A link between parotid salivary Ig level and recurrent respiratory infections in young Down's syndrome patients.

The purpose of the present investigation was to assess the correlation between recurrent respiratory infections and the levels of salivary Ig in a group of young Down's syndrome (DS) individuals. Twenty-three DS and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were included. DS individuals who had experienced three or more upper respiratory tract infections (n = 10) in the previous 12 months were compared to DS individuals who had not experienced recurrent respiratory infections (n = 13) and to healthy controls (n = 10).

Stimulated parotid salivary flow rate in patients with Down syndrome.

Saliva is essential for oral defense against infections. Decreased salivary secretion may result in increased dental caries, oral mucosal changes, an altered sense of taste, difficulty in swallowing, and oral pain. A review of the literature reveals sporadic and contradictory reports on the use of sialometry and sialochemistry to explain the role of saliva in the oral health and well-being of subjects with Down syndrome.

Dental morphologic characteristics of normal versus delayed developing dentitions with palatally displaced canines.

An earlier study reported on the delayed dental age in about 50% of patients with palatally displaced canines (PDC), suggesting the possible existence of 2 different PDC phenotypes. The present study aimed to determine whether the PDC subgroup with late dental age displays different dental features from the PDC subgroup with normal dental age, supporting the above assumption. The 3 dental parameters examined were mesiodistal and buccolingual tooth sizes, the presence of anomalous maxillary lateral incisors, and other congenitally missing teeth.

Temporomandibular joint "open lock" versus condylar dislocation: signs and symptoms, imaging, treatment, and pathogenesis.

Purpose: In the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) "open-lock" condition the condyle is entrapped in front of the lagging disc and cannot slide back under the fossa. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the signs and symptoms and imaging of TMJ "open lock" versus condylar dislocation and clarify its pathogenesis. The study stresses the efficacy of arthrocentesis in restoring the functional capacity of the joint, while obviating the need for surgical intervention.

Administering local anaesthesia to paediatric dental patients -- current status and prospects for the future.

Unlabelled: Fear-related behaviours have long been recognized as the most difficult aspect of patient management and can be a barrier to good care. Anxiety is one of the major issues in the dental treatment of children, and the injection is the most anxiety-provoking procedure for both children and adults. There is a constant search for ways to avoid the invasive, and often painful, nature of the injection, and to find more comfortable and pleasant means for anaesthesia before dental procedures.

Adhesive force: the underlying cause of the disc anchorage to the fossa and/or eminence in the temporomandibular joint--a new concept.

The commonly held cause for using the closed lock technique is the prevention of disc sliding by using the non-reducible disc. The purpose of this study was to re-evaluate the pathogenesis of sudden and persistent severely limited mouth opening associated with a total lack of disc sliding in view of the fact that it is promptly released by lavage of the upper compartment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The proposed pathogenesis is based upon earlier clinical and laboratory findings of the first author coupled with pertinent information culled from the literature.

Primary vascular-type craniofacial pain.

Primary vascular-type craniofacial pain comprises a group of pain disorders that share common diagnostic features. These are unilateral, episodic, pulsatile, severe pain. Accompanying phenomena include local autonomic (e.

Intravenous sedation: an adjunct to enable orthodontic treatment for children with disabilities.

Intravenous (i.v.) sedation has become established as an important and preferred alternative to general anaesthesia (GA), in order to overcome difficulties in patient management encountered in the delivery of routine dental treatment of the disabled.

The diagnostic value of lateral extraoral radiography for intruded maxillary primary incisors.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the contribution of a lateral extraoral radiograph for diagnosing the relation between the root of intruded maxillary primary incisors and their permanent successors.

Methods: Three pediatric dentists examined intruded primary teeth 0-7 days after injury. The relations between the primary and permanent teeth were assessed in three separate steps: 1) evaluation of clinical signs only; 2) evaluation of a periapical radiograph (no lateral radiograph); 3) evaluation of a lateral extraoral radiograph.

[Cardiac arrest in dental offices. Report of six cases].

The extreme medical emergency situation in the dental setting is cardiac arrest. The need to provide dental treatment to the medically compromised patients, suffering from very high risk heart diseases at special oral medicine hospital dentistry units, expose the dental and medical teams to the possibility of patients' death. Cardiac and cardiorespiratory arrest in these units faces the dentists with the need to perform basic and/or advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

[The potential dangers of endocrinal disorders].

The symptoms of most endocrine system diseases are usually clearly recognizable and most of the times are accompanied by a rich medical history. Many general practitioners are reluctant to treat such cases and prefer to refer these patients to specialists who are trained in management of the medically compromised thus increasing the chances of dental treatment without complications. However, sometimes endocrinal diseases develop slowly and their clinical manifestations are hidden or subclinical in nature.

[Allergy-related emergencies].

Allergic reactions can develop to any of the drugs or materials commonly used in dentistry. They exhibit a broad range of clinical signs and symptoms ranging from mild, delayed reactions to immediate and life-threatening reactions developing within seconds. Allergies usually manifest themselves in reactions that are related to histamine release in one of three ways: skin reactions, respiratory problems and anaphylaxis.

[Chest pains in the dental environment].

Chest pain does not necessarily indicate cardiac disease. The most common causes of acute chest pain encountered in dental situations include hyperventilation, pulmonary embolism, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. Stress and fear often cause rapid breathing or hyperventilation.

[Respiratory distress].

Dental treatment is usually conducted in the oral cavity and in very close proximity to the upper respiratory airway. The possibility of unintentionally compromising this airway is high in the dental environment. The accumulation of fluid (water or blood) near to the upper respiratory airway or the loosening of teeth fragmentations and fallen dental instruments can occur.

[Syncope in the dental environment].

Syncope or Fainting is, by far, the most common emergency situation in the dental practice. Syncope is defined as an abrupt, transient, short term loss of consciousness and postural tone, followed by spontaneous and complete recovery. The pathophysiology of syncope consists of a sudden cessation or decrease in cerebral perfusion.

[Emergencies evolving from local anesthesia].

Local anesthesia is without doubt the most frequently used drug in dentistry and in medicine. In spite of records of safety set by using these drugs, there is evidence to adverse reactions ranging from 2.5%-11%.

[Restoring esthetics and function of posterior teeth using direct composite restoration].

The growing demand for esthetic restorations in the posterior segments and the reports from all over the world concerning the possibility of a toxic effect of amalgam brought to the development of the composite resin materials. These allow excellent esthetic results without compromising the quality and long-term stability of the restorations. Out of the various types of posterior esthetic restorations, the most available are the direct ones.

[Lasers in dentistry. Part B--Interaction with biological tissues and the effect on the soft tissues of the oral cavity, the hard tissues of the tooth and the dental pulp].

The interaction of laser energy with target tissue is mainly determined by two non operator-dependent factors: the specific wavelength of the laser and the optical properties of the target tissues. Power density, energy density, pulse repetition rate, pulse duration and the mode of energy transferring to the tissue are dictated by the clinician. Combination of these factors enables to control optimal response for the clinical application.

Oral diagnosis of Behcet disease in an eleven-year old girl and the non-surgical treatment of her gingival overgrowth caused by Cyclosporine.

A case of an eleven-year old girl with Behcet disease is presented. Non-surgical treatment of gingival overgrowth caused by the use of Cyclosporine was successfully treated. This case emphasizes the need for cooperation between the medical and dental professionals and the responsibility of dental professionals to lead the diagnosis of systemic diseases like Behcet.

An unusual cause of obstructive sialadenitis.

A case of bilateral recurrent submandibular sialadenitis is presented in a patient with decreased salivary flow. The condition was caused by trapping of the submandibular papillae between the lingual flange of the denture and the enlarged genial tubercles. Removal of these causes led to resolution of her symptoms.

Inflammation with no axonal damage of the rat saphenous nerve trunk induces ectopic discharge and mechanosensitivity in myelinated axons.

Inflammation along a nerve trunk with no frank axonal nerve damage produced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or Carrageenan is known to induce a painful peripheral neuropathy. In the present study, we examined the electrophysiological properties of myelinated axons (spontaneous discharge and mechanical sensitivity) at the inflamed nerve site. The rat saphenous nerves were exposed at mid-thigh level and wrapped in 2 mm wide bands of haemostatic oxidized cellulose (Oxycel) that were saturated with undiluted CFA.

The use of arthrocentesis for the treatment of osteoarthritic temporomandibular joints.

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the efficacy of arthrocentesis in restoring the functional capacity of osteoarthritic temporomandibular joints (TMJ).

Patients And Methods: This study involved 36 patients (29 females, 7 males; age range, 16 to 54 years, mean, 37.36 +/- 14.

Reactions of children to maxillary infiltration and mandibular block injections.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess children's reactions to the administration of local anesthetic injection in the mandible and in the maxilla, and to study their sensation of pain after each type of injection.

Methods: Twenty-six children between the ages of 4 to 6 (mean age 5.3+/-0.

Can maxillary incisor trauma be predicted from cephalometric measurements?

Dental injury is a traumatic event related to many factors, including dentofacial morphology. In a previous study in which we used a logistic regression model, 5 cephalometric variables were defined as being the best predictors of traumatic injury. The purposes of this study were to test the predictive value of the logistic regression analysis results for the occurrence of dental injury in a new patient sample and to compare these results with the outcome based on a visual evaluation of cephalograms.

Functional assembly of AMPA and kainate receptors is mediated by several discrete protein-protein interactions.

Functional heterogeneity of ionotropic glutamate receptors arises not only from the existence of many subunits and isoforms, but also from combinatorial assembly creating channels with distinct properties. This heteromerization is subtype restricted and thought to be determined exclusively by the proximal extracellular N-terminal domain of the subunits. However, using functional assays for heteromer formation, we show that, besides the N-terminal domain, the membrane sector and the C-terminal part of S2 are critical determinants for the formation of functional channels.