Publications by authors named "Merja A Laine"

Objectives: To study the connections between burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and taste perception and saliva, and interactions between saliva and taste in BMS patients compared to age- and gender-matched control subjects.

Materials And Methods: A total of 31 BMS patients (43-82 years) and 20 age- and gender-matched volunteers (44-78 years) participated. The taste sensation for six tastants was measured using both the taste strips protocol and the whole-mouth evaluation method.

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Objective: To comprehensively assess recent data on the effects of orthodontic forces on the dental pulp and to critically evaluate, whether any of the changes are permanent.

Materials And Methods: Articles published between 2/2009 and 2/2022 were searched electronically on the PubMed, EMBASE and SCOPUS databases. The initial search retrieved 780 publications and, applying the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 33 relevant articles were identified.

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As relatively little is known about the effect of age on salivary electrolytes we studied the composition of saliva as function of age to provide reference values for healthy non-smoking women. All non-medicated and non-smoking 30-59-year-old subjects (n=255) selected from among 1030 women participating in a screening program formed the material of the present study. Salivary calcium, inorganic phosphate, magnesium, sodium, potassium, protein and flow-rate of stimulated whole saliva were measured.

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Clinical studies have shown that oral tissues can be affected by pregnancy. Pregnancy-related changes are most frequent and most marked in gingival tissue. Pregnancy does not cause gingivitis, but may aggravate pre-existing disease.

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Several systemic conditions may have an influence on oral health. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has a positive effect on alveolar bone of menopausal women and smoking a negative effect. However, little is known about their effect on saliva.

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