Prevalence of Most Common Tongue Lesions Related to Degenerative Diseases in the Elderly

Population aged 60 years old and above are growing in number. The increase was due to the increasing life expectancy in Indonesia; a fact that will have an impact on general and oral health in the future. Tongue lesions are related to degenerative diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and heart disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of tongue lesions related to degenerative diseases in the elderly at Ketabang Public Health Center, Surabaya City, East Java. This is an observational descriptive study with a cross-sectional design. Intraoral soft tissue examination was performed by the general dentist and oral medicine specialist in elderly patients coming to Ketabang Public Health Center between January and March 2020. During this period, there were 85 elderly patients with degenerative diseases and prevalence of tongue lesions, namely fissured tongue (77.6%), coated tongue (67.1%), crenated tongue (32.9%), atrophic glossitis (29.4%), lingual varices (12.9%), and oral melanotic macule (1.1%). Fissured tongue is the most common tongue lesion found in 77% elderly patients with degenerative diseases. Fissured tongue often develops with age and in patients with hyposalivation related to diabetes mellitus and anti-hypertension drugs. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2021; 14(4): 1569-1572) Keywords: Oral medicine, geriatric dentistry, tongue, mouth diseases, human and health. Received date: 01 July 2021 Accept date: 26 October 202

DAYA HAMBAT EKSTRAK PROPOLIS TERHADAP AKTIVITAS ENZIM GLUKOSILTRANSFERASE (GTF) Streptococcus mutans

Karies saat ini masih menjadi masalah global termasuk di Indonesia, dengan prevalensi yang tinggi menurut Riskesdas dan WHO. Karies terutama disebabkan oleh Streptococcus mutans yang memiliki enzim glukosiltransferase (GTF) sebagai faktor virulensi. Enzim GTF berperan dalam patogenesa karies dengan mengubah sukrosa menjadi fruktosa dan glukan, yang digunakan dalam pembentukan biofilm dan dental plak. Penghambatan pada aktivitas enzim GTF dapat dilakukan dengan bahan alami propolis yang mengandung flavonoid, terpenoid, saponin, dan tanin. Tujuan: Menjelaskan daya hambat ekstrak propolis terhadap aktivitas enzim glukosiltransferase bakteri Streptococcus mutans. Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan ekstrak propolis 14 μg/mL, 16 μg/mL, 18 μg/mL sebagai perlakuan, dan aquades sebagai kontrol. Enzim GTF diperoleh dari supernatan hasil sentrifugasi S. mutans dalam BHIB. Aktivitas enzim GTF diukur melalui penghitungan kadar fruktosa menggunakan High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) dan rumus tertentu. Hasil: Terdapat penurunan kadar fruktosa yang berbanding terbalik dengan peningkatan konsentrasi ekstrak propolis. Hasil analisis data dengan One Way ANOVA dan Post-Hoc Tukey HSD menunjukkan perbedaan bermakna antar kelompok perlakuan. Kesimpulan: Konsentrasi ekstrak propolis 14 μg/mL efektif menghambat aktivitas enzim GTF S. mutans

The Impact of Community Empowerment Programs on Oral Health Education for Knowledge Improvement in the Elderly

Objective This study aims to assess whether community empowerment as a health promotion program can improve the knowledge of the elderly and develop selfawareness about their oral health. The elderly population has increased in number and needs special attention, especially regarding the improvement of hygiene and health. Community empowerment is a type of health promotion program that can take the form of counseling and providing knowledge about oral health to the elderly. Materials and Methods Participants are elderly aged 60 years or older. Counseling was done by oral medicine specialists and residents to provide knowledge about oral health problems. Assessment of knowledge improvement was done using pretest and posttest in a written questionnaire. Statistical Analysis The Shapiro–Wilk test followed by the Wilcoxon test was used to compare the difference before and after counseling. Results From a total of 38 elderly included in this study, 29 (76.32%) showed an improved score in posttest compared with pretest. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores of study participants (p < 0.005). Conclusion Counseling in empowerment programs can help the elderly improve their knowledge about oral health, so that improvements can be expected to be followed by the development of self-awareness in the future

Prevalence of Oral Normal Variance in Healthy Elderly Patients: A Descriptive Study on Oral Pseudo-Lesions

Introduction The aging process in the elderly can change the condition of the oral cavity, regarding both clinical appearance and function. The oral mucosa becomes more susceptible to mechanical damage and irritant agents. Any changes in the oral mucosa, including normal variance, should be examined. This is especially true for the elderly, to improve oral health and prevent any abnormalities. Objective To describe the prevalence of oral normal variance in healthy elderly patients. Methods An observational descriptive study with a cross-sectional design with total sampling conducted from March to April 2020. Results Among the 117 elderly patients who participated in this study, 58 were described as healthy without any comorbidities. From those subjects, there were 117 cases of normal variance in the oral mucosa. The three most prevalent issues were fissured tongue (93.1%), coated tongue (58.62%), and crenated tongue (27.59%). Conclusion Fissured tongue is a normal variance of the oral mucosa that is commonly found in healthy elderly patients

Malondialdehyde Level and Tissue Apoptosis Count as an Early-Detection Marker of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders

Objectives The malondialdehyde (MDA) level and TA count represent the progression of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) to malignancy and thus may be used as an indicator of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). This study aimed to determine the MDA level and tissue apoptosis (TA) count in oropharyngeal tissue of Wistar rats exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke. Materials and Methods Wistar rats were divided into three groups: T4 group (4-week cigarette smoke exposure), T8 group (8-week cigarette smoke exposure), and control group, which was not exposed to cigarette smoke. The oropharyngeal tissue of the rats from each group was examined histopathologically to count the number of apoptotic cells, and then the blood serum was made to measure the MDA level. Statistical Analysis Bonferroni test was performed to see the differences in each group for MDA level. While the data from tissue apoptosis were analyzed using MannWhitney U test for the significance. All data were considered significant if p < 0.05. Results The MDA level and TA count increased as the duration of cigarette smoke exposure increased. In the T8 group, the MDA level and TA count were significantly higher compared with the T4 and control groups with a p-value < 0.05. Conclusions Exposure to sidestream cigarette smoke increased the TA count and MDA level in the oropharyngeal tissue of Wistar rats. The TA count and MDA level may be used as markers of OPMD