Salivary Biomarkers And Periodontal Diseases
April 18, 2011
Before we come to salivary biomarkers we need to know what biomarkers really are. Biomarkers are the substance or a material used in the bio medicine to determine at what stage of biology a particular thing is. It shows what kind of chemical or pathological reactions a particular thing is undergoing and what effects those reactions are having on that subject. Most of us use biomarkers in our daily life without going to the doctor and without even knowing that these are the biomarkers. For example, we check and measure our blood pressure, pulse rate etc. almost daily or weekly, if not daily, and yet are unaware that these are biomarkers of our body. Blood pressure and pulse rate tell us how good our heart is working, what ratio of fat we are storing in etc.
Periodontal diseases are concerned with the teeth. There are many biomarkers for determining the periodontal diseases in a person. One such biomarker is bleeding on probing. With recent studies and researches, it has been known that bleeding on probing might not get accurate results every time. Then, there are other mechanisms and tests for determining the presence of any periodontal disease in a person. But these methods and tests are time taking. Moreover, if the dentist does not give good hygienic procedure to a particular test, the test comes out to be far too inaccurate. Due to the time consuming nature of these methods, dentist still prefer to use bleeding on probing technique on his patients.
There are different biomarkers for getting known of any disease present. These include saliva, serum, tissue biopsies etc. There are diagnostic kits also available but many dentists have reported some problems with these kits. Now, the salivary biomarkers are seen with a hope. Saliva is considered to be a biomarker that can provide precise results. Another benefit of using saliva as a biomarker is that it is not confined to only dental diagnosis but is also expanded to medical diagnosis as well. Researches and studies are still going on and there are numerous challenges involved as well. Moreover, there are many different diseases of dentistry. A person may have more than one periodontal diseases and it becomes a challenge for a single biomarker to diagnose them accurately. Therefore, along with salivary biomarkers, several other biomarkers are needed to be used in diagnosing different dental diseases.
There are different dental institutes and platforms that are researching on salivary biomarkers. They have established an independent body that works on salivary biomarkers alone. It has been known that the salivary biomarkers give good results in diagnosing the presence of oral cancer in a person. Most of the dental clinics have already started using salivary biomarkers for the detection of a patient’s oral condition as well as his hygienic and health condition as well. Researchers are optimist about salivary biomarkers and their future. They see salivary biomarkers as accurate mean to detect periodontal diseases with less effort and time.
Make Sure You Are Safe In A Dental Clinic
March 28, 2011
Almost every one of us faces the problems with his teeth or gums. Sometimes it gets so worst that there is no way out then rushing to a dentist. One may find several dental clinics around and in nearby areas. There would hardly be anyone who has not visited a dental clinic yet but there are very seldom cases that pursue for a safer dental clinic. There are a very few persons who are concerned for their health in all ways. By ‘in all ways’ I mean they are far more concerned than others. They will walk through a restaurant only if they are sure that the restaurant management keeps track of the hygienic conditions of both the environment and the food being served there. Similarly, we all must pay attention to the hygienic and other conditions of a dental clinic as well.
Your health is in your hands and you must seek all the ways to secure it. Make sure the dental clinic you are visiting or about to visit maintains a regular cleaning system. The environment, air and water should be fresh and pure. Similarly, do not feel ashamed to ask if they are maintaining the best possible sterilization system of the dental instruments. It is very necessary because if the tools do not get proper sterilization or no sterilization at all, say due to the dentist’s laziness, one might get caught by several diseases, some of them may turn out to be fatal also. One such disease is blood cancer.
Some people are allergic to some chemicals, materials or other allergens. If you are allergic to any thing, make sure that thing is not being used in the dental clinic you will visit sooner or later. For example, some of the people get allergic from latex. Latex is used in many things that are used in dental clinics such as gloves. If you do not care for such things, your dental treatment may become complicated due to the bad allergic conditions during any treatment. There are some dental setups all around the world that take care of such little yet bigger things.
There is always a use of water in dental clinics mostly during and after some dental clinic both by the patient and the dentist. Ask the dentist before undergoing any kind of treatment if the water is ozonized or not. Ozone is used for the disinfection and purification of water. Ultra violet light is also used to treat the surfaces and the air. Ask the dentist if the dental chair, dental equipments are sterilized or not. Also make it sure that the surface on which the dentist places the tools and gadgets being used in the treatment is also disinfectant with ultra violet light.
Above mentioned concerns are some of the precautionary measures which should be taken by the patient before opting for a particular dental clinic. You are visiting a dentist to get rid of a problem and not for taking some more and much serious as well.
Sterilization Status In Dental Clinics
March 10, 2011
Different equipments and dental tools are used in every dental clinic. Same equipments are used for all the patients. Proper hygiene and sterilization is necessary in order to prevent diseases to occur and spread. There have been many cases which were seen in hospitals that told they have been here due to maltreatment at dental clinics and their poor hygienic conditions or no sterilization at all.
Every dental setup has a different mean of getting its equipments and gears sterilized. The way of sterilization process depends upon a particular region as well. Developed countries have more advanced ways to sterilize the equipments and can be trusted as well. Developing countries also strive for the best possible sterilization of these gadgets.
Every dental setup carries out the cleaning process of the utensils. There are two types of cleaning; whether manual or automated. Manual cleaning involves the use of hands, scrubbing and presoaking. High quality detergents are used. It is better to go for automated cleaning because there is no exposure to blood. There are good machines available that cleanse the dental tools in a closed environment. Once cleansed, the dental tools are dried up thoroughly. If not dried, the corrosion might occur and the apparatus might get contaminated again. Then, before the instruments undergo sterilization process, they are packaged. There are different packaging materials. The mode of sterilization determines the type of packaging material. Why packaging should be done? This is to protect the instruments from being contaminated again after sterilization.
Now comes, the actual sterilization process. There are different sterilization techniques. One of the techniques is ‘heating’. This is the most commonly used sterilization technique. Steam and vapor sterilization is also used by the use of water. There are hot air ovens which operates with electricity consumes no water. But the dry sterilization might not be as effective as the heating with water molecules. Besides heat sterilization, there are techniques that involve ‘cold’ sterilization of the dental utensils. The cold sterilization came forward with the idea that some of the tools used in dentistry can not withstand the high temperature and might lose their effectiveness or functionality. Such tools are sterilized with cold techniques of sterilization. Glutaraldehyde is a substance that is used in cold sterilization. Other chemicals are ortho phthalaldehyde, ethylene oxide etc.
It is important to sterilize the whole dental clinic environment as well. The environment includes the chair, air, water, surfaces to be cleaned and free of germs. This is essential because the dental tools might get contaminated again as soon as they are exposed to an unhygienic environment. Ozone is used to sterilize and clean the surfaces, water and air. Besides, ultraviolet light is also used in sterilization.
Once sterilization has been done, the tools are meant to be kept in a sterilized environment under sterilized containers and packaging. The room or the container where the utensils are stored should be free from any kind of dust and dirt, insects and animals. There should be no moisture or humidity as bacteria and other germs grow under moisture. The question arises for how long the dental instruments remain sterilized in shelf without being used. This depends on various factors.
Which Dental Prosthesis Suits You?
February 8, 2011
One of the greatest problems regarding dentistry is the loss of teeth. The loss can be accidental or due to some dental problem. To have your smile back on your face the dentists all around the world has come up with a prosthesis which is known as ‘dental bridge’ or the dental bridging of the lost teeth. What does the prosthesis mean? Prosthesis is a man performed process of getting back a lost tooth. Obviously, the original tooth is replaced with an artificial one. It is not necessary that prosthesis involves only the ‘entire tooth’ replacement. But sometimes one or more damaged parts of a tooth are filled in.
Dental prosthesis includes replacement of a tooth for beautification purpose. That is, in some people the teeth are organized in a manner that gives an ugly look to them. The dentist makes them look good and get going with your facial structure. This is known as cosmetic dental prosthesis. A dental prosthodontist should be experienced at least of 3 to 4 years after the dental college studies. One of the most commonly practiced dental prosthesis is dental bridge. Others include a long list that consists of Amalgam, crowns, implantations, surgeries, dentures, fixed prosthodontics, inlays and outlays, removable prosthodontics etc.
The process of dental bridging involves the usage of an artificial tooth. As the artificial tooth can never be compared with an original one in hardness and everything, a crown is used to support the tooth. Moreover, the dentist place the artificially made tooth over the area from where the original tooth have been missed and then make it stay there permanently. Only the dentist can remove this tooth. It is the choice of a patient to choose the material of which the patient wishes to have an artificial tooth. The materials used in making teeth are chinaware, metallic porcelain and gold. A dentist, sometimes, decides which should be the right material for you.
Foremost is the preparing an artificial tooth. This is when the material is used which have already been decided either by the patient or the dentist. The tooth preparation takes considerable attention and artwork. This is because an inappropriate tooth can make the adjacent teeth weaker as well and also possess weakness. Impression is a term you might have heard quite several times in dental practices. It is when a patient gives a picture or imprint of his teeth on a substance that will take the details of the teeth which are required in tooth preparation and tooth implantation. Using this information along with the impression, either the dentist himself or some technicians come up with an artificially made tooth in a dental laboratory. Last is placing the tooth at its place, the process known as cementation. The dentist has to make it sure that the both the bridge and the tooth are at the same and right position. The impression already have been taken might also assist the dentist in correct placement of the tooth. After this, the dentist cements the tooth and bridge onto the location.
Saving The First Permanent Molar
January 24, 2011
Nature has signified the importance of first permanent molar by giving it the first rank in eruption sequence of the permanent dentition. First permanent molar erupts at the age of 6 to 7 years and hence is also known as “six year molar”
With the advancing age of the child the diet pattern also starts changing as intake of hard diet increases leading to a requirement of stronger biting force. The change in dentition from deciduous to permanent is due to this reason and the eruption of the first molar is from where this change starts.
Importance of first permanent molar is due the following features of 1st permanent molar;
1. occlusal morphology,
2. root surface area,
3. early timing of eruption and
4. anatomical location of 1st permanent molar
1. Occlusal Morphology
Large occlusal table of this tooth allows it bear maximum occlusal loads during mastication. This allows children to switch to hard diet with ease and comfort. It can bear forces upto 800 N which is sufficient to resist forces transmitted during biting and chewing of hard diet.
Occlusal morphology also has the most basic role in occlusion. Inter molar relationship is the 1st of the six keys of occlusion by Andrew and it depends a lot on the occlusal morphology of the 1st molars.
It has deep pits and fissures hence making the occlusal morphology for the cariogenic bacteria to survive and proliferate in. therefore it requires great care to prevent caries in it.
2. Root Surface Area
These molars are multi-rooted teeth with 3 roots in the maxillary (upper) and 2 roots in the mandibular (lower) first permanent molars. This gives them a larger surface area to grip the bone strongly. This grip is utilized for anchorage in orthodontic tooth movements. Therefore presence of healthy first permanent molars makes treatments concerned with tooth movements much easier
3. Early Timing of Eruption
It is often mistaken as a deciduous tooth which makes it more prone to the usual careless behavior of the parents towards their child’s deciduous dentition. The tooth due to this careless attitude ends up with pulpitis and is then either saved with endodontic treatment or is extracted.
4. Anatomical Location In The Arch
It erupts posterior to the 2nd decidous molar as a non-succedaneous tooth, this location allows it to play a primary role in establishment of arch perimeter
Early loss may in addition lead to increased risk of caries in adjacent teeth and it also leads to malocclusion because of distal and mesial drift of adjacent 2nd pre molar and 2nd molar respectively. It may also result in an early eruption of the 3rd molar of that side than that of the contra lateral side
GENERAL SAFETY MEASURES
All the above stated key features of first permanent molars lead us to the title phrase that we must save this tooth at any cost. It is essential to go for prevention and/or early treatment of this tooth. Following measures should be adopted
1. tooth brushing with approved tooth brushes and with recommended tooth brushing techniques
2. using recommended dentrifices twice daily
3. using dental floss and tongue scrapper
4. visiting dentists regularly for routine dental check up
Saving the first permanent molar may seem not that important but negligence may lead to serious problems so… save the first permanent molar!!!