Median rhomboid glossitis-developmental or candidal?

A male patient aged 20 years, visited us for routine oral examination. Incidentally, a well-demarcated reddish area of depapillation, of size 6X3 cm, was found on the dorsum of tongue near the midline. It was located 1 cm anterior to the circumvallate papillae and was roughly diamond shaped. Its surface was smooth, raised and fissured; the opposing palatal mucosa was nonerythematous (kissing lesion was absent). History revealed that it was stable since childhood and was occasionally associated with burning sensation. The patient was otherwise healthy, with no history of tobacco usage or diabetes. Based on history and clinical examination, a diagnosis of “median rhomboid glossitis” was arrived. The patient was given fluconazole (50mg, 1 time/day for 14 days) to rule out candidiasis, but, the lesion did not regress. Median rhomboid glossitis is also known as “central papillary atrophy of the tongue”. It is a benign lesion that shows a marked male predilection and occurs in less than 1% of adult population. Initially, it was believed to be developmental in origin, but, during the recent years, it has been considered as a variant of candidiasis. The differential diagnosis includes erythroplakia, geographic tongue, granular cell tumor. Patients with this condition should be reassured about its harmless nature and no treatment is required for asymptomatic cases.Pan African Medical Journal 2015; 2

′Sialodiagnosing′ HIV infection: A dissected review

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing of saliva has been successfully used to detect HIV infection for surveillance and screening studies of various populations since 1986. Many articles have been published reporting the sensitivity and specificity of saliva tests to detect antibodies produced against HIV. In spite of the difference between the type of collection device and laboratory methodology, the results found the sensitivity and specificity to be very high (around 98-100% and 99.5-100%, respectively). However, there is no data available about the usage of oral fluid in screening the HIV patients in our country. This article attempts to review various studies that used saliva as a sample to diagnose HIV infection for its known advantages when compared to blood, which is the current golden standard in investigating this disease

Radiographic manifestations of teeth and jaw bones in chronic renal failure patients: A longitudinal study

Introduction: Chronic renal failure (CRF) is an important health problem worldwide with a tendency of annual progression. Renal failure could alter the balance of the stomatognathic system, thus conditioning the prevalence of oral diseases at its different stages. Researchers estimate that up to 90% of renal patients show oral manifestations and a wide range of bony anomalies accounting for 92% of the patients. Aims and Objectives: The aim and objective of this study was to evaluate radiographic manifestations in CRF patients and compare the findings between the stages of CRF. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study on fifty CRF patients was conducted. Patients were divided into three stages depending on the severity of renal failure. Orthopantomograph was taken for all the subjects. Results: The study showed that 88% of the study group had positive radiographic findings. Stage IV renal failure patients had more severe manifestations as compared to Stages II and III. Conclusion: Majority of the patients had positive radiographic findings which can be one of the diagnostic markers in CRF patients

Salivary changes in medically compromised patients: A clinical and biochemical study

Introduction: Medically compromised patients require special attention when dental procedures are performed on them. These individuals may require modified or slightly altered techniques. Aims and Objectives: The present study was taken up with two main objectives. The first one being examining and recording various oral manifestations in medically compromised patients, and the second objective was to collect samples of saliva from such patients and to analyze and establish any salivary changes in such medically compromised patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients were selected for the study. These patients were divided into four groups of 25 patients each: diabetes mellitus group, chronic renal failure group, liver cirrhosis group and control group. All the selected patients were subjected to a detailed general and intra oral examinations and the relevant data was recorded on a specially designed proforma; salivary analysis was done to know the flow rate, pH, total salivary proteins, sodium, potassium, and LDH levels. Results: From the findings, it can be inferred that salivary changes namely changes in salivary pH, salivary flow rates, salivary sodium, salivary potassium, salivary total proteins, and salivary lactate dehydrogenase are significant in medically compromised patients namely uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, cirrhosis of liver compared to the control group. Conclusion: pH of saliva was elevated in chronic renal failure patients. Salivary flow rates and sodium were decreased in diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, and cirrhosis of liver patients. There was a significant elevation of salivary potassium in chronic renal failure patients. LDH elevation was significant in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus