Jerry J. Garnick

Gingival Resistance to Probing Forces

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of gingival inflammation and probing pressure on probe tip placement in relation to the base of the gingival crevice and the most coronal connective tissue attachment fibers. Nine young male beagle dogs were divided into three groups as determined by clinical status of the gingiva following implementation of a protocol designed to produce gingival health and disease. An electromechanical device was used to advance 0.6 mm diameter probes into the facial gingival crevices of selected teeth and to obtain force-displacement curves. The instrument stopped the probe at pressure of either 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, or 2560 kPa which were randomly allocated to 12 test teeth in each dog. After the probe came to rest, it was attached to the tooth. When all 12 probes were attached, the animal was sacrificed. Blocks consisting of gingiva, probe, and tooth were processed to obtain two buccolingual sections, one containing the probe and the other immediately adjacent to it. Clinical and histometric measurements were performed and the data evaluated. Although three groups of animals were discernable by clinical criteria, only two groups, health and disease, could be formulated based on the degree of histologic inflammation. The histologic grouping was used in data analysis. Histometric distances from the cemento-enamel junction to the base of the crevice (cJ), to most coronal connective tissue attachment (cC) and to the probe tip (cP) all increased with change from health to disease. However, changes in health/disease did not influence difference between distances (cP-cJ,cP-cC).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reproducibility of the Electromyogram

Electromyographic recordings of masseter muscles were taken during mastication without the introduction of an experimental variable. The amplitude, duration, and sequence of the onset of muscle bursts were used to evaluate the recordings. Amplitude showed the most variation during the same session, at different sessions, and between three different areas of the masseter muscle. Onset showed the least variation during the same session and at different sessions; duration showed the least variation between areas.

Effectiveness of a medicament containing silicon dioxide, aloe, and allantoin on aphthous stomatitis

This research protocol was designed to test the effectiveness of a gel containing silicon dioxide, aloe vera, and allantoin in the healing of recurrent aphthous ulcers. The subjects were patients with histories of developing multiple ulcers on the oral mucosa during a 3-to-4-month period. The parameters used to evaluate healing were number of lesions during a 3-to-4-month period, length of the interval between ulcers, size of ulcers, and pain from ulcers. An approach was used in which data were accumulated from diaries maintained by the subjects throughout the study intervals. Because 3 active substances were present in the gel, a preliminary study (study I) was performed to indicate the effect of each active substance and each combination. In this phase, different combinations of the substances were compared with the use of the 2(3) factorial experimental design. The results of this study demonstrated that statistical differences in the durations of lesions (P = .017) were present when all 3 substances were included in the gel. In the next study (study II), which was initiated to test the results of study I, additional subjects were divided into 2 groups; one used a control gel with silicon dioxide, and the other a gel with all 3 active substances. Study II found no statistical differences in the parameters when the 2 groups were compared. In study III, a modified crossover design was used with the subjects of study II, and a significant difference was found in lesion-free intervals (P = .0335) and length of time for the study (P = .0001). The differences in lesion intervals may have been caused by the differences in study length. Alteration in the occurrence of aphthous ulcers was demonstrated by the reduction in numbers of lesions in study I and by the increase in length of intervals between lesions in study III. However, a consistent pattern was not present; this indicated a lack of effect of the gel on aphthous ulcers.

The Microbiota Of The Peri-implant Region In Health And Disease

The subgingival microflora associated with dental implants has been shown to be similar to that associated with natural teeth. Like the natural tooth, a dental implant may be susceptible to a plaque-induced gingivitis which may progress to peri-implantitis. A similarity exists between the microbial flora around failing implants and organisms classically associated with periodontal disease. The same anaerobic gram-negative organisms are found in periodontitis and peri-implantitis. The periodontium must be in a healthy state before the placement of dental implants and constantly monitored while implants are in function for early detection of potential periodontal and/or prosthodontic problems. The relationship between the microbial flora around dental implants and peri-implantitis is discussed and recommendations are presented to improve the efficacy of dental implants.

Connective tissue grafting for improved implant esthetics: clinical technique.

The subepithelial connective tissue graft can be used to enhance the esthetic appearance and gingival contour of the peri-implant tissues. A technique is described and illustrated to create a soft-tissue root prominence and mask the grayish color that may be present as a result of a thin facial alveolar bony plate and/or thin labial attached gingival tissue over dental implants. (Implant Dent 1994;3:231–234)

Maintenance of Long Junctional Epithelium in the Rat

The dynamics of the long junctional epithelium in rat gingivae were observed over a period of from three to six mo. In addition, the cellular dynamics of the epithelium were also evaluated at the end of three and six mo. The results of this study indicated that this model system cannot be used to study the long-term dynamics of long junctional epithelia. This study also indicated that the epithelial cuff increased in length with time, that it is a self-renewing tissue, and that long junctional epithelia may reduce in length with time due to sulcus deepening which was not related to subepithelial inflammation.

Can the KTP laser change the cementum surface of healthy and diseased teeth providing an acceptable root surface for fibroblast attachment

The purpose of our research is to determine the effects of KTP laser on root cementum and fibroblast attachment. Initial work has been completed in testing the effect of different energy levels on root surfaces. From these studies optimal energy levels were determined. In subsequent studies the working distance and exposure time required to obtain significant fibroblast attachment to healthy cementum surfaces were investigated. Results showed that lased cemental surfaces exhibited changes in surface topography which ranged from a melted surface to an apparent slight fusion of the surface of the covering smear layer. When the optimal energy level was used, fibroblasts demonstrate attachment on the specimens, resulting in the presence of a monolayer of cells on the control surfaces as well as on the surfaces lased with this energy level. The present study investigates the treatment of pathological root surfaces and calculus with a KTP laser utilizing these optimal parameters determine previously. Thirty single rooted teeth with advanced periodontal disease and ten healthy teeth were obtained, crowns were sectioned and roots split longitudinally. Forty test specimens were assigned into 1 of 4 groups; pathologic root--not lased, pathologic root--lased, root planed root and health root planed root. Human gingival fibroblasts were seeded on specimens and cultured for 24 hours. Specimens were processed for SEM. The findings suggest that with the KTP laser using a predetermined energy level applied to pathological root surfaces, the lased surfaces provided an unacceptable surface for fibroblast attachment. However, the procedural control using healthy root planed surfaces did demonstrate fibroblast attachment.