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Background/Aim. Treatment of periodontitis undergoes several treatment phases. Non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) represents the basic treatment stage, and it is applied to all the patients undergoing periodontal treatment. Adjunctive antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is one of several contemporary and relatively new possibilities with a role to inactivate microorganisms responsible for the occurrence and progression of the disease. The aim of this study was to comparatively analyze the clinical and microbiological effects of the NSPT alone, as well as combined with aPDT. Methods. A split-mouth method design was used in a prospective randomized controlled trial. The following clinical parameters were registered and monitored: plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing, probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). The presence of microorganisms Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Samples were tested before the therapy, as well as three months after the therapy. Therapeutic modalities of NSPT and NSPT with adjunct aPDT were examined. Results. All of the analyzed clinical parameters proved statistically significant improvement after the application of both treatment modalities (p < 0.001). Microbiological analyses showed that the total number of microorganisms was statistically significantly lower after the application of both methods (p < 0.001). Following the treatment, there was a statistically significantly reduced number of microorganisms Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola (p < 0.001). NSPT combined with aPDT led to a statistically significant improvement of both clinical parameters and microbiological status compared to NSPT applied on its own. Conclusion. The study showed improvement of all clinical indicators after the application of both treatment modalities. The total number of microorganisms was reduced as well as the number of specific microorganisms. Combining aPDT with NSPT led to a statistically significantly higher reduction in the number of microorganisms compared to NSPT alone.

Background/Aim. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is one of the most commonly used calcium phosphate bioceramics with osteoconductive properties. Growth factors are capable of directly inducing morphological and functional differentiation of neodontoblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of HAp-based biomaterial in combination with transforming growth factor-?1 (TGF-?1) in the creation of new dentine and obturation of the root canal apex in the teeth of an experimental animal model. Methods. Rodent (rabbit) teeth were used as the experimental animal model. After pulp removal with a pulp extirpator in vital pulpectomy, the biomaterial was applied using a Lentulo spiral in the apex portion at the level of the physiological foramen apicale. The experiment was performed in general anesthesia. Animals were kept alive for 3, 6, and 12 months after the treatment. The extracted teeth were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results. Using SEM, it was found that the number of teeth with newly created dentine and apex canal obturation was greater 12 months after the treatment. Conclusion. Apex obturation of the dental root canal with newly created dentine took place in our experimental groups treated by biomaterial with or without TGF-?1.

Background/Aim. Persons identification and their age assessment is necessary in vast number of cases and there are different methods used for such purposes. Numerous studies indicate that the third molar development could play a crucial role in identifying an individual`s age. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility for estimating the chronological age based on the third molar development stages in children and young adults in the Serbian population. Methods. A total of 570 Serbian patients aged 6?27 years were included in this study. Out of the total number of subjects, there were 248 males with an average age of 12.21 ? 3.91 years, and 332 females with an average age of 12.88 ? 4.06 years. Stages of dental formation were determined on orthopantomograms by comparing with standard Demirjian radiographic appearances. Results. Third molars mineralization occured more rapidly in males than in females. Most of the persons with third molar (the stage H development according to the Demirjian method) were older than 18 years. Conclusion. ?hird molar mineralization stages determination on orthopantomograms is useful additional method for determination of chronological age in living individuals. This finding might be important for forensic studies, focusing on the determination of the legally important ages. Variability among different ethnic groups has to be taken into consideration when applying this method. It is necessary to carry out extensive surveys on a larger sample in order to determine the norms for assessing the dental and chronological age of Serbian population.

Background/Aim. Mast cells are mononuclear cells originating from bone marrow. They produce various biologically active substances, which allow them to actively participate in immune and inflammatory processes associated with periodontal disease. The study focused on distribution and density of mast cells in healthy gingiva as well as in different stages of periodontal disease. Methods. The material used for this purpose was gingival biopsies taken from 96 patients classified into 4 groups: healthy gingiva, gingivitis, initial and severe periodontal disease. Toluidine blue staining according to Spicer was utilized for identifying mast cells. Results. Basing on our study, the density of mast cells in the gingival tissue increases with the progression of the infection, which means they are more numerous in gingivitis compared to healthy gingiva, as well as in periodontal disease compared to gingivitis. Conclusion. Increase in the number of mast cells in the infected gingiva can be correlated with an increased influx of inflammatory cells from blood circulation into the gingival stroma, as well as with the collagen lysis, since these cells produce substances with collagenolytic potential. Based on the distribution of mast cells, it could be concluded that in the evolution of periodontal disease there are significant dynamic alterations in migration and localization of these cells.