Relationship between body mass index and periodontitis in young Japanese adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Obesity has been implicated as a risk factor for several chronic health conditions. Recent studies have reported a relationship between obesity and periodontitis, but few studies have investigated this relationship in adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between body composition (i.e. body mass index and body fat) and periodontitis in university students in Japan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical and oral health data were collected in a cross-sectional examination conducted by the Health and Environment Center of Okayama University. Students aged 18-24 years (n = 618), who were interested in receiving an oral health examination, were included in the analysis. The community periodontal index was used to assess periodontal status. Subjects with a community periodontal index score of 0-2 were considered as controls and those with a community periodontal index score of > 2 were considered to have periodontitis. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between body mass index and periodontitis. RESULTS: The body mass index of all subjects was < 30 kg/m2. Age and body mass index were significantly associated with the community periodontal index. Logistic regression analysis revealed a 16% increased risk for periodontitis per 1-kg/m2 increase in body mass index (adjusted odds ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.31; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Body mass index could be a potential risk factor for periodontitis among healthy young individuals (i.e. those with a body mass index of < 30 kg/m2). It may be useful to include an evaluation of body mass index on a regular basis in university general and oral health examinations.

Estimation of the remaining periodontal ligament from attachment-level measurements.

AIM: Accurate assessment of the remaining area of periodontal attachment assists in determining the prognosis of a tooth. The aim of this study was to determine formulae to estimate the remaining area of periodontal attachment from attachment-level measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Roots of 30 extracted teeth of each tooth type were coated with vinyl acetate solution and alpha-cyanoacrylate monomer to produce a membrane. The membrane was removed after guidelines were drawn to simulate various attachment levels. The root surface area on the apical side of each simulated attachment level was measured using image analysis software. The net or percent root surface area and corresponding attachment level data were fitted to a linear, quadratic, cubic, and exponential functions and a growth curve. RESULTS: The linear function provided the most appropriate fit for the data. For net root surface area, a steeper slope was evident for tooth types with a larger mean total root surface area. For percent root surface area, a steeper slope was evident for tooth types with a shorter root length. CONCLUSIONS: A linear function provides the most appropriate formula for estimation of the remaining area of periodontal attachment based on the attachment-level measurement.

Differences between ocular and generalized myasthenia gravis: binding characteristics of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody against bovine muscles.

We studied the binding characteristics of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR Ab) in sera of nine patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) using affinity-purified extraocular muscles (EOM) and foot muscles (FM) of bovine species. The titer of AChR Ab measured with EOM was the same as that measured with FM for both ocular and generalized MG. In patients with ocular MG, the affinity of AChR Ab, determined by Scatchard analysis, was higher for FM than for EOM (P less than 0.05), whereas it was the same for EOM and FM in those with generalized MG. On the other hand, the affinity of AChR Ab for FM was lower in generalized MG than in ocular MG (P less than 0.05), but that for EOM did not differ between the two types of MG. The affinity of AChR Ab did not change after passing the patients' sera through an EOM-affinity column. The EOM-affinity column treatment of the sera decreased the AChR Ab titer measured with EOM in all patients, but the AChR Ab titer measured with FM was decreased in only some of the patients. These data indicate that there are polyclonal or heterogeneous AChR Abs in the sera of MG patients, which does not help to explain the clinical difference between ocular and generalized MG.