Is periodontal disease a risk factor for developing severe Covid-19 infection? The potential role of Galectin-3.

IMPACT STATEMENT: There could be a close relationship between periodontal diseases (PDs) severity and Covid-19 infections. This relationship could be caused by Galectin-3-mediated increased immune response and increased viral attachment. Keeping PDs under control and maintaining rigorous oral hygiene during this troubled Covid-19 pandemic period is very important.Patients with older age and pre-existing conditions like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are in the higher risk group for developing severe Covid-19 infections. The inflammatory pathways that are involved in these conditions are the same pathways that we see in periodontal diseases (PDs). This raises a significant question: Is PD a pre-existing condition that can increase the risk of developing severe Covid-19 infection? Several studies have shown that Galectins play a key role in the homeostasis of immune cells, and recently, a relationship was found between Covid-19 and Galectin-3 (Gal-3).It has been determined that an important area in the spike protein of Coronavirus-19 is almost exactly the same as the morphology of Gal-3, and these spike proteins are critical for the entry of the virus into host cells. We suspect that there is enough evidence to support a close relationship between PDs severity and Covid-19 infections. There is accumulating evidence to suggest a relationship between the severity of PD and the risk of infection with Covid-19, which requires further investigation. This relationship could be caused by Gal-3-mediated increased immune response and increased viral attachment. In this context, we want to emphasize the importance of keeping PD under control by maintaining rigorous oral hygiene during this troubled Covid-19 pandemic period. We would also like to point out the possibility that having PD may be a pre-disposition toward developing a severe Covid-19 infection.

In Vitro Evaluation of Occlusal Caries Detection Methods in Primary and Permanent Teeth: A Comparison of CarieScan PRO, DIAGNOdent Pen, and DIAGNOcam Methods.

Objective: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the performance of the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS)-II, radiographic examination, CarieScan PRO, DIAGNOdent Pen, and DIAGNOcam methods in detecting occlusal carious lesions. Materials and methods: Two hundred forty extracted primary and permanent teeth were assessed using caries detection methods by two examiners and afterward, the teeth were sectioned. The diagnostic methods were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis method for D1, D2, and D3 thresholds and kappa analysis were used to assess interexaminer agreement. Results: D1 thresholds, the areas under the ROC curve (AUC) values of DIAGNOcam method, were higher for both primary and permanent teeth (0.804-0.968). For both primary and permanent teeth, the highest D2 threshold AUC values were found for ICDAS-II (0.774-0.731) and DIAGNOcam (0.775-0.731) methods. The highest AUC values of D3 threshold were obtained with DIAGNOcam method for permanent teeth (0.708) and with DIAGNOdent Pen method for primary teeth (0.789). Between examiners, very good agreement was found for the DIAGNOdent Pen method in the primary teeth (κ = 0.89), and good agreement was found for the DIAGNOcam method in the permanent teeth (κ = 0.68). The kappa values were moderate for all other methods (0.41-0.57). Conclusions: DIAGNOcam, DIAGNOdent Pen, and visual examination methods may be effective in detecting hidden occlusal caries in primary and permanent teeth.

A new management strategy for the treatment of streptococcal gingivitis: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a supportive treatment option based on microorganism's growth characteristics. METHODS: This study was conducted at Ordu University, Faculty of Dentistry, Turkey, between January and April, 2017, comprising patients whose periodontal parameters and saliva pH scores were measured before and after the treatments. The patients were divided into two equal groups. Group I underwent routine periodontal treatment methods for streptococcal gingivitis, while a supportive treatment that involved an antacid chewing tablet two times a day for a week based on the microorganism's growth characteristics was used on patients in Group II. SPSS 11.5 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: There were 16 patients in the study with an average age of 27.90±5.54 years. The periodontal index values progressively decreased for all patients post-treatment. However, the decrease of gingival index values in Group I was significantly higher than Group II (p<0.05). The decrease in the oral pH was statistically significant after the periodontal treatment procedures with supportive method (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of antacids in addition to conventional periodontal treatment may be effective in the treatment of oral streptococcal infections..

Load distribution in fixed space maintainers: a strain-gauge analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanics of space maintainers supported by primary and permanent teeth. METHODS: Photoelastic models of permanent and primary teeth with a single missing tooth space were cast, and band-and-loop, direct-bonded, and fiber-reinforced space maintainers were fabricated. Linear strain-gauges were bonded next to the teeth and in the middle of the missing tooth space. Strain gauge signals were quantified during 50 N and 100 N static axial load applications on the molar, maintainer, and anterior support at 10 KHz using a data acquisition device and associated computer software. RESULTS: Regardless of the tooth being restored, strains around the molar teeth and the maintainer region were comparable between the groups under molar and maintainer loading (P>.05). Under 100 N loading on the anterior support, the highest strains were observed in the direct-bonded group (P<.01). Direct-bonded design led to higher strains than the band-and-loop design under 100 N maintainer loading, whereas the strain output of other designs were comparable. CONCLUSION: Load distribution of band-and-loop, direct-bonded, and fiber-reinforced space maintainers seem comparable, although direct-bonded maintainers could lead to higher strain concentrations in the buccal side due to bending moments.