Melatonin: Implications at the oral level

The strong relationship between the pineal gland and the immune system continues to establish itself more and more. In situations of a pinealectomy or in those of inhibition of the production of melatonin, a state of immunosuppression is produced which disappears when the patient receives this hormone. Likewise, melatonin counteracts the negative effects that immunosuppressive drug treatments produce over the immunity. It is due to these facts that one postulates the possibility of utilizing melatonin in primary and secondary immunodeficiency states as well as in cancerous immunotherapy. The action of this hormone over the immune system is carried out through the T-helper lymphocytes, lymphokines and also it seems through certain pituitary hormones. On the other hand, lymphokines such as Gamma-Interferon and Interleukin-2, as well as the thymus, can modulate the synthesis of melatonin at the level of the pineal gland. Without doubt, all these actions have important consequences at the time of treatment of our high-risk dental patients who have, in one way or another, an altered immunologic system. The altered immune system has direct implications in primary oral pathologies, or in others derived directly from our dental treatment.Une relation de plus en plus précise s’établit entre la glande pinéale et le système immunitaire. Dans les cas d’une pinéalectomie ou d’une inhibition de la production de mélatonine, un état d’immunodépression apparaît et qui disparaît lorsque le patient reçoit cette hormone. Par ailleurs, la mélatonine contrecarre les effets négatifs des immunodépresseurs sur l’immunité. Il en résulte que l’on peut postuler l’utilisation de la mélatonine dans les états d’immunodéficience primaire et secondaire ainsi qu’au cours de l’immunothérapie cancéreuse. L’action de cette hormone sur le système immunitaire s’exerce au travers des lymphocytes T-helper, des lymphokines et aussi semble-t-il au travers de certaines hormones hypophysaires. De plus, des lymphokines telles que l’Interferon gamma et l’Interleukine 2, aussi bien que le thymus, peuvent moduler la synthèse de la mélatonine au niveau de la glande pinéale. Sans doute, toutes ces actions possèdent d’importantes conséquences lors du traitement en dentisterie, chez nos patients à haut risque souffrant d’une manière ou d’une autre d’une altération de leur système immunitaire.Le système immunitaire altéré exerce une implication directe dans des pathologies primitives de la bouche ou dans celles qui dérivent directement de notre traitement dentaire

Oral pathology in the Iberian Neanderthals

In 1994, a series of human bones was found at the Sidrón cave in Borines (Concejo de Piloña, Asturias), Spain. Since the investigators suspected that they were dealing with human remains from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the bones were collected by the Civil Guard, but were not subjected to archeological scrutiny. The finding was reported then to the corresponding authorities, who had them sent to the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology of the Forensic Institute of Madrid (Spain), where an anthropological study was undertaken. This revealed the extraordinary palaeoanthropological and palaeopathological interest of the remains. The specimen studied herein, a mandible catalogued as SDR 7-8 (SIDRON 7-8) by the Forensic Laboratory in Madrid (Spain) and belonging to Homo neanderthalensis, with an age of 90,000 to 40,000 years BCE, showed special characteristics of oral pathology, making it a specimen of great palaeodontological interest.Key words: Mandible, Neanderthal, oral pathology, Sidrón, Asturias