Gingival/soft tissue abscess following subepithelial connective tissue graft for root coverage: report of three cases.

Background: The subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) is a predictable technique for root coverage. The small number of potential postoperative problems make SCTG the current treatment of choice for reversing gingival recession.

Methods: The purpose of this article is to report three cases of complications after the use of an SCTG where an abscess occurred following the initial healing phase.

Oncocytic mucoepidermoid carcinoma of parotid gland origin.

This article reports 3 cases of oncocytic mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland and compares them with 9 cases from the literature with emphasis on clinical behavior, treatment, and recurrence rate. The tumor occurs most often in the middle-aged to elderly, with a decided predilection for the parotid gland. All three oncocytic mucoepidermoid carcinomas from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology series were low grade with extensive oncocytic change.

Galvanic interaction between gold and amalgam: effect of zinc, time and surface treatments.

Background: Previous studies have investigated the electrolytic action of oral electrogalvanism. However, the reasons why certain treatments or materials are successful in reducing galvanic current have not been addressed fully. This study assessed galvanic current with several materials, surface conditions and treatments.

The gander disaster: dental identification in a military tragedy.

The authors record the contributions of dentistry to the identification of victims of one of the most significant disasters in aviation and U.S. military history--the December 1985 crash of a DC-8 charter airliner near Gander, Newfoundland (now known as Newfoundland and Labrador), Canada, which killed 248 Army personnel and 8 crewmembers.

The retrocuspid papillae: a clinical evaluation of 51 cases.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to increase the knowledge of dental hygienists and dentists of a normal anatomic gingival structure, the retrocuspid papillae (RCP), so that patients can avoid clinical misinterpretation and unnecessary biopsies.

Methods: In a three-part study, dental hygienists were surveyed on their knowledge of the RCP via questionnaire. Oral examinations of adult patients in a dental hygiene clinic were performed to obtain data on the RCP, and detailed clinical information from the pathology reports of surgically removed RCPs were tabulated.

Real-time molecular beacon NASBA reveals hblC expression from Bacillus spp. in milk.

Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) was applied in combination with a fluorescein-conjugated molecular beacon specific for a sequence flanked by transcript-specific primers in order to monitor hblC enterotoxin gene expression in real-time from milk separately contaminated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus circulans. Maximal enterotoxin expression was noted following 16, 15, and 16 h, respectively, when grown in artificially contaminated nonfat dried milk incubated aerobically at 32 degrees C, corresponding to 1.6 x 10(5), 5 x 10(7), and 9.

Periodontal disease in HIV-positive individuals: association of periodontal indices with stages of HIV disease.

Background: Periodontal disease has been previously associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and HIV infection has been considered a modifier of periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to report the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in a population of HIV-positive individuals and to investigate the association between clinical periodontal indices and the stage of HIV disease, as expressed by CD4 cell counts.

Methods: Thirty-nine male HIV-positive patients were recruited and a medical history was taken.

Clinical and laboratory considerations for the use of CAD/CAM Y-TZP-based restorations.

Prospective clinical studies are evaluating the long-term success of Y-TZP-based all-ceramic FPDs. Y-TZP-based infrastructures for crowns and FPDs present favorable physical, mechanical, and optical properties. Some Y-TZP-based restorative systems use CAD/CAM technology.

Esthetic techniques and restorative systems used in the second-year undergraduate dental curriculum.

Metal-free tooth-colored restorative systems for fabricating indirect intracoronal and extracoronal restorations have been developed because of patients' demand for superior esthetics. During the past decade, long-term clinical studies have demonstrated the success of many of these types of restorations in terms of function and esthetics. Ceramic veneers, all-ceramic crowns, ceramic onlays, and composite-resin inlays are becoming an integral part of contemporary clinical practice.

Post placement and cementation: Part 2.

In situations with thin remaining root walls, the clinician should not attempt to place an extremely wide post that will engage the canal walls. Rather, the practitioner should use a thinner post and a resin cement that will create a custom-fitted, cement-post complex.

Laser curettage: an overview.

The literature suggests that subgingival curettage has no benefit beyond traditional scaling and root planing. In addition, mounting evidence suggests that there is a risk of clinically significant collateral damage to using Nd:YAG laser energy within the sulcus. There also appears to be some confusion regarding the standards of evidence upon which to judge the performance of adjunctive procedures such as laser curettage.

An illustrative study of the role of tomograms for the placement of dental implants.

Before dental implants are placed, an evaluation of a presurgical bone site with tomograms will reveal information not available from panoramic or periapical radiographs. This article illustrates the importance of making tomograms before the placement of dental implants to determine the actual height, width, inclination, and undercut of alveolar bone; the shape, cortication, and irregularities of crestal alveolar bone; the density of alveolar bone; the relative location of anatomical landmarks, such as mandibular canal, maxillary sinus, nasal fossa, incisive canal, submandibular gland fossa, etc.; the bucco-lingual view of dental pathosis; the bucco-lingual evaluation of sinus graft following sinus-lift surgery; and the evaluation of surgically placed dental implants.

Membrane type (MT) 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and MMP-2 expression in ligature-induced periodontitis in the rat.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been shown to be involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In particular, MMP-2 and MMP-9 (gelatinase A and gelatinase B, respectively) have been identified as the predominant MMPs during periodontitis. Recent studies have indicated that a novel transmembrane MMP, mebrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), can activate pro-MMP-2 in tumor metastasis.

Influence of periodontal disease on Th1/Th2-type cytokines in saliva of HIV-positive individuals.

Cytokines present during immune responses have a tremendous influence on resistance/susceptibility to oral diseases including periodontal disease and oral opportunistic infections in the immunocompromised individual, as seen by altered Th cytokines in saliva with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression and oropharyngeal candidiasis. This study was designed to evaluate whether the presence of severe periodontal disease has any influence on Th cytokines in saliva of HIV-positive persons. For this, saliva from a cohort of HIV-positive persons with mild or severe periodontitis was evaluated for Th cytokines.

Post placement and cementation: Part 1.

Premolars can be considered as a separate entity in the category of root canal treated teeth that will receive a full-coverage restoration. Their unique morphology and their susceptibility to high occlusal load, as well as contemporary preparation guidelines that advocate a wide shoulder finish line design will necessitate the placement of a post in the majority of premolars. Although some of the remaining thin walls will be eliminated during preparation, their removal is not recommended prior to the buildup procedure.

Light curing--an update.

Light-cured, resin-based composite is an integral part of esthetic and restorative dentistry. This article reviews the performance and limitations of 4 types of curing lights and predicts that curing lights of the future will use light-emitting diode (LED). Currently, LED curing lights are not as powerful as plasma arc curing (PAC) or quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) lights.