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Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is known as the most common chronic disease of the oral cavity, which affects a range of 5-25% of the population. RAS appears to be associated with some human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II alleles and haplotypes. This study attempts to survey the distribution of HLA-DRB and -DQB alleles among Iranian RAS patients and healthy controls. In order to evaluate the association of HLA-DR and DQ alleles and haplotypes, 54 patients with RAS and 100 unrelated healthy subjects as control group were investigated. Our data indicated that DRB1*13:17, DRB1*15:01, and DRB5*01 were significantly more frequent in RAS patients in comparison to controls. However, DRB3:01allele frequency was higher in the controls compared to the patients. The significantly frequent allele in the patients compared with the healthy subjects was HLA-DQB1*03:02. However, both HLA-DQB1*02:01 and HLA-DQB1*03:01 alleles were most frequent in the healthy individuals rather than the patients. The DRB*04/DQB1*03:01 and DRB*01:01/DQB1*02:01 haplotypes were significantly distributed in healthy subjects compared with patients. However, DRB*07:01/DQB1*03:02 haplotype was found to be significantly frequent in patients than controls. In respect of HLA genes, factors are involved in the incidence of RAS; various HLA-DRB and HLA-DQB1 alleles and the related haplotypes are suggested to be the three main RAS susceptibility factors in our population study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common disease with unknown etiology. There is no curative treatment. Purslane is considered as a rich source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of Purslane in the treatment of RAS. Methods: A total of 50 patients were selected for this randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial from School of Dentistry of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011. All subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Groups A and B received placebo and Purslane, respectively, for three months. Pain intensity based on the visual analogue scale (VAS), the mean intervals of lesions occurrence, number of lesions and the mean duration of complete healing at baseline and at months 1, 2 and 3 were recorded. Results: While no patient complained from increased severity of pain, decreased severity of pain for 4, 3, 2, and 1 grades were recorded in %16, %20, 20%, and 40%, respectively, which were much higher than 4%, 8%, 8%, and 28%, respectively, in the control group. A significant decrease in pain intensity in VAS scores were seen after treatment in group B (P<0.001). The mean duration of complete healing showed significant differences (P<0.001) between groups A (-1.52±4.07 days) and group B (-6.56±4.50 days). The mean intervals between lesions also showed significant differences (P<0.001) between group A (17.88 days) and group B (33.12 days). No significant differences were found between group A and group B regarding to number of lesions. No serious side-effects occurred in either group. Conclusion: According to our study, Purslane is clinically effective in treatment of RAS and considering the lack of side-effects during the study period, this medicine may be a favorable alternative treatment for recurrent aphthous stomatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Oropharyngeal cancer is a significant cause of death and disability worldwide. In Iran it is the 13th and 17th most common cancer found in men and women, respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate etiological factors and clinical features of lesions related to oropharyngeal cancers over a 5-year period in Tehran. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, 256 cases were selected from 5 clinical and educational cancer centres. Study forms were completed by collecting information from medical records; incomplete files were filled in by contacting patients by phone. The International Classification of Disease for Oncology coding system (ICD-O) was used to determine the type of malignant lesion, and SPSS software was used for data analysis. Results: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most commonly identified lesion (70.3%). The most common site of malignancy in the mouth was the tongue (25.8%). The ratio of disease incidence in men compared with women was almost 2:1. The mean age of patients was 60 years. Alcohol, drug and tobacco consumption were the most important factors in the development of oropharyngeal cancer. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the most common malignancy in the mouth and pharynx was SCC. As with previous studies, we found that the ratio of disease occurrence was almost 2:1 for men compared with women. Referral of patients to specialized centres will make considerable progress towards controlling and managing these cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor in response to the article "Lack of Association between Interleukin-12 Gene Polymorphisms and Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis," that was published in a previous issue of the journal is presented.

Objectives: Considering the importance of timesaving in pediatric dentistry, if the efficacy is achieved along with shorter working time and less technical sensitivity, the behavior management of young patients can be anticipated. This study aimed to compare the effect of precuring and postcuring of total-etch and self-etch bonding agents on the microleakage of sealants., Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on forty impacted third molars, which were surgically extracted. The samples were divided into five groups: 1. Control (etching and sealant), 2. Precured fifth-generation bonding agent (Adper Single Bond 2) and fissure sealant, 3. Postcured fifth-generation bonding agent (Adper Single Bond 2) and fissure sealant, 4. Precured seventh-generation bonding agent (Single Bond Universal) and fissure sealant, and 5. Postcured seventh-generation bonding agent (Single Bond Universal) and fissure sealant. All specimens were thermocycled (×1000), immersed in 0.5% basic fuchsine solution for 24 hours, sectioned, digitally photographed, and measured using the LAS EZ program. The data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests., Results: Leakage in the control group and the third group was significantly lower than that in other groups. In pairwise comparisons, a significant difference was found between the control group and the fifth group and between the third group and the fifth group., Conclusion: The conventional method of sealant placement showed superior results in comparison with the use of an intermediate layer of the bonding agent., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT None declared, (Copyright© Dental Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)