BackgroundThere have been inconsistent conclusions regarding salivary abnormalities and their effect on oral health of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) patients. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the flow rate and selected biochemical parameters of unstimulated whole saliva in correlation to oral health in JIA children.MethodsThirty-four JIA patients and 34 age- and sex-matched controls not affected by JIA (C) were divided into two groups: with mixed and permanent dentition. DMFT/dmft, gingival and simplified oral hygiene indices were evaluated. Salivary flow rate, pH, lysozyme, lactoferrin, salivary protein concentrations and peroxidase activity were assessed.ResultsThe salivary flow rate was significantly lower in the total JIA group (0.41 ml/min) as compared with the C (0.51 ml/min) and in the permanent dentition of JIA children (0.43 ml/min) as compared with the C (0.61 ml/min). A significantly lower pH was observed in total (6.74), mixed (6.7) and permanent (6.76) dentition of JIA groups in comparison to the C (7.25, 7.21, 7.28 respectively). The specific activity of peroxidase was significantly higher in JIA patients (total 112.72 IU/l, mixed dentition 112.98 IU/l, permanent dentition 112.5 IU/l) than in the C group (total 70.03 IU/l, mixed dentition 71.83 IU/l, permanent dentition 68.61 IU/l). The lysozyme concentration in JIA patients (total and permanent dentition groups) was significantly higher than in the C group. There were no significant differences in lactoferrin and salivary protein concentrations. There were no statistically significant differences in oral status between JIA patients and C, respectively: DMFT = 5.71, dmft = 3.73, OHI-S = 0.95, GI = 0.25 and DMFT 5.71, dmft = 3.73, OHI-S = 0.85, GI = 0.24. The specific activity of peroxidase in the unstimulated whole saliva was inversely correlated with the GI index, whereas the salivary lysozyme concentration was inversely correlated with the dmft index in JIA patients.ConclusionIn the course of JIA occur a reduction of the resting salivary flow rate and a decrease of saliva pH. In spite of this, no differences in the clinical oral status between the JIA children population and the control group were found. The mobilisation of salivary peroxidase and lysozyme contributes to the maintenance of healthy oral tissues.

Aims Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of calcium-dependent zinc-containing proteinases acting both physiologically and in pathological conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of MMP-2, MMP-8, and MMP-9 and their inhibitors TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 of unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) in correlation with the oral health in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) children. Methods The study population comprised 34 JIA patients and 34 age- and sex-matched controls (C). They were divided into two groups: with mixed dentition (MD) and with permanent dentition (PD). Dental caries (DMFT/dmft), unstimulated salivary flow rate (SF), and gingival inflammation (Gingival Index (GI) and Papilla Bleeding Index (PBI)) and oral hygiene (Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S)) indices were evaluated. Saliva samples were tested with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2. Data were statistically analysed with the Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation (p < 0.05). Results There were no differences in dental hygiene or dental and periodontal status between the JIA and C groups. The MMP-9 concentration was higher in the whole JIA group compared with C (p=0.005) and JIA MD groups (p=0.038). A positive correlation of MMP-2 with the OHI-S index and a negative correlation of MMP-2 with SF were found in JIA. MMP-9 and its tissue inhibitor TIMP-1 had a positive mean correlation with the GI. A high correlation of MMP-8 with the number of decayed teeth (D) in JIA MD patients (p=0.037) was revealed. In the JIA-PD patients, there was a positive correlation of MMP-2, -8, and -9 levels with gingival inflammation indices and a negative correlation of MMP-2 and 8 with the SF. Conclusions Despite a comparable clinical oral status of affected and unaffected children, in the JIA patients, a statistically significantly increased level of MMP-9 was found. In reference to the periodontal status, the role of MMPs increased in children with permanent dentition, whereas in reference to dental caries, the period of mixed dentition (MD) was critical.

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Introduction: Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a congenital central nervous system malformation caused by a failure of the neurulation process in early pregnancy. Patients with MMC present many abnormalities and the nervous, skeletal and urinary systems are the most affected. The aim of this study was to clinically evaluate patients with MMC, estimate renal and lower urinary tract (LUT) function and to ascertain whether urodynamic findings can predict the deterioration of urinary tract function. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 112 patients were gathered from a database and evaluated retrospectively. The data included age, sex, BMI Z-score WHO, physical activity, urodynamic parameters and diagnosis and renal function. Results: A total of 112 patients with MMC were enrolled in the study. There were no differences in age, sex, BMI Z-score WHO, physical activity, renal function and urodynamic findings (apart from cystometric capacity) between boys and girls. Detrusor overactivity was the most frequent urodynamic diagnosis in all groups of physical activity, level of lesion and in catheterized and non-catheterized children. The correlations between urodynamic findings and renal function tests were found. Conclusions: Patients with neurogenic bladder after MMC most often present detrusor overactivity. LUT function is disturbed in all MMC patients independent of lesion level and physical activity.

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