آتنا شیرزاد

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common recurrent ulcers in the oral mucosa and its etiology is not yet elucidated, but the immune system dysfunction and oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of RAS. Selenium has regulatory role in the immune system and oxidative stress. This study aims to compare serum levels of selenium between patients with RAS and healthy controls.

This case-control study was performed in 50 patients with minor RAS and 53 healthy controls that were matched for age and sex. Blood samples were obtained from all participants and selenium serum levels were measured. Data were analyzed in SPSS V17 applying independent sample t-test and Chi-square.

The average age of the controls and case group was 34.77±8.21 and 37.68±9.69 years, respectively and women included 67.9% and 74%, respectively .The mean serum level of selenium in the control group (49.16±17.03 µg/L) was significantly higher than that of the case group (31.09±17.74µg/L) (P<0.001).

Serum levels of selenium are lower in patients with RAS than healthy controls.

Osteoporosis and periodontitis are two diseases associated with bone loss and are common among postmenopausal women. There are many contradictory results on the effect of osteoporosis on periodontal tissue. This study aimed to determine the association between osteoporosis and periodontal status in postmenopausal women.

This cross-sectional study was part of the second phase of the Amir kola Health and Aging Project (AHAP), in which 210 postmenopausal women were randomly divided into three groups (n=70 per group); normal bone density group,  osteopenic group, and osteoporotic group. Periodontal status was measured using Periodontal Disease Index (PDI), Plaque Index (PI), and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Data were analyzed in SPSS V17 applying ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and Pearson correlation coefficient.

The average age of the participants was 65.24±4.36 years. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean OHI (2.26±1.40), PDI (2.76±1.42), and PI (1.23±0.87) in the osteoporotic group, and the mean OHI (2.01±1.62), PDI (2.56±1.61), and PI (1.35±0.91) in the osteopenia group, and mean OHI (1.73±1.37), PDI (2.47±1.43), and PI (1.23±0.87) in the normal group (P>0.05). The OHI, PDI, and PI had a slight but insignificant negative correlation with BMD.

According to this study, there is no link between osteoporosis and periodontal status in postmenopausal women.

Considering that nutrition plays a prominent role in the health of the elderly, oral health and the associated quality of life are very important for a healthy diet. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among the elderly in Amirkola.

 This study was part of the second phase of the Amirkola elderly cohort study conducted on 750 older people who underwent a special oral and dental examination in 2016-2020 using the Oral Health Questionnaire. The frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed with the  Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency  Questionnaire (SQFFQ), OHRQoL was assessed with the  General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), and information on age, sex, history of systemic diseases, and the number of teeth was extracted from the full data set completed by specialists for each patient. Data were analyzed with SPSS 20 using the chi-square statistical test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. A value of p<0.05 was considered significant.

 Non-smokers and people with a higher level of education had a better OHRQoL (P=0.022 and P=0.036, respectively). There was no significant relationship between the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and OHRQoL, but a significant relationship was found between the frequency of fresh herb consumption and OHRQoL (p=0.005). In men, there was a significant relationship between the number of teeth and frequency of vegetable consumption as well as between OHRQoL and frequency of fresh herb consumption in men (P=0.048, r=0.096).In women, a significant relationship was observed between the frequency of total vegetable consumption and OHRQoL (p=0.021, r=0.129).

According to the results of the present study, it was found that the amount of fruit and vegetable consumption has no effect on improving the OHRQoL among the elderly of Amirkola city.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic oral diseases worldwide. A variety of foods may affect periodontal health. Due to the importance of periodontal health in the old age, this study was designed to investigate the association between carbohydrate intake and periodontal health in the elderly in Amirkola, northern Iran.

This cross-sectional study is part of the second phase of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP). The evaluated participants included 400 elderly people (200 men and 200 women). Socio-demographic data of all subjects were recorded in the information form. Periodontal status, including plaque index (PI), periodontal disease index (PDI) and Oral Hygiene Index (OHI) were evaluated. Then, the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SQFFQ) was completed in order to receive daily carbohydrates in grams per day for all Participants. Then, the relationship between carbohydrate intake and periodontal health was evaluated.

The participants consumed an average of 316±102.4 gr/day carbohydrates. The mean range of PI, OHI, PDI and in the high carbohydrate intake (>300 gr) group were 2.18±1.39, 2.84±1.51 and 1.51±0.86, respectively, and this rate was lower than the group with low carbohydrate intake (<300 gr) (1.96±1.52, 2.56±1.53 and 1.37±0.91), but the difference between the two groups was not significant.

In the present study, there was no relationship between periodontal health indices and carbohydrate intake.

Chronic periodontitis is a slow-growing inflammatory disease that often occurs in adults. In the elderly, periodontal indices may also change due to a number of psychological factors, such as depression and consequent changes in cortisol levels. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the relationship between depression and periodontal indices in the elderly in Amirkola, Northern Iran.

This case-control study, which is part of the second phase of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP) to investigate the health status of the elderly in this city, was performed on 300 elderly people. After examination, subjects were divided into two groups: periodontitis (n=100) and control (n=200). In both groups, the presence of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), in which a score of 5 or higher is a sign of depression, and periodontal indices including OHIS and PDI were examined based on PDI≥4 periodontitis criterion. Then, the two groups were compared in terms of the association between periodontal indices and depression.

In this study, 133 were female (44.3%) and 167 were male (55.7%). 35 patients (35%) in the case group and 61 patients (30.5%) in the control group had symptoms of depression. The mean GDS score in patients with periodontitis (3.70±3.68) was slightly higher than healthy individuals (3.49±3.40), but no significant correlation was observed between GDS and PDI. Old age, male gender, lower level of education and smoking were higher in patients with periodontitis, which was statistically significant only in smoking and level of education (p=0.042 and p=0.009, respectively). In this study, a positive and weak relationship was observed between age and PDI (r=0.19 and p=0.001).

The results showed that there is a relationship between periodontal indices and depression. Although it was not statistically significant, it is clinically noteworthy.

Background and Oral health during pregnancy is effective on fetal and maternal health. Dental treatments in this period should have no side effects on the fetus and mother. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practice of general dentists about dental management during pregnancy in Sari, Iran.
This study was conducted in 114 dentists in Sari, 2015. The participants completed a questionnaire consisting of twenty questions (14 questions about knowledge and 6 questions about practice) for dental procedures during pregnancy. SPSS V.16 was applied to analyze the data.
The final mean score of dentists was 51.84%. The mean final score had a significant correlation with age, gender, and working experience (P In this study, the knowledge about dental managements decreased in older dentists and those with more working experiences. Therefore, training programs are necessary to enhance the knowledge of this group of dentists.

Multiple myeloma is a monoclonal malignant proliferation of plasma cells that causes osteolytic lesions in the vertebrae, ribs, pelvic bone, skull and jaw. We report a case of a 66 year-old-woman with pain and right facial swelling. Radiographic examination showed a well-defined radiolucent lesion in left posterior mandible. An incisional biopsy was performed and histopathological examination revealed proliferation of malignant plasma cell with off-center and hyper chrome nucleus. The results of biopsy, imaging, and laboratory investigations led to the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. This maxillofacial manifestation of multiple myeloma is not that rare, but dentist knowledge about maxillofacial manifestation can help in early diagnosis and consequently better prognosis of the disease.

Oral mucositis is the most common painful complication during and after radiotherapy in head and neck region causing to stop course of radiation frequently. Researchers have been continuously looking for drugs to prevent and treat this complication. However many natural and herbal agents have been suggested, some of which are attractive because of their safety, accessibility and availability. This study reviewed a number of these agents. Literature search was done in PubMed, Google, Iran Medex, and SID. The MeSH keywords used for the search were oral mucositis, radiotherapy, herbal medicine, propolis, chamomile, honey, aloevera, Glycyrrhizaglabra, calendula officinalis, Chinese herbal drugs limited to the topics and abstracts in English and Persian articles published 1995-2013. After sifting through the topics and abstracts, eventually 27 articles were selected which were related to the effect of various natural agents on radiation mucositis. According to inadequate evidences about effect of natural agents on oral mucositis, there is not appropriate guideline for management of oral mucositis.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is recognized as one of the most common oral mucosal diseases without known pathogenesis. Free radicals can play an important role in the pathogenesis of RAS. The aim of this study was investigation of salivary oxidative stress and antioxidant system of patients with oral aphthae in compared to healthy individuals. In this case-control study، 20 patients with RAS (case group) and 20 age and gender-matched healthy subjects (control group) were selected. Unstimulated saliva of the RAS patients in ulcerative stage and healthy subjects was collected. Salivary TAC (total antioxidant capacity) and MDA (malondialdehyde) of two groups were investigated and compared using FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) methods respectively. The mean and standard deviation of salivary MDA in case group was 0. 526± 0. 092? M and in control group was 0. 232±0. 061? M (p<0. 0001). The mean and standard deviation of salivary TAC in case group was 542. 60±113. 509? M and in control group was 619. 30±131. 303? M. No significant difference in the level of TAC was found between the two groups. TAC was reduced in case and control groups in line with increase in the level of MDA (p=0. 022، r= -0. 36). The results of this study show that oxidant level increases and TAC does not change in RAS patients.