Frequency of Tongue Cleaning Impacts the Human Tongue Microbiome Composition and Enterosalivary Circulation of Nitrate.

The oral microbiome has the potential to provide an important symbiotic function in human blood pressure physiology by contributing to the generation of nitric oxide (NO), an essential cardiovascular signaling molecule. NO is produced by the human body via conversion of arginine to NO by endogenous nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) but eNOS activity varies by subject. Oral microbial communities are proposed to supplement host NO production by reducing dietary nitrate to nitrite via bacterial nitrate reductases.

Poor Oral Health Linked with Increased Risk of Infectious Complications in Adults with Leukemia.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the impact of the presence of gingivitis/periodontitis on the occurrence of infectious complications (including septicemia, bacterial infections, and mycoses) in hospitalized leukemic adults in the United States.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2004-2010 was performed. All hospitalized leukemic patients aged 18 to 65 years were selected.

Hospital-based emergency department visits with herpetic gingivostomatitis in the United States.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the number of hospital emergency department (ED) visits with a diagnosis of herpetic gingivostomatitis (HGS) for 2007 in the United States and to identify the possible comorbid conditions associated with HGS.

Study Design: The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample for 2007 was used in this study. Patients who visited the ED with a diagnosis of HGS were selected.

MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance induced in human dendritic cells by Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) cleaves collagen, allowing leukocytes to traffic toward the vasculature and the lymphatics. When MMP-9 is unregulated by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), this can lead to tissue destruction. Dendritic cells (DCs) infiltrate the oral mucosa increasingly in chronic periodontitis, characterized by infection with several pathogens including Porphyromonas gingivalis.