Periodontal status among adult cigarette smokers using Miswak (Salvadora persica) for oral hygiene: A crosssectional study from Asir Region of Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To compare the periodontal status of exclusive users of Miswak (Salvadora persica) with that of exclusive toothbrush users among adult smokers of cigarettes in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This educational-institutional study included one hundred and fifty adult patients (age and socioeconomic status matched, SES) between the ages of 18 and 75, and were listed as the group I, II, and III, with 50 participants each (participants with no oral hygiene, toothbrush users and miswak users respectively). Oral hygiene habits, the number of cigarettes smoked, and time since the habit began. Periodontal and radiographic parameters were reported.Results: All parameters related to periodontium (plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), gingival recession (Rec), clinical attachment level (CAL) and bone loss (BL)) showed that the analysed groups exhibited differences (p < 0.001). Least amount of BL (anterior and posterior) was found in toothbrush users and Miswak users, while least amount of attachment loss (both anterior and posterior) was recorded among Miswak users (p > 0.05). Positive association was found for GI (r = 0.753) and recession (r = 0.436, p < 0.001) in terms of the number of cigarettes smoked in group I, and anterior PPD (r = 0.388, p < 0.001) in group III for the duration of smoking. A negative correlation was found for BOP in group III (r = - 0.339, p < 0.05) in terms of frequency of tooth cleaning and GI (r = - 0.381) (p < 0.001) in group II, in terms of time taken attain oral hygiene.Conclusion: This study indicates less severe periodontal damage among adult current cigarette smokers in miswak users than in toothbrush users. Thus, there some potentials for miswak use for promotion of oral hygiene. Keywords: Periodontal status, Adult cigarette smokers, Miswak, Oral hygien

Knowledge and Interest in Treating Gingival Recession among Dental Practitioners in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Gingival recession is an enigma among clinicians due to multiple etiological factors and various treatment modalities. AIM: Objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and interest among dental practitioners regarding the treatment of gingival recession. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was conducted to assess knowledge of gingival recession and interest and satisfaction of dental practitioners in periodontics. This survey was circulated among 250 dental practitioners throughout four months. The structured questionnaire consisted of 9 questions assessing the knowledge and interest of dental practitioners in periodontics; gingival recession per se. RESULTS: Majority of the participants were general dentists. Among them, 46.23% had a habit of reading dental journals. Most of the participants had an opinion that improper tooth brushing (42.71%) is an important cause of the gingival recession. Only 34.17% had information about Miller's classification of gingival recession. Regarding general indication of root coverage procedures, 28.64% answered aesthetics was the most common indication. 39.7% mentioned that traumatic occlusion was a risk factor for gingival recession. A group of 29.65% mentioned that accidental toothbrush trauma leads to gingival recession. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of gingival recession among the study participants was adequate. More specifically, the interest of participants in periodontics was 5.39 and satisfaction in treating periodontal cases was 5.47

Periodontal Treatment Practice and Referral Profile of General Dentists – A Cross-sectional Questionnaire Survey

BACKGROUND: Because of medical advancement, the mean age of the general population is increasing gradually. This increase in the mean age of patients has led to its implications on oral health. Hence, it is logical to assume an increase in the figure of referrals to specialists and the complexity of treatments provided. AIM: The aim of the survey was to assess the current status of periodontal treatment provided, awareness of referral profile, and criteria taken into consideration for the referral to the periodontist by general dentists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 318 general dentists. The relevant work related to the status of periodontal procedures provided by dentists and their referral relationships were studied. The questionnaire consisting of six questions was designed. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and measures of central tendency and Chi-square test, were used. RESULTS: The study showed that majority of the general dentists do non-surgical procedures by their own. However, around 85% of respondents did not provide surgical periodontal treatment by themselves. About 25% of the responding general dentists thought that they had inadequate education and experience in the field of periodontics which was a major reason for the referral to specialists. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the general dentists are comfortable in carrying out the non-surgical procedures, but they had some reservations about the periodontal surgical procedures. Inadequate experience and facilities were the major reasons for the referral to periodontists. More of this type of study should be conducted to know the basic level of periodontal practices carried out among the general dentists and about the referral to the specialists

The Antioxidant Activity of New Coumarin Derivatives

The antioxidant activity of two synthesized coumarins namely, N-(4,7-dioxo-2- phenyl-1,3-oxazepin-3(2H,4H,7H)-yl)-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetamide 5 and N-(4-oxo-2-phenylthiazolidin-3-yl)-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetamide 6 were studied with the DPPH, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide radical methods and compared with the known antioxidant ascorbic acid. Compounds 5 and 6 were synthesized in a good yield from the addition reaction of maleic anhydride or mercaptoacetic acid to compound 4, namely N′-benzylidene-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetohydrazide. Compound 4 was synthesized by the condensation of compound 3, namely 2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy) acetohydrazide, with benzaldehyde. Compound 3, however, was synthesized from the addition of hydrazine to compound 2, namely ethyl 2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetate, which was synthesized from the reaction of ethyl bromoacetate with 4-hydroxycoumarin 1. Structures for the synthesized coumarins 2–6 are proposed on the basis of spectroscopic evidence

Faktor-faktor utama yang mempengaruhi dalam membuat keputusan peruntukan pelaburan harta tanah dari perspektif pelabur. (Kes kajian : syarikat harta tanah di Malaysia)

Property investment activities in developers and investments companies such as I&P, HLPB, Bolton, SP Setia, Mui Properties, Kejora Harta, Talam Corporation and Mutiara Goodyear be able to diversify the investment portfolio and increase their income in long term. However, the allocation of real estate investment activities is always exchange because of the some important factors. The study has two objectives which are 1) to determine the activities of the investor and developers companies in Malaysia 2) to determine the important factors that influence in order to developed an optimal asset allocation model from the investors perspectives. This study was undertaken in real estate development and investment. The questioners have been distributed to the respective respondents in real estate developers and investment. The methods of frequency and descriptive analysis have been used to analysis the data. The study has disclosed a number of important findings. First, many of the developers companies in Malaysia were involved in development activities. They involved to developed residential and office building. Second, give good return is the most important factors that influence in order to develop an optimal asset allocation model from the investor’s perspectives. The study also recommended the strategic planning in order to allocate an optimal asset allocation companie

Pemphigus vulgaris presenting as gingival involvement

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disease affecting the mucous membrane and skin. Typically, oral lesions appear before skin lesions, and in a majority of the cases only oral lesions are present. The dentist may then be the first to recognize and diagnose this disease. It is unusual for PV to present over the gingiva as a primary site of involvement. Diagnosis is based on clinical presentation and confirmed by histopathological study. Early diagnosis and management can prevent the uneven life- threatening effects of this potentially chronic mucocutaneous disorder. The case serves to enhance our awareness of the gingiva as a site at which systemic disease can manifest itself

Periodontal disease as the initial oral manifestation of abdominal tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a chronic, specific granulomatous disease and a major cause of death in developing countries. We report a case of tuberculosis presenting first as periodontal loss of tooth support leading to loose teeth and gingival enlargement affecting a 17-year-old female patient without any pulmonary lesion. Diagnosis was based on histopathological examination and positive adenosine deaminase activity Mycobacterium tuberculosis test. The clinical presentation of tuberculosis may take many forms. However, with the decline in numbers, tuberculosis lesions of the oral cavity have become so rare that they are frequently overlooked in the differential diagnosis of oral lesions. Also, this case report emphasizes the need for dental clinicians to be aware of the possibility of tuberculosis presenting first in the oral cavity, and contribute in control of tuberculosis through early detection and referring the patients to physicians for proper treatment

Prevalence of self-reported medical conditions among dental patients

Background: In general, it is important to assess the medical history of patients before initiating any treatment. In particular, patients seeking dental treatment could possibly have significant medical conditions that may affect the diagnosis and/or alter the treatment provided. However, many dentists assume that their patients are systemically healthy, and thus they do not record the medical history of their patients. Aim and Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of medical conditions in patients seeking periodontal treatment at the dental teaching hospital of King Khalid University. Materials and Methods: Upon presentation at the periodontal clinics of the dental teaching hospital of King Khalid University, Asir Region, Saudi Arabia, patients' history from medical records was screened. Results: The medical history was taken for 455 periodontal patients. The most frequently encountered medical conditions were diabetes mellitus and hormonal disorders, followed by respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusion: The results of our study found a high prevalence of medical conditions among patients seeking periodontal treatment, thereby highlighting the need to record patients' medical and dental care history in detail

Spectrophotometric Analysis of Dental Enamel Staining to Antiseptic and Dietary Agents: In Vitro Study

Background/Objectives. Use of antiseptics as an adjunct to a traditional mechanical tooth brushing method has limited their application for long duration because of their side effects such as staining and calculus formation. The objective of this in vitro study is to analyse the staining effects of antiseptic mouthwashes on dental enamel and compare it with those containing nanoparticles, dietary agents, and distilled water (control). Material and Methods. 105 intact premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons and without any caries or anatomical defects were selected for analysis. The samples were randomly divided into 7 different groups of fifteen teeth each for different solutions. A spectrophotometer was used to assess the colorimeter analysis of buccal dental enamel surface at R1 (baseline examination), R2 (24 hours after immersion in different solutions), and R3 (after brushing). Statistical analysis was done using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and Levene’s test (p<0.05), respectively. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the difference in color (∆E) between the readings, R1, R2, and R3. Results. The mouthwash containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles produced the greater enamel discoloration compared to that of chlorhexidine. Brushing had little effect on removal of stains induced by all mouthwashes except for dietary solutions (lemon with sodium bicarbonate and olive with laurel) and distilled water (control). Conclusion. The results from this study show that mouthwashes containing TiO2 nanoparticles and other antiseptic mouthwashes cause change in color of the teeth and lead to poor esthetic appearance when compared to dietary and control solutions. Thus, future in vivo studies have to be conducted to confirm these findings as in vitro studies may not provide a reliable simulation of the clinical situations

Design, synthesis, antimicrobial activity and anticancer screening of some new 1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones derivatives

A series of new thiazolidin-4-ones have been synthesized by the reaction of 3-acetylindole with thiourea to yield 2-amino-arylthiazole (1) which, reacted with 2-chloroacetyl chloride to produce 2-chloroacetamido-4-arylthiazoles (2). The later was treated with potassium thiocyanate to afford the related 2-amino-3-(4-arylthiazol-2-yl) thiazolidin-4-ones (3). Condensation of compounds 1 and 3 with different aromatic aldehydes give Schiff’s bases (4a-c) and (5a-c) reaction of compound 5a-c with thioglycollic acids furnishes the target thiazolidin-4-one molecules (6a-c). Further, condensation of compound 6a with benzaldehyde affords benzylidenethiazolo derivative (7) which on refluxing with malononitrile, acetylacetone afforded thiazolopyridine derivatives (8,9). Structure elucidation of the products has been accomplished on the basis of elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR data. Compound 3exhibited the most potent antibacterial and anticancer activity