Search

Objective: This in vitro study examined the effectiveness of caries detector devices in assessing the ability of resin infiltration (RI) (Icon, DMG-Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany) to improve the optical properties of enamel white spot lesions (WSLs). Methods and Materials: Ten caries-free third molars were used. Photographs, a subjective visual assessment of the photographs, fluorescent camera (FC) images using the Spectra (Air Techniques, Melville, NY, USA), and laser fluorescent (LF) readings using the DIAGNOdent (KaVo, Biberach, Germany) were obtained from each tooth's buccal surface. Specimens were coated with nail polish leaving a rectangular window on the buccal surface and placed in pH 4.5 lactic acid gel for two weeks to create a WSL. The WSLs were analyzed by the same methods. RI was applied to half of each WSL; final photographs were then taken, and caries detector assessments were conducted. FC images were converted to grayscale, and the fluorescent image's brightness intensity was measured using ImageJ. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer honestly significant difference test. Significance was set at α=0.05. Results: Subjective assessment of the photographs showed that RI improved the appearance of the WSLs so that they resembled intact enamel. Mean FC-brightness intensities for intact, demineralized, and demineralized RI-treated areas were 159.6 ± 9.2, 123.4 ± 7.2, and 160.9 ± 11.5, respectively. There were no significant differences in fluorescent intensity between the intact and RI areas (p=0.58). The demineralized areas had significantly lower fluorescent intensity than both the RI-treated and intact areas (p<0.001). LF values did not differ significantly between intact, demineralized, or RI-treated areas. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the ability of RI to restore artificial WSLs to the esthetics and fluorescence of intact enamel. The FC can be used to assess the optical properties of WSLs and the impact of RI on these properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Among the innate defense mechanisms in the oral cavity, lactoferrin (LF) is a vital antimicrobial that can modify the host response against periodontopathogens. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is the main periodontopathogen of localized aggressive periodontitis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of LF during A. actinomycetemcomitans-induced periodontitis. Methods: Differences in the expression levels of cytokines, chemokines, chemokine receptors, and bone loss markers between wild-type (WT) and LF knockout mice (LFKO-/-) were evaluated by real time-PCR. Serum lgG and LF levels were quantified by ELISA. Alveolar bone loss among the groups was estimated by measuring the distance from cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest (ABC) at 20 molar sites. Results: Oral infection with A. actinomycetemcomitans increased LF levels in periodontal tissue (P= 0.01) and saliva (P = 0.0004) of wild-type infected (WTI) mice compared to wild-type control mice. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interferon-γ tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 were increased in the infected LF knockout (LFKO-/-I) mice compared to the WTI mice, whereas the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were decreased. Chemokines and chemokine receptors showed different expression patterns between WTI and LFKO-/-I mice. The LFKO-/-I mice developed increased bone loss (P = 0.002), in conjunction with increased expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand and decrease in osteoprotegerin, compared to WTI mice. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the infected LFKO-/- mice were more susceptible to A. actinomycetemcomitans- induced alveolar bone loss, with different patterns of immune responses compared to those of WTI mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]