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Aim: Hospitalised patients have a high risk of developing aspiration pneumonia because of poor oral care and oral microbial flora changes. Chlorhexidine (CHX) solution has been used to reduce inflammation and prevent infections in oral cavity, but it is difficult to use in inpatients. Gel-type antimicrobial agents rather than the liquid form may be effective for the oral management of hospitalised patients. Therefore, we evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial effects of CHX-containing oral gels on aspiration pneumonia-inducing bacteria compared to the CHX solution. Materials and Methods: The experimental products of two oral gel types containing 1% and 0.1% CHX, respectively, were selected. Hexamedine, a 0.12% CHX solution, was used as a positive control. The antimicrobial activity of CHX agents against six pneumonia-causing bacteria and Streptococcus mutans, one of the most common oral bacteria, was comparatively analysed using the agar disk diffusion method. Results: In the disk diffusion assay, the 1% CHX gels showed the highest inhibitory effect on all bacteria. All CHX agents including gels and solution had the highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus compared with other bacteria. Conclusions: We confirmed the significant antimicrobial effects of the 1% CHX oral gels on aspiration pneumonia-inducing bacteria. These results suggest that CHX gels may be an effective oral care method for preventing infection in inpatients who have difficulty using the solution.

Background/purpose: Because oral health of patients with head & neck cancer is prone to disease after radiotherapy, effective and long-lasting oral care program is necessary. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the oral care management program, which lasted up to 12 months after radiotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer. Materials and methods: Sixty-eight patients who visited a dental clinic prior to the initiation of radiotherapy were recruited and categorized into either a “healthy” or a “vulnerable” group. The vulnerable group was made of patients with dental caries or periodontal attachment loss. Professional oral hygiene care, including tooth brushing instructions, professional mechanical tooth cleaning, and fluoride varnish application, was conducted once every week for a month during radiotherapy and once every 3 months after radiotherapy. Oral health, including dental caries, plaques, gingival index, and periodontal attachment loss, was examined at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months after radiotherapy. Results: ; Twenty-nine and 16 patients were followed up at 6 and 12 months after radiotherapy, respectively. Oral health indices, such as the number of decayed teeth, amount of plaque, and gingival index, did not significantly change in either group. However, the periodontal pocket depth significantly decreased in both groups at 6 months after baseline, and this decrease continued in the vulnerable group up to 12 months after baseline. Conclusion: Periodic dental visits and professional oral hygiene care during and after radiotherapy were effective in maintaining oral health for over 12 months after radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

This study investigated the surface properties, biocompatibility, and antifungal activity against Candida albicans of a denture-relining material coated with zinc-bound phosphate-based glass. First, zinc-bound phosphate-based glass was fabricated. A polymerized denture-relining disk was coated with zinc-bound phosphate-based glass (2%, 4%, and 6%). The surface properties of the control and experimental groups were measured, including the wettability, microhardness, color difference, and gloss. The biocompatibility was evaluated using the MTT assay according to ISO 10993-5. The antifungal activity was investigated by counting the number of colony-forming units of Candida albicans. The results were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p = 0.05). The results of this study indicate that, despite the antimicrobial effect of zinc-bound phosphate-based glass, a coated denture-relining material does not degrade the surface properties and biocompatibility. Therefore, this novel material is considered promising for use as a dental material with antimicrobial properties that can potentially prevent denture stomatitis.

Abstract Background Several studies have reported the harmful effects of lead poisoning. However, the relationship between lead exposure and oral health of children has not been well defined. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between blood lead level (BLL) and oral health status of children. Methods A total of 351 children (aged 7–15 years) were recruited from the pilot data of the Korean Environmental Health Survey in Children and Adolescents, which was designed to examine environmental exposure and children’s health status in South Korea. Blood samples were taken to determine BLLs and oral examinations were performed to assess oral health parameters, including community periodontal index (CPI), gingival index (GI), and plaque index (PI). Information regarding socioeconomic status, oral hygiene behavior, and dietary habits was collected from parents and guardians. Results The participants were divided equally into four quartiles, with quartile I comprised of children with the lowest BLLs. There were significant differences for PI (p

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the effects of professional oral hygiene care in patients with head-and-neck cancer during radiotherapy, a clinical trial was done. Subjects and Methods: Forty patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. For the experimental group, professional oral hygiene care, toothbrushing education, and fluoride varnish application were done once per a week, and for control group, only fluoride varnish application was done once per a week for 8 weeks during radiotherapy. Oral examination including plaque and gingival index was done at baseline and after 8 weeks. Results: The results demonstrated that plaque index was improved in the experimental group, but there was no significant difference between groups (P > 0.05). Plague and gingival status were significantly improved in both groups after 8 weeks compared to those of baseline (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Regular dental visit and professional oral hygiene care during radiotherapy were effective in oral hygiene and health among patients with head-and-neck cancer.

Breslow thickness, ulceration, and mitotic rate are well‐known prognostic factors for sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis in cutaneous melanoma. We investigated risk factors, including especially the degree of pigmentation, for SLN metastasis in Korean melanoma patients. We enrolled 158, composed of Korean 107 acral and 51 non‐acral melanoma patients who underwent SLN biopsy. Clinicopathologic features such as Breslow thickness, ulceration, mitotic rate, and the degree of pigmentation were evaluated. The recurrence‐free survival (RFS) rate and date of recurrence were determined. Fifty‐four patients (34.2%) had a positive SLN biopsy result. In a multivariate analysis, Breslow thickness (odds ratio [OR] 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–3.47; p =.022) and heavy pigmentation (OR 13.14; 95% CI, 2.96–95.20, p =.002) were associated with SLN metastasis. Positive SLN patients had a higher rate of loco‐regional and/or distant recurrence (hazard ratio 6.32; 95% CI, 3.39–11.79; p <.001). Heavy pigmentation was associated with poor RFS. Heavy pigmentation is an independent predictor of SLN metastasis in both acral and non‐acral melanoma. Our results suggest the need for in‐depth SLN evaluation of cutaneous melanoma patients with heavy pigmentation and provide clinicians with important information for determining patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive skin cancer, of which most research has been conducted in Caucasians. Therefore, the clinicopathological features and prognosis of Merkel cell carcinoma in Asians are still scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology and survival of MCC in South Korea and provide representative information regarding MCC in Asia. Methods: This was a retrospective, nationwide, multicenter study conducted in 12 centers across South Korea. Patients with pathologically proven MCC were included in the study. The clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes of the patients were investigated. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and independent prognostic factors were identified using Cox regression analysis. Results: A total of 161 patients with MCC were evaluated. The mean age was 71 years with a female predominance. OS was significantly different among the stages. Among clinicopathological features, multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that only the stage at diagnosis was associated with poorer overall survival. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that the incidence of MCC was higher in females than in males and that there was a higher rate of local disease at the time of diagnosis. Among the variable clinicopathological features, disease stage at diagnosis was the only significant prognostic factor for MCC in South Korea. The findings of this nationwide, multicenter study suggest that MCC has distinct features in South Korea compared with other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]