Dental erosion in alcoholic patients under addiction rehabilitation therapy

Objective: To determine the occurrence and severity of dental erosion in alcoholic patients undergoing detoxification at the North Alcoholic Regional Centre (CRAN), Porto, Portugal, and to assess socioeconomic and behavioural covariates of dental erosion occurrence. Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in one centre (CRAN) for addiction rehabilitation therapy in the north of Portugal. A sample of 1064 teeth was examined.The condition of the dental erosion was classified by means of severity and anatomic location, according to the Eccles and Jenkins dental erosion index, and a dichotomous outcome assessing the occurrence of dental erosion (severity dental erosion levels > 0 ). Dental erosion results were linked to data supplied by a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, behaviour related to alcohol and drug use, including a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and oral health promotion using logistic multivariate regression analysis. Results: Enamel and/or dentine erosion lesions were present on 49.4% of the teeth. Among these, 36.9% of occlusal surfaces presented dental erosion with a severity level of 1, 11.4% with a severity level 2 and 1.1% with a severity level 3.The highest occurrence of severity level 3 was found to exist in palatal dental surfaces (1.9%). Dental erosion on teeth surfaces was found to be independently associated with intra oral location (by arch, tooth type), patients’ socio-demographic characteristics, behaviour associated with a history of alcohol and drug abuse, and oral health promotion. Maxillary teeth, more so than mandibular teeth, presented moderate to higher severity erosion injuries (Wilcoxon test; p< 0.001); and significant differences in the severity of dental erosion were found between anterior and posterior teeth, in both the maxillary and the mandibular arches (Friedman test, p< 0.001). Conclusions:Alcohol-dependent patients undergoing a detoxification programme presented a high occurrence and a low severity of dental erosion lesions.The palatal surfaces of the anterior teeth, followed by incisive/occlusal surfaces in both anterior and posterior teeth, respectively, were most affected by erosion injurie

Coffee industrial waste as a natural source of bioactive compounds with antibacterial and antifungal activities

Coffee is one of the most popular and consumed beverages in the world, which leads to a high contents of solid residue known as spent coffee grounds (SCG). As is known, coffee beans contain several classes of health related chemicals, including phenolic compounds, melanoidins, diterpenes, xanthines and carotenoids which are associated with therapeutic and pharmaceutical effects, due to antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-infectious and antitumour activities. Considering that this coffee industrial waste has no commercial value and are currently disposed as a solid waste or employed as fertilizers, we intend to highlight the use of SCG as a raw material with potential interest to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, this work seems to be valuable to promote the use of SCG as natural and an inexpensive food supplements or pharmaceutical additive. The phytochemical compounds content among the crude aqueous extracts of SCG followed this order: phenolics > flavonoids > carotenoids (mg/ g dry waste), respectively. Caffeine content found in SCG was ~ 0.82 g/100 g dry waste, 70 % lower than coffee roasting beans. Coffee ground extracts showed inhibition to S. aureus and E. coli growth for concentrations of 1.0 mg/ mL and a stronger inhibition was also observed against C. albicans, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis growth using lower concentration (0.5 mg/ mL).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Coffee industrial waste as a natural source of bioactive compounds with antibacterial and antifungal activities

Coffee is one of the most popular and consumed beverages in the world, which leads to a high contents of solid residue known as spent coffee grounds (SCG). As is known, coffee beans contain several classes of health related chemicals, including phenolic compounds, melanoidins, diterpenes, xanthines and carotenoids which are associated with therapeutic and pharmaceutical effects, due to antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-infectious and antitumour activities. Considering that this coffee industrial waste has no commercial value and are currently disposed as a solid waste or employed as fertilizers, we intend to highlight the use of SCG as a raw material with potential interest to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, this work seems to be valuable to promote the use of SCG as natural and an inexpensive food supplements or pharmaceutical additive. The phytochemical compounds content among the crude aqueous extracts of SCG followed this order: phenolics > flavonoids > carotenoids (mg/ g dry waste), respectively. Caffeine content found in SCG was ~ 0.82 g/100 g dry waste, 70 % lower than coffee roasting beans. Coffee ground extracts showed inhibition to S. aureus and E. coli growth for concentrations of 1.0 mg/ mL and a stronger inhibition was also observed against C. albicans, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis growth using lower concentration (0.5 mg/ mL).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Natural resources with sweetener power: phytochemistry and antioxidant characterisation of Stevia Rebaudiana (Bert.), sensorial and centesimal analyses of lemon cake recipes with S. Rebaudiana incorporation

Stevia rebaudiana leaf extracts are calorie-free sweeteners of natural origin, derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant known as a natural sweetener, which contains steviol glycosides and others bioactive compounds recognized by their biological properties. The present study was designed to evaluate the total phenolics (26.0 mg gallic acid/g) and total flavonoids contents (9.7 mg catechin/g) of a hydroalcoholic extract of Stevia rebaudiana dried leaves. A similar hydroalcoholic extract of commercial powder steviol sweetener was also evaluated, showing lower contents of bioactive compounds (11.9 mg/g and 5.1 mg/g, for total phenolics and flavonoids, respectively). The hydroalcoholic extract of dried Stevia rebaudiana leaves also showed high in vitro antioxidant activity, besides a positive correlation between total phenolic compounds and the DPPH and FRAP assays. Moreover, Stevia rebaudiana leaves have sensory and functional properties superior to those of many other high-potency sweeteners and is likely to become a major source of natural sweetener for the growing food market. Thus, four different lemon cakes formulations were studied (a traditional cake control recipe with sugar, two cakes with incorporation of Stevia rebaudiana fresh leaf and a cake with commercial powder steviol), using a sensory analysis covering 100 untrained consumers. Centesimal composition analyses of the four lemon cakes showed significant differences in fat, ashes, proteins and carbohydrates contents (p<0.05). Also, the raised energy value observed for the cake control was superior to the cake with Stevia rebaudiana leaves incorporation (309.8 Kcal/100 g, 268.0 Kcal/100 g,142 respectively). Sensorial analysis results showed that Stevia rebaudiana leaves were accepted and, in the future, they can be a natural option to replace some or all the saccharose in cakes formulations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Natural resources with sweetener power: phytochemistry and antioxidant characterisation of Stevia Rebaudiana (Bert.), sensorial and centesimal analyses of lemon cake recipes with S. Rebaudiana incorporation.

Stevia rebaudiana leaf extracts are calorie-free sweeteners of natural origin, derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant known as a natural sweetener, which contains steviol glycosides and others bioactive compounds recognized by their biological properties. The present study was designed to evaluate the total phenolics (26.0 mg gallic acid/g) and total flavonoids contents (9.7 mg catechin/g) of a hydroalcoholic extract of Stevia rebaudiana dried leaves. A similar hydroalcoholic extract of commercial powder steviol sweetener was also evaluated, showing lower contents of bioactive compounds (11.9 mg/g and 5.1 mg/g, for total phenolics and flavonoids, respectively). The hydroalcoholic extract of dried Stevia rebaudiana leaves also showed high in vitro antioxidant activity, besides a positive correlation between total phenolic compounds and the DPPH and FRAP assays. Moreover, Stevia rebaudiana leaves have sensory and functional properties superior to those of many other high-potency sweeteners and is likely to become a major source of natural sweetener for the growing food market. Thus, four different lemon cakes formulations were studied (a traditional cake control recipe with sugar, two cakes with incorporation of Stevia rebaudiana fresh leaf and a cake with commercial powder steviol), using a sensory analysis covering 100 untrained consumers. Centesimal composition analyses of the four lemon cakes showed significant differences in fat, ashes, proteins and carbohydrates contents (p<0.05). Also, the raised energy value observed for the cake control was superior to the cake with Stevia rebaudiana leaves incorporation (309.8 Kcal/100 g, 268.0 Kcal/100 g,142 respectively). Sensorial analysis results showed that Stevia rebaudiana leaves were accepted and, in the future, they can be a natural option to replace some or all the saccharose in cakes formulations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microorganisms: the reason to perform endodontics

That we perform Endodontics because there are microorganisms is now beyond doubt. Nevertheless, not only the microorganisms, but also the host response have a profound effect on the progression of the disease. Many papers confirmed the polymicrobial nature of pulpal and periapical diseases of endodontic origin and the efficiency of the chemo-mechanical procedures based on physical and chemical elimination of their etiologic factors, whose principles were first presented as far as 1928 by Hall. Since not only bacterial load may be related to the clinical outcome, but also the bacterial composition of the microbiological canal ecosystem, we aimed at the enumeration of the microorganisms present in the different types of endodontic infections. Although the emerging picture is clearly a complex one, not allowing clear-cut association of bacteria and clinical situation, only the further pursuit of elucidation of the many factors involved (including geographical variability) will ultimately lead to rational treatment solutions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effectiveness of two intracanal dressings in adult portuguese patients: a qPCR and anaerobic culture assessment

Aim: To quantify bacterial equivalents before and after chemomechanical preparation using 3% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and intracanal dressing with calcium hydroxide paste (Ca(OH)2 ) or 2% Chlorhexidine digluconate gel (CHX) in necrotic pulps associated or not with apical periodontitis and to further compare this quantification with counts of anaerobic microorganisms. Methodology: Prospective clinical trial in 69 single-rooted adult teeth (strict inclusion criteria); CHX group: 34; Ca(OH)2 group: 35. Bacteria samples were taken at baseline (S1), after chemomechanical preparation (S2) and after 14 days of intracanal dressing (S3). Bacterial equivalents were assessed by broad-range real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and live viable bacteria measured with conventional anaerobic culture (CFU/mL). Descriptive/inferential analysis was performed with spss vs. 20.0 (α = 0.05) using the Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and chi-squared tests and Spearman's correlation coefficients. Results: Both groups showed a significant decrease between S1 and S2 (Mann-Whitney U-test; P < 0.001) both in qPCR and in culture. In the Ca(OH)2 -group, no variation was observed between S2 and S3 by qPCR and culture. In contrast, the CHX group showed a significant increase from S2 to S3 by both techniques. The two groups were only significantly different in S3 (Mann-Whitney U-test; P ≤ 0.001), with a worse performance in the CHX group. Again, these results were congruent by both approaches. Data from both approaches correlate reasonably (rS < 0.5). Conclusions: Infected root canals contained a high bacterial load, and the chemomechanical root canal preparation reduced bacterial equivalents by 99.1% and anaerobic counts by 98.5%. Intracanal dressings were not efficient at reducing bacterial load, but the 14-day intracanal dressing with Ca(OH)2 performed significantly better than CHX, particularly in cases with apical periodontitis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New Instrument for Oral Hygiene of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have several oral alterations that make the removal of bacterial plaque in the cleft area difficult, which is the main cause of the high incidence of oral health problems. The aim of this study is to develop a toothbrush especially designed to perform the hygiene of the cleft area. This device, called Cleft Toothbrush, is an add-on to a conventional toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas that are not accessible by using conventional brush shapes. The design was made in SOLIDWORKS®(Waltham, MA, USA) 3D and a sample of this device was produced by CURAPROX (Kriens, Switzerland). The efficacy of the Cleft Toothbrush was tested in a preliminary study performed in a four years old child with CLP, compared to that of a conventional toothbrush. A significantly higher reduction of the bacterial plaque was achieved with the Cleft Toothbrush. The child’s parents also felt more confident with this device, as it deals better with sensitive areas, as it did not hurt the child. This innovative toothbrush adapter appears to greatly improve the cleaning areas of high bacterial plaque retention in patients with CLP, together with excellent acceptance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of yeast and non-pigmented cultivable endodontic bacteria in adult portuguese patients

Introduction This study has focused on the identification of the yeasts and non-pigmented bacteria present on adult patients with necrosis or apical periodontitis and the ones who resisted chemomechanical preparation and intracanal dressing with calcium hydroxide paste (Ca(OH)2) or 2% chlorohexidine digluconate gel (CHX). Methods 69 single-rooted teeth of adult patients with necrosis associated or not with apical periodontitis were selected (strict inclusion criteria); CHX group: 34 teeth; Ca(OH)2 group: 35 teeth. Bacteria samples were taken at baseline (S1), after chemo-mechanical preparation (S2) and after 14 days of intracanal dressing (S3). Bacteria and fungal presence was evaluate by means of culture in three atmospheres (aerobic, anaerobic, microaerofilic) in appropriate culture broads. Strict techniques were used for serial dilution, plating, incubation and identification. Results The most represented, abundant and prevalent strains of non-pigmented bacteria were Propionibacterium acnes (detected in S1, S2 and S3), Gemella morbillorum and Clostridium difficile. Candida albicans was found in 9 patients. The higher number of isolates proceeded from S1, being S2 the moment with lowest number of isolates. CHX had a worst performance in disinfection of the root canal system; consequently the number of isolates from S3 samples was bigger compared to Ca(OH)2. The number of identified bacterial species per canal/moment of sampling, varied from zero till 5, including yeasts (Candida albicans). Conclusions: Our findings confirm that the microbiota from primary endodontic infections is polymicrobial, and the anaerobes Gram-positive non-pigmented bacteria are well represented. CHX performed worse, consequently the number of isolates from S3 samples was bigger when compared to Ca(OH)2 as well as with diagnosis of necrosis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio