Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Dentistry

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Patients at a dental clinic were asked to participate in a toothpaste study. Their brushing times were covertly recorded and they completed a questionnaire about brushing habits. When the actual brushing times for the 154 subjects were compared to their estimated brushing time a highly significant difference was found. Approximately 90% of the subjects stated that they had brushed the same amount as their estimate. Neither actual or estimated brushing time related to age, brushings per day, or regularity of dental care...

The fluoride (F) contents of ten alginate impression materials in powder form, were found to range from 0.44% to 2.42%. Plasma F concentrations showed no appreciable changes in five dental personnel exposed to aerosols of these powders during routine clinical work. Elevated plasma F levels (120-158 ng/ml) were recorded after ingesting 2 g (approximately 10 mg F) of Zelgan normal-set alginate. The bioavailability of F from the alginate was about 55% of the total F in the administered dose. It is concluded that routine clinical exposure to alginate does not cause any important change in plasma F levels, whereas accidental swallowing of alginate raises the plasma F level significantly...

Logistic analysis methodology is being increasingly used in the analysis of categorical data from the biomedical sciences. We describe how the relationships between a dichotomous outcome variable and several qualitative classificatory or experimental variables can be modeled in a format similar to that used for quantitative data. The technique of weighted least squares is used to estimate the underlying parameters in the model and to perform various tests of statistical significance. The methodology is illustrated using data from a randomized dental anaesthetic study comparing three local anaesthetic solutions under two operative procedures...

To assess the antibiotic sensitivity of subgingival microflora, chloramphenicol sodium succinate, clindamycin hydrochloride hydrate, disodium carbenicillin, doxycycline hyclate, erythromycin, minocycline hydrochloride, penicillin -G, spiramycin adipate, tetracycline hydrochloride and metronidazole were examined. Eleven patients with periodontitis were selected for sampling. Subgingival plaque samples were taken from three sites on each patient. Anaerobic incubation of the plaque samples for ten days was made on the blood agar plates which contained 0...

Bone culture was used as an experimental model in studying the ability of dental plaque grown in the presence of xylitol or sucrose to induce bone resorption. Plaque samples were collected in young adults after six or ten days with no oral hygiene and with frequent use of xylitol- or sucrose-sweetened chewing gum. The rate of resorption was assayed by measuring the release of both acid phosphatase and 45Ca from bones into culture media during a three-day incubation period. Sucrose-induced plaque collected after ten days increased both of these indicators of bone resorption, while xylitol plaque decreased or had no effect under identical conditions...

Comparative quantitation of plaque organic acids formed in vivo in the course of chewing sucrose and sorbitol-mannitol containing gums disclosed that the hexitol gum did not generate any additional lactic, formic, butyric, propionic, acetic or pyruvic acid beyond baseline (0 time) values. In contrast, sucrose-containing gum produced significant increases in lactic and butyric acids. Quantitatively, acetic acid was the major acid in all plaque samples; the values were comparable for both gums at all times, suggesting it was mainly generated from endogenous sources...

The purpose of this study was to determine if a 0.243% sodium fluoride-silica abrasive dentifrice provides greater anticaries efficacy than a 0.4% stannous fluoride-calcium pyrophosphate abrasive dentifrice. A sample of 1,824 schoolchildren was randomly assigned to either the sodium fluoride dentifrice or the stannous fluoride dentifrice and examined clinically and radiographically for dental caries initially and after one, two, and three years of dentifrice usage. Two examiners independently examined each of the subjects for dental caries...

This study was conducted to determine if the anticaries effectiveness of a 0.243% sodium fluoride-silica abrasive dentifrice is superior to a 0.4% stannous fluoride-calcium pyrophosphate dentifrice. A nonfluoride, calcium pyrophosphate abrasive placebo dentifrice was also included at one-third the sample size of the active treatment groups to estimate the level of efficacy of the sodium fluoride dentifrice. A total of 3,093 schoolchildren were randomly assigned at a ratio of 3:3:1 to the sodium fluoride dentifrice, the stannous fluoride dentifrice, or the placebo dentifrice, respectively...

A modified Somogyi-Nelson procedure was used to determine the amount of reducing sugar produced during the reaction of S. mutans 6715 glucosyltransferase (GTF) with sucrose. This technique is an indirect measure of GTF activity and was used to determine the effects of the surfactants glycerol monolaurin (GML) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) upon crude extracellular GTF. GML at 5, 10, and 15 micrograms/ml reduced culture filtrate GTF enzyme activity to an average of 81% of the control value. SLS at the only concentration tested (15 micrograms/ml) also caused a reduction, resulting in a GTF activity level that was 82% of the control value...

A double-blind evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of a single dose of naproxen, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen was performed on 98 patients who had undergone periodontal surgery. A statistically significant difference was found when the effect of these medications was compared with that of a placebo, but no statistically significant difference was found among these three drugs. No side effects resulted from the use of these medications.

Fifty subjects enrolled in a double-blind clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a solution of carbamide peroxide in 10% glycerol upon healing time and pain relief of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. No apparent difference was experienced in either duration of healing or pain relief between the 25 subjects who received the active medication and the 25 subjects who received a placebo.

The biotransformation of methoxyflurane produces two fluorometabolites: inorganic fluoride (F) and an acid-labile fluorocompound (OALF). These have been assayed in the serum of male mice 10, 30, and 100 minutes after either ip or sc injections of 0.7 microliter of methoxyflurane (MOF) per gram of body weight, as either the volatile liquid itself or as a 1:10 dilution in corn oil. During the 10- to 100-minute intervals, the mice were observed for loss of the righting reflex. Corn oil dilution significantly altered the production of MOF fluorometabolites, usually decreasing them, but after 100 minutes, the serum concentration of OALF was 25% greater...

Three types of sustained and controlled release dosage forms of sodium fluoride (NaF) for the prevention of dental caries are reviewed. Sustained release NaF tablets or capsules have prolonged the elevation of saliva and plasma fluoride levels in both animal and human studies when compared to conventional NaF tablets. In vitro studies have shown that aerosol application of NaF-containing microcapsules to the tooth surface may prolong the retention of a given dose of fluoride in the mouth and also increase enamel uptake of fluoride...

Monofluorophosphate (MFP), usually sodium-MFP, Na2PO3F, has become widely used in dentifrices and has been suggested for the treatment of osteoporosis. Its PO3F-- ions are hydrolyzed to F ions and orthophosphate by phosphatases. Experiments on rats showed no such splitting in the stomach, very rapid hydrolysis in the small intestine and the liver, and slower hydrolysis in the blood. In both rats and humans, no evidence of direct absorption of PO3F-- ions into the blood was found. The findings explain the low acute toxicity and the absence of gastric irritation of MFP...

Inter- and intra-examiner variability in scoring supragingival plaque using the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein method was analyzed for four examiners each examining 24 patients twice. There was no evidence of systematic differences between the dentists and dental hygienists or between the more experienced and less experienced examiners in their mean scores, in the variability of their scores, or in the precision of their scores. The major sources of extraneous variation in the scores were measurement error, inter-examiner variation (not accounted for by professional training or experience), and a failure of examiners to apply their scoring criteria uniformly to all patients...

The effect of a toothpaste containing mineral fat (paraffin oil) on the accumulation of food debris was evaluated in 17 adults. Food debris indices were scored during 3 weeks. A significant lower food debris index was detected in the subject group brushing their teeth with the paste containing mineral fat as compared with the fat-free paste or water. From a clinical standpoint the results do not appear to be all that different from each other.

The efficacy of several fatty acids as antimicrobial, antiplaque, and anticaries agents, as well as their ability to inhibit hydroxyapatite dissolution were examined. All effectively inhibited bacterial growth. Lauric, linoleic, and oleic acids decreased plaque formation and lauric acid inhibited hydroxyapatite dissolution. When used in the food, lauric acid decreased caries in rats, but not significantly.

The local and systemic effects of epinephrine and acetylcholine on tooth pulp pressure were evaluated in dogs by intra-arterial and intravenous injection of these compounds. Control pulp pressure recorded from the dog's canine tooth was 58 +/- 6 mm Hg. Intra-arterial epinephrine produced dose-related decreases in pulp pressure which were antagonized by alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade with phentolamine. These results suggest that the fall in pulp pressure is the result of local vasoconstriction and reduced blood flow into the pulp...