Response of the periapical tissue of dogs' teeth to the action of citric acid and EDTA

The purpose of this study was to analyze the inflammatory response of dog's periapical tissues to 17% trisodium EDTA salt (pH 8.0) and 1% citric acid (pH 2.0). Saline was used as a control. Six adult dogs were used as the biological model of the study. The experimental units comprised 56 roots of mandibular molars (first and second) and premolars (first, second and third). After coronal opening, pulpectomy and root canal instrumentation were performed using the above-mentioned irrigating solutions. After 24 and 48 hours, the animals were euthanized and the teeth and their supporting tissues were removed and histologically processed. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and analyzed histopathologically with a light microscope at x100 magnification. The histological analysis focused on the occurrence of acute inflammatory response. The presence of swelling, vasodilatation and inflammatory cells were evaluated and the degree of inflammation was determined for each case. Data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test using the SPSS software with a confidence interval of 95% (

Diclofenac in hyaluronic acid gel: an alternative treatment for actinic cheilitis

OBJECTIVE: Actinic cheilitis (AC) is a precancerous lesion of the lip vermillion caused by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 3% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronic acid gel in the treatment of AC. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with chronic AC were treated twice a day with topical diclofenac during a period of 30 to 180 days. The individuals were followed up every 15 days by means of clinical examination and digital photographic documentation. RESULTS: Of the 27 patients that completed the study, 12 (44%) showed complete remission of the whitish plaques and exfoliative areas, and 15 (56%) had partial remission of the clinical picture of cheilitis. The latter group was submitted to excision of the leukoplakic areas which diagnosis varied from mild to moderate epithelial dysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a promising role for diclofenac in hyaluronic acid gel in the treatment of AC. This treatment has the advantages of not being invasive and showing few side effects

A survey of oral and maxillofacial biopsies in children: a single-center retrospective study of 20 years in Pelotas-Brazil

Despite the large number of published cases about oral and maxillofacial pediatric lesions, the literature is scarce on epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence of these entities. This study retrieved oral and maxillofacial pediatric lesions from the Center of Diagnosis of Oral Diseases (CDDB) at the Dental School of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL), comprising a 20-year period (1983-2002). From the total of 9,465 biopsies received in this period, 625 (6.6%) were from children aged 0 to 14 years. Regardless of the histopathological diagnosis, patient data referring to lesion location, sex and age were collected. Diagnoses were grouped in 13 categories. As much as 89% of the cases occurred in patients aged 7 to 14 years (53% in females and 47% in males). Mucocele (17.2%) was the most common type of lesion, followed by dentigerous cyst (8.6%). In the category of odontogenic tumors, odontoma was the most frequent lesion (64.2%). Malignant lesions were observed in a small section of the sample (1.2%). Generally, the results of the present study are in line with those reported in the literature concerning the most prevalent lesions in the pediatric population. Most lesions were benign, and malignant lesions were diagnosed in a very small part of the sample