Esin Alpöz

Effects of hydroxychloroquine on salivary flow rates and oral complaints of Sjögren patients: a prospective sample study

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate whether hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) therapy effects subjective and/or objective complaints and salivary flow rates of patients with primary Sjögrens syndrome (PSS). STUDY DESIGN Thirty women recently diagnosed with PSS, scheduled for HCQ treatment (400 mg daily), participated and were clinically examined before initiation of 30 weeks of HCQ treatment. During baseline evaluation, both the objective and/or subjective oral findings were recorded. Unstimulated (uSFR) and stimulated salivary flow rates (sSFR) were determined. After initiation of HCQ treatment, study parameters were assessed at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 weeks. Each patient served as her own control; measurements of the baseline and control times were analyzed by ANOVA. RESULTS uSFR values increased significantly with HCQ treatment, but sSFR values, objective and/or subjective complaints did not change considerably. CONCLUSION A positive impact of 30 weeks of HCQ treatment only on uSFRs of SS patients was revealed.

In vitro antimicrobial effects of commercially available mouth-wetting agents.

Products have been developed to provide palliation for persons with dry mouth. In addition to mouth-wetting agents, some products incorporate antimicrobial constituents with the goal of improving oral microbial defenses. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the potential antimicrobial and antifungal effects of two commercially available saliva substitutes on Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Candida albicans by using the agar-well diffusion method. Antimicrobial activity as measured by the size of the inhibition zone growth for S. mutans and L. acidophilus was observed only with Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse® and BioXtra® gel. The zone of inhibition of Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse was larger than that of BioXtra gel (p= 0.00, p < 0.01). No anticandidal effect was seen with any of the test products. The pH of the preparations, the variations between the amount of active ingredients within the products, and the potential antimicrobial effects of inactive ingredients should be investigated to determine the factors that impacted microbial inhibition.

Impact of Buccotherm® on xerostomia: a single blind study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this single blind study was to investigate effects of Buccotherm® spray on subjective symptoms of xerostomia patients. METHODS Twenty patients with dry mouth complaint were instructed to use placebo six times a day for 2 weeks. After a wash period, mineral water spray was provided. Patients were asked to reply questions regarding dry mouth using visual analog scale (VAS). Baseline and subsequent subjective findings on 1 hour after the application of the materials at the end of 1st, 7th, and 14th days were recorded. RESULTS At the end of 14-day treatment, no statistically significant differences were observed between the efficacy of placebo and commercial mineral water dental spray (p > 0.05). The VAS scores revealed that difficulty in mastication (p = 0.006), difficulty in swallowing (p = 0.00), need to sip liquids while eating (p = 0.000), difficulty in speech (p = 0.003), and waking up at night to sip water (p = 0.005) were statistically lower for placebo than commercial mineral water spray. CONCLUSION The commercial mineral water dental spray was not more efficient than placebo in the management of dry mouth-related symptoms. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This study emphasizes the fundamental role of saliva in oral health and evaluates the clinical utility of a commercial dental spray.

AĞIZ İÇİ NEMLENDİRİCİ ÖZELLERİ OLAN İKİ JELİN

Cal% mada a6%z ici nemlendirici ozelli6i olan iki farkl% jelin viskozite ozelliklerinin belirlenmesi ve do6al tukurukle kar %la t%r%lmas% amaclanm% t%r.Jellerin ve do6al tukuru6un viskozite olcumleri Brookfield dijital viskozimetre cihaz% (Model DV-III) kullan%larak oda s%cakl%6%nda ve vucut %s%s%nda (37oC’ de) gercekle tirilmi tir. Sa6l%kl% 5 ki iden toplanan tukuruk orneklerinin viskozite olcumleri de yapay tukuruk preparatlar%yla ayn% artlarda gercekle tirilmive her bir ornekten 10 olcum yap%larak ortalama viskozite de6erleri elde edilmi tir. Oda s%cakl%6%nda yap%lan olcumlerde jellerin viskozite ozelliklerinin birbirine benzedi6i, ancak 37oC’de BioXtra®’n%n istatistiksel olarak daha du uk viskoziteye sahip oldu6u gozlenmi tir (p