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The thermoplastic retainers indicated a rising incidence of cariogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans. A report suggested the case of a patient with severe gingival inflammation and dental caries as a result of inadequate appliance cleaning. This study aims to compare the various antimicrobial agents for thermoplastic polymeric retainers. A minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of acetic acid was determined. Streptococcus mutans biofilm was formed on punched 4-mm copolyester (Essix ACE®) and polyurethane (Vivera®) retainers after they were submerged in 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX group), acetic acid (AA group), Polident Denture Cleanser® (PD group), and Polident Pro Guard & Retainer® (PR group). A crystal violet (CV) test was performed. The biofilm imaging was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results showed that all chemical disinfectants exhibited statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) compared to the positive control. This novel finding elucidated that 0.625% acetic acid is effective for antimicrobial in both copolyester and polyurethane retainers. However, only the CHX, PD, and PR groups could reduce biofilm mass. In addition, the CV assay cannot provide information about the actual number of living and dead bacteria. Furthermore, the LIVE/DEAD BacLight assay was able to show the bacterial viability.

The oral microbiome can be shifted if the patients wear the acrylic retainers for a lengthy period. It is essential to understand the components of the plaque in order to forestall the development of dental caries and gingivitis. The aim of this study is to report the bacterial communities that adhere to the acrylic retainers by full-length nanopore 16S sequencing. Six healthy participants were allocated into 2 groups (chemical tablet and brushing groups). Plaque samples were collected from the acrylic retainer surfaces before and after cleaning. The bacterial communities were reported using full-length nanopore 16S sequencing. The results showed that 7 distinct phyla were identified by sequencing. The most prevalent of these was the Firmicutes. We found a total of 72 genera. The most common microorganism across all samples was Streptococcus, followed by Neisseria, Rothia, and Gemella. The beta diversity showed a significant difference between before and after cleaning (p < 0.05). This study revealed the novel finding that a combination of chemical and mechanical cleaning methods was the most effective method of eliminating retainer biofilms. Moreover, retainer cleaning tablets did not alter the homeostatic balance of the bacterial communities adhering to the acrylic retainers.

Background: Chronic facial pain is a serious condition affecting millions of people worldwide. The reasons for chronic facial pain vary, and currently, the methods of treating chronic facial pain are expensive, invasive, and, based on current findings, ineffective. The purpose of this study is to develop and test an effective, cost-friendly method to treat patients with chronic facial pain. This study will examine the effectiveness of a novel treatment of a patient suffering from trigeminal neuralgia., Case Presentation: A 70-year-old Thai female visited the advanced general dentistry clinic at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. She was suffering from facial pain on her left side and was diagnosed by a physician as having trigeminal neuralgia. She experienced a sharp shooting pain that was triggered by facial movements such as chewing, speaking, or brushing teeth, and touching certain areas of her face. Bouts of pain lasted from a few seconds to several minutes, and episodes of several attacks lasted days, weeks, months, or longer prior to her visit to the advanced general dentistry clinic at Mahidol University. Physician designed an occlusal equilibration appliance for treating the patient by inserting the appliance in the mouth for dental occlusal equilibration (deprogram). The patient used this appliance by placing it in the mouth continuously (day and night) and removed it only when eating. After using the appliance for 2 weeks, the patient appeared to feel and look better prior to taking medication and was able to eat normally. The patient was pain free after treatment for a duration of 9 months. However, after 9 months, the pain reoccurred and manifested itself., Conclusion: This novel treatment of recurrent facial pain showed an improvement of the patient's chronic facial pain and serves as evidence to being a novel method for treating those suffering from trigeminal neuralgia.

The objective of this study was to investigate the bioactivity of twenty-nine known isolated compounds from Cratoxylum species including three anthraquinones, four triterpenes, and twenty-two xanthones. All isolated compounds were subjected to antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities. Cytotoxicity evaluations were performed by MTT assay. The anti-oxidatant activity was performed using DPPH assay. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated from the production of cytokines TNF-α and IL1-β using ELISA assay. Human gingival fibroblasts and monocytes could tolerate both anthraquinones and triterpenes. All isolated anthraquinones showed moderate-to-high antibacterial efficacy while compound A3 also demonstrated moderate anti-inflammatory effect. None of the isolated triterpenes, except for T1, inhibited the expression of TNF-α. A number of isolated xanthones was toxic to HGFs and monocytes. Compound X5, X14 and a 1:1 mixture of X5 and X6 showed comparative anti-inflammatory activity to dexamethasone. Several triterpene and xanthone compounds also expressed antibacterial effect against P. gingivalis. Some isolated xanthones exerted anti-oxidant activity comparable to ascorbic acid. Accordingly, selected pure compounds from plants of Cratoxylum genus might be of benefit in developing medications that are important in treating periodontal diseases.

The ethyl acetate extract of leaves of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack was described in the previous in vitro study on the inhibition effect on the growth of periodontopathic bacteria and the reduction of cytokines from LPS-stimulated macrophages. In this study, four coumarins including murrangatin (1), murrangatin acetate (2), murranganonesenecionate (3), micropubescin (4) and one flavonoid, 3', 4', 5', 7-tetramethoxyflavone (5) were isolated from the leaves of ethyl acetate extract of M. paniculata. MTT assay was used to test cytotoxicity on human gingival fibroblast and monocytes. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial effect against Porphyromonas gingivalis (ATCC33277) and anti-inflammation on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated inflammation using monocyte cells. All isolated compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis (ATCC 33277). Murranganonesenecionate (3) was highly potent anti-inflammation properties. The coumarin constituents from M. paniculata leaves might be potential lead molecules for the development of antimicrobial drugs for treating periodontal disease.

Objectives: To determine the incidence, intensity, and species of Candida in the oral cavity of oral lichen planus (OLP) patients who were being treated with a topical steroid., Study Design: The incidence and intensity of oral Candida carriage were assessed by salivary and imprint cultures. Cytological smears were used to investigate the presence of Candida spores and hyphae in the OLP lesions. Candida species were identified by a chlamydospore formation test and the API 20C system., Results: The salivary cultures were positive in 76.7% of the OLP patients and 43.3% of the controls (P = .008), whereas the imprint cultures were positive in 76.7% of the OLP patients and 40% of the controls (P = .004). A high-level Candida count in saliva was more frequently found in the OLP patients than in the controls (73.9% vs. 38.5%; P = .004). The mean scores of Candida growth from imprint cultures were higher in OLP patients than in the controls (P = .002). The mean scores of Candida growth were also higher in OLP patients who were taking xerogenic or immunosuppressive drugs (P = .038) and in OLP denture wearers (P = .022). Spores and hyphae were detected in 83.3% of the OLP lesions. Candida albicans, the most frequently isolated yeast, was found in 76.7% OLP patients and 40% of the controls., Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that topical steroids induce Candida growth and the associated risk factors are age, medication use, and the wearing of dentures.

The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of the crude extracts from some herbs on adherence of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) ATCC 25175 and TPF-1 in vitro. Six herbs, Andrographis paniculata; Cassia alata; Chinese black tea (Camellia sinensis); guava (Psidium guajava); Harrisonia perforata and Streblus asper, were extracted with 50 or 95% ethanol and dried. Herbal extracted solution at 0.5% concentration (w/v) was initially tested for bacterial adherence on glass surfaces. In order to identify type and effective concentration of the extracts, the extracts that showed the inhibition on glass surfaces were then tested on saliva-coated hydroxyapatite by the use of radiolabeled bacteria. To study the mechanism of action, the effect of the extracts at such concentration on glucosyltransferase and glucan-binding lectin activities were examined. It was found that all extracts, but Streblus asper, showed significant inhibitory effect on bacterial adherence to glass surfaces. For the saliva-coated hydroxyapatite adherence assay, Andrographis paniculata, Cassia alata, Chinese black tea and Harrisonia perforata could inhibit adherence of S. mutans ATCC 25175. Chinese black tea was the strongest inhibitor followed by Andrographis paniculata, Cassia alata and Harrisonia perforata, respectively. For S. mutans TPF-1, adherence inhibition was observed from Andrographis paniculata and Cassia alata at similar levels. The lowest concentrations of the extracts that inhibited the adherence at least 50% were 0.5% of Andrographis paniculata, 0.5% of Cassia alata, 0.3% of Chinese black tea and 0.5% of Harrisonia perforata for S. mutans ATCC 25175. For S. mutans TPF-1, the effective concentrations were 0.5% of Andrographis paniculata and 0.4% of Cassia alata. All extracts at such concentrations decreased the activity of glucosyltransferase from both strains. Only Andrographis paniculata and Cassia alata eliminated or decreased the activity of glucan-binding lectin from both strains. These findings suggested that Andrographis paniculata, Cassia alata, Chinese black tea and Harrisonia perforata could inhibit adherence of S. mutans ATCC 25175, while Andrographis paniculata and Cassia alata had an effect on S. mutans TPF-1 in vitro at the concentrations employed in this study.