No abstract

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common chronic mucocutaneous inflammatory disease and a search for novel therapeutic options has been performed. We sought to compare the efficacy of laser phototherapy (LPT) to topical clobetasol propionate 0.05% for the treatment of atrophic and erosive OLP. Forty-two patients with atrophic/erosive OLP were randomly allocated to two groups: clobetasol group (n=21): application of topical clobetasol propionate gel (0.05%) three times a day; LPT group (n=21): application of laser irradiation using InGaAlP diode laser three times a week. Evaluations were performed once a week during treatment (Days 7, 14, 21, and 30) and in four weeks (Day 60) and eight weeks (Day 90) after treatment. At the end of treatment (Day 30), significant reductions in all variables were found in both groups. The LPT group had a higher percentage of complete lesion resolution. At follow-up periods (Days 60 and 90), the LPT group maintained the clinical pattern seen at Day 30, with no recurrence of the lesions, whereas the clobetasol group exhibited worsening for all variables analyzed. These findings suggest that the LPT proved more effective than topical clobetasol 0.05% for the treatment of OLP.

Aim To evaluate whether the presence of apical periodontitis (AP), root canal treatment (RCT) and endodontic burden (EB) – as the sum of AP and RCT sites – were associated with long-term risk of incident cardiovascular events (CVE), including cardiovascular-related mortality, using data on participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Methodology This retrospective cohort included 278 dentate participants in the BLSA with complete medical and dental examinations. Periodontal disease (PD) and missing teeth were recorded. Total number of AP and RCT sites was determined from panoramic radiographs. EB was calculated as the sum of AP and RCT sites. Oral inflammatory burden (OIB) was calculated combining PD and EB. The main outcome was, incident CVE including angina, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular-related death. Participants were monitored for up to 44 years (mean=17.4±11.1 years) following dental examination. Relative Risks (RR) were calculated through Poisson regression models, estimating the relationship between AP, RCT, EB, PD, OIB and incident CVE. Results Mean age at baseline was 55.0±16.8 years and 51.4% were men. Sixty two participants (22.3%) developed CVE. Bivariate analysis showed that PD, EB, number of teeth and OIB were associated with incident CVE. Multivariate models, adjusted for socio-demographic and medical variables, showed that age≥60 years (RR=3.07, 95%CI=1.68-5.62), hypertension (RR=2.0, 95%CI=1.16-3.46) and EB≥3 (RR=1.77, 95%CI=1.04-3.02) were independently associated with incident CVE. The association between OIB and incident CVE was reduced to non-significance after adjustments (RR=1.97, 95%CI=0.83-4.70). Conclusions EB in mid-life was an independent predictor of CVE among community-dwelling participants in the BLSA. Prospective studies are required to evaluate cardiovascular risk reduction with the treatment of AP.

A 10-year study of specimens submitted to oral pathology laboratory analysis: lesion occurrence and demographic features Abstract: The purpose of the present paper was to describe the range of lesions histologically diagnosed in an oral pathology laboratory in southern Brazil. A retrospective study of 8,168 specimen analyses recorded between 1995 and 2004 was conducted. The records were retrieved from the Oral Pathology Laboratory, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil. A total of 6,831 valid cases (83.63%) were examined. Of these, inflammatory lesions were the most common occurrences (n = 4,320; 63.24%). Benign and malignant tumors accounted for 7.66% (n = 523) and 1.9% (n = 130) of the occurrences, respectively. Significant associations were observed between nonneoplastic proliferative disorders and benign mesenchymal tumors in females, and between squamous cell carcinoma and leukoplakia in males. Most diagnoses were benign in nature and had an inflammatory etiology. The association of some demographic characteristics with the occurrence of lesions suggests that these characteristics should be considered in performing differential diagnoses.

No abstract