Tolo K and Jorkjend L: Serum antibodies and loss of periodontal bone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Periodontol 1990; 17: 288-291. Abstract. The number of teeth, % of alveolar bone loss, serum IgG, and serum antibodies to Bacteroides gingivalis, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Eubacterium saburreum were recorded in 37 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in an age-and sex-matched control group of 37 individuals free from RA. The RA group had a significantly increased loss of teeth and loss of alveolar bone compared to the control group. The RA patients also had a significantly increased level of serum IgG. In the total material, 26% of the variation in loss of alveolar bone was accounted for by age, diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, and levels of antibodies against B. gingivalis and E. saburreum. In the RA group, 48% of this variation was accounted for by age, total serum IgG and IgG antibodies to B. gingivalis and E. saburreum.

The caries increment (filled surfaces) from the ages 7 to 15 years were compared in children with three or fewer (low prevalence group) or eight or more filled surfaces (high prevalence group) at the age of 8. The children participated in a fortnightly fluoride mouthrinsing program (10 ml of 0.2% NaF). Following 8 years of dental treatment and caries prophylaxis, the caries increments were 11.4 (s.d. = 7.7, n = 23 subjects) and 17.1 (s.d. = 9.6, n = 39 subjects) surfaces, i.e. significantly different (t = 2.376). Significantly (t = 4.034) more fillings had been required in the high than in the low prevalence group (31.1 +/- 17.1 vs. 15.5 +/- 9.6). The "risk group" could be identified at the ages of 7 to 8 by high caries prevalence and high ratio fillings/caries increment. Social class and number of teeth accounted more for the initial caries prevalence than for the caries increment. Correlation analyses revealed a significant, but not strong (r = 0.50), association between caries prevalence at the age of 7 and increment of fillings.

The aims of this investigation were: (i) to study a group of dry mouth Sjögren's syndrome (SS) patients comprising individuals with pathological and non-pathological amounts of rest saliva and (ii) to compare these two categories of SS patients with a sex- and age-matched control group with respect to their periodontal and dental status. Thirty-three dry mouth patients and 33 sex- and age-matched patients, referred to the same private dental clinic in southern Norway, were examined for rest and stimulated saliva, as well as their dental and periodontal status. All patients were referred to the local hospital for blood and urine examinations. The dry mouth SS patients were all of the secondary type. Volumes of rest and stimulated saliva were significantly lower in the low saliva SS group compared with the high saliva SS group; the values for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA were similarly lower for the low saliva group, but not for IgM which was significantly higher. The two SS subgroups and their controls were compared for the volume of rest and stimulated saliva, which showed a statistically significant lower volumes for the low saliva SS group compared with the control group. None of the subgroups and their controls differed concerning filled or missing teeth, but the total SS group revealed significantly higher number of missing teeth. The periodontal and dental status did not show any statistically significant differences except for a few scattered higher periodontal level losses of attachment in the SS subgroups. The blood and urine analyses showed statistically significant higher values for sedimentation rate, white blood cell count and haemoglobin in the SS low saliva group compared with the control group while anti-streptolysin was lower. In the high saliva SS group only sedimentation rate and white cell count were higher compared with the control. The conclusions is SS patients do not have an increased risk for developing periodontitis.

The present study examines postoperative pain experience following 243 gingivectomies in Norwegian patients using possible combinations of 3 local anaesthetics (lidocaine-adrenalin, prilocaine-felypressin or mepivacaine) and 3 periodontal dressings (Coe-pak, Wondrpak or Nobetec). When Coe-pak was used, the mean pain score was higher (P less than 0.05) in the group treated with lidocaine-adrenalin 4 to 6 h after gingivectomy than the groups treated with prilocaine-felypressin or mepivacaine. There was no significant difference between the groups treated with prilocaine-felypressin or mepivacaine. When Wondrpak or Nobetec were used, there was no significant difference between any of the local anaesthetics used. The present finding shows that the local anaesthetic combination of lidocaine-adrenalin (1:80,000) gives rise to a higher mean postoperative pain experience after gingivectomy than prilocaine-felypressin or mepivacaine. However, the relative difference in pain experience seen after gingivectomy when using the present local anaesthetic agents is masked when using an eugenol-containing periodontal dressing. Thus, the higher pain experience reported after lidocaine-adrenalin may only be clinically important when using periodontal dressings without local anaesthetic components such as eugenol.

The number of teeth, % of alveolar bone loss, serum IgG, and serum antibodies to Bacteroides gingivalis, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Eubacterium saburreum were recorded in 37 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in an age- and sex-matched control group of 37 individuals free from RA. The RA group had a significantly increased loss of teeth and loss of alveolar bone compared to the control group. The RA patients also had a significantly increased level of serum IgG. In the total material, 26% of the variation in loss of alveolar bone was accounted for by age, diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, and levels of antibodies against B. gingivalis and E. saburreum. In the RA group, 48% of this variation was accounted for by age, total serum IgG and IgG antibodies to B. gingivalis and E. saburreum.