The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of salivary biochemical markers for the screening of periodontal disease and examine the agreement between the results of saliva enzyme tests and those of probing depth. The present study included a total of 187 subjects who underwent annual medical check-ups at the Comprehensive Health Care Center, Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Periodontal pocket probing was performed with a WHO probe, and various enzymes and biochemical parameters in saliva were measured. For lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the proportions of the five isoenzymes were calculated. To decide the cut-off point for each enzymatic activity, receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves) were constructed and the points of minimum difference between sensitivity and specificity were decided. Among the biochemical markers tested, salivary LDH level had the highest sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity 0.66, specificity 0.67), while salivary levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) also had sensitivity and specificity above 0.60. Among the LDH isoenzymes, LDH4 and LDH5 dominated in whole saliva samples. Salivary LDH may be a feasible and useful parameter for the screening of periodontal disease, while salivary AST and BUN also appear to be potentially useful for this purpose. (J. Oral Sci. 48, [177][178][179][180][181][182][183] 2006)
The incidence of black‐pigmented rods (BPRs), especially Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens, in periodontal health and disease were examined. Furthermore, the degradative enzyme activities of P. intermedia were compared among the strains from periodontal health and disease. Microbiological specimens were collected from subgingival crevice or periodontal pocket by paper point. The BPRs were found in 71.1% of periodontally healthy subjects (n = 45), and in 47.1% of healthy sites (n = 34) and 87.8% of active sites (n = 41) among periodontally diseased patients. Porphyromonas gingivalis was detected only in active sites of periodontally diseased patients (17.8% of 180 strains). P. intermedia was the predominant BPR in both healthy and active sites (37.3 and 41.7%, respectively) of the patients. However, P. nigrescens was the predominant BPR (70.5% of 173 strains) in periodontally healthy subjects. The enzyme activities of esterase, esterase‐lipase, acid‐phosphatase and α‐fucosidase of P. intermedia strains isolated from active sites in patients were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of healthy subjects. The results suggest that P. intermedia might increase the activity of degradative enzymes under a certain condition and support the progression of periodontitis.
The severity of the 2 diseases seemed to be connected indirectly through health behaviors such as diet behavior and oral health behavior.
The purpose of this survey was to investigate the relationship between demographic characteristics and willingness of patients to pay for regular dental check-ups in Japan. Questionnaires were distributed at private dental offices and collected via postage-paid return envelopes addressed to the center of the study groups. Questions focused on demographics and willingness to pay for regular check-ups. Five thousand one hundred thirty-two questionnaires were collected (response rate 56.8%). The 3 groups most likely to have regular dental check-ups were found to be the under 20s, 50 to 59 year olds and civil servants. Of these groups, civil servants were found to be the most likely of all to have regular check-ups. More females than males were represented in the sample. More than 60% of the patients responded that they would be willing to pay for regular check-ups if the cost were less than 2,000 yen (about 20 dollars). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in relation to household income. The results suggested that participation in regular dental check-ups might be related to gender and age, but not to household income.
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dental clinic credibility and patient satisfaction with regular dental check-ups, to compare the level of satisfaction of patients who had regular check-ups with those who did not, and to identify factors associated with regular dental checkups. Thirty-nine private dental clinics in 17 prefectures throughout Japan participated in this study. A total of 9024 questionnaires were distributed to the patients at these clinics, and patients returned the questionnaires using a pre-paid envelope (response rate 56.8%). The questionnaires consisted of items related to patient demographics and 11 items concerning the level of patient satisfaction with the dental clinic. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, the strongest correlation was found between dental clinic credibility in regular checkups and the technical competence of the dentist. The responses to those items concerning making an appointment, and the cleanliness and neatness of the waiting room were different between patients who had regular check-ups and those who did not. To investigate the factors that encourage regular dental check-ups, correlation of factors with regular check up experience were analyzed. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios indicated a strong association between regular dental check ups and both the technical competence of the dental hygienist and the cost of treatment.
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