BackgroundThe study and identification of new biomarkers for periodontal disease, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), may give us more information about the location and severity of the disease and will serve as a basis for treatment planning and disease-monitoring. miRNAs are a group of small RNAs which are involved in gene regulation by binding to their messenger RNA target (mRNA). In this pilot study, the procedure for purifying miRNAs from gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was, for the first time, described. In addition, the concentration of miRNAs in GCF was analyzed and compared between patients with moderate or severe chronic periodontitis (CP) and healthy controls.Material and MethodsGCF samples were collected from single-rooted teeth of patients with moderate or severe CP (n=9) and of healthy individuals (n=9). miRNAs were isolated from GCF using miRNeasy Serum/Plasma kit (Qiagen, CA. USA). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression of a series of miRNAs candidates that are related to bone metabolism. The significance of differences in miRNA levels between both groups was determined using Mann-Whitney U test.ResultsThe results from this pilot study indicate that miRNAs can be isolated from GCF. Six different miRNAs were analyzed (miR-671, miR-122, miR-1306, miR-27a, miR-223, miR-1226), but only miR-1226 showed statically significant differences between the CP group and healthy controls (p<0.05). This miRNA was downregulated in patients with CP.ConclusionsWithin the limitations of the present study, it may be concluded that miR-1226 can be a promising biomarker for periodontal disease, adding relevant information to common clinical parameters used for diagnosis and prognosis of periodontitis. Key words:Small interfering RNA, biomarkers, periodontal diseases, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

BackgroundPeriodontal disease or periodontitis is an inflammatory disease with a hight prevalence. According to the last oral health survey of the Spanish population, between 24% and 37% of Spaniards aged over 35 years have periodontitis and 6% to 10% of the adult population have deep periodontal pockets. The aim of this study was to determine the association between risk factors and the presence of periodontal pockets in the adult population.Material and MethodsA cross sectional or prevalence study of a representative sample of the adult population of the Valencia region was designed. The sample was recruited at 35 health centres, The study was conducted in November and December 2006 under standardized conditions as regards light sources, equipment and instruments and the position of the three previously calibrated dentist examiners.ResultsThe sample examined consisted of 733 individuals (220 men and 513 women). Measured by the CPI, 13% were healthy and 5.5% presented bleeding. The prevalence of calculus was 59.3%, that of 3.5-5.5 mm pockets was 15.8% and that of pockets deeper than 5.5 mm was 4.6%. Almost half the sextants were healthy (2.89), 0.61 presented bleeding and 1.74 presented calculus. The mean number of sextants affected by 3.5-5.5 mm pockets was 0.46 and 0.07 presented deep pockets (>5.5 mm). An adjusted multiple logistic regression model with the presence of periodontal pockets as the dependent variable showed that the significant independent variables were low social class (OR=1.81), smoking (OR=1.68), primary education (OR=1.57), male gender (OR=1.56) and age (OR=1.08). The other study variables were not significant in this model.ConclusionsSocioeconomic factors such as primary education and low social class, as well as gender, age and smoking, were found to be associated to a significant degree with greater prevalence of periodontal disease in the adult population. Key words:Periodontal disease, adults, socioeconomic factors, periodontal pockets, cross sectional study.

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) is a rare disorder characterized by a benign, non-hemorrhagic, fibrous gingival overgrowth that can appear in isolation or as part of a syndrome. Clinically, a pink gingiva with marked stippling can be seen to cover almost all the tooth, in many cases preventing eruption. HGF usually begins during the transition from primary to permanent teeth, giving rise to a condition that can have negative psychological effects at that age. As it does not resolve spontaneously, the treatment of choice is gingivectomy, which can be performed with an internal or external bevel incision, depending on each case and bearing in mind the changes that will take place at the dentogingival junction (DGJ). This paper describes clinical aspects and treatment in two eight-year-old boys with HGF, considering different facets of the surgical approach with conscious sedation in young children.

(1) Background: Halitosis is a frequent condition that affects a large part of the population. It is considered a “social stigma”, as it can determine a number of psychological and relationship consequences that affect people’s lives. The purpose of this review is to examine the role of psychological factors in the condition of self-perceived halitosis in adolescent subjects and adulthood. (2) Type of studies reviewed: We conducted, by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, systematic research of the literature on PubMed and Scholar. The key terms used were halitosis, halitosis self-perception, psychological factors, breath odor and two terms related to socio-relational consequences (“Halitosis and Social Relationship” OR “Social Issue of Halitosis”). Initial research identified 3008 articles. As a result of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the number of publications was reduced to 38. (3) Results: According to the literature examined, halitosis is a condition that is rarely self-perceived. In general, women have a greater ability to recognize it than men. Several factors can affect the perception of the dental condition, such as socioeconomic status, emotional state and body image. (4) Conclusion and practical implication: Self-perceived halitosis could have a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life. Among the most frequent consequences are found anxiety, reduced levels of self-esteem, misinterpretation of other people’s attitudes and embarrassment and relational discomfort that often result in social isolation.

Purpose MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are epigenetic post-transcriptional regulators that modulate gene expression and have been identified as biomarkers for several diseases, including cancer. This study aimed to systematically review the relationship between miRNAs and periodontal disease in humans, and to evaluate the potential of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of disease. Methods The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines (reference number CRD42020180683). The MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and SciELO databases were searched for clinical studies conducted in humans investigating periodontal diseases and miRNAs. Expression levels of miRNAs across the different groups were analysed using the collected data. Results A total of 1,299 references were identified in the initial literature search, and 23 articles were finally included in the review. The study designs were heterogeneous, which prevented a meta-analysis of the data. Most of the studies compared miRNA expression levels between patients with periodontitis and healthy controls. The most widely researched miRNA in periodontal diseases was miR-146a. Most studies reported higher expression levels of miR-146a in patients with periodontitis than in healthy controls. In addition, many studies also focused on identifying target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs that were significantly related to periodontal inflammation. Conclusions The results of the studies that we analysed are promising, but diagnostic tests are needed to confirm the use of miRNAs as biomarkers to monitor and aid in the early diagnosis of periodontitis in clinical practice.