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Oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease are reported to be associated with various systemic diseases such as heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, rheumatism, and metabolic syndrome, thus increasing the importance of prevention and early treatment [...]

Background: Though it is well known that periodontal diseases are associated with various systemic diseases in adults, the associations in late adolescents have not been adequately elucidated. We investigated the association between gum bleeding (a major symptom of periodontal diseases) and common systemic diseases in late adolescents: allergic, respiratory, and otorhinolaryngologic diseases. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the mandatory medical questionnaires administered as a part of legally required freshman medical checkup between April 2017 and April 2019 at the University of Tokyo. Among the total of 9376 sets of responses, 9098 sets from students aged less than 20 were analyzed. An &chi, 2 test and univariate and multivariate binomial logistic regression analyses were performed using SAS ver. 9.4. A value of p &lt, 0.05 was accepted as significant. Results: According to the questionnaire data, 3321 students (36.5%, 2780 males and 541 females) responded that they experienced gum bleeding whenever they brushed their teeth. These students had significantly higher incidence rates of otitis media/externa and asthma/cough-variant asthma (p = 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). The results of the multivariate analysis showed significant rates of the following complications among these students: (1) otitis media/externa (odds ratio (OR) 1.691, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.193&ndash, 2.396, p = 0.003), (2) asthma/cough-variant asthma (OR 1.303, 95% CI: 1.091&ndash, 1.556, p = 0.003), and (3) male gender (OR 1.536, 95% CI: 1.337&ndash, 1.765, p &lt, 0.001). Conclusions: Gum bleeding was closely associated with otitis media/externa and asthma in late adolescents. Our study reinforces new evidence about the association between periodontal diseases and asthma, and it reveals a novel and close association between gum bleeding and otitis media/externa.

Background: Oral diseases are associated with various systemic disorders. Our previous research revealed new insights into the close relationship between occlusal disorder (functional disorder) and systemic disorders (allergic rhinitis, asthma, and arrhythmia) in late adolescence. Here, we investigated whether there was an association between the awareness of teeth-alignment disorder (morphological disorder) and common systemic disorders. Subjects and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of the mandatory medical questionnaire that is required for the freshman medical checkup in Japan. We collected the data of all students who completed the questionnaire between April 2017 and April 2019. The data were analyzed using the χ2 test, and a multivariate analysis was performed with a binomial logistic regression model. Results: The subjects were 8903 students aged 17–19 who had no awareness of occlusal disorder. The rate of awareness of teeth-alignment disorder was 20.43% (1819 of 8903 eligible subjects), and the aware students had significantly greater rates of gum bleeding (p &lt, 0.001), pollinosis (n = 0.007), and atopic dermatitis (n = 0.042). The multivariate analysis revealed significant rates of gum bleeding (odds ratio (OR) 1.540, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.386–1.711, p &lt, 0.001), pollinosis (OR 1.197, 95% CI: 1.040–1.378, p = 0.012), and female gender (OR 1.141, 95% CI: 1.002–1.299, p = 0.046) among the students with awareness of teeth-alignment disorder. Conclusion: We identified close associations between the awareness of teeth-alignment disorder and both gum bleeding and pollinosis in a late-adolescent population. The systemic disorders that are targeted by teeth-alignment disorder were found to be different from those targeted by occlusal disorder.

Background: Epidemiologic studies provide broad-based evidence that males are at greater risk of severe periodontal diseases than females. Our recent findings further revealed that male gender was an independent risk factor for gingival bleeding in late adolescents in Japan. Gingival health status has been reported to be affected by oral hygiene behavior. However, gender difference in this regard has not yet been clarified. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of mandatory medical questionnaires administered as part of a legally required freshman medical checkup between April 2017 and 2019 at the University of Tokyo. Results: Among a total of 9376 sets of responses, chosen subjects were 9098 students aged 17&ndash, 19. For frequency of daily brushing, males brushed less frequently than females (p &lt, 0.001): 1 time or less (male: 22.9%, female: 11.2%), twice (65.0%, 69.2%), 3 times or more (12.1%, 19.6%). For the duration of brushing each time, males brushed for a shorter period of time than females (p = 0.005): 1 min or less (male: 17.2%, female: 14.1%), 2&ndash, 3 min (46.9%, 49.2%), 4 min or more (35.9%, 36.7%). (1) Male gender, (2) lower frequency of daily brushing and (3) shorter duration of brushing each time, were significantly associated with the presence of gingival bleeding (p &lt, 0.001 for all). Multivariate regression analysis showed that: (1) male gender (odds ratio 1.29, 95% confidence interval 1.15&ndash, 1.44), (2) frequency of daily brushing: 1 time or less (2.36, 2.02&ndash, 2.76), twice (1.45, 1.27&ndash, 1.67), and (3) brushing duration each time: 1 min or less (1.57, 1.39&ndash, 1.78), 2&ndash, 3 min (1.26, 1.14&ndash, 1.39), were independent risk factors for gingival bleeding (p &lt, 0.001 for all). Conclusions: Males showed poorer oral hygiene behavior than females in late adolescents in Japan. Male gender was an independent risk factor for gingival bleeding, as well as poor oral hygiene behavior.

Background: Infections in the oral and maxillofacial region can sometimes extend beyond the oral cavity, with serious consequences. Most oral infections are odontogenic, occurring through the root apex of the tooth or the periodontal pocket. It thus makes sense that edentulous patients have a much lower risk of oral bacterial infection. For this reason, while there are many reports on systemic infections caused by oral infections, few of these describe such infections in edentulous patients. Case presentation: We present a case of oral and maxillofacial cellulitis followed by sepsis due to Streptococcus pyogenes infection in an 89-year-old Japanese edentulous woman. S. pyogenes was detected in the wound of left maxilla and the blood sample. S. pyogenes has been reported to be one of the most common and influential aerobic bacteria associated with deep neck infection and subsequent systemic infection. Left maxillary sinusitis was observed, and this could be the origin of the S. pyogenes infection. S. pyogenes derived from the sinusitis and leaked to the oral cavity might have caused systemic infection through wounding of the oral mucosa. Fortunately, intensive antibiotic therapy was effective, and the patient recovered without any surgical procedures. Conclusions: We experienced a rare case of oral and maxillofacial cellulitis followed by sepsis due to a Streptococcus pyogenes infection in an old edentulous woman. This result indicated that, while edentulous patients are considered to have no risk of odontogenic infection, they still carry a risk of bacterial infection.