Paula Vaz

IL1 gene polymorphisms and unsuccessful dental implants

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to analyse the association between polymorphisms in the IL1 gene cluster and failure of dental implants in a Portuguese population. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 155 Caucasian Portuguese subjects were divided into two groups: 100 with successful dental implants and 55 with unsuccessful dental implants. DNA was obtained through an oral mucosa scraping. PCR was used to identify the polymorphisms: single nucleotide changes in positions -889 of IL1A gene and +3953 of IL1B gene. RESULTS The prevalence of the polymorphisms -889IL1A gene and +3953IL1B gene, determined by the positive result of TGP (Genetic Test for Periodontitis; CGC, Genetics, Portugal), in the studied population rehabilitated with dental implants was of 33.50%. Allele 1 of the IL1B gene was the most prevalent (62.20%), followed by allele 1 of the IL1A gene (54.80%) and the least frequent was allele 2 of IL1B gene (37.40%). Success of dental implants was mainly associated with a negative TGP result, whereas no success was found to be related to a positive result. There were no statistically significant differences between the alleles 1 and 2 of the genes IL1A and IL1B and the tobacco and alcohol consumption for the success or no success of the dental implants. CONCLUSIONS The alleles 1 and 2 of IL1A gene and the alleles 1 and 2 of IL1B gene were statistically associated with the success or no success of the dental implants. Tobacco habit and alcohol consumption showed no statistically significant association with success or no success of the dental implants.

CT maxillary sinus evaluation: a retrospective cohort study

Background Proximity of the dental roots to the sinus floor makes dental disease a probable cause of maxillary sinusitis. The aim of this study was to find out if maxillary sinus pathologic changes were more prevalent in patients with dental disease and to evaluate the performance of computed tomography (CT) in analyzing and detecting apical periodontitis and other odontogenic causes on the maxillary sinusitis etiology in a Portuguese Caucasian population. Material and Methods Retrospective cohort study. The total sample of 504 patients and their CT was included in this study. The patients were from a private dental clinic, specializing in oral surgery, where the first complaint was not directly related to sinus disease, but with dental pathology. For each patient, the etiological factors of maxillary sinusitis and the imaging CT findings were analyzed. All the axial, coronal and sagittal CT slices were evaluated and general data were registered. The latter was selected based on the maxillary sinus CT published literature. Results 32.40% of patients presented normal sinus (without any etiological factor associated), 29.00% showed presence of etiological and imaging findings in the maxillary sinus, 20.60% had only imaging changes in the maxillary sinus and 18.00% of patients presented only etiological factors and no change in the maxillary sinus. Conclusions Radiological imaging is an important tool for establishing the diagnosis of maxillary sinus pathology. These results indicate that the CT scan should be an excellent tool for complement the odontogenic sinusitis diagnosis. Key words: Maxillary sinusitis/etiology, odontogenic, computed tomography, maxillary sinus.

Decision model to predict the implant success

In this work we propose to build a set of binary logistic models that could assess the probability of success or no success in oral rehabilitation process taking into account some genetic factors, individual habits clinical and non-clinical factors. The study was conducted in a retrospective evaluation and consisted of 155 subjects undergoing oral rehabilitation in the Northern region of Portugal. We evaluated multiple factors in the construction of binary logistic regression models. We have chosen the model that gave statistically better discriminating power between success and failure, through the value of area under the ROC curve. The model that reveals better performance was Model 4, with AUC=0.789 and a 95% confidence interval [0.715;0.863].

Two-Dimensional Identification of Fetal Tooth Germs.

Objective To demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of two-dimensional ultrasonography in the identification of tooth germs and in the assessment of potential pathology. Design Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. Setting Prenatal Diagnosis Unit of Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia / Espinho–Empresa Pública in Portugal. Patients A total of 157 white pregnant women (median age, 32 years; range, 14 to 47 years) undergoing routine ultrasound exams. Main Outcome Measure(s) Description of the fetal tooth germs, as visualized by two-dimensional ultrasonography, including results from prior fetal biometry and detailed screening for malformations. Results In the first trimester group, ultrasonography identified 10 tooth germs in the maxilla and 10 tooth germs in the mandible in all fetuses except for one who presented eight maxillary tooth germs. This case was associated with a chromosomal abnormality (trisomy 13) with a bilateral cleft palate. In the second and third trimesters group, ultrasonography identified a larger range of tooth germs: 81.2% of fetuses showed 10 tooth germs in the maxilla and 85.0% of fetuses had 10 tooth germs in the mandible. Hypodontia was more prevalent in the maxilla than in the mandible, which led us to use qualitative two-dimensional ultrasonography to analyze the possible association between hypodontia and other variables such as fetal pathology, markers, head, nuchal, face, and spine. Conclusions We recommend using this method as the first exam to evaluate fetal morphology and also to help establish accurate diagnosis of abnormalities in pregnancy.

Color stability of a bis-acryl composite resin subjected to polishing, thermocycling, intercalated baths, and immersion in different beverages

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the color of a bis-acryl resin after polishing, aging, and colorants. MATERIALS AND METHODS From the 140 disks obtained, 35 were not polished (NP), 35 were polished with 3-μm (3P), 35 with 3- and 1-μm (1P), and 35 with 3-, 1-, and 0.5-μm sized particles (05P). Five disks of each group were thermocycled for 20, 100, and 200 cycles. Sixty disks were thermocycled and kept in beverages (tea, wine, and coffee) after four cycles. Sixty disks were immersed in the beverages for 24 hours, a week, and a month. The coordinates L*a*b* were measured and the color differences were analyzed by ANOVA. The lightness, chroma, and hue differences were evaluated by repeated measures ANOVA. Comparisons were made with Tukeys test (α = 0.05). RESULTS Similar behaviors were observed between 3P and 05P groups (1.53 and 1.95ΔE00 ) (P < .05). The NP group submitted to 200 cycles showed the biggest color differences (3.02) (P = .003). The greatest color differences were observed in the NP group submitted to immersion in coffee (8.30) and wine (7.93) (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS The polished surfaces were the least stained. Coffee and wine provided the greatest color changes, both for baths and immersions. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Polishing of provisional surfaces restorations made of bis-acrylic resin is essential to minimize staining caused by aging and use of colorants, regardless of the particle size present in the polishing paste. The contact with coffee and red wine should be avoided, especially for clinical times greater than 1 week.

Root Resorption in Orthodontics - Genetic Susceptibility?

Recent evidence suggests that lncRNAs take part in cancer progression and metastasis through influencing several oncogenic pathways. However, our efforts to find clinically relevant cancer associated functional lncRNAs on global scale are still lacking. By employing a nascent RNA capture sequencing we identified 1145 S-phase-associated lncRNAs. Out of 1145, 571 lncRNAs showed significant differential expression at least in one tumor type across pan cancer TCGA datasets. Interestingly, 73% of these transcripts exhibit higher expression in tumors. Using an integrated multistep statistical pipeline on 14 pan-cancer datasets, we identified 520 independent prognostic markers. Based on our high-throughput transcriptomic analysis of S-phase enriched lncRNA across pancancer TCGA datasets followed by large-scale functional and clinical investigations, we provide a comprehensive list of lncRNA-based oncogenic drivers with potential prognostic value.