Perioperative hemodynamic changes in ischemic heart disease patients undergoing dental treatment.

Twenty patients with stable ischemic heart disease in functional capacity Class II-IV underwent dental treatment. Scaling was performed in seven patients without local anesthesia. In the remaining 13 patients, pain control for restoration placement was obtained by local anesthesia: in seven patients, the anesthetics contained epinephrine, while in six this drug was omitted.

The attitude of patients at risk for infective endocarditis toward dental treatment.

This study deals with four major characteristics that directly affect motivation and attitude of patients at risk for infective endocarditis (IE) toward oro-dental health. Dental anxiety, self image, recognized importance of oro-dental care, and active coping were self-assessed by 25 patients at risk for IE and by a matched control group. The study group demonstrated less dental anxiety, lower self image and higher levels of recognized importance of oro-dental care than the controls, while active coping did not differ between the two groups.

Bacterial colonization of the parotid duct in xerostomia.

Salivary flow rate and bacterial colonization of the parotid main duct were investigated in 17 patients referred for sialography and in 10 healthy controls. Cultures in the controls were negative whilst the patient group revealed bacterial colonization of the main duct, especially in those with the lowest flow rates. The implications of this finding in patients at high risk of endocarditis who will be undergoing sialography are discussed.

Overdentures for patients who are chronically ill: a 4-year follow-up.

In 12 chronically ill patients, 14 overdentures were inserted. The status of the retained teeth and the denture-supporting structures was evaluated annually for up to 4 years. The limitations and implications of this therapy as related to specific chronic diseases, medications, and patient behavior are emphasized.

Development of resistant oral viridans streptococci after administration of prophylactic antibiotics: time management in the dental treatment of patients susceptible to infective endocarditis.

The American Heart Association recommends prophylactic administration of penicillin before each dental session to patients susceptible to infective endocarditis. Such preventive treatment, however, may trigger the transient appearance of penicillin-resistant bacterial strains. In order to investigate the behavior of oral streptococci, 29 healthy volunteers who did not harbor penicillin-resistant viridans streptococci received 4 gm of phenoxymethyl penicillin orally over a period of 10 hours.

Prevention of infective endocarditis: not by antibiotics alone. A 7-year follow-up of 90 dental patients.

Ninety patients (thirty-nine men, fifty-one women with a mean age of 45.4 years with rheumatic heart disease or prosthetic heart valves, were subjected to a total of 1617 dental procedures, which required about 3400 patient/dentist encounters. All treatments were performed according to the protocol described in the present article.

Analysis of the American Heart Association's recommendations for the prevention of infective endocarditis.

A probabilistic model analyzes the American Heart Association's (AHA) recommendations for the prevention of infective endocarditis (IE) of dental origin. The model, presented in the form of a flow chart, combines available data elements with the AHA recommendations; mortality serves as the sole valued outcome and payoff measure. The analysis shows that an annual death rate of 1.

Burning mouth sensation associated with fusospirochetal infection in edentulous patients.

Six middle-aged and elderly edentulous, systemically ill patients complaining of burning mouth sensation had a fusospirochetal infection of the oral mucosa. Metronidazole was successful in the treatment of three of these patients.

Dental treatment for the patient on anticoagulant therapy: prothrombin time value--what difference does it make?

Thirty patients taking anticoagulants received routine dental treatment without altering their prothrombin time values. In a follow-up of 5 years, no serious complications were seen in patients with a prothrombin time value of up to 2.5.

Fetal outcome following primary herpetic gingivostomatitis in early pregnancy. Morphological study and updated appraisal.

Three women presented with acute primary herpetic gingivostomatitis during the first half of their pregnancy. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) was isolated by culture from the buccal lesions in two cases, and a serological confirmation of primary HSV infection was evident in the third case. One fetus, delivered during the second trimester of pregnancy, had a central nervous system anomaly, which was probably not related to the infection.

The spatial distribution, intensity and unpleasantness of acute dental pain.

The distribution, intensity and unpleasantness of acute dental pain were studied in 196 patients. Dental pain was classified by source according to 7 anatomical sites: dentinal, pulpal, pulpal and periapical, periapical, pericoronal, papillar, and periodontal. The distribution of dental pain was classified by the frequency of pain spread throughout the sample, by the extent of pain spread for a particular pain source, that is, the number of vectors of spread, and by the pain reference locations in the face and head.

Hospital personnel with penicillin-resistant Streptococcus viridans. A case for special consideration in the prevention of bacterial endocarditis.

Penicillin is the drug of choice for the prevention of bacterial endocarditis (BE) resulting from dental treatment. The susceptibility of Streptococcus viridans to this antimicrobial agent was studied. A representative sample of hospital personnel (N = 76) was compared to a control group of seventy-six subjects who were not associated with the hospital.

The attitude of chronic hemodialysis patients toward dental treatment.

Dental care of hemodialysis and renal-transplant patients involves various psychological parameters. Their basic illness affects their dental anxiety, self-image, active motivation to cope with difficulties, and appreciation of oral health. These parameters were measured by four specific questionnaires in fifty subjects: 25 renal patients and 25 matched controls.

Electroconductivity of bone in vitro and in vivo.

In view of conflicting data in the literature regarding the electroconductivity of bone, measurements were performed both in vivo and in vitro by using alternating current of 100.0 mA and 1.0 mA at a frequency of 1000 cycles/second and the four-electrode method.

Electroconductivity of collagen in vitro and in vivo.

Electrical conductivity was measured on thermally reconstituted collagen fibers in vitro and on isolated rat tail tendon collagen fiber bundles in vivo. The results obtained indicated that collagen per se is not an electroconductor under physiological conditions, but rather a biological insulator.