There was a progressive reduction in SOD levels from healthy non-smokers to light smokers to heavy smokers. These findings highlight the need to augment the efforts of smoking-cessation programs. The benefits of reduced smoking and improved antioxidant levels may motivate smoking cessation.

This article describes the periodontal management of a patient with severe aplastic anemia. A 51-year-old female patient was hospitalized with aplastic anemia and was referred for the management of her cyclosporine-induced gingival enlargement and bleeding from her gums. She also complained of pain in the palatal area and the mandibular anterior region. The patient was managed successfully with supra- and subgingival instrumentation, local drug delivery (LDD), electrosurgery, repeated oral hygiene instruction, and constant supervision. The treatment resulted in dramatic improvement in the patient's oral health and quality of life. This report highlights the importance of nonsurgical therapy followed by electrosurgery for the management of residual gingival enlargement.

No abstract

Desquamative gingivitis is a condition characterized by intense erythema, ulceration, and desquamation of the free and attached gingiva. Approximately 50% of desquamative gingivitis cases occur on the gingival tissues though it is not uncommon at other intraoral and extraoral sites. Though topical corticosteroids are considered the mainstays in the treatment of desquamative gingivitis, the inability of these medicaments to be in contact with the affected sites for longer duration has been implicated as a factor in reducing the efficacy of this mode of treatment. The case presented here is of a 24-year old male with desquamative gingivitis of 3 years duration. Topical corticosteroid therapy using custom-made acrylic veneers was utilized in the patient with remarkable results. This paper highlights the use of acrylic labial veneers over the gingival tissue as a vehicle for delivering medication and as a way to improve aesthetics.