Comparison of implant versus tooth-supported zirconia-based single crowns in a split-mouth design: A 4-year clinical follow-up study

WOS: 000388957000017PubMed ID: 26924133This study aims to evaluate the 4-year clinical performance of tooth versus implant-supported single-unit zirconia crowns (LAVA (TM)) placed on posterior region. Twenty-four patients (10 men and 14 women) who had received 48 single crowns (24 implant-supported and 24 tooth-supported) from January 2007 to December 2009, were included. California Dental Association (CDA) quality assessment system, plaque and gingival index scores were used to evaluate the performance of the crowns at baseline and at all follow-up examinations. During the follow-up period, no fracture of zirconia coping has occurred. Major complication was chipping in three patients that required a new crown fabrication. Except for the failure ones, all crowns in both groups were rated as satisfactory at the follow-up examinations based on the CDA quality assessment criteria. There were no statistically significant differences between tooth and implant-supported crowns in terms of periodontal parameters. The present 4-year follow-up clinical study demonstrates that single-unit tooth- and implant-supported zirconia crowns have similar prosthetic and periodontal outcomes. Single-unit implant or tooth-supported zirconia crowns may be considered acceptable treatment modalities for restoration of either missing or compromised posterior teeth

Salivary antimicrobial peptides in early detection of periodontitis

In the pathogenesis of periodontitis, an infection induced inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting tissues, there is a complex interaction between the subgingival microbiota and host tissues. A periodontal diagnostic tool for detecting the initiation and progression of the disease, monitoring the response to therapy, or measuring the degree of susceptibility to future disease progression has been of interest for a long time. The value of various enzymes, proteins, and immunoglobulins, which are abundant constituents of saliva, as potential biomarkers has been recognized and extensively investigated for periodontal diseases. Gingival defensins and cathelicidins are small cationic antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in innate immune response. However, their applicability as salivary biomarkers is still under debate. The present review focuses on proteomic biomarkers and antimicrobial peptides, in particular, to be used at early phases of periodontitis

Treatment of gingival recession: Comparison of two techniques of subepithelial connective tissue graft

Background: The increasing interest in esthetics and the subsequent need to solve related problems such as hypersensitivity and root caries have favored the development of many surgical procedures that permit the coverage of exposed roots. This clinical study was conducted to examine the coverage of gingival recession defects, where two different subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) techniques (Langer and Langer and modified tunnel) were used

Vertical and horizontal dimensional evaluation of free gingival grafts in the anterior mandible: a case report series

The shrinkage of free gingival grafts ( FGGs) is a well-known clinical phenomenon but there are limited studies demonstrating the dimensional changes during healing in FGGs. The aim of the study is to examine the shrinkage of FGG in both horizontal and vertical dimensions and calculate the changes in the surface area of the graft at early and delayed periods of healing. The FGG procedure was applied to 15 consecutive patients in their mandibular anterior area. The graft sizes and areas were measured and the shrinkage of the graft was calculated at baseline and days 10, 21 and 180. Hemorrhage, sense alteration and pain symptoms were also examined. Change in the horizontal direction was not statistically significant during the whole study period ( p> 0.05). However, there was a statistically significant reduction in the vertical direction in all visits, except day 10 ( p< 0.05). Calculated graft area was also significantly reduced during the study period at all time-points compared to the baseline ( p< 0.001). At day 10, 4 (26.7%) recipient sites and 5 (33%) donor sites demonstrated paresthesia. Only one ( 0.07%) recipient site demonstrated paresthesia at day 21 where the donor site resulted with an uneventful healing. At day 10, 5 ( 33%) patients demonstrated bleeding at their donor regions and resulted with a complete cessation of bleeding at day 21. Pain symptom was found in 8 (53.3%) recipient sites where 3 (20%) donor regions presented pain symptom at day 10. Graft shrinkage in the vertical dimension seems to affect the clinical outcomes of the FGG procedure. However, the influence of horizontal graft shrinkage was minimal