Er:YAG laser used alone or in combination with rhPDGF-BB application may offer a promising periodontal therapy for conditioning root surfaces, although the combined application seemed to be slightly more effective. However, testing laser use in intervals and with parameters <60 mJ/pulse and 10 Hz is required to verify the minimum threshold values necessary to obtain complete root debridement and clarify optimal conditions for fibroblast cell attachment and growth. Further studies are needed to determine ideal parameters for creating the best environment for successful periodontal treatment.

Aim:Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous disease with an immunological etiology. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of selenium combined with Vitamins A, C & E (Selenium-ACE) in the treatment of erosive-ulcerative OLP as an adjunctive to topical corticosteroids plus antifungal agent.Subjects and Methods:Thirty patients with a confirmed clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of OLP participated in this clinical trial. Patients were randomly allocated into one of three groups and treated as follows: (I) Topical corticosteroids, (II) topical corticosteroids plus antifungal, and (III) SE-ACE combined with topical corticosteroids plus antifungal. The patients were followed for 6 weeks. The pain and severity of the lesions were recorded at the initial and follow-up visits. All recorded data were analyzed using paired t-test and ANOVA test. A P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.Results:The experimental groups showed a marked reduction in pain sensation and size of lesions, particularly in the final follow-up period, but there was no significant difference between the first two Groups I and II. However, healing of lesions and improvement of pain sensation was effective in Group III since a significant difference was found favoring Group III over both Groups I and II.Conclusion:No significant difference was found in treating erosive-ulcerative lesions of OLP by topical corticosteroids alone or combined with antifungal. However, when using SE-ACE in combination with topical corticosteroids plus antifungal, this approach may be effective in managing ulcerative lesions of OLP; but more research with a larger sample size and a longer evaluation period may be recommended.

PurposeDentin hypersensitivity is a potential threat to oral health. Laser irradiation may provide reliable and reproducible treatment but remains controversial. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of CO2 or erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Er:YAG) laser therapy, and to assess mineral content.MethodsEighteen human single-rooted teeth affected with advanced periodontitis were obtained. Buccal and lingual surfaces were planed to form 36 specimens. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid gel (24%) was applied to remove the smear layer and simulate hypersensitive teeth. The experimental groups were: group 1, control (no irradiation); group 2, CO2 laser (repetitive pulsed mode, 2 W, 2.7 J/cm2); and group 3, Er:YAG laser (slight contact mode, 40 mJ/pulse and 10 Hz). To evaluate dentinal tubule occlusion, six specimens per group (2-mm thickness) were prepared and observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for calculation of the occlusion percentage. To evaluate the mineral content, six specimens per group (0.6-mm thickness) were used, and then the levels of Ca, K, Mg, Na, and P were measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. In addition, the surface temperature of the specimens during laser irradiation was analyzed by a thermograph.ResultsThe SEM photomicrographs indicated melted areas around exposed dentinal tubules and a significantly greater percentage of tubular occlusion in the CO2 and Er:YAG laser groups than the control, and in the Er:YAG group than the CO2 laser group. In addition, no significant differences were noted among the experimental groups for the mineral elements analyzed. The CO2 laser group showed an evident thermal effect compared to the Er:YAG group.ConclusionsCO2 and Er:YAG laser are effective in treating dentin hypersensitivity and reducing its symptoms. However, the Er:YAG laser has a more significant effect; thus, it may constitute a useful conditioning item. Furthermore, neither CO2 nor Er:YAG lasers affected the compositional structure of the mineral content.Graphical Abstract

Periodontal regeneration using EDTA or PDGF showed promising results, but the effect of combined application was still unclear. This study aimed to verify the effect of EDTA and/or PDGF application on root adhesion and proliferation of PDL fibroblast cells. Eighty specimens were prepared from forty periodontitis teeth and made five groups: (1) diseased (untreated), (2) SRP (scaling root planing), (3) EDTA (24%), (4) PDGF (25 ng/ml) and (5) Combined application of EDTA and PDGF. Periodontal ligament cells were cultured on the above conditioned dentin plate, and SEM examination was preformed and cells were counted within a representative standard area for both cell morphology and density. All groups including untreated showed significantly increase of adhered cells from baseline to 7 days. Among them, rate of increase was much higher in EDTA, PDGF, and combined groups. ANOVA test indicated that the number of cells in PDGF and combined groups was significantly higher than diseased group at 1 day. On day 7, PDGF and combined groups showed significantly higher number of adhesion cells than that found in the diseased, SRP and EDTA groups. Thus, root conditioning with EDTA enhanced cell adhesion more than SRP alone. There was no significant difference of cell number between PDGF and combined group. Combined application of EDTA and PDGF increased significantly PDL cell adhesion than EDTA alone. PDGF alone, however, also showed comparable effect to combined application at all periods. Thus, synergistic effect between PDGF and EDTA was not observed.