Salivary coagulopathy and immunoglobulins in oral submucous fibrosis

Aim : The etiopathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis is still obscure. Immunological disorders have been associated with it and as the disease produces changes localized to the oral cavity, it is assumed that saliva may play an important role in the etiopathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to detect salivary coagulopathy, immunologic alterations and their comparison in oral submucous fibrosis patients and controls. Materials and Methods : Salivary coagulopathy procedures and quantitative estimations of serum immunoglobulins were carried out by serial radial immunodiffusion method in 60 oral submucous fibrosis patients and equal age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The obtained data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests. Results : The results indicated the presence of a precipitating factor in saliva responsible for salivary coagulopathy, dependent upon the severity of the disease and not on age, sex or duration of the disease. As compared to the controls, serum IgG and IgA, but not IgM levels were raised significantly among patients. IgG levels were increased in all the grades, while IgA levels were increased in Grade II and Grade III cases only. IgM levels in Grade II and Grade III cases showed no significant alterations, however, were reduced in Grade I cases. The serum immunoglobulin levels showed no correlation with the duration of the disease. Conclusion : Alteration in saliva and immunity do indicate an immunological basis in the etiopathogenesis of this complex clinical entity

Lycopene in the management of oral lichen planus: A placebo-controlled study

Context: Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of lichen planus, and a lower level of lycopene has been reported in erosive and atrophic oral lichen planus (OLP) patients. However, its efficacy in the management of OLP has not been reported. Aim: This study was designed to assess the efficacy of systemic lycopene in the management of OLP. Settings and Design: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was done in the Oral Medicine Department of a postgraduate teaching dental hospital in India. Materials and Methods: Thirty symptomatic OLP patients, randomly divided into two groups of 15 each, were administered lycopene 8 mg/day and an identical placebo, respectively, for 8 consecutive weeks. Burning sensation using visual analogue scale and overall treatment response using Tel Aviv-San Francisco scale were recorded at every visit. The data obtained were analyzed statistically using Wilcoxon Rank test, Mann-Whitney and Fischer′s Exact test. Results: A higher (84%) reduction in burning sensation was seen in lycopene than in the placebo group (67%). All 15 (100%) patients in the lycopene group showed 50% or more benefit and 11 (73.3%) patients showed 70-100% benefit, while this number was only 10 and 4 (26.7%), respectively, in the placebo group. Conclusion: Lycopene was very effective in the management of OLP, and oxidative stress may have a role in disease pathogenesis

Rapid Detection of HIV-1 and 2 Antibodies by using Oral Fluid: A Multicentric Pilot Study in India

Introduction- Detection of HIV antibodies is done by the standard blood tests. Rapid tests provide results in few minutes. The OraQuick rapid HIV12 antibody test using oral fluid has not been tried in resource-limited settings in India. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the OraQuick test kit using oral fluid for HIV antibody detection in patients attending the dental hospitals. Materials and methods: This multicentric pilot study was administered on 134 consenting subjects- Seventy subjects were randomly screened at Visakhapatnam and 64 at Davangere, by OraQuick test using oral fluid and other standard HIV screening tests. The subjects and the test administrators were enquired regarding the convenience of the oral fluid test and blood tests. The results were compared and conclusions were drawn. Results: Seventy subjects were positive with both oral fluid and blood tests. Sixty-four subjects were negative with both the tests demonstrating 100% sensitivity and specificity. The oral fluid test was well accepted by all patients and test administrators. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the OraQuick test using oral fluid was found to be highly accurate, noninvasive screening test which ran be easily used in dental hospital