Comparison of the Antibacterial Effects of Nanosil, Chlorhexidine and Probiotic Mouthwashes on Periodontal Pathogens

Objectives Periodontal diseases are one of the common oral diseases and microbial oral flora is one major factor responsible for it. Elimination of periodontal pathogens is particularly important in managing the periodontal state. This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effects of Nanosil, chlorhexidine (CHX) and probiotic mouthwashes on periodontal pathogens.Methods In this in-vitro study, the bacteria (A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, E. coli, S. aureus, B. cereus, B. subtilis, S. typhimurium, E. coli O-157 and E. coli PTCC 1338) were cultured using specific culture media. Microbial suspension was prepared by dissolving 1 or 2 microbial colonies in tryptic soy broth. Nanosil, CHX and probiotic mouthwashes were added to the wells containing bacterial suspension. Samples were taken from wells showing turbidity and cultured in plates. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of mouthwashes was determined by repeated measuring of the growth inhibition zones. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, One-way ANOVA, and Scheffe’s post hoc was used for statistical analysis.Results Probiotic mouthwash had greater antibacterial effects than other mouthwashes and caused larger growth inhibition zones. For S. aureus and S. typhimurium, the mean diameter of the growth inhibition zone was not significant (p>0.05), while for other tested bacteria were significant (p<0.05).Conclusion Probiotic mouthwash decreases the pathogenic oral flora and stabilizes the beneficial flora in oral cavity

Use of herbs and medicinal plants in dentistry: a review

Objectives This study reviews herbs and medicinal plants in dentistry and discusses their biological activities, benefits and side effects. Review of Literature In this review, the PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar databases were electronically searched for relevant articles and books in English using the keywords “medicinal plant”, “herb”, “phytotherapy”, “dentistry” and “pediatric”.Conclusion Medicinal herbs have long been an inseparable part of treatment of various diseases. Today, the range of applications of these plants is not limited to medical treatment and various types of medicinal plants are used in various fields including dentistry. Increased interest in medicinal plants is mainly due to less side effects compared to those of synthetic drugs and they are often favored for use in childre

Pediatric Dentistry at the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Literature and Guidelines

Objectives The aim of the present study was to review practical considerations, special precautions, and novel challenges of pediatric dentistry at the time of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for related articles. The websites of organizations related to public health and dentistry were also electronically searched. All searches were performed before November 2020. Results In this paper, the findings were categorized as: (I) how to triage patients, (II) waiting room modifications, (III) how to use personal protective equipment, (IV) mouthwashes, (V) how to minimize aerosol production, (VI) how to manage routine dental treatments, (VII) pharmacological management, (VIII) how to manage pharmacological sedation and general anesthesia, and (IX) coincidence of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. Some lifestyle changes during the pandemic which are important to know for pediatric dentists were also discussed. Conclusion The emergence of COVID-19 has brought novel challenges for dental professionals. Pediatric dentistry is even more important because children can be asymptomatic carriers of the virus since they usually present mild or no symptoms. In addition to the standard precautions, pediatric dentists should implement special precautions to prevent disease transmission

Antifungal activity of essential oils of Prangos frulacea, Ziziphora tenuior, Ferula gummosa and Dracocephalum moldavica against candida albicans

Background: Candidiasis is the most common oral fungal infection and today due to side effects of anti-fungal medications, research has directed to find an alternative herbal remedy. Objective: This study aimed to determine the antifungal effect of the essential oils of Prangos frulacea, Ziziphora tenuior, Ferula gummosa and Dracocephalum moldavica against Candida albicans. Methods: This experimental in vitro study has been performed in dental school of Zanjan in 2014-15. After preparing the essential oils of Prangos frulacea, Ziziphora tenuior, Ferula gummosa, and Dracocephalum moldavica, antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated Candida albicans was evaluated by antibiogram test and then MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) values were obtained. Findings: All studied essential oils showed higher diameters and there were Prangos ferulacea, Ziziphora tenuior and Dracocephalum moldavica in an ascending order, except Ferula gummosa that had similar diameter of zone of inhibition to chlorhexidine (28mm). Minimuminhibitory concentration of all the studied essential oils were less than chlorhexidine (1.56µg/ml) and the least amount belonged to Ziziphora tenuior (0.26µg/ml). Also, the minimum bactericidal concentration of all the essential oils were less than chlorhexidine (1.56µg/ml), except Ferula gummos(4.56µg/ml). Conclusion: The results of this study on Candida albicans species showed that inhibitory and bactericidal effects of all the studied essential oils were stronger than standard drug chlorhexidine except Ferula gummosa, and Ziziphora tenuior has more antifungal effects than other plant essential oils. Keywords: Prangos Frulacea, Ziziphora Tenuior, Ferula Gummosa, Dracocephalum Moldavica, Antifungal Agents, Candida Albican

Effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride compared with Sodium Fluoride Varnish on Oral Saliva pH in the Children with Sever-Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC)

Background & Aims:  Colorless Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) solution is effective in increasing the remineralization of hard tooth tissue, and the silver ion in it has antibacterial properties. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of Sodium Fluoride (NaF) varnish with SDF on oral saliva pH in children with premature dental caries. Materials & Methods:  In this clinical trial study, 25 children with the age group of 3-6 years old were randomly selected, and then randomly divided to two groups of receiving NaF and receiving SDF. The rate of salivary pH change in both study groups was measured and recorded before treatment (baseline time), 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes after treatment, using digital pH meter. The results were evaluated using repeated measures and independent t-test at a significance level of 0.05%. Results:  The mean salivary pH level of the SDF group in the fifth (p = 0.018), tenth (p = 0.022), and twentieth (p = 0.039) minutes after treatment was significantly higher than it in the NaF group. In the SDF group, saliva pH at 5 (p = 0.001), 10 (p <0.001), 20 (p <0.001) and 30 minutes (p = 0.002) was significantly higher than the baseline time. Conclusion:  The saliva pH of children increased significantly after using SDF compared to NaF. Due to the other positive effects of SDF in preventing caries compared to NaF, this substance is recommended for oral pH control in ECC and S-ECC treatment plans, especially in the cases where anesthesia is not possible

Clinical Findings and Dental Manifestations Associated With Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type II: A Case Report

Background: Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism type 2 (MOPD II) is a rare untreatable genetic disorder characterized by severe prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, bird-headed face (receding forehead and chin, a beaklike nose, and prominent eyes), skeletal abnormalities, abnormal dentition, abnormal hair and skin changes, high-pitched nasal voice, and an increased risk for insulin resistance and cerebrovascular disease. MOPDII is caused by mutations in the pericentrin gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. This study aims to report a MOPD II child patient.  Case Presentation: A seven-year-old girl genetically diagnosed with MOPD II has been presented in this case report. Clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings with emphasis on oral features have been reported, and her dental problems management has also been described. Conclusions: MOPD II patients have a shorter life expectancy. The main health complications which need regular care include vascular changes of the central nervous system, diabetes mellitus, renal problems, blood pressure, cardiac pathologies, and hematologic profile. MOPD II patients have a high risk of caries because they consume soft and cariogenic foods due to microdontia, oligodontia, and an incompetent masticatory system. On the other hand, dental treatment for such patients can be very challenging. MOPD II cases and their families should be aware of the importance of oral hygiene and routine dental follow-ups

Proliferative and inductive effects of Cyclosporine a on gingival fibroblast of child and adult

Background: Gingival overgrowth is a serious side-effect that accompanies the use of Cyclosporin A (CsA). Up to 97% of the transplant recipient children, who were submitted to CsA therapy, have been reported to suffer from this side-effect. Several conflicting theories have been proposed to explain the fibroblast′s function in CsA-induced gingival overgrowth. The aim of this study is to assess the proliferation of gingival fibroblasts and levels of released cytokines after being exposed to CsA, in both adults and pediatric groups, and to make a comparison between the results of the two groups. Materials and Methods: The adult fibroblast samples were derived from four healthy adults, aged 35 to 42 years and pediatric samples were obtained from four healthy children, age between four and eleven years. Tissue samples were plated in Dulbecco′s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), Streptomycin and Penicillin. The samples were cultured in 25 cm 2 plates containing 5% CO2, and incubated at 37°C. The cells used for all the experiments were at the fourth passage. The concentration of PGE 2 , IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 was determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the proliferation rate was assessed by the MTT assay. Alpha error levels were set as 0.05. Results: CsA stimulated significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TGF-β1 in adult gingival fibroblasts than it did in the control group; whereas, the expression of IL-1β and PGE 2 in the fibroblasts exposed to CsA was significantly weaker (P < 0.05). The fibroblasts in the two groups did not reveal any noticeable difference in the production of TNF-α. Furthermore, cell proliferation in the CsA group was not significantly higher than that in the control group. No significant differences in cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β were noted between the two groups. The results indicated that CsA stimulated cell proliferation in the pediatric fibroblast cell line. Comparison between the results in the adult and pediatric groups demonstrated that the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and PGE 2 were significantly higher in the pediatric group than in the adult group; however, statistics showed no significant difference in the levels of TNF-α and TGF-β1 and CsA-induced proliferation between these two groups. Conclusions: The mechanism of a CsA-induced fibroblast overgrowth may converge on the steps involving fibroblast proliferation and cytokine network including IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, TGF-β1, and PGE 2 , in both adults and pediatrics. As the prevalence and intensity of drug-induced gingival overgrowth is more serious in the pediatrics. As group than in adults, we suggest that more studies be conducted on the pediatric group

Artificial Intelligence in Adult and Pediatric Dentistry: A Narrative Review

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been recently introduced into clinical dentistry, and it has assisted professionals in analyzing medical data with unprecedented speed and an accuracy level comparable to humans. With the help of AI, meaningful information can be extracted from dental databases, especially dental radiographs, to devise machine learning (a subset of AI) models. This study focuses on models that can diagnose and assist with clinical conditions such as oral cancers, early childhood caries, deciduous teeth numbering, periodontal bone loss, cysts, peri-implantitis, osteoporosis, locating minor apical foramen, orthodontic landmark identification, temporomandibular joint disorders, and more. The aim of the authors was to outline by means of a review the state-of-the-art applications of AI technologies in several dental subfields and to discuss the efficacy of machine learning algorithms, especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs), among different types of patients, such as pediatric cases, that were neglected by previous reviews. They performed an electronic search in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Medline to locate relevant articles. They concluded that even though clinicians encounter challenges in implementing AI technologies, such as data management, limited processing capabilities, and biased outcomes, they have observed positive results, such as decreased diagnosis costs and time, as well as early cancer detection. Thus, further research and development should be considered to address the existing complications

Periodontal Status of Women Referring to Health Centers for Premarital Tests Using the Modified CPI in Zanjan in 2019 (Iran)

Background and Objectives: Periodontal disease is one of the most common oral health problems that can be prevented by health education and early diagnosis. In this regard, the present study aimed to evaluate the periodontal status in women on the verge of marriage using the modified Community Periodontal Index (CPI) in 2019 in Zanjan.   Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 201 women on the verge of marriage in Zanjan. The required data were collected through questionnaires and the clinical examination of participants. Finally, the results were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests.   Results: Based on the results, 6% of the subjects had a pocket depth of more than 3 mm, 28% of them had bleeding on probing (BOP), and 15% of them had attachment loss. Moreover, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the occupation of the participants and the pocket depth of upper and lower jaws teeth (P=0.005, P=0.019). Furthermore, BOP had a significant relationship with the occupation (P=0.02, P=0.019), level of education (P<0.001), smoking (P<0.001), alcohol use (P<0.001), and frequency of brushing (P<0.001). In addition, attachment loss had a significant relationship with smoking (P<0.001) and alcohol consumption (P<0.001).   Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that the reduction of smoking and alcohol consumption and increase of the awareness of women regarding dental care can help improve their CPI. Therefore, oral health education and increase of awareness seem to be a necessity in this regard