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The objective of the present study was to create an index for the adequate evaluation of gingival immunological defense with respect to IgA levels. The gingival immunological defense index (GIDI), which is based on the simple count of the inflamed gingival surfaces of a child plus the measurement of salivary IgA content, provides clinicians with important information about the immunological defense potential of each subject.

Maternal hyperthermia during gestation induces delayed cellular growth and differentiation in fetal rat palate epithelium, with increased nuclear, cytoplasmic and cellular volumes, increased epithelial thickness, decreased keratin and cellular numerical density.

Maternal alcoholism (ethanol and sugar cane brandy) during gestation induces delayed cellular growth and differentiation in fetal rat palate epithelium, with increased nuclear, cytoplasmic and cellular volumes, increased epithelial and keratin thickness and decreased cellular numerical density.

Alterations in periodontal tissue were analyzed histologically in rats who had received a protein-deficient diet during intra-uterine life due to inadequate nutrition of the mothers and during the post-natal period due to the continuity of poor nutrition. The animals were weighed at sacrifice: 0, 1, 4, 11, 17, 21, 42, 50 and 105 days. Histological data comparing the undernourished and control groups will be the objective of a future publication. This first part reports the statistical analysis of weight progression of the two groups, concerning not only the mean weight, but also the individual weight of each animal at the various sacrifice periods. Weight progression was gradual and proportional in each group, despite the fact that the control group had accentuated weight gain, deviating, with time, from the weight of the undernourished group of the same age.

The differences in superficial smoothness of 108 stone models, obtained from three marks of alginates, manipulated by two different techniques of spatulation (a. manual; and b. mechanic with vibration under vacuum), were studied. The 108 stone models (resultant from the factorial product: 3 alginates x 2 techniques x 6 stones x 3 replica = 108) were analysed by means rugosimeter (Talisurf 10). The results showed that the superficial smoothness of the models was not affected significantly by any of the two techniques tested. The alginate Jeltrate offered the best results, and the group represented by the stones Moldaroc/Gaúcha III/Durastone T/Castone was better than the Vel-Mix, and the Vel-Mix statistically better than the Glastone.

Male rats were subjected to hypervitamin A treatment by daily intraperitoneal injections of 150 UI Arovit per g body weight. Another group of rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline solution for ten days and were used as controls. The results indicated that: 1) the body weight of animals treated with excess vitamin A was decreased; 2) histological analysis of the esophageal epithelium in treated animals showed increased thickness, characterizing a picture of hyperplasia and hypertrophy. On the basis of the results obtained, we suggest that excess vitamin A may act on the esophageal epithelium by direct action on the epithelial structures, stimulating and increase of the mitosis, and on the epithelium (mediated by the adrenals), resulting in increased thickness due to the concentration of a larger number of more immature cells. These alterations were more evident in the lower esophageal third.

The authors studied, in vitro, by light microscopy and by morphometric analysis, the cleaning capacity of Dakin's solution, water and Tergentol, when used as auxiliary solutions to ultrasonic instrumentation of root canals. After irrigation and instrumentation, 15 extracted human mandibular incisors, with a single root and with only one canal, were submitted to routine histological processing with serial 6-microns sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The results showed that Dakin's solution energized by ultrasound leaves root canals with less debris than Tergentol; water falls into an intermediate position. The apical third showed more debris than the middle third, and none of the irrigating solutions left the root canals free of debris.

The ameloblastoma, because of its aggressive clinical behavior and its histological feature apparently benign, constitutes a puzzling paradox. Some hypotheses concerning this strange clinical-histologic contradiction are analyzed, as well as the additional paradox represented by the neoplastic parenchyma itself, in which a tissue consisting of cells nominally able to form enamel do not elaborate any of the calcified dental tissues.

The permeability of the dentin of the pulp chamber floor of lower molars with separate roots was studied, after instrumentation of the root canals by manual or ultrasonic techniques. The dentinal permeability was evaluated by the degree of penetration of copper ions in the tissue and quantified by methods used in morphometry. None of the combinations of irrigating solution/instrumentation technique caused an increase in the permeability of dentinal tissue in the pulp chamber region, probably because the dentin is reparative dentin, which is more amorphous and less tubular than primary dentin.