Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation: Risk Factors and Current Management Strategies.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, ~257 million people are chronically infected with HBV, defined as having a positive hepatitis B surface antigen, but millions more have prior HBV exposure indicated by positive hepatitis B core antibody. Reactivation of hepatitis B implies a sudden increase in viral replication in a patient with chronic HBV infection or prior HBV exposure.

CDA Judicial Council: blending idealism and practicality.

The California Dental Association Judicial Council has the responsibility for interpreting and enforcing the Code of Ethics, for disciplining members and for fostering a climate of education and ethics awareness for CDA members. The Council recognizes the inherent difficulty in rigid enforcement of the Code of Ethics, and chooses to take an approach that educates and encourages members to embrace the highest standards of our profession as outlined in the Code.

Pore water transport of enterococci out of beach sediments.

Enterococci are used to evaluate the safety of beach waters and studies have identified beach sands as a source of these bacteria. In order to study and quantify the release of microbes from beach sediments, flow column systems were built to evaluate flow of pore water out of beach sediments. Results show a peak in enterococci (average of 10% of the total microbes in core) released from the sand core within one pore water volume followed by a marked decline to below detection.

Rate of reformation of tongue coatings in young adults.

Background: Reviewing the literature, no study on the rate of regrowth of tongue coatings after tongue cleaning was found. Therefore, the purpose of this study in young adults was to study the rate of reformation of tongue coatings after mechanical removal.

Material And Methods: Thirty-five dental students participated in the present study.

Effects of a nutritional supplement on periodontal status.

Among the recommendations for the maintenance of gingival and periodontal health, few have focused on the value of nutritional supplements. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of certain nutritional and plant-derived nutraceuticals and a placebo tablet in the reduction of gingivitis, bleeding, probing depths, and attachment levels in a 60-day two-cell, randomized, parallel clinical trial for patients with Type II periodontal disease. The vitamin therapy was introduced as an adjunct to patient homecare to determine if there was a quantifiable improvement to soft-tissue health and periodontal damage.

The effect of locally delivered controlled-release doxycycline or scaling and root planing on periodontal maintenance patients over 9 months.

Background: This research report evaluates clinical changes resulting from local delivery of doxycycline hyclate (DH) or traditional scaling and root planing (SRP) in a group of patients undergoing supportive periodontal therapy (SPT).

Methods: In all, 141 patients received either DH (67) or SRP (74) treatment in sites > or =5 mm on one-half of their dentition at baseline and month 4.

Results: Clinical results were determined at month 9.

Two multi-center studies evaluating locally delivered doxycycline hyclate, placebo control, oral hygiene, and scaling and root planing in the treatment of periodontitis.

Background: The clinical efficacy and safety of doxycycline hyclate (8.5% w/w) delivered subgingivally in a biodegradable polymer (DH) was compared to placebo control (VC), oral hygiene (OH), and scaling and root planing (SRP) in 2 multi-center studies.

Methods: Each study entered 411 patients who demonstrated moderate to severe periodontitis.

Comparison of the clinical anticaries efficacy of an 1100 NaF silica-based dentifrice containing triclosan and a copolymer to an 1100 NaF silica-based dentifrice without those additional agents: a study on adults in California.

Recent years have seen much work in the development of dentifrices containing the antimicrobial agent triclosan, a broad spectrum antibacterial agent manufactured for use in oral products by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation. Studies have shown that the incorporation of this agent into dental products, in combination with a PVM/MA copolymer (the non-proprietary designation for a polyvinylmethyl ether/maleic acid copolymer), can provide several important dental therapeutic benefits, including an antigingivitis effect. Much research on the therapeutic benefits of such dentifrices has been reported in the literature.

In vitro comparison of the effectiveness of three surface disinfectants.

Choosing a general purpose surface disinfectant for the dental office environment is difficult because of the wide range of products available, varying claims by manufacturers and contradictory reports in the literature regarding product efficacy. This study tested the antimicrobial effectiveness of diluted-for-use O-phenyl-phenol (Omni), didecyl dimethyl ammonium (Basic G) and isopropanol (Virahol). Products were tested for antimicrobial activity at 0, 12 and 24 hours, 3, 6 and 8 days.

A comparison of proximal plaque removal using floss and interdental brushes.

The removal of interproximal plaque was compared using a standard toothbrush alone, a toothbrush with unwaxed dental floss and a toothbrush with an interdental brush. 30 previously treated periodontal patients were given the cleaning aids in a three-way crossover study design. After each 1 month trial period, scores for gingivitis, buccal/lingual plaque and proximal plaque were recorded.

Subjective criteria and probing attachment loss to evaluate the effects of plaque control and root debridement.

11 adult patients with moderate to advanced periodontitis were treated with oral hygiene instruction and an initial, single episode of root debridement. Before therapy, 3 independent clinicians examined all patients and identified sites that in their opinion probably would not respond to the therapy and would continue to lose attachment. On 2 occasions, 3 and 12 months later, the clinicians re-examined and re-evaluated all patients and all sites.

Diagnostic predictability of scores of plaque, bleeding, suppuration and probing depth for probing attachment loss. 3 1/2 years of observation following initial periodontal therapy.

Recordings of supragingival plaque, bleeding, suppuration and probing depth were obtained for 42 months following initial periodontal therapy. Scores accumulated after various time intervals during monitoring were studied for their predictive value in revealing probing attachment loss as determined by regression analysis during the 0-42 month period. Accumulated plaque scores demonstrated low predictability.

Radiographic evaluation of the effect of initial periodontal therapy on thickness of the maxillary sinus mucosa.

The thickness of the radiographic image of the maxillary sinus mucosa on intraoral radiographs was evaluated in 13 patients with advanced periodontal disease, prior to and 12 months following initial periodontal therapy. Before treatment, a relationship was observed between the thickness of the sinus mucosa and the mean probing depths of the teeth in the involved sextant. As many as 79% of the available sextants showed swelling of the mucosa prior to periodontal therapy, compared to only 17% after treatment.

The effect of plaque control and root debridement in molar teeth.

The healing response of non-molar sites, molar flat surface sites, and molar furcation sites was investigated in 19 adult periodontitis patients following a periodontal therapy of plaque control and root debridement. A total of 2472 sites were monitored by recordings of dental plaque, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and probing attachment levels every 3rd month for 24 months. The results demonstrated that in sites with initial probing depth of 4.

Bleeding on probing and probing depth as indicators of the response to plaque control and root debridement.

19 adult periodontitis patients were treated with plaque control and a single episode of root debridement. Results of this treatment were monitored in non-molar sites, molar flat surface sites, and molar furcation sites by probing attachment level measurements every 3rd month for 24 months. After 24 months, sites with probing attachment loss were identified using linear regression analysis.

An evaluation of basic periodontal therapy using sonic and ultrasonic scalers.

10 adult patients with periodontitis were treated with oral hygiene instruction and a single episode of supra- and subgingival debridement using either a sonic or an ultrasonic instrument in a split-mouth design. The clinical response was evaluated by measurements of dental plaque, bleeding on probing, probing depths, and probing attachment levels taken at baseline and every 3rd month for 12 months. An improvement of periodontal conditions was observed during the initial 3-6 month period followed by a stabilization of parameters.

Subgingival spirochete and leukocyte counts as indicators of response to therapy.

The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in probing attachment levels are related to subgingival spirochete or leukocyte counts in periodontal pockets. Following initial clinical recordings and therapy consisting of oral hygiene instruction and root debridement, the probing attachment levels of proximal sites of 120 single-rooted teeth in 7 patients were measured every 3 months for 12 months. The measurements of each site were subjected to regression analysis, which determined whether the site was deteriorating, improving, or non-changing.

Antimicrobial irrigation of deep pockets to supplement oral hygiene instruction and root debridement. I. Bi-weekly irrigation.

64 sites with probing pocket depth greater than or equal to 6 mm from 11 patients were treated with plaque control instruction and one episode of root planning. Subsequently, selected sites in each patient were irrigated with either chlorhexidine, tetracycline, saline or served as non-irrigated control sites. Irrigation immediately followed instrumentation, and was repeated every 2 weeks for 24 weeks.

A histologic evaluation of dental pulp tissue of a patient with periodontal disease.

Clinical and histologic examination of twenty-five teeth of a patient with varying degrees of attachment loss resulting from periodontal disease showed no correlation between the severity of periodontal disease and morphologic changes of the pulp tissue.

Relative effects of plaque control and instrumentation on the clinical parameters of human periodontal disease.

The healing events of 7 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis were monitored clinically during 3 consecutive phases of treatment: 1) tooth brushing and flossing, 2) subgingival use of the Perio-Aid, and 3) supra and subgingival instrumentation. The clinical parameters evaluated were plaque score, bleeding score, probing pocket depth, probing attachment level, and gingival recession. Each phase continued until maximum effects were achieved (5, 3, and 9 months respectively) determined by minimal or no changes in bleeding scores and probing pocket depths between 3 successive examinations.

Aberrant origin of the left coronary artery from the proximal right coronary artery: diagnostic features and pre- and postoperative course.

In this report, we present the pre and late postoperative course of a patient with severe angina secondary to aberrant origin or the left coronary artery from the proximal righ coronary artery (Fig. 1). We illustrate the noninvasive diagnosis and evaluation of this patient by two-dimensional ultrasound and stress thallium imaging, and the pre and late postoperative angiographic and thallium perfusion findings.

Experimentally induced alterations in periapical tissues of the cat.

Ten cats were immunized with subcutaneous injections of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). After it was determined that the experimental animals had developed circulating antibodies to KLH, challenge doses of KLH were administered via the root canal system. The radiographic and histologic findings suggest that antigen-antibody complex reactions can occur in periapical tissues of teeth, and that they can play a role in the pathogenesis of periapical lesions.

Clinical improvement of gingival conditions following ultrasonic versus hand instrumentation of periodontal pockets.

A study utilizing a split-mouth design in 18 subjects and with four operators was performed in order to compare the effect of hand and ultrasonic instrumentation of periodontal pockets. Contralateral pairs of teeth with pockets of comparable depth were treated by either hand or ultrasonic instruments. Instrumentation was repeated after 4 weeks.