in both groups. Theindices were not different between two groups except for BOP which was lower in laser group. CONCLUSION: Based on overall improvement in parameters such as superiority of laser applicationin some indices, lack of thermal damage and gingival recession with the specific settings usedin this study, the application of laser as an adjunctive treatment together with common methodsis preferable.

Interdental cleaning behaviour and its relationship with psychological constructs based on the transtheoretical model.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to test the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) to gain an understanding of interdental cleaning behaviour change in senior high school students (12th grade) in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multistage cluster sampling was employed to recruit 361 senior high school students from 8 schools in Yazd City, Iran. This cross-sectional study took place from November 2008 to March 2009. Appropriate instruments were used to identify the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour and psychological attributes, including interdental cleaning behaviour, decisional balance, and self-efficacy. The statistical analysis of the data included descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. RESULTS: Of the 361 students, nearly 12.5% were in the maintenance stage, while 49.6% were in the pre-contemplation stage, with the rest distributed among the other stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change. There was a statistically significant difference in the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change by gender. Self-efficacy and decisional balance differed significantly across the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change. CONCLUSION: The TTM was found to be useful in determining the stages of interdental cleaning behaviour change among students. This study suggests the development of theory-based and empirically supported intervention strategies and programs to improve interdental cleaning behaviour with an emphasis on improving students' self-efficacy in this area.

Correlation between levels of sulcular and capillary blood glucose.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between capillary blood glucose levels (CBGLs) and sulcular blood glucose levels (SBGLs) using blood obtained from gingival tissue during routine periodontal examinations to determine if sulcular blood samples can be used as a non-invasive means to diagnosis blood glucose levels. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty non-diabetics and 30 diabetic patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were included in the study and subjected to routine clinical periodontal examinations. Blood was collected using a 1.6-1.8 mm diameter micro bite collection tube to transport the sample from the gingival sulci of anterior teeth following periodontal pocket probing to a test strip of a glucose self-monitoring device. As a control, capillary blood was taken with a finger-stick. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson's correlation coefficient and a t-test. RESULTS: The blood glucose levels in patients ranged from 58 mg/dl to 477 mg/dl, and the values of blood samples taken from gingival sulcus or finger tip of the same patient showed a very high intra-patient correlation (r =0.99, p< 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest sulcular blood from a routine periodontal examination may be used for diabetes mellitus screening. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Considering 50% of diabetics remain undiagnosed, testing sulcular blood may provide a suitable method for identifying potential diabetic patients during routine dental visits since there is a correlation with capillary blood. Appropriate referrals to a physician can then be made when warranted.