Gums and joints: is there a connection? Part one: epidemiological and clinical links.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic periodontitis are common chronic inflammatory diseases that share numerous clinical and pathobiological characteristics. Due to their similarities, despite manifesting at anatomically distinct sites, the relationship between these two diseases has been investigated for many years. This review attempts to summarise the state of the field based on evidence published in the last ten years.

Differential activation of neutrophil extracellular traps by specific periodontal bacteria.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease initiated by periodontal pathogens. Neutrophils play a pivotal role within the periodontal lesion, where they have a cytotoxic arsenal at their disposal, including Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and release of neutrophil extracellular trap (NETs). ROS production is essential for NET release and neutrophils in periodontitis patients are hyperactive and hyper-reactive with regard to ROS release (Matthews 2007), which may lead to disease progression.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Periodontitis: A Web of Intrigue.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent a novel paradigm in neutrophil-mediated immunity. NETs are believed to constitute a highly conserved antimicrobial strategy comprising decondensed nuclear DNA and associated histones that are extruded into the extracellular space. Associated with the web-like strands of DNA is an array of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which facilitate the extracellular destruction of microorganisms that become entrapped within the NETs.

Current indications and methods of periodontal splinting.

Unlabelled: The paper discusses the reasons for using periodontal splints, together with advantages and disadvantages of their use. Different splinting techniques and criteria for selecting the most appropriate method are described. The need for care in planning treatment is emphasized.

An investigation of the microbial contamination of dental unit air and water lines.

Aim: The objective of this study was to measure the microbial contamination released from dental unit air lines (DUAL) and dental unit water lines (DUWL).

Materials And Methods: Emissions from DUAL and DUWL from five dental units supplied by a central water source (tap) and a centralised air supply were sampled three times over a five- week period. Air was forced through sterile water and then plated onto selective agar using apparatus designed to spread the sample solution evenly, and then incubated at room temperature for seven days.

A randomized clinical trial comparing the accuracy of direct versus indirect bracket placement.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of direct or indirect bracket placement.

Design: A prospective, randomized comparison of 2 different methods of bracket placement.

Setting: Queens Hospital, Burton upon Trent, UK between February and May 2001.

Specialist practice, a personal viewpoint.

This article is aimed at the graduate who is beginning to consider career options, and at the slightly more experienced practitioner, who may be uncertain about changing direction in his or her career development. It is hoped that the paper will enable a wider consideration of the implications of a decision to embark on a career pathway as a specialist.

Is there a relationship between asthma and dental erosion? A case control study.

Objectives: The aims of this study were firstly to assess and compare the prevalence of dental erosion and dietary intake between three groups of children; children with asthma, those with significant tooth erosion but with no history of asthma, and children with no history of asthma or other medical problems. Secondly, to discover whether there was a relationship between medical history and dietary practises of these children and the levels of dental erosion. Thirdly, to measure and compare their salivary flow rates, pH and buffering capacity.

Modern thoughts on fissure sealants.

It has long been known that fissure sealants are an important part of the prevention and control of dental caries in pits and fissures. However, their usage is still sporadic and generally not related to evidence-based guidelines. Caries prevalence has changed since sealants were introduced and this has significant implications for the criteria on which to select patients who would most benefit from their usage.

Walmsley's Web watch.

The ADEE site serves as a portal to other educational sites around the world. The address can be book-marked and used as a focus to explore and use the Web in a constructive way without becoming overwhelmed with the large amount of information that is present. There are, of course, many other sites that act as a resource and contain links to other web pages.

Dentine bonding systems: 1. Mode of action.

The achievement of a reliable bond to dentine has been more difficult than bonding to enamel, due principally to the anatomy of the dentine substrate. The mechanisms of bonding are now much better understood than a decade ago and clinically-viable bond strengths to dentine are now achieved with many dentine bonding systems.

Childhood asthma and dental erosion.

The aim of this investigation was first to assess the prevalence of asthma in a random sample of fourteen-year-old children in Birmingham UK. Secondly to assess the levels of dental erosion in these children, and thirdly to see whether there was any correlation between children with asthma and the levels of dental erosion. A random sample of 418 children from twelve secondary schools was examined, 209 were male and 209 female.

Tooth wear in children: an investigation of etiological factors in children with cerebral palsy and gastroesophageal reflux.

This investigation was undertaken to establish the prevalence and distribution of tooth wear in different groups of medically compromised children and to assess the possible influence of gastroesophageal reflux, dietary factors, and parafunctional activity. Four groups of children including twenty-one with cerebral palsy were clinically examined and had in-depth, structured interviews, including information on medical history, medication, gastroesophageal reflux, feeding and drinking habits, parafunctional activity, and tooth-brushing procedures. All the children with cerebral palsy also had twenty-four-hour gastroesophageal pH monitoring.

The clinical assessment of a ceramic-coated transmucosal dental implant collar.

This study compared the superficial tissue responses to titanium and ceramic surfaces of transmucosal elements of established IMZ implants. In a splitmouth study on 14 patients with two mandibular implants and a bar-retained complete mandibular denture, a conventional titanium and a newly developed ceramic-coated transmucosal element were placed. A range of clinical parameters were recorded before transmucosal-element replacement and at 1, 4, and 12 weeks postplacement.

Calibration and reliability of the Periotron 6000 for individual gingival crevicular fluid samples.

The Periotron 6000 fluid analyser has become widely used as a diagnostic tool for a variety of oral diseases and recent work has questioned its reliability. This paper investigates for the first time, the detailed calibration curves of 2 Periotron 6000 machines across a range of 23 different fluid volumes. Within and between machine reliability is analyzed and the shape of the calibration line determined.

Plasma cell populations in labial salivary glands from patients with and without Sjögren's syndrome.

Plasma cells expressing IgG, IgA and IgM were quantified in labial salivary glands from patients with Sjögren's syndrome (n = 25) and compared with glands from patients with a variety of systemic diseases (n = 32) and normal individuals (n = 15). Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis, glands from the systemic disease group were divided into normal histology (n = 24) and non-specific inflammation (n = 8) groups. There were no significant differences in cell densities or Ig class proportions between histologically normal glands from patients and those from normal volunteers.

Dental caries experience in Jordanian and English schoolchildren.

The dental caries experience of 6- and 12-year-old children in Jordan and England was compared. The 6-year-old Jordanian children had significantly higher dmft scores than the English children, largely due to the greater numbers of decayed teeth in Jordan. Mean DMFT scores for 12-year-old children were similar in the two countries, however, the DMFT totals included more decayed and missing teeth in Jordan and more filled teeth in England.

Epithelial expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens in normal rat salivary and lacrimal glands.

The presence and distribution of MHC class I and class II antigens within these glands of Wistar and Lewis rats was studied using monoclonal antibodies and an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. In rats of both strains and sexes, MHC class 1 antigens were expressed by ductal epithelium in addition to vascular endothelium and other connective tissue elements. Except for a small proportion of secretory cells within lacrimal glands, acini were uniformly negative for class I antigen.

A study of the relationship among pulpal response, microbial microleakage, and particle heterogeneity in a glass-ionomer-base material.

This investigation was designed to study the pulpal responses to glass-ionomer base materials that differ in particle size distribution. The study was carried out according to the BSI (1980) recommendations for testing restorative materials in vivo. The base materials caused more pulpal inflammation than the control material, Kalzinol, although by an indirect mechanism.

Forces produced by auxiliary torquing springs in the Begg technique.

Different designs of Begg torquing auxiliary have been tested to measure the forces produced at the apex of a tooth. Forces at the tooth surface ranged from 0.4 to 3.

The effectiveness of differing dental health education programmes in improving the oral health of adults with mental handicaps attending Birmingham adult training centres.

There are few published data available relating to dental health in adults with handicaps, or to the effectiveness of dental health education in this group. The present study involved 382 people attending four different adult training centres in Birmingham, UK. Following baseline examinations all participants were given oral hygiene instruction and a scale and polish.

Pulpal response to two semihydrous glass ionomer luting cements.

This study compared the pulpal responses to two innovative semihydrous glass ionomer luting cements (STA and ZIN) with those previously obtained for a conventional anhydrous glass ionomer luting cement, Aquacem. ZIN contained zinc oxide in the formulation. The study was conducted according to the BSI (1989) recommendations for testing restorative materials in vivo.