Search

Compromised dentition has been suggested to pose a significant risk factor for dementia. It was mainly investigated through insufficient tooth number, disregarding contact between opposing teeth (dental occlusion). The epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein (APOE4) is the primary genetic marker for the late onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, APOE4 and dental occlusion have not yet been investigated as possible associated risk factors for AD. The study was aimed to examine the impact of dental status and different APOE gene variants on AD occurrence. Secondly, sociodemographic variables were investigated as factors potentially associated with AD. The case-control study included two groups: 116 patients with AD (according to the NINDS-ADRDA criteria) and 63 controls (Mini-Mental State Examination scores >= 24). The analysis of APOE gene polymorphism was conducted through PCR reaction. Dental examination included recording of number of teeth, presence of fixed or removable dentures, and number of functional tooth units (FTU). Regression analysis was used to investigate the joint effect of the clinical and genetic variables on AD. Results showed that patients with AD were more often carriers of epsilon 3/epsilon 4 genotype and epsilon 4 allele, had lower number of teeth and FTU, and were less likely to be married, live in home, and had less chronic diseases, compared to the controls. Regression analysis showed that presence of APOE4 allele and the number of total FTU remained associated with AD, even when adjusted for age, sex, and level of education. In conclusion, deficient dental occlusion and presence of APOE4 may independently increase risk for AD.

Background Menstrual cycle may contribute to experimental pain measures in healthy women and women with chronic pain. Objectives The present study aimed to investigate variation in pulp sensitivity across the menstrual cycle in healthy women and women with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and to explore the effect of TMD pain and psychosocial variables on the pulp response. Methods This longitudinal study involved 47 regularly menstruating women aged 20-45, 24 healthy and 23 with diagnosed painful TMD. The electric and cold stimuli were performed by electric pulp tester and refrigerant spray, respectively, on mandibular lateral incisors, in five menstrual phases (menstrual, follicular, periovulatory, luteal and premenstrual). Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD were used to assess TMD, chronic pain, depression and somatisation. Regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of the predictor variables on the pulp sensitivity. Results Significant phase-related differences were observed for pain intensity to cold stimuli. Higher pain sensitivity was reported in menstrual in comparison with luteal phase (P = .019) among healthy women, and in menstrual in comparison with follicular (P = .033), periovulatory (P = .003) and luteal (P = .007) phases in TMD women. No significant differences were recorded for electric stimuli. Regression analysis identified depression as the determinant of cold and electric response in menstrual phase, regardless of age and presence of TMD. Conclusion Menstrual phase in healthy and TMD women with regular menstrual cycle is characterised with higher pulp sensitivity to cold stimuli. Depressive symptoms independently influence pulp response in this phase.

ObjectivesTo evaluate local effect of gaseous ozone on bacteria in deep carious lesions after incomplete caries removal, using chlorhexidine as control, and to investigate its effect on pulp vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and superoxide dismutase (SOD).Materials and methodsAntibacterial effect was evaluated in 48 teeth with diagnosed deep carious lesion. After incomplete caries removal, teeth were randomly allocated into two groups regarding the cavity disinfectant used: ozone (open system) or 2% chlorhexidine. Dentin samples were analyzed for the presence of total bacteria and Lactobacillus spp. by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. For evaluation of ozone effect on dental pulp, 38 intact permanent teeth indicated for pulp removal/tooth extraction were included. After cavity preparation, teeth were randomly allocated into two groups: ozone group and control group. VEGF/nNOS level and SOD activity in dental pulp were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and spectrophotometric method, respectively.ResultsOzone application decreased number of total bacteria (p=0.001) and Lactobacillus spp. (p lt 0.001), similarly to chlorhexidine. The VEGF (p lt 0.001) and nNOS (p=0.012) levels in dental pulp after ozone application were higher, while SOD activity was lower (p=0.001) comparing to those in control pulp.ConclusionsAntibacterial effect of ozone on residual bacteria after incomplete caries removal was similar to that of 2% chlorhexidine. Effect of ozone on pulp VEGF, nNOS, and SOD indicated its biocompatibility.Clinical relevanceOzone appears as effective and biocompatible cavity disinfectant in treatment of deep carious lesions by incomplete caries removal technique.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases which continue to increase in number and significance. It presents the third most prevalent condition among medically compromised patients referring for dental treatment. Diabetes mellitus has been defined as a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Hyperglycemia leads to widespread multisystem damage which has an effect on oral tissue. The present article summarizes current knowledge regarding the association between diabetes mellitus and oral and dental health.

Introduction. The aim of this study was to translate the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance index into Serbian language and to evaluate its reliability in practice. Material and Methods. Following internationally established methods, adaptation of the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance index for children and adolescents in the Serbian speaking areas consisted of three steps: forward translation of the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance index, backward translation, and a pilot study. Results. A pilot study included 42 participants (21 males and 21 females), mean age of 12.0 ? 1.01 years. All items showed a corrected item-total correlation coefficient above >0.20 and the standardized Cronbach?s alpha coefficient was 0.80. All correlation coefficient values were positive. The prevalence of oral health impact measured by the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance index was relatively high and 54.8% of the participants reported at least one oral impact on the daily performance in the last 3 months. The most common activities affected were eating (38.1%) and cleaning the teeth (16.7%). Conclusion. The Serbian version of the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance index is suitable for use in everyday practice and it provides useful information in the evaluation of oral health-related quality of life. The prevalence of oral impacts was high with the most prevalent impact referring to eating. Further clinical research, including larger number of participants, is required for exact verification of the Child Oral Impact on Daily Performance index.

Aims: To explore the unstimulated salivary flow rate and subjective feeling of oral dryness in young adult women with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and their relation to the presence of chronic pain, depression, somatization, and limited mandibular mobility. Methods: Unstimulated whole saliva flow rate and presence of oral dryness were determined in 45 women with TMD and 30 healthy controls. The Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) were used for assessment of TMD, chronic pain, depression, somatization, and mandibular mobility. Factors with P < .05 in the bivariate analysis were included in multivariate modeling. Results: The TMD patients showed significantly diminished unstimulated salivary flow (P = .010) in comparison to controls, but there was no difference in subjective oral dryness. Within the TMD group, patients with mandibular hypomobility and free from somatization exhibited significantly lower salivary output (P = .037; P = .015, respectively). No relationship between salivary flow and depression or TMD pain was observed. Multivariate linear regression identified somatization as the single variable contributing to salivary flow (P = .044) in the TMD patients. Conclusion: The present study shows a relationship between TMD and lower salivary flow but no evidence of a relationship between TMD and subjective oral dryness in young adult women. Somatization was the single variable to emerge from the evaluation of potential factors contributing to salivary output in TMD patients.

Summary : Introduction The aim of this study was to determine dental status and prosthetic rehabilitation in elderly population in relation to socioeconomic factors in Republika Srpska. Material and Methods The study included 262 subjects (133 males and 129 females) aged 65-74 years. Dental status was assessed using DMFT index and its components (D - decayed, M - extracted, F - filled tooth) and analysed in relation to socioeconomic factors: gender, level of education and monthly income. Prosthetic restorations were recorded for both jaws in accordance with criteria of the World Health Organisation. Results The mean DMFT was 27.2. Females had the highest DMFT index score (29.1) while highly educated subjects had the lowest score (22.7). The mean number of missing teeth was 22.7. There were 28.2% edentulous respondents. Significant difference in the number of edentulous persons was recorded in relation to gender, education and monthly income. In total, 16.8% of subjects had functional dentition (≥20 natural teeth). 48.5% and 32.1% of elderly respondents were found to have at least one form of prosthetic restoration in upper and lower jaw, respectively. Complete dentures were the most common prosthetic restorations. Conclusion Socioeconomic factors influenced dental status in elderly population. Removable dentures were more common restorations compared to crowns and bridges.

Introduction. Dental caries is still an important social health problem in many countries. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and impact of oral discomfort, particularly caused by dental caries on the quality of life of middle-aged people as well as the association between oral problems caused by caries and the current status of teeth. Material and Methods. The study included 72 patients, age 25-45 years. Serbian version of the questionnaire Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) was used to determine the overall impact of oral health as well as the specific effect of caries (SP-OIDP) on the quality of life. To determine the status of teeth the DMFT index was used. Results. The incidence of oral health impact on daily activities was 68.1%. Carious teeth affected food intake (40.0%) and brushing teeth (31.0%) but had no effect on showing teeth and maintaining normal emotional state. Caries was the cause of oral discomfort in more than half of the respondents. Of all clinical variables only DMFT>22 was associated with the SP-OIDP score after inclusion of socio-demographic factors in the analysis (rs=0.273). Conclusion. The results of this study indicate that the incidence of the effect of oral conditions on the quality of life is high with most respondents showing difficulties while eating. Using specific questionnaire it was noted that dental caries had a significant effect on oral functions of respondents. Also, there was a significant correlation between dental status and the quality of life of middle-aged people.

Introduction. Lack of proper adhesion is one of the most common problems in modern restorative dentistry and the main cause of the occurrence of microcracks at the interface between materials and hard dental tissue. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of bond between two types of glass-ionomer cement (GIC) class V restorations and hard dental tissues by SEM. Materials and Methods. This clinical study included 20 intact teeth (premolars and molars) recently extracted for orthodontic reasons in patients of both genders and different ages. Class V cavity with rounded walls was prepared on vestibular and oral surfaces of all teeth (3x2x2 mm). Conventional GIC Fuji II was applied on vestibular surface of teeth whereas on oral surface resin-reinforced glass ionomer Fuji II LC was placed. The bond between fillings and hard dental tissue was assessed by SEM. Results. Both materials showed microcracks, however, microleakage was lower with Fuji II LC than with Fuji II. Microcracks were observed in 65% of cases (13 restorations) restored with GIC Fuji II and 35% (7 fillings) restored with GIC Fuji II LC. The size of microcracks for Fuji II LC was 9 μm while this value for Fuji II was 17 μm. The difference was statistically significant. Conclusion. Better bond between material and hard dental tissue was achieved with the material of new generation, resin modified GIC.

Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries and analyze the status of teeth in relation to sociodemographic factors and habits and behavior related to oral health among adolescents in the eastern region of Republika Srpska. Material and Methods. The study included 212 adolescents (71 males and 141 females) age 16-18 years. Information about sociodemographic characteristics, oral hygiene habits and behaviors related to oral health were collected using a questionnaire. The prevalence of dental caries was determined by applying the DMFT index and its components (D - decayed, M - extracted, F - filled teeth). The status of teeth was analyzed in relation to socio-demographic variables, oral hygiene habits and behavior related to oral health. Results. The mean DMFT value of examined population was approximately 8.6. A significant difference in the status of teeth of adolescents was reported in relation to the place of residence and oral hygiene habits - brushing frequency and the use of dental floss. A significant difference in the caries prevalence was recorded depending on the elapsed time from last visit and reasons for visiting dentist. Conclusion. The results suggested that the place of residence, oral hygiene habits and behavior related to oral health influenced the status of teeth of adolescents in the eastern region of Republika Srpska.

Introduction. A significant change in frequency and characteristics of oral diseases in developed countries has been detected recently. The aim of this study was to determine the dental status of teeth in adults in the eastern region of Republika Srpska and to determine possible difference in the prevalence of dental diseases according to the demographic characteristics. Materials and Methods. The study included 182 respondents aged 35-44 years and 185 respondents aged 65-74 years, selected randomly from four municipalities in the eastern region of Republika Srpska. Dental examinations were conducted according to the standards and criteria developed by the World Health Organization. Dental status, determined by DMFT index, was analyzed according to the gender and place of residence (urban/rural). Results. The mean DMFT index was 20.2 in the age group 35-44 years and 28.5 in subjects aged 65-74 years. The dominant component of the index in both studied groups was the number of extracted teeth. For subjects aged 65-74 years from rural areas a significantly higher DMFT index as compared to the residents in urban regions (p

Introduction. Dental caries has been one of the oldest but still one of the most common oral diseases in humans. Even though it has been almost eradicated in developed countries due to increased fluoride use, adoption of proper oral hygiene habits and systematic implementation of preventive programs, caries remained one of leading oral diseases in developing countries. Epidemiological data about the prevalence of caries is very important for prediction of need for dental care, number of dental care providers as well as financial aspect. The aim of this study was to determine dental status and indicate dental treatment need in adults of the municipality of Foca, Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Material and Methods. The study included 244 randomly selected residents (131 males and 113 females) from the municipality of Foca which were divided into three age groups: 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49 years. Dental status and need for dental treatment were determined in accordance to the criteria and methodology of the World Health Organization. Results. Mean value of DMFT index was 12.7 for the first age group, 16.4 for the second and 20.5 for the third age group of respondents. Dominant components in the first group were restored and carious teeth while in the third age group number of extracted teeth dominated. Also, in the third age group of respondents need for one and two or more surfaces fillings was significantly lower (p

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of variability in pulp sensitivity with sex, psychosocial variables, the gene that encodes for the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), and chronic painful conditions (temporomandibular disorders [TMDs]).The study was composed of 97 subjects (68 women and 29 men aged 20-44 years). The electric (electric pulp tester) and cold (refrigerant spray) stimuli were performed on mandibular lateral incisors. The results were expressed as pain threshold values for electric pulp stimulation (0-80 units) and as pain intensity scores (visual numeric scale from 0-10) for cold stimulation. The Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD were used to assess TMD, depression, and somatization. DNA extracted from peripheral blood was genotyped for 3 COMT polymorphisms (rs4680, rs6269, and rs165774) using the real-time TaqMan method. Multivariate linear regression was used to investigate the joint effect of the predictor variables (clinical and genetic) on pulp sensitivity (dependent variables).Threshold responses to electric stimuli were related to female sex (P .01) and the homozygous GG genotype for the rs165774 polymorphism (P .05). Pain intensity to cold stimuli was higher in TMD patients (P .01) and tended to be higher in women. Multivariate linear regression identified sex and the rs165774 COMT polymorphism as the determinants of electric pain sensitivity, whereas TMD accounts for the variability in the cold response.Our findings indicate that sex/a COMT gene variant and TMD as a chronic painful condition may contribute to individual variation in electric and cold pulp sensitivity, respectively.

Introduction. As a systemic disease, diabetes mellitus may lead to several complications affecting both the quality and the length of life. While periodontal disease is one of the major oral health problems in patients with diabetes, reports of an increased risk of dental caries among diabetics are controversial. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate oral health status in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 in relation to metabolic control of the disease. Methods. The study included 47 randomly sampled diabetics patients, divided into two groups; those with poorly controlled diabetes (glycosylated haemoglobin - HbA1c ?9%) and those with better controlled diabetes (HbA1c

Introduction: Caries is one of the oldest and most common human diseases and, as such, attracts attention of scientists and researchers worldwide. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine caries prevalence in the students of Dental and Medical Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at School of Dentistry in Foca and included 340 students, 18-25 years of age. Caries prevalence was analyzed using DMFT index and its components. Results: The average DMFT values in the examined population of students was 12.8?4.7 with only one student with DMFT=0. Obtained results revealed that upper molars were most frequently affected by initial as well as deep caries (30.4%, 15.3% respectively) while anterior teeth were least affected (5.3% and 0.3% respectively). The greatest number of students had 1-3 amalgam restorations. Maxillary teeth from both anterior and posterior segments were most frequently restored with esthetic materials. DMFT index analysis showed that lower molars were among the most often extracted teeth (48.2%). Conclusion: High DMFT index values in the examined population is the results of inadequate organisation of dental healthcare service and inadequate preventive measures in specific socio-economic and medical conditions. .

Caries is the most frequent oral disease in all age groups. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine dental status and caries prevalence in adolescents in the Eastern Bosnian region, in Foca municipality Materials and methods: The study comprised 300 pupils of secondary schools, of both sexes and aged between 15 and 18 in Foca municipality. Dental check-up was conducted by a single dentist using daylight, dental mirror and dental probe. Caries prevalence was analyzed using the DMFT index. Results: Results showed that the dominant components of DMFT were filled (51.7%) and decayed teeth (36.8%) while extracted teeth were least frequent (11.8). Initial caries was observed most frequently in upper (48%) and lower (39.7%) molars and least frequently in lower anterior teeth (8.4%). Deep caries lesions were most often found in upper (35,7%) and lower (33.3%) molars and rarely in lower anterior teeth (3.3%). Conclusion: Adolescents in Eastern Bosnia (Foca municipality) have great number of carious and unrestored teeth and, therefore, the implementation of primary dental healthcare system is necessary as well as looking for a solution to this problem.