Additional effects of homeopathy on chronic periodontitis: A 1-year follow-up randomized clinical trial

Background and objectiveThe aim of this study was test the hypothesis that homeopathy (H) enhances the effects of scaling and root planing (SRP) in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP).Materials and Methods50 patients with CP were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups: SRP (C-G) or SRP + H (H-G). Assessments were made at baseline and after 3 and 12 months of treatments. The local and systemic responses to the treatments were evaluated by clinical and serologic parameters, respectively.ResultsBoth groups displayed significant improvements, however, using clinical attachment gain and reductions in HDL, LDL and Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Glucose and Uric acid, from baseline to 1 year, as criteria for treatment success, H-G performed significantly better than C-G.ConclusionThe findings of this 1-year follow-up randomized clinical trial suggest that homeopathic medicines, as an adjunctive to SRP, can provide significant local and systemic improvements for CP patients.     

The immunopathogenic and immunomodulatory effects of interleukin‐12 in periodontal disease

Interleukin 12 (IL‐12) is an inflammatory cytokine that promotes the response of the immune system. This cytokine has been implicated as a potent stimulator of several diseases characterized by inflammatory‐induced bone destruction, such as rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis. Yet, the exact role of IL‐12 in the development and progress of periodontitis has not been clarified. Several studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between the level of IL‐12 and the severity of periodontal destruction. Deletion of IL‐12 in mice with periodontitis significantly suppressed the level of bone destruction. Interestingly, next to a role in modulating the pathogenesis, IL‐12 also has immunological‐regulatory properties. This cytokine induces expression of immunosuppressive molecules, such as indoleamine‐pyrrole 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO). Thus, these findings suggest both negative and positive influences of IL‐12 in periodontal disease. It is currently proposed that the diversity of action of cytokines is a molecular key which regulates biological development and homeostasis. Accordingly, the actions of IL‐12 might be one of the mechanisms that regulate homeostasis of periodontal tissue during and following inflammation. Therefore, this article aims to review both destructive and protective functionalities of IL‐12 with an emphasis on periodontal disease.     

Oral Fine Motor Control of Teeth Treated with Endodontic Microsurgery: A Single-Blinded Case-control Study

IntroductionPeriodontal mechanoreceptors (PMRs) are refined neural receptors present in abundance at the root apex and have a pivotal role in oral fine motor control. This case-control study aimed to evaluate the oral fine motor control of teeth treated with endodontic microsurgery (EMS) in comparison with the control teeth using a standardized behavioral biting task.MethodsFourteen eligible participants performed 5 trials of an oral fine motor control task that involved holding and splitting half of a peanut positioned on a force transducer with their EMS treated tooth and its contralateral control incisor tooth (28 teeth in total). The outcome variables were the mean food holding force, intra- and intertrial variability of the holding force, food splitting force, splitting duration, and the frequency of the stepwise splitting phase. The data were analyzed with parametric and nonparametric tests.ResultsThe results showed no statistically significant differences in the holding force, inter- and intratrial variability of the holding force, splitting force, or splitting duration between the teeth treated with EMS and the control (P > .05). However, there was a significantly higher frequency of stepwise ramp increase during the splitting phase with EMS treated teeth compared with the control (48% and 37%, respectively; P < .05).ConclusionsEMS treated teeth showed similar force regulation and oral fine motor control as the contralateral control. The findings of this study suggest that EMS treatment does not perturb the sensory information of PMRs and maintains the force regulation and oral fine motor control of the teeth.