Evaluation of the Oral Microbiome before and after Treatments for Halitosis with Photodynamic Therapy and Probiotics-Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: To compare photodynamic therapy and the use of probiotics in reducing halitosis assessed through gas chromatography and microbiome analysis. METHODS: Participants aged from 18 to 25 years showing sulfide (SH2) ≥ 112 ppb on gas chromatography were selected. They were divided into four treatment groups: Group 1-Tongue Scraping; Group 2-Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT); Group 3-Probiotics; and Group 4-Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT) and Probiotics. The halimetry process was performed before, immediately after the treatments, and 7 days, 14 days, and 30 days after the initial collection. The collections for later microbiological analysis were made along with the halimetry for microbiome analysis. RESULTS: Treatment with aPDT or probiotics under these experimental conditions was not able to change the bacteria present in the biofilm of the tongue. CONCLUSIONS: More research is needed to know the behavior of the oral microbiome in the presence of halitosis and the effectiveness of new treatments.

The effect of systemic versus local transcutaneous laser therapy on tension-type cephalea and orofacial pain in post-COVID-19 patients: A pragmatic randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Orofacial pain and tensional cephalea were symptoms commonly reported in COVID-19 patients, even after recovery, and were considered chronic pain in these cases. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of the application of photobiomodulation with red and infrared lasers applied locally and systemically. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: For this purpose, individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have had a tension headache and/or orofacial pain for more than 3 months will be selected by convenience. The participants will be divided into two different groups: G1-photobiomodulation with red and infrared laser with local application on the pain points (808 nm and 660 nm, 100 mW, 6 J per point) and G2-photobiomodulation with red laser with transcutaneous application on the radial artery (660 nm, 100 mW, 30 minutes). All participants will be treated for a period of 4 weeks, with 8 application sessions. The effects will be measured by means of blood lactate level, Brief Pain Inventory, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Cephalea Impact Test. The data will be collected weekly before and after the treatment, and the following tests will be applied: Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey paired t test, Kruskal-Wallis, or Wilcoxon, according to data distribution. α = 0.05 will be considered as the level of statistical significance. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the Research Projects Committee of the Nove de Julho University (approval number 4.673.963). Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and events for the scientific and clinical community, and the general public. It is registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database with the number NCT05430776.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy on teeth with molar incisor hypomineralization-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a change in the formation of dental enamel of systemic origin that affects at least one of the first 4 permanent molars and usually affects incisors. During the eruption, the affected surfaces tend to fracture, exposing the dentin, which causes excessive sensitivity in addition to making the region very susceptible to the appearance of carious lesions. The objective of this research will be to evaluate the clinical effect of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) in permanent teeth with severe and sensitive MIH. METHODS: The methodology will be based on the selection of patients from 6 to 12 years of age with permanent molar teeth, randomly divided in 2 groups. The selected teeth should have MIH on the occlusal surface, indicated for clinical restorative treatment. In Group 1, aPDT will be applied for the treatment of infected dentin. Afterward, the teeth will be restored with high viscosity glass ionomer cement. In Group 2, the removal of the softened dentin around the side walls of the cavity with sharp dentine curettes and posterior restoration with high viscosity glass ionomer cement will be performed. All patients will have clinical and radiographic follow-up with a time interval of 6 and 12 months. The data obtained will be submitted to descriptive statistical analysis to evaluate the association of categorical variables. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test will be applied, to analyze the correlation between the continuous variables, Pearson correlation test will be applied. For the analysis of dentin density in the scanned radiographic images and the microbiological results for colony-forming units, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis will be applied. DISCUSSION: Often in the presence of severe MIH, the presence of dentin sensitivity is also associated with caries lesion, making it even more necessary to respect the principles of minimal intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03904641.