Interleukin 1β (+3954; -511) Genotype Polymorphism and its Association with Severe Chronic Generalized Periodontitis in the Malaysian Population.

Introduction: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in interleukin 1β (IL-1β) gene have been known to be associated with increased susceptibility to chronic periodontitis among various ethnic populations. SNPs are more commonly observed at loci + 3954 and - 511. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of IL-1β gene polymorphism at loci +3954 and - 511, and its association with severe chronic generalized periodontitis among the ethnic Malay, Chinese, and Indians within the Malaysian population.

Efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy for treatment of dental phobia: a randomized control trial.

Background: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is found to be a promising and a viable alternative for in vivo exposure in the treatment of specific phobias. However, its usefulness for treating dental phobia is unexplored. The aims of the present study are to determine: (a) the efficacy of VRET versus informational pamphlet (IP) control group in terms of dental trait and state anxiety reductions at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months follow-up (b) the real-time physiological arousal [heart rate (HR)] of VRET group participants during and following therapy (c) the relation between subjective (presence) and objective (HR) measures during VRET.