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BACKGROUND Dentists are liable to loss of hearing during dental treatment due to noise exposure. A study was carried out to determine whether or not dental professionals from the Department of Periodontics, Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics and Prosthodontics ought to cause hearing decrement with the aid of using continual excessive frequency sounds created by dental equipments. METHODS This study involved 38 dentists from the specialities of Periodontics, Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, and Prosthodontics who were subjected to noise during operating for 6 hours per day and 38 medical professionals who were matched served as a control group. Three audiometric examinations included an otoscopic exam; tympanometry and pure tone audiometry were performed by the participants. RESULTS According to the data, 15.8 % of dentists and 2.6 % of the control group suffered from loss of hearing. In the pure tone audiometry test, there was no substantial difference between the two groups; however, the qualitative analysis showed that the dentists' group had a greater percentage of hearing loss than their control counterparts. In the pure tone audiometry test, there was a statistically significant difference between the specialists from periodontics, conservative dentistry and endodontics, and prosthodontics (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Noise from dental clinics has been shown to cause hearing problems, with the left ear being affected when compared to that of the right; again, these problems aren't serious. Dentists were common among noise-induced hearing impairment and periodontic specialists than conservative dentistry and endodontics, and prosthodontic specialists than the control group. KEY WORDS Dental Professionals, Long Term Exposure, Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Pure Tone Audiometry.

Aim Aim of the present study was to evaluate the loading of clindamycin with injectable-guided tissue regeneration (GTR) will prevent the colonization of Porphyromonas gingivalis and to compare and assess the quantitative changes in P. gingivalis colony forming units (CFUs) by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Materials and methods Thirty microbiological samples were pooled from the deepest periodontal pockets from the thirty sites from the two groups: group I-injectable GTR placed in the defect filled with demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) and group II-clindamycin loaded injectable GTR placed in the defect filled with DFDBA. The total number of P. gingivalis CFUs was estimated using real-time PCR at baseline and 4 weeks after therapy. Results A significant reduction in P. gingivalis CFUs at the end of 4 weeks was seen in both groups. Comparative evaluations between both groups at 4 weeks were with a mean of 4.44 ± 2.28 and 4.75 ± 3.32, respectively. Though there was a significant reduction in group II, the difference was statistically insignificant. Conclusion The results suggest that clindamycin is beneficial in reducing microbial infection and can potentiate regeneration through host modulation. Clinical significance Injectable GTR has the ability to mold according to the defect size and shape and eliminates the need to manipulate the membrane as required for the conventional membrane.

Periodontitis is seen as resulting from a complex interplay of bacterial infection and host response, modified by behavioral and systemic risk factors.There is high prevalence of endemic fluorosis among the patients in certain regions in India and scarcity of information on the effects of levels of fluoride in serum and saliva to the periodontal disease severity. Aim of the present study was to estimate the levels of fluoride in serum and saliva and in ground water of chronic periodontitis subjects in the endemic fluorosed area and to correlate the levels of fluoride in serum and saliva to the periodontal disease severity.140 subjects were divided into two groups. Group I (Test group) consisted of 100 dental subjects diagnosed with dental fluorosis and chronic periodontitis. Group II (Control group) consisted of 40 non-fluorosed subjects. Ion selective electrode method was used for assessingthe fluoride in serumand saliva. There was no significant correlation between salivary and serum fluoride levels and the periodontal disease severity. However the mean salivary fluoride levels were found to significantly influence the dental fluorosis severity (p

AIM In the current study, Porphyromonas gingivalis was identified in chronic periodontitis patients and healthy subjects by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its presence correlated with the severity of clinical periodontal parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subgingival plaque samples were collected with sterile curette and subjected to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction and subsequent PCR for detection of P. gingivalis. RESULTS Porphyromonas gingivalis was detected in 60% of patients of group II (pocket depth up to 5 mm), and in 93.33% of patients of group III (pocket depth more than 5 mm). One periodontally healthy subject in group I (probing depth < 3 mm) showed the presence of P. gingivalis. CONCLUSION Detection frequency of bacterium increased significantly with increase in probing pocket depth (PPD), loss of attachment (LOA), and gingival index (GI). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Porphyromonas gingivalis is strongly associated with chronic periodontitis and its detection frequency positively correlates with the severity of periodontal destruction.

Progress in understanding the role of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in craniofacial and tooth development, the demonstration of stem cells in dental pulp, and accumulating knowledge on biomaterial scaffolds have set the stage for tissue engineering and regenerative therapy of the craniofacial complex. Furthermore, the recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Rockville, MD, USA) of recombinant human BMPs for accelerating bone fusion in slow-healing fractures indicates that this protein family may prove useful in designing regenerative treatments in dental applications. In the near term, these advances are likely to be applied to endodontics and periodontal surgery; ultimately, they may facilitate approaches to regenerating whole teeth for use in tooth replacement. Early on, scientists focused on creating a suitable environment that favored the innate potential for regeneration. However, complex clinical protocols and extended treatments, in addition to inconsistent results, often brought treatment protocols out of favor. Predictable outcomes and minimally invasive protocols have become fundamental to clinicians and patients. Thus, novel regenerative concepts with improved or superior outcomes, predictability, and minimally invasive protocols are being developed and considered.

Background: The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of diode laser alone and in combination with desensitizing toothpastes in occluding dentinal tubules (both partially occluded and completely occluded tubules) by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Materials and Methods: Fifty human teeth were extracted, cervical cavities were prepared and etched with 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and smear layer was removed to expose the tubules. The teeth were divided into five groups: Group I – Application of NovaMin-formulated toothpaste, Group II – Application of Pro-Argin™-formulated toothpaste, Group III – Application of diode laser in noncontact mode, Group IV – NovaMin-formulated toothpaste followed by laser irradiation, and Group V – Pro-Argin™-formulated toothpaste followed by laser irradiation. After treatment, quantitative analysis of occluded dentinal tubules was done by SEM analysis. Results: The mean values of percentages of total occlusion of dentinal tubules in Groups I, II, III, IV, and V were 92.73% ± 1.38, 90.67% ± 1.86, 96.57% ± 0.64, 97.3% ± 0.68, and 96.9% ± 6.08, respectively. Addition of diode laser (Groups III, IV, and V) yielded a significant occlusion of the dentinal tubules when compared to desensitizing toothpastes alone (Groups I and II). Conclusion: Diode laser (Group III) has shown more efficacy in occluding dentinal tubules when compared with desensitizing toothpastes which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Among the five groups, NovaMin + diode laser (Group IV) showed the highest percentage of occluded dentinal tubules.

Background: There are limited clinical experiments addressing the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) as an adjunct to conventional scaling and root planing (SRP) alone. Aim: The aim of this clinical trial was to evaluate the clinical effects of adjunctive use of PDT, combination of PDT with LLLT as adjunct to conventional SRP alone in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: In a single-centered randomized and controlled clinical trial, 24 patients (15 males and 9 females) with untreated chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned in a split-mouth design into three treatment groups which included Group I: SRP only, Group II: SRP and PDT (1% methylene blue [MB] solution), and Group III: SRP, PDT, and LLLT. Clinical parameters such as plaque index, gingival index, modified sulcular bleeding index, probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months after therapy. Results: Within each group, significant improvements (P < 0.001) were found for all variables in 6-month follow-up compared with baseline. The improvement in clinical parameters was significantly greater in Group III compared to Group I and Group II. The mean PD (mm) reduction from baseline to 6 months in Group I was 2.50 ± 0.54, Group II was 2.57 ± 0.53, and Group III was 3.14 ± 0.50. The mean CAL (mm) gain from baseline to 6 months in Group I was 2.63 ± 0.47, Group II was 2.55 ± 0.44, and Group III was 3.07 ± 0.55. Conclusion: In patients with chronic periodontitis, a combination of a single application of PDT (using a 980 nm laser and MB) and LLLT provide additional benefit to SRP in terms of clinical parameters 6 months following the intervention.

Background and Objectives: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of dental lasers for treatment of periodontal diseases. Recent preclinical and clinical data have suggested a potential benefit of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of periodontitis. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of PDT as an adjunct to nonsurgical mechanical therapy (SRP) in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: In a single-centered randomized and controlled clinical trial, 24 patients with untreated chronic periodontitis were assigned in a split-mouth design into two treatment groups which included: Group I: SRP only (control group), Group II: SRP and PDT (1% methylene blue solution) (test group). Clinical parameters such as plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), modified sulcular bleeding index (mSBI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months after therapy. Results: Inter-group and intra-group statistical analyses were performed. The improvement in clinical parameters was significantly greater in Group II as compared to Group I. The mean PD (mm) reduction from baseline to 6 months in Group I was 2.50 ± 0.54, Group II was 2.57 ± 0.53. The mean CAL (mm) gain from baseline to 6 month in Group I was 2.63 ± 0.47, Group II was 2.55 ± 0.44. A statistically significant decrease in PI, GI, mSBI scores was seen in Group II at the end of 6 month (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The present study suggests that an additional application of single episode of PDT could be beneficial adjunct to nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis in terms of clinical parameters as compared to scaling and root planing. Direct subgingival delivery of methylene blue in different concentrations should be performed to further investigate the potential antimicrobial effect of soft lasers in the human periodontal disease.