Interdental Brushes in Maintaining Periodontal Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), oral diseases are accepted as the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases. Oral hygiene and cleanliness is vital and essential to preserve and maintain oral health. Although periodontal diseases are controllable and preventable diseases, periodontal diseases are the most common type of oral disease. Mechanical plaque control is the key factor for not only in prevention but also in the treatment of periodontal diseases and maintenance of health. The primary factor for the development of gingivitis is poor oral hygiene which is microbial plaque formation. Achieving ideal plaque control may be obtained by toothbrushing together with interdental cleaning such as dental floss, interdental brushes (IDB), wood sticks, and waterjet devices. Evidence suggests that the most effective method for interdental plaque removal is the use of interdental brushes. In this chapter, while the importance of interdental brushes in oral hygiene is explained in detail, the types and use of interdental brushes will also be mentioned

Systemic moxifloxacin vs amoxicillin/metronidazole adjunct to non-surgical treatment in generalized aggressive periodontitis

Background: The objective of this randomized clinical study was to evaluate the effect of systemic administration of moxifloxacin compared to amoxicillin and metronidazole, combined with non-surgical treatment in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP) in a 6-month follow-up. Material and Methods: A total of 39 systemically healthy patients with GAgP were evaluated in this randomized clinical trial. Periodontal parameters were recorded at the baseline during the 1 st , 3 rd and 6 th month. Patients received either 400 mg of moxifloxacin per os once daily or 500 mg of metronidazole and 500 mg amoxicillin per os three times daily for 7 days consecutively. Results: No significant differences between groups were found in any parameters at the baseline. Both groups led to a statistically significant decrease in all clinical periodontal parameters compared to the baseline (PI, p <0.001 and GI, PD, BOP, CAL, p<0.01). There were no differences between the 1 st and 3 rd months or the 3 rd and 6 th months for clinical parameters in the groups. Also, no intergroup difference was observed in any parameters at any time, except the gingival index at 6 th months. Conclusions: Systemic administration of moxifloxacin as an adjunct to non-surgical treatment significantly improves clinical outcomes and provides comparable clinical improvement with less adverse events to that of combination of amoxicillin and metronidazole in the treatment of GAgP

Gingival Tissue Alterations in 2 Patients with Port Wine Stain

Nevus flammeus, which is also known as port-wine stain (PWS), is one of the vascular birthmarks. PWS occurs in 0.3% of the newborns in both genders. It is a capillary vascular malformation, characterized by a pink or red stain and may involve skin, soft tissue and/or bone. There are a very limited number of reports regarding intraoral involvement of PWS. We report 2 female patients with PWS from date of birth. The first patient was an 11-year-old female who applied to our clinics for the treatment of her non-aesthetic and deviated intraoral view and discoloration of her gingiva, and the second patient was a 56-year-old female who applied for the extraction of her wisdom tooth. Extraoral examination in both patients revealed a diffuse PWS on the right side of their face over the cheek, extending from the midline. While the first patient had reddish skin, gingiva on right site her both jaws and lips, the second patient had only her upper jaw and lip. Because of the first patient’ age, the treatment postponed to her 20’, and the second patient did not accept any treatment. PWS is a rare and non-fatal condition; however, the unique appearance of these patients can lead to psychological problems especially in early ages

Periodontal health and adverse pregnancy outcome in 3,576 Turkish women

PubMedID: 17970674Background: Preterm low birth weight (PLBW) is a problem encountered worldwide. The many causes of low birth weight (LBW) and premature or preterm birth (PTB) vary among developing/industrialized countries. Few studies have been published, in part because of the paucity of subjects and the ethnic heterogeneity of the populations. Our goals were to correlate maternal periodontal disease with birth outcomes in a Turkish population and evaluate maternal periodontal health. Methods: This study consisted of 3,576 Turkish women who gave birth within 24 hours of the onset of labor. The adjusted odds ratio was generated from various logistic regression models. Results: Codes from the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) were evaluated according to treatment need (TN). The TN-I rate was 24.2% (N = 866), the TN-II rate was 73.5% (N = 2,628), and the TN-III rate was 2.3% (N = 82). There were 566 (15.8%) adverse birth outcomes; the PTB with LBW rate was 4.2%; the PTB with normal birth weight (NBW) rate was 8.3%; the in term birth with LBW rate was 3.3%, and the in term birth with NBW rate was 84.2%. The overall PTB rate was 12.5% (N = 447), and the LBW rate was 7.5% (N = 269). The mean birth weight and weeks of gestation decreased as the CPITN level increased (P <0.001 for both). The LBW rate was 4.6% in the TN-I group, 8.3% in the TN-II group, and 14.6% in the TN-III group. TPTB rates were 10.5%, 12.7%, and 26.8%, respectively, whereas adverse birth outcome rates were 12.0%, 16.6%, and 30.5%, respectively (P <0.01 for all). TN-II and TN-III were independent risk factors for LBW, PTB, and abnormal births in regression analyses. Conclusion: Maternal periodontal disease may be a risk factor for an adverse pregnancy outcome