Assessment of the Preventive Effect of Pilocarpine on Radiotherapy-Induced Xerostomia in Patients with Head and Neck Cancers

Introduction Xerostomia is one of side-effects of radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. No definitive method has been proposed for the treatment of this condition. However, pilocarpine is considered effective for the management of chronic xerostomia. The purpose of the present study was to assess the preventive effect of pilocarpine. Materials and Methods This study was performed on 34 patients with head and neck cancers, undergoing radiation therapy (5000 cGy). The patients were randomly divided into two groups. The case group was administered 16 drops of pilocarpine (2%) eye drops per day, while the control group received normal saline; the treatment plan continued for four weeks. Unstimulated whole saliva flow rate was measured at four stages: two weeks before radiotherapy (baseline), the first day of radiotherapy, and two and four weeks after the initiation of radiotherapy. Results At baseline and the first day of radiotherapy, no significant differences were observed in the amount of saliva between the case and control groups (P<0.76 and P<0.054, respectively). However, by starting radiotherapy, a statistically significant improvement was reported in saliva production in the case group, compared to the control group (P<0.00); this trend continued during the next four weeks of radiotherapy (P<0.003). Generally, a significant difference was observed between the two groups at all stages of data evaluation (P<0.00). Conclusion According to the findings, pilocarpine was found to be effective for the prevention of xerostomia. Moreover, it could restrain the decline in the amount of saliva and reduce the rate of xerostomia

Evaluation of polymorphism of P53 protein codon 72 in oral lichen planus by PCR technique

Background. Our research was aimed to study p53 protein codon 72 polymorphism, a single base pair change of either arginine (Arg; CGC) or proline (Pro; CCC) that creates 3 distinct genotypes in reticular oral lichen planus (OLP) in comparison to oral SCC which is the most common oral mucosal malignancy as positive control and inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) lesion as negative control. Methods. Seventy paraffin-embedded tissue samples (30 OLP, 20 OSCC and 20 IFH) were studied. DNA was purified and amplified using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction to detect polymorphism. The final amplified products were identified using gel electrophoresis. Data were analyzed using chi-squared test and odds ratio. Results. The mean ages in the OLP, OSCC and IFH groups were 43.28, 58.2 and 53.47 years, respectively, with significant differences. There were no significant differences in gender between the three groups (P=0.413); however, the differences in genotypes and alleles were significant between the three groups (P=0.021 and P=0.030, respectively). By considering IFH as a reference, the frequency of proline allele in OLP and OSCC was significantly higher than that of arginine allele (P=0.015 and P=0.028, respectively). In addition, by considering OSCC as a reference and at P=1, there were no significant differences in the frequencies of alleles between OSCC and OLP. Conclusion. The results might indicate the premalignant potential of OLP, and such polymorphism might be a genetic predisposing factor for conversion of OLP to OSCC. In addition, in the subjects evaluated the proline allele was considered a risk factor

FREQUENCY AND PREDICTOR FACTORS OF IRREVERSIBLE PULPITIS

Abstract. Objective: Referral pains are one of the most common challenges which dentists are faced with them during diagnosis and before treatment. Pain referral can take place in tooth and other craniofacial structures and influence the diagnostic process. The present study was accomplished to evaluate the prevalence of irreversible pulpitis in patients refferd to Endodontic department of dental school of shahid Sadoughi University in 2017 with chief complaint of pain. Methods: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional type of study conducted on 100 patients(21 males and 79 females) refferd to Endodontic department of dental school of shahid Sadoughi University in 2017 with chief complaint of pain.Informed consent was taken from patients. Data obtained from medical history, dentistry history, clinical examinations, and radiography were recorded in questionnaire developed for this purpose. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS18 software, Chi-square and Fisher exact test. Results: In the present research, the prevalence of irreversible pulpitis was obtained to be 77%. This prevalence in female was significantly more than males (P-value = 0.021). Patients with irreversible pulpit significantly reported more severe pain (p-value=0.000) and pain at the real site (p-value=0.028).The frequency of irreversible pulpitis showed no significant correlation with age and type of pain (P-value&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Considering the findings of this research, the prevalence of irreversible pulpitis in patients refferd to Endodontic department of dental school of shahid Sadoughi University in 2017 with chief complaint of pain was three times more than that of other diseases. This frequency showed significant relationship with factors of gender, pain severity, and the pain feeling site.Keywords: Irreversible pulpitis, pain, root canal treatment