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Objectives The objective of this study is to evaluate the importance of human lactoferrin ( hLF) in an experimental caries induced by Streptococcus mutans in a lactoferrin-knockout ( LFKO−/−) mouse model compared with C576J/ BL wild-type ( WT) mice. Materials and Methods The WT and LFKO−/− mice were infected with S. mutans (1 × 108 cells) and/or sham infection. Furthermore, the effect of hLF administration was evaluated in LFKO−/− mice infected with S. mutans. Mice were assessed for colonization, salivary pH, and caries development. Results The results showed that the lactoferrin-knockout infected ( LFKO−/−I) mice had significantly higher colonization with S. mutans ( P = 0.02), lower salivary pH ( P = 0.01), and more carious lesions ( P = 0.01) when compared to wild-type infected ( WTI) mice. In addition, the administration of hLF did not show any evidence of S. mutans colonization as well as carious lesions ( P = 0.001) in LFKO−/−I mice when compared to untreated LFKO−/−I mice. Conclusion These results show that endogenous LF protects against S. mutans-induced caries and that exogenous hLF can exert a protective effect against caries development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tooth sensitivity is a common dental pain condition where sufferers experience brief episodes of sharp well-localized pain when their teeth are subjected innocuous stimuli such as cold, air-currents and probing with a metallic instrument. In this review, we will make no attempt to describe all the treatments that have been developed to treat tooth sensitivity. We will review the basic anatomic and physiological mechanisms responsible for sensitivity. The insights into the dental lesions responsible for tooth sensitivity, as well as the physiological processes linking stimuli and pain generation have suggested several treatments and preventive strategies. Unfortunately, many tooth sensitivity treatments fail to perform better than placebos in clinical trials that seek to assess the effect of agents on pain symptoms. In the case of the most commonly used self-applied desensitizing agent, potassium salts, the mechanism of action established by laboratory and animal models may not apply to clinical use. Thus results obtained with laboratory and animal models must be applied with care to clinical use. Clinical literature suggests that tooth sensitivity is the symptomatic manifestation of significant dental problems, such as wear and other forms of non-carious tooth structure loss. These conditions are increasing in frequency as people age, retaining their natural teeth longer. They are frequently the consequences of aggressive oral hygiene practices and diets rich in acids. Treatments directed at the underlying causes rather than the symptoms of tooth sensitivity would hinder the development of these lesions and provide researchers with objective targets for assessing therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper are to present an overview of children's oral health-related quality of life and include specific applications for using quality of life assessment in dental research. The process of developing pediatric oral health- related quality of life measures, in particular the Child Oral Health Impact Profile, is outlined. Examples of children's oral health-related quality of life measurement in caries research are also provided. Quality of life outcomes are presented and discussed in the context of caries research. Lastly, the relevance of measuring clinically meaningful difference in the context of measuring outcomes research is highlighted with recommendations for future research. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper are to present an overview of children's oral health-related quality of life and include specific applications for using quality of life assessment in dental research. The process of developing pediatric oral health- related quality of life measures, in particular the Child Oral Health Impact Profile, is outlined. Examples of children's oral health-related quality of life measurement in caries research are also provided. Quality of life outcomes are presented and discussed in the context of caries research. Lastly, the relevance of measuring clinically meaningful difference in the context of measuring outcomes research is highlighted with recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This crossover design clinical study compared the anti-microbial effects of a new 1% zinc citrate dentifrice with a control formulation. Thirty adults completed a washout phase and baseline samples of dental plaque, buccal mucosa, tongue, saliva, and plaque collected to enumerate anaerobes and streptococci. Subjects were randomly assigned a test dentifrice to use for the next 13 days. Oral samples similar to the baseline were collected on day 14 prior to oral hygiene for microbial analysis. The subject then placed a custom intra-oral stent with hydroxyapatite (HA) squares and brushed their teeth with their assigned dentifrice. Oral samples and HA squares were collected 5 h later for microbial analyses. This completed the study with one test dentifrice. The entire study was repeated with the alternate dentifrice after a second washout phase. Whereas baseline samples demonstrated no significant differences in microbial parameters between the two treatment groups ( p > 0.05), subjects provided the zinc citrate dentifrice demonstrated 24–52% reductions in anaerobic bacteria and streptococci on day 14 versus the control paste ( p < 0.05). In the 5-h post-brushing samples, subjects provided the zinc citrate toothpaste demonstrated 27–49% reductions for anaerobic bacteria and streptococci ( p < 0.05). Additionally, in situ microbial biofilm formation on HA disks was significantly inhibited amongst the zinc citrate group ( p < 0.05). Significant reductions in anaerobic bacteria and streptococci were observed amongst all intra-oral locations along with in situ biofilm formation after use of the zinc citrate dentifrice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To determine the role of human lactoferrin ( hLF) in protecting the oral cavities of mice against Candida albicans infection in lactoferrin knockout ( LFKO−/−) mice was compared to wild-type ( WT) mice. We also aim to determine the protective role of hLF in LFKO−/− mice. Methods and Results Antibiotic-treated immunosuppressed mice were inoculated with C. albicans (or sham infection) by oral swab and evaluated for the severity of infection after 7 days of infection. To determine the protective role of hLF, we added 0·3% solution of hLF to the drinking water given to some of the mice. CFU count, scoring of lesions and microscopic observations were carried out to determine the severity of infection. LFKO−/−I mice showed a 2 log ( P = 0·001) higher CFUs of C. albicans in the oral cavity compared to the WT mice infected with C. albicans ( WTI). LFKO−/−I mice given hLF had a 3 log ( P = 0·001) reduction in CFUs in the oral cavity compared to untreated LFKO−/−I mice. The severity of infection, observed by light microscopy, revealed that the tongue of the LFKO−/−I mice showed more white patches compared to WTI and LFKO−/−I + hLF mice. Scanning electron microscopic observations revealed that more filiform papillae were destroyed in LFKO−/−I mice when compared to WTI or LFKO−/−I + hLF mice. Conclusions Human LF is important in protecting mice from oral C. albicans infection. Administered hLF may be used to prevent C. albicans infection. Significance and Impact of the Study Human LF, a multifunctional iron-binding glycoprotein can be used as a therapeutic active ingredient in oral healthcare products against C. albicans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides hold promise as therapeutic agents against oral pathogens such as Candida albicans but numerous difficulties have slowed their development. Synthetic, non-peptidic analogs that mimic the properties of these peptides have many advantages and exhibit potent, selective antimicrobial activity. Several series of mimetics (with molecular weight < 1000) were developed and screened against oral Candida strains as a proof-of-principle for their antifungal properties. One phenylalkyne and several arylamide compounds with reduced mammalian cytotoxicities were found to be active against C. albicans. These compounds demonstrated rapid fungicidal activity in liquid culture even in the presence of saliva, and demonstrated synergy with standard antifungal agents. When assayed against biofilms grown on denture acrylic, the compounds exhibited potent fungicidal activity as measured by metabolic and fluorescent viability assays. Repeated passages in sub-minimum inhibitory concentration levels did not lead to resistant Candida, in contrast to fluconazole. Our results demonstrate the proof-of principle for the use of these compounds as anti- Candida agents, and their further testing is warranted as novel anti- Candida therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All biological tissues are three dimensional and contain structures that span a range of length scales from nanometres through to hundreds of millimetres. These are not ideally suited to current three-dimensional characterization techniques such as X-ray or transmission electron tomography. Such detailed morphological analysis is critical to understanding the structural features relevant to tissue function and designing therapeutic strategies intended to address structural deficiencies encountered in pathological states. We show that use of focused ion beam milling combined with scanning electron microscopy can provide three-dimensional information at nanometre resolution from biologically relevant volumes of material, in this case dentine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]