Periodontitis and diabetes mellitus co-morbidity: A molecular dialogue.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and periodontitis are two biologically linked diseases that often coexist in complex interaction. While periodontitis may lead to insulin receptor desensitization, diabetes may increase the expression of inflammatory cytokines, such as Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin 6 (IL-6), in the gingival crevicular fluid and activate osteoclasts via Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANK-L) production, leading to bone resorption. However, the association between the two diseases processes, where one may exacerbate the progression of the other, is unclear.

A Manual Bristleless Toothbrush Demonstrates Slight Improvement in Gingival Recession Compared to a Conventional Soft Manual Brush.

Purpose: This randomized clinical trial tested whether a novel bristleless toothbrush design is more effective in preventing gingival recession in adults receiving periodontal maintenance than is a soft toothbrush with nylon bristles.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-three subjects with gingival recession were recruited who received regular periodontal maintenance care at Western University of Health Sciences Dental Center, and who did not exhibit signs of acute dental or systemic disease, occlusal discrepancies or parafunctional habits. These subjects were randomly assigned to to two groups, one using a soft nylon-bristled toothbrush, and the other using the experimental toothbrush that contains a brush head with short, soft, rubbery cones.

Crown Lengthening Needs and Outcomes in Adults Attending a Predoctoral Clinic.

In this retrospective study of 5,536 patients admitted over four years at a predoctoral dental clinic for comprehensive care, general dentists identified crown lengthening needs in 584 patients and 760 teeth. Only 51 patients and 68 teeth actually received crown lengthening procedures. For the other cases, patients discontinued treatment or chose extraction or restoration without crown lengthening procedures.

Case report on managing incomplete bone formation after bilateral sinus augmentation using a palatal approach and a dilating balloon technique.

Background: Patients with resorbed edentulous alveolar ridges in the posterior maxilla often require lateral window sinus augmentation procedures prior to implant placement. Lateral window sinus augmentation procedures can produce incomplete bone augmentation as consequence of surgical and healing complications producing unusual and complex sinus anatomy. Although incomplete bone formation after sinus augmentation has been described in a previous case reports, this is the first case report that describes grafting these compromised sites prior to implant placement.

Transcriptome analysis of bacteriophage communities in periodontal health and disease.

Background: The role of viruses as members of the human microbiome has gained broader attention with the discovery that human body surfaces are inhabited by sizeable viral communities. The majority of the viruses identified in these communities have been bacteriophages that predate upon cellular microbiota rather than the human host. Phages have the capacity to lyse their hosts or provide them with selective advantages through lysogenic conversion, which could help determine the structure of co-existing bacterial communities.

Global transcription of CRISPR loci in the human oral cavity.

Background: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) are active in acquired resistance against bacteriophage and plasmids in a number of environments. In the human mouth, CRISPR loci evolve to counteract oral phage, but the expression of these CRISPR loci has not previously been investigated. We sequenced cDNA from CRISPR loci found in numerous different oral bacteria and compared with oral phage communities to determine whether the transcription of CRISPR loci is specifically targeted towards highly abundant phage present in the oral environment.

Bacteriophage and their potential roles in the human oral cavity.

The human oral cavity provides the perfect portal of entry for viruses and bacteria in the environment to access new hosts. Hence, the oral cavity is one of the most densely populated habitats of the human body containing some 6 billion bacteria and potentially 35 times that many viruses. The role of these viral communities remains unclear; however, many are bacteriophage that may have active roles in shaping the ecology of oral bacterial communities.

Characterization of bacteriophage communities and CRISPR profiles from dental plaque.

Background: Dental plaque is home to a diverse and complex community of bacteria, but has generally been believed to be inhabited by relatively few viruses. We sampled the saliva and dental plaque from 4 healthy human subjects to determine whether plaque was populated by viral communities, and whether there were differences in viral communities specific to subject or sample type.

Results: We found that the plaque was inhabited by a community of bacteriophage whose membership was mostly subject-specific.

Conservation of streptococcal CRISPRs on human skin and saliva.

Background: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) are utilized by bacteria to resist encounters with their viruses. Human body surfaces have numerous bacteria that harbor CRISPRs, and their content can provide clues as to the types and features of viruses they may have encountered.

Results: We investigated the conservation of CRISPR content from streptococci on skin and saliva of human subjects over 8-weeks to determine whether similarities existed in the CRISPR spacer profiles and whether CRISPR spacers were a stable component of each biogeographic site.

Altered oral viral ecology in association with periodontal disease.

Unlabelled: The human oral cavity is home to a large and diverse community of viruses that have yet to be characterized in patients with periodontal disease. We recruited and sampled saliva and oral biofilm from a cohort of humans either periodontally healthy or with mild or significant periodontal disease to discern whether there are differences in viral communities that reflect their oral health status. We found communities of viruses inhabiting saliva and the subgingival and supragingival biofilms of each subject that were composed largely of bacteriophage.

Human oral viruses are personal, persistent and gender-consistent.

Viruses are the most abundant members of the human oral microbiome, yet relatively little is known about their biodiversity in humans. To improve our understanding of the DNA viruses that inhabit the human oral cavity, we examined saliva from a cohort of eight unrelated subjects over a 60-day period. Each subject was examined at 11 time points to characterize longitudinal differences in human oral viruses.

Association between living environment and human oral viral ecology.

The human oral cavity has an indigenous microbiota known to include a robust community of viruses. Very little is known about how oral viruses are spread throughout the environment or to which viruses individuals are exposed. We sought to determine whether shared living environment is associated with the composition of human oral viral communities by examining the saliva of 21 human subjects; 11 subjects from different households and 10 unrelated subjects comprising 4 separate households.

Diode laser activated indocyanine green selectively kills bacteria.

Background And Objective: Commercially available photodynamic therapy for periodontal diseases utilizes methylene blue as a photosensitizer. Here we propose a novel photosensitizer dye, indocyanine green (ICG), because it can be readily activated by commercially available dental 810 nm diode lasers and has an established safety record as an intravascular agent in cardiac imaging and ophthalmologic photodynamic therapy. Therefore, we aim to characterize ICG uptake and killing of key periodontal pathogens to explore its potential as a periodontal photodynamic therapy agent.

Concentration-dependent effect of fibrinogen on IgG-specific antigen binding and phagocytosis.

In this paper, we aim to characterize fibrinogen-IgG interactions, and explore how fibrinogen alters IgG-mediated phagocytosis. Using enzyme-linked binding assays, we found that fibrinogen binding to IgG is optimized for surfaces coated with high levels of IgG. Using a similar method, we have shown that for an antigen unable to specifically bind fibrinogen, fibrinogen enhances binding of antibodies towards that antigen.

Fibrinogen binds IgG antibody and enhances IgG-mediated phagocytosis.

While Fibrinogen (Fg) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) are traditionally thought to have separate functions in thrombosis and immune response, recent studies suggest overlapping functions. Here we present evidence that Fibrinogen binds to IgG specifically, and that Fibrinogen-IgG interactions enhance phagocytosis. We demonstrate specific, saturable binding of Fibrinogen to immobilized IgG and its fragments on nitrocellulose or poly-(L)-Lys styrene plates using Biotin/Streptavidin-Horse Radish Peroxidase detection systems.

The epidemiology, consequences and management of periodontal disease in older adults.

Background: This review summarizes the literature on periodontal disease (PD) in older adults. The authors focused on significant sequelae of PD and therapy in this population.

Types Of Studies Reviewed: The authors conducted a search on PubMed for human studies using the terms "periodontal disease OR periodontitis" and "older adults.