Kaj Stoltze

The Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Periodontitis in the Copenhagen City Heart Study

BACKGROUND Obesity is hypothesized to involve immunoinflammatory alterations, and the condition has been related to increased susceptibility to periodontitis. The present study analyzed the association between overweight/obesity and periodontitis assessed as clinical attachment loss (AL) and bleeding on probing (BOP) in a cross-sectional design. METHODS Participants included 878 women and 719 men aged 20 to 95 years (participation rate 54%) who underwent an oral examination, including full-mouth recording of clinical AL and BOP. Overweight and obesity were assessed by body mass index (BMI) using the World Health Organization criteria. BMI was related to clinical AL (defined as mean > or =3 mm) and BOP (defined as > or =25%) by multivariable logistic regression in the total population and in subjects stratified by gender and smoking habits. RESULTS Obese participants had a lower odds ratio (OR) for clinical AL compared to participants with normal weight (OR: 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36 to 0.99). The same tendency was observed in subjects stratified by smoking habit. Obese never-smokers had a lower OR for clinical AL compared to never-smoking participants with normal weight (OR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.91). Overweight participants had a higher OR for BOP compared to subjects with normal weight (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.78). In addition, overweight never-smokers had a higher OR for BOP compared to normal weight never-smokers (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.03 to 2.59). CONCLUSION BMI may be inversely associated with clinical AL but positively related to BOP.

Changes in bone mass in rat mandibles after tooth extraction

An experimental study concerning changes in bone mass in trabecular bone of mandibles on rats after extractions of upper molars has been carried out. The material consisted of 32 SPF Wistar rats, fed on Nafag-184 only. Experimental and control groups consisted of eight females and eight males, each group having same average weight with respect to sex at the age of 16 weeks. At this age the upper right molars were extracted on all rats in the experimental group. The rats were sacrificed after 16 weeks. Identical increase in weight within each sex group was found. Microradiograms of two buccal-lingual 100-mu-thick ground sections at a distance of 0.5 mm through the first molar in each side of the mandible were used. Quantitation of bone mass (bone area in percent) of a trabecular bone was done by electronic point counting. No significant difference in bone mass was found between left and right sides in the control group (P greater than 0.50), whereas a significant difference was found between left and right sides in the experimental group (P approximately 0.0001) with lowest mean value in right sides. Conclusively the analysis shows that local reduction in bite force causes osteoporotic changes in trabecular bone of the jaw.

Hyposalivation, xerostomia and oral health status of HIV-infected subjects in Thailand before HAART era.

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to determine hyposalivation, xerostomia, and oral health status of HIV-subjects in Thailand before highly active antiretroviral therapy era. METHODS Oral examination and measurement of saliva flow rate of both unstimulated and wax-stimulated whole saliva were performed in 135 subjects (56 HIV-subjects, mean age: 34.5 years, and 79 non-HIV controls, mean age: 29.5 years). Presence of oral candidiasis, cervical root caries, and number of existing teeth were recorded. Microbiological investigation of oral Candida was conducted using oral rinse technique. Risk factors associated with hyposalivation and xerostomia were analysed. RESULTS The unstimulated flow rates in HIV-subjects and non-HIV controls were 0.19 and 0.33 ml/min (P = 0.0024). For stimulated flow rates, the corresponding figures were 1.45 and 1.62 ml/min (P = 0.31). The unstimulated flow rate was significantly higher in the asymptomatic HIV-subjects: 0.17 ml/min, when compared with the symptomatic/AIDS group 0.11 ml/min (P = 0.003). No significant difference between the groups could be found with respect to stimulated flow rate. Hyposalivation was significantly associated with the colony forming unit of Candida. Smoking and alcohol consumption were significantly associated with hyposalivation, but not xerostomia. The following factors were significantly associated with both hyposalivation and xerostomia; sex, stage of HIV infection, risk group of HIV infection, systemic disease, and medication use. CONCLUSIONS Salivary flow rate of HIV-subjects in Thailand was affected by HIV infection. The rate was significantly decreased with advanced stage of the disease. Various factors including medication use were associated with hyposalivation and xerostomia among the subjects.

Dental Caries, Periodontal Disease, and Cardiac Arrhythmias in Community‐Dwelling Older Persons Aged 80 and Older: Is There a Link?

Objectives: To examine whether caries or periodontitis is associated with cardiac arrhythmias in community‐dwelling people aged 80 and older.

Amount and type of alcohol and periodontitis in the Copenhagen City Heart Study

AIM The aim of this study was to study the association between alcohol consumption and periodontitis assessed as clinical attachment loss (CAL) and bleeding on probing (BOP) in a cross-sectional design. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 1,521 adults aged 20-95 years, who underwent an oral examination including full-mouth registration of CAL and BOP. Alcohol was ascertained using a food-frequency questionnaire. The association between total and type-specific alcohol and periodontitis was assessed by means of multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS A lower odds ratio (OR) for CAL (defined as mean >or=3 mm) was observed in men consuming 21-34 [OR=0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.95] and 35+ drinks/week (OR=0.34, 95% CI, 0.15-0.79) compared with men drinking 1-13 drinks/week. Also, men with a weekly wine consumption of more than 14 drinks compared with men who reported no wine intake had lower OR for CAL (OR=0.24; 95% CI, 0.09-0.62). A higher OR for BOP (defined as >or=25%) among male abstainers was observed (OR=1.79, 95% CI, 1.03-3.12) compared with men in the light-drinking group (1-13 drinks/week). No significant association was observed for either CAL or BOP in women. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that higher alcohol consumption, particularly intake of wine, is inversely associated with CAL in men. Such an association is not found in women.

Masticatory and Nutritional Aspects on Fixed and Removable Partial Dentures

The aim of the present study was to evaluate mastication, food selection and nutritional aspects in two groups of persons restored with fixed (FPD, N=44) and removable (RPD, N=40) partial dentures respectively. The subjects were part of a cohort study of 67–68-year-old men living in Malmö, Sweden. The two groups were very similar regarding social factors and the inclusion criteria were chosen so that the groups were very equal regarding oral factors, apart from the difference in fixed and removable partial dentures. The number of natural teeth, number of replaced teeth and occlusal contacts did not differ significantly between the two groups, nor did the distribution of maxillary and mandibular dentures. A comprehensive examination of several general health factors included a home interview of dietary habits. A clinical examination included a 20-minute oral examination with registration of number of teeth, FPDs, RPDs, and occlusal contacts. It also included masticatory tests: chewing gum colour mixing, chewing gum bolus shaping, and swallowing threshold (number of strokes to the first swallow of an almond). The consumption of hard and soft foods was revealed by the dietary interview as well as the intake of energy and some nutrients. There was a significant difference between the groups regarding the capacity to mix the two-coloured chewing gum, to shape the chewing gum bolus and in the consumption of hard foods. There was no difference in the swallowing threshold and the consumption of soft foods. The intake of energy and nutrients did not differ significantly between the groups. The differences in masticatory capacity found thus seem to have little, if any, effect on the factors of importance for general health. A reasonable explanation for the differences found is that artificial teeth that are well retained, such as FPDs, make more active chewing possible than do removable, and often somewhat loose-fitting partial dentures.

Marginal bone level after Le Fort I osteotomy

The object of the study was to assess the effect of Le Fort I osteotomy and maxillary interdental osteotomy on the marginal bone level. Forty patients (25 female, 15 male, mean age 24 years, range 15-46) treated for dentofacial deformities comprised the subjects of the study and underwent Le Fort I osteotomy with or without simultaneous interdental osteotomy. Outcome was measured by marginal bone level measured in radiographs before and 1 year after operation. All patients had good oral hygiene. There was an overall significant mean marginal bone loss of 0.2 mm at surfaces without interdental osteotomy (P = 0.001). When the bone loss of the different types of teeth was considered separately, only those of central incisors (0.5 mm, P = 0.0001) and canines (0.4 mm, P = 0.004) were significant. Interdental osteotomy caused an overall mean marginal bone loss of 0.4 mm, but this was not significantly different from that of teeth without interdental osteotomy (P = 0.07). When the bone loss of different types of teeth after interdental osteotomy was considered separately, the only difference that achieved significance was that of premolars (0.3 mm, P = 0.04). Though there were significant differences, none of them was large enough to have any clinical relevance. Le Fort I osteotomy and interdental osteotomy may only in a few instances cause marginal bone loss of clinical relevance. However, the present study was performed on patients with good oral hygiene. The above conclusions may therefore not be valid for patients who, prior to surgery, already have a compromised marginal bone level.

Changes in bone mass in mandibles after extraction of teeth: an experimental study in rats.

Material and Methods The animals studied were 32 SPF Wistar rats, 16 females and 16 males, fed on Nafag-184(R) from birth. The experimental and the control groups consisted of 8 females and 8 males, each group having the same average weight with respect to sex at 16 weeks of age. At this age the upper right molars were extracted from the 16 rats in the experimental group. All 32 rats were killed at 32 weeks (i.e. the experimental period was 16 weeks). There was an identical increase in body weight in groups of the same sex. Microradiograms were taken of two buccal-lingual ground sections 100#m thick at a distance of 0.5 mm through the first molar on each side of the mandible. Bone mass was measured in percent using an electronic point-counting system (Leitz Classimat) [2]. The microradiograms were projected on to a television screen at a magnification of x 120. The rectangular mask was adapted to cover the maximum of trabecular bone between the roots of the first molar and the incisive without overlapping the cortical bone (Fig. 1). The two dimensions of the mask were measured in 0.5 cm intervals on the television screen. During the preparation, the mandible of one control female was fractured and therefore excluded from the study.

Behavior of in vitro Grown Normal Human Mucosal Epithelial Cells and Tumorigenic Rat Cells Inoculated into Nude Mice

The present study describes the behavior of in vitro grown normal human oral mucosal epithelial cells and that of a tumorigenic epithelial cell line following subcutaneous inoculation into nude mice. A successful recovery of viable human epithelial cell inocula was seen in 25-90% of mice and there was no improvement in recovery rates after addition of fibroblasts. These inocula resulted in cyst formation lined by a 2-6 cell layer unkeratinized squamous epithelium without rete ridges. There was no increase in recovery rate or size of cysts when coinoculated with fibroblasts. The tumorigenic cell inocula were successfully recovered in all cases. Tumors established from these inocula had a low grade of differentiation and were without signs of metastasis. Inocula of tumorigenic cells showed an increased size after addition of fibroblasts to the inocula. The model may be useful in studies of interactions between inoculations of heterologous normal and pathologic cells as well as in studies of differentiation of carcinogen-treated epithelial cells.