Salivary interleukin-8 levels in children suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between the salivary levels of IL-8 in patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) with (DM+P) or without (DM-P) concomitant periodontitis and healthy subjects. The correlations between the levels of these cytokines and clinical periodontal parameters were also established. METHODS: Twenty children and adolescents with Type 1 DM (10 diagnosed with periodontitis, 10 presenting no signs of periodontitis) and a control group consisting of 20 healthy children and adolescents aged 7-18 years were recruited for this study. RESULTS: The Salivary IL-8 level was statistically significantly (p < 0.005) elevated in subjects with Type 1 DM (474.47 +/- 716.76) compared to non-diabetic control group (101.99 +/- 68.32). There was no difference (p > 0.05) in the salivary IL-8 level when subjects with Type 1 DM with concomitant periodontitis were compared to diabetics without periodontitis. When the salivary IL-8 level in subjects with Type 1 DM was correlated with the clinical parameters, no statistical significance was found. CONCLUSION: An elevated salivary IL-8 level in subjects with Type 1 DM without concomitant periodontitis plays a major role in the development of diabetic micro and macroangiopathy and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Consequently, this may offer a basis for the assessment of risk, prophylaxis and treatment of diabetic complications.

Mandibular nerve block at the oval foramen using reliable landmarks: refinement of a previously described procedure.

The aim of this study was to improve the injection technique when blocking the mandibular nerve at the oval foramen by using consistent landmarks. The lower lateral orbital angle (LLOA) and the junction of the external acoustic canal and the mastoid process (AM) proved to be reliable landmarks. Distances between landmarks for the localization of the puncture point (PP), cranial indices as well as the angle of the injection needle to the sagittal plane were calculated on 22 human dried skulls. The PP was found to lie exactly in the middle between the LLOA and AM. The angle of the injection needle to the sagittal plane was 71.86 degrees. No correlation was found between the cranial index and the angulation of the needle or the distances for the localization of the PP. From this study a modified puncture technique was developed.