Eikenella corrodens cellulitis and arthritis of the knee. (73/79)

Severe cellulitis and septic arthritis due to Eikenella corrodens and a viridans group streptococcus developed following dental manipulation in a patient with a history of hemarthrosis. Correct diagnosis was achieved by recognition of E. corrodens on a culture of a knee aspirate. Antimicrobial (ampicillin) therapy resulted in a therapeutic response.  (+info)

Effect of subgingival scaling on systemic antibody responses to oral microorganisms. (74/79)

The effects of scaling and root planing treatment on systemic antibody responses were studied in patients with periodontal disease and in normal subjects. Immunoglobulin G antibody in serum to a battery of oral microorganisms was assessed in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after treatment in 31 individuals. The majority (96%) of the diseased patients exhibited elevated antibody to one or more of the microorganisms before the scaling regime. Significant increases in antibody levels in serum were noted in 16 of 19 patients after scaling, whereas only 2 of 12 nonscaled subjects showed similar changes during monitoring intervals of up to 3 years. The bacterial specificities of the increases were found to differ among the patients; however, a significant correlation to preexisting elevated antibody levels was observed. Peak levels of responses were noted at approximately 2 to 4 months posttreatment; antibody returned to pretreatment levels by 8 to 12 months. The predominant organisms for which changes were noted included the black-pigmented Bacteroides spp., Eikenella corrodens, Campylobacter concisus, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. In 18 of 19 instances, the homologous microorganism was detected in the subgingival plaque when elevated antibody was present after treatment. These findings indicated that specific changes in host systemic responses accompany scaling and root planing treatment of periodontal disease patients. These alterations in the host response may provide an additional means by which successful therapy can be accomplished.  (+info)

The teeth and infective endocarditis. (75/79)

During 1981 and 1982 544 cases of infective endocarditis were investigated retrospectively by means of a questionnaire. Only 13.7% had undergone any dental procedure within three months of the onset of the illness, and in 42.5% there was no known cardiac abnormality before the onset of the disease. Furthermore, the number of cases occurring annually was about the same as or more than it was before the introduction of penicillin. The mouth and nasopharynx were the most likely sources of the commonest organism, Streptococcus viridans, and it is suggested that it is not dental extractions themselves which are of importance but good dental hygiene. In most patients with infective endocarditis the portal of entry of the organism whatever its nature cannot be identified. If this is so antibiotics are being given to only a small proportion of those at risk, and this would explain why the number of cases is much the same as it was before the introduction of penicillin. Furthermore, the large proportion of patients with no known previous cardiac abnormality adds to the difficulty of providing effective prophylaxis. The evidence suggests that antibiotic prophylaxis should still be given before dental procedures, and a schedule is appended. Much more importance should be given, however, to encouraging people to seek better routine dental care. We also believe that doctors and dentists should appreciate that the pattern of the disease has changed considerably in the past 50 years and that the information given here warrants a revised approach to the problem.  (+info)

The oral health care programme of Cartaxo. Assessment of its impact. (76/79)

The Cartaxo Municipality has been developing a primary oral health care program since 1988. It is based on national programs of oral health promotion and prevention of dental caries (Oral Health Technical Guidelines on Mother & Child Health and Oral Program in Schools) of the Primary Health Care Administration, and includes the application of pit and fissure sealants on the occlusal surface of the first permanent molars of school children aged 6-7 years. The purpose of this study is to divulge the evaluation of the impact of this program on the dental health of the population studied.  (+info)

A comparison of the effects of EMLA cream and topical 5% lidocaine on discomfort during gingival probing. (77/79)

This investigation compared the use of a 5% eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream to a "standard" intraoral topical anesthetic (5% lidocaine) as a means of anesthetizing the gingival sulcus in a double-blind, split-mouth study with human volunteers. A 5-min application of EMLA in a customized intraoral splint resulted in a significant increase in the depth of probing of the gingival sulcus without discomfort compared to a similar application of 5% lidocaine. Following application of EMLA, the pain-free probing depth measured at three sites in the upper premolar region increased by a mean total of 2.8 mm compared to an increase of 1.9 mm with lidocaine. This study suggests EMLA may be advantageous in providing periodontal anesthesia where manipulation of the gingiva is necessary.  (+info)

Attachment bonding to impacted teeth at the time of surgical exposure. (78/79)

This study examines the relative success of bonding an attachment to an impacted tooth at the time of surgical exposure, compared with placing it on a subsequent occasion. In addition, the relative merits of various attachments, the choice of bonding site and whether or not pumice prophylaxis is necessary, were tested. The results showed that bonding at the time of exposure is superior to its performance at a later date, that the use of an eyelet attachment has a lower failure rate than the use of a conventional bracket, that the palatal aspect offers the poorest bonding surface and that pumicing the exposed tooth offers no advantage over immediate etching of the exposed enamel. The results of this study refute the view that the circumstances prevalent at the time of surgical exposure are not conducive to the reliable bonding of an attachment to an impacted tooth.  (+info)

Effects of dietary oil contamination and absence of prophylaxis on orthodontic bonding. (79/79)

The effect of contamination by dietary oil on acid etching has not been reported in the literature. If dietary oil adversely affects acid etching, then a decrease in bond strength is expected. This in vitro study investigated the bond strength of brackets bonded to tooth surfaces that had been contaminated with dietary oil and on which prophylaxis was not carried out. The mean shear bond strengths for the control, teeth with oil contamination and teeth with oil contamination but no prophylaxis undertaken were 53.33 +/- 14.31 (SD), 61.76 +/- 19.32 and 64.12 +/- 17.90 N, respectively. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test showed that there was no significant difference between the three groups. The power of the ANOVA was calculated for the minimum clinical change that would be worth detecting and was found to be approximately 1.0. It can therefore be concluded that the presence of dietary oil on the tooth surface does not adversely affect shear bond strength, even if prophylaxis is not carried out. Bond failures for all three groups occurred mainly at the tooth-adhesive interface.  (+info)