Journal of Dental Research, Dental Clinics, Dental Prospects
Volume:1 Issue: 3, Autumn 2007

Background and aims. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common chronic mucocutaneous disease. Patients with atrophic and erosive lichen planus often have symptoms of soreness and need proper treatment. The main therapy of OLP has been the administration of topical or systemic corticosteroids. Potent topical corticosteroids have been increasingly prescribed in the treatment of erosive lichen planus. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of adcortyl ointment (triamcinolone in orabase) with topical tacrolimus for the treatment of erosive oral lichen planusMaterials and methods. Sixty Patients with histopathologically confirmed oral lichen planus were enrolled in the study. The severity of lesions was scored from 0 to 5 according to the criteria described in a previous study. Patients were randomly given adcortyl (group A) and topical tacrolimus ointment (group B) and asked to apply the medication on dried lesions 4 times a day. The lesions were evaluated after 4 weeks of treatment. Visual analogue scale was used to assess the severity of pain before and after treatment. The severity scores were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis k-sample test. Results. The average score of lesions improved from 3.4 to 1.5 in patients who received adcortyl ointment and from 3.2 to 1.2 in patients who received topical tacrolimus ointment. The differences between the improvements in scores were not statistically significant in the two groups. The average pain severity in A and B groups was 8.2 and 7.8 at the beginning of treatment, and 3.5 and 3.2 at the end of treatment, respectively. There was a statistically significant reduction in pain severity in both groups. Conclusion. Topical tacrolimus is a safe and effective alternative therapy in the treatment of oral lichen planus.

Background and aims. Blood-borne infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV might be transmitted from one individual to another during dental procedures. Therefore, sterilization and personal protection procedures are of utmost significance in dental offices. The importance of awareness of cross-infection and antiseptic principles lies in the fact that in most cases it is not possible to identify patients with hepatitis or AIDS. The aim of the present study was to evaluate awareness of infection control procedures among dental practitioners in Tabriz. Materials and methods. In this descriptive study, 150 dental practitioners working in clinics and private offices of Tabriz were randomly selected. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire, which included respondents’ personal profile and questions on infection control and sterilization methods. Results. There were no statistically significant differences in the level of knowledge between male and female dental practitioners regarding infection control; however, there was a decline in awareness as age increased. Conclusion. The results of the present study suggest that in some cases dental practitioners neglect the principles for personal protection and cross-infection control. Therefore, our society is subject to widespread infection in dental offices and clinics. This potential risk necessitates careful monitoring along with government support of treatment procedures, the inclusion of infection control costs into treatment expenses and an emphasis on continuing education about infection control procedures through seminars and congresses.

Background and aims. Pemphigus is a chronic autoimmune and vesiculobollous disease that can affect skin and different mucous membrane surfaces. Primary manifestations occur in oral cavity in almost 60% of cases. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the epidemiology of pemphigus in Tehran, Iran in a 20-year period. Materials and methods. A retrospective study was conducted on the records of 1560 patients diagnosed with different types of pemphigus in Razi Hospital of Dermatology in Tehran from March 1985 to March 2005. A questionnaire was prepared to collect information regarding age, sex, bedridden duration, pemphigus subtype, sites of involvement, recurrence and mortality rate. Data was analyzed using chi-square test with significant level of P < 0.05. Results. There was a female predominance with a male to female ratio of 1:1.53. In nearly half of the patients, only the oral mucous membranes were affected. One hundred and fifty had only skin lesions and 261 cases had both skin and oral mucosal lesions. Involvement of esophageal and vaginal mucous membranes without skin lesions was observed in 150 patients and 298 cases had esophageal and vaginal mucosal involvement as well as skin lesions. Pemphigus vulgaris was the most common type, with the mean age of 44.6 years. Oral mucous membrane was the most frequent location where pemphigus vulgaris was observed. 1265 patients recovered which 52.2% of them had only oral lesions. Average of bedridden duration was 2.9 months. The highest recurrence rate was seen in patients with skin lesions exclusively. There was a significant difference between recurrences of lesions and location of involvement (P < 0.05). Thirty six patients had died from of the disease. Conclusion. The mean age of the disease onset in the present study was found to be a decade earlier than the other parts of the world. Recurrence and mortality rates were lower in patients with only oral lesions and their prognosis was better.

Background and aims. Preventing oral disease is the most desirable way of ensuring good dental health for children with heart disease. Dental and gingival infections in patients with cardiac problems may lead to infective endocarditis. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral and dental health status in children with heart disease referred to a cardiac center compared with the control group. Materials and Methods. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, case group consisting of 100 patients 2-12 years old with heart disease were examined for oral and dental status in Pediatric Cardiac Center in Mashhad, Iran, in 2004. Fifty healthy children with the same age as the case group referring to the Department of Pedodontics, Mashhad Faculty of Dentistry served as the control group. For each patient, dental and medical history, dmft, DMFT, debris index, tooth brushing status as well as parental knowledge of infective endocarditis and their economic status was registered on a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square and t-tests. Results. There were no significant differences between case and control groups in dmft (3.92 ± 3.99 and 3.54 ± 3.33, respectively), DMFT (3.7 ± 4 and 1.47 ± 1.72, respectively) and their components. Tooth brushing status and debris index were significantly worse in the study group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). 35% of parents were aware of the importance of good oral health in cardiac children although none of them knew about infective endocarditis. Most of the parents in study group had low (30%) to medium (53%) economic status. Conclusion. In this study, the children with cardiac disease did not have a good oral and dental health status. Developing strategies toward preventive dental care of children with cardiac problems and informing their parents is suggested

Background and aims. Childhood obesity has been associated with high refined sugar intake. The relationship between sucrose intake and development of dental caries has been established. The aim of this study was to determine the association between age-specific body mass index (BMI-for-age) and dental caries in children. Materials and methods. In this cross-sectional study a total of 1003 children were screened. Weight, height, BMI-for-age and dental caries of 633 (317 boys, 316 girls) 6-11-year-old children were clinically examined for dental caries using the World Health Organization criteria by a dentist on a dental chair. Decayed and filled teeth (DFT/dft) indices were used. BMI-for-age and dental caries were analyzed with multiple linear regression, chi-square, and t-tests using SPSS computer software. Results. The findings showed that 16% of the children had a normal weight, 16.9% were at risk of overweight, and 67.1% were overweight. In the normal weight, at risk of overweight, and overweight groups, the mean ± SE for DFT were 0.34 ± 0.08, 1.23 ± 0.13 and 0.73 ± 0.05, respectively; and 2.01 ± 0.19, 2.76 ± 0.18 and 2.59 ± 0.13 respectively, for dft. Multiple linear regression showed that there was no statistically significant association between BMI-for-age and DFT (R = 0.06) and dft (R = 0.07) indices. 27.7%, 14% and 37.2% of children with normal weight, at risk of overweight and with overweight were caries free, respectively. There was statistically significant association between BMI-for-age and being caries free (p = 0.0001). Conclusion. There was no association between BMI-for-age and DFT/dft indices. In addition, a high prevalence of at risk of overweight and overweight was seen among 6-11-year-old children in Isafahan, Iran.

Background and aims. Class III malocclusions are considered as one of the most complex orthodontic problems to diagnose and treat. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the morphologic characteristics of craniofacial complex in patients with this malocclusion. The aim of this study was to determine the dentofacial characteristics of Class III malocclusion in Mashhadian adults. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of 114 cephalograms including 57 individuals with Class III malocclusion (28 males and 29 females with mean age of 19.28 years) as the case group, and 57 adults with uncrowded Class I occlusion (28 males and 29 females with mean age of 17.2 years) as the control group. Cephalometric evaluation was performed by measuring nine angular and nine linear measurements and the dentofacial characteristics of two groups were compared by Student’s t-test. Results. SNA angle, the distance from A point to Nasion perpendicular and the maxillary effective length was significantly lower in Class III group, while SNB and SN-Pog angles were significantly higher compared to control group. Mandibular effective length did not differ in two groups. Maxillary incisor protrusion and mandibular incisor retrusion in Class III subjects was also observed. From the vertical aspect, only mandibular plane angle showed an increase in Class III group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Maxillary deficiency, mandibular prognathism, maxillary incisors protrusion and mandibular incisors retrusion are present in individuals with Class III malocclusion, but mandibular effective length does not differ significantly from Class I patients.

Background and aims. Recent literature shows that accelerated Portland cement (APC) is a non-toxic material that may have potential to promote bone healing. The objective of this study was to histologically evaluate periodontal healing focusing on new bone regeneration following implantation of APC into intra-bony defects in dogs. Materials and methods. Three-wall intra-bony periodontal defects were surgically created at the mesial aspect of the first molar in both sides of mandible in six dogs. One side was randomly filled with the material and other received a flap operation only. The animals were euthanized eight weeks post-surgery when block sections of the defect sites were collected and prepared for qualitative histological analysis. Results. Compared to control group, stimulation of growth of new bone tissue in the cavity containing APC was significantly prominent in three of six cases, showing osteoid formation with osteoblastic rimming and new bone trabeculla. New bone formation was observed just close to cavity containing APC. Connective tissue proliferation and downgrowth of epithelium were significantly less than those of control group. Conclusion. Our results are encouraging for the use of APC as a bone substitute, but more comprehensive study are necessary before warranting clinical use.