Search

Introduction: Multiple factors influence the initiation and progression of caries. Recent research has revealed that free radicals can be a prime cause of several inflammatory oral pathologies, including dental caries by direct or indirect influence on the salivary constituents like disease mediated free radicals and antioxidants. Aim: The aim of the present study was comparative evaluation of Vitamin E and Glutathione Peroxidase levels with the prevalence of dental caries in a group of school-going children. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional clinical study was conducted in Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, SIBAR Institute of Dental sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India from November 2016 to November 2018. Hundred children aged between 6-12 years were selected and divided into two groups i.e., caries active group (n=50) and caries-free group (n=50). Children having at least five decayed teeth were considered as caries active and children with DMFT/deft score 0 were considered as caries-free group. A 2 mL of unstimulated saliva was collected from all the subjects and the levels of Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and Vitamin E were evaluated by spectrophotometric assay. Obtained imbibing values were subjected to statistical analysis using unpaired t-test and SPSS Version 21.0 software. The p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 100 participants 52 were males and 48 were females. The mean age of the study participants was 10.21±1.4 years. Significant reduction in GPx (p<0.001**) and Vitamin E (p<0.05*) were noticed in caries active group when compared to the caries free group. Conclusion: GPx and Vitamin E levels showed an inverse relationship with the presence of dental caries. Thus these antioxidant levels can be used as biomarkers to assess the oral as well as general health. Caries activity can also be measured by these salivary factors which might be helpful in preventive dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The success of an endodontic treatment depends on effective disinfection and complete sealing of root canal. The irrigants that are currently used in the field of endodontics have certain limitations, so the quest for an ideal root canal irrigant continues. Nowadays, the use of herbal extracts such as Triphala and liquorice are used for their potent antimicrobial activity and less side effects.Aim: This study aims (1) to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice against Enterococcus faecalis.(2) To determine any cytotoxic effect on isolated human periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts.Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice extracts was analyzed at different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/ml) using the well-diffusion method. Three percent sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and distilled water were taken as positive and negative controls. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the active extract was determined by the broth dilution assay. Human PDL fibroblast tissue culture was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the preparations. The data thus obtained were subjected to statistical analysis.Results: The results showed that the mean antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice at 50 mg/ml is 20.33 and 9.33, respectively, which are statistically significant (P < 0.0001) as compared with a concentration 12.5 and 25 mg/ml. 50 mg/ml showed significant results (P < 0.001) on comparing with hypochlorite. Triphala and liquorice showed no cytotoxic effect as compared to NaOCl on human PDL fibroblasts.Conclusion: Among the three tested materials Triphala showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy followed by NaOCl and liquorice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Adequate salivary flow is an important requisite in the maintenance of oral health. Salivary flow increases in response to both gustatory (taste) and mechanical (chewing) stimuli. Hence, the aim of the present study was to know the efficacy of commercially available chewing gums (sugar free and sugared) on salivary flow rate (SFR) and pH in caries-active and caries-free children.Materials and Methods: One hundred school children aged between 10 and 12 years were divided into two groups on the basis of their caries status into caries free and caries active. Unstimulated saliva was collected before start of the study. Both groups were subjected to three commercially available chewing gums (2 sugar free, 1 sugared) on consecutive days, and saliva was collected at intervals of 2 min (T2), 10 min (T10), and 30 min (T30). The pH and flow rate of saliva samples were measured before and specified time intervals after gum chewing.Results: In both the groups, gum chewing increased the SFR, significantly at T2, and gradually declined at T30 which was significantly higher than baseline values. The pH raised significantly at T2 and gradually declined at T30 which was significantly higher than baseline values with sugar-free gums, but with sugared gums, the pH raised slightly at T2 and dropped significantly at T30. However, no statistically significant differences in pH and flow rate were noticed in both the groups.Conclusion: Chewing of sugar-free gums in both caries-active and caries-free children may aid in reducing the incidence of dental caries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The success of an endodontic treatment depends on effective disinfection and complete sealing of root canal. The irrigants that are currently used in the field of endodontics have certain limitations, so the quest for an ideal root canal irrigant continues. Nowadays, the use of herbal extracts such as Triphala and liquorice are used for their potent antimicrobial activity and less side effects., Aim: This study aims (1) to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice against Enterococcus faecalis.(2) To determine any cytotoxic effect on isolated human periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts., Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice extracts was analyzed at different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/ml) using the well-diffusion method. Three percent sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and distilled water were taken as positive and negative controls. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the active extract was determined by the broth dilution assay. Human PDL fibroblast tissue culture was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the preparations. The data thus obtained were subjected to statistical analysis., Results: The results showed that the mean antimicrobial efficacy of Triphala and liquorice at 50 mg/ml is 20.33 and 9.33, respectively, which are statistically significant (P < 0.0001) as compared with a concentration 12.5 and 25 mg/ml. 50 mg/ml showed significant results (P < 0.001) on comparing with hypochlorite. Triphala and liquorice showed no cytotoxic effect as compared to NaOCl on human PDL fibroblasts., Conclusion: Among the three tested materials Triphala showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy followed by NaOCl and liquorice., Competing Interests: None