Renata Gržić

Salivary Levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in Patients with Denture Stomatitis Before and After Laser Phototherapy

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to monitor therapeutic response by determining the level of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 in whole unstimulated saliva in patients with denture stomatitis (DS), before and after laser phototherapy (LPT). BACKGROUND DS is an inflammatory condition that occurs in subjects who wear dentures, and it is a common oral mucosal lesion. A potential noninvasive treatment for DS patients is LPT. MATERIALS AND METHODS A sample consisting of 40 consecutive subjects was selected on a voluntary basis from patients who presented for the diagnosis and treatment of DS at the Oral Medicine Unit of the Medical Faculty at the University of Rijeka. A clinical examination was performed according to the standard clinical criteria. Lesions described as palatal inflammation were diagnosed as Newton type II denture stomatitis. The patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (20 patients receiving real LPT) or a control group (20 patients receiving inactive/placebo laser treatment). In order to determine the salivary levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6, ELISA (Sigma Immunochemicals, St Louis, MO) was performed. RESULTS Following treatment with LPT for 4 wk, the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 decreased significantly (p < 0.001) and were significantly different from controls (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that LPT may be an efficacious choice of therapy.

Guidelines for teeth fluoridation with respect to fluoride concentration in Primorsko-goranska county

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the fluoride concentration in drinking water in the Primorsko-goranska county (PGC) and to provide the guidelines for teeth fluoridation of respective area. Methods: Data on the fluoride concentration in drinking water in the PGC were examined by the Department of Environmental Health of the Teaching Institute of Public Health in Primorsko-goranska county. The fluoride concentration in the drinking water was measured by using ion chromatography technique. Public water supply in PGC is organized through 9 particular water supply systems. A high percentage of 96% of the population is connected to the public water supply, which is considerably higher than 74% representing the average estimation for the total country. Results: The average concentration of fluoride in the main water sources of the PGC was assessed for a 5-year period (2007-2011: Rijeka 0.010 mg F-/l, Opatija 0.020 mg F-/l, Crikvenica - Novi Vinodolski (CR-NV) 0.007 mg F-/l, Delnice 0.029 mg F-/l, Vrbovsko 0.038 mg F-/l, Cabar 0.031 mg F-/l, Krk 0.044 mg F-/l, Cres – Losinj (CR-LO) 0.054 mg F-/l, Rab 0.090 mg F-/l. PGC public water supply systems do not include artificial fluoridation of the drinking water. Concentration of fluorides in the drinking water is considered low and ranges from the detected limit of <0.002 mg F-/l in Opatija to 0.220 mg F-/l in Rab, representing the overall average value of 0.034 mg F-/l. Conclusion: Considering the amount of fluorides in the drinking water, teeth fluoridation can be safely accomplished by individually adjusted doses of other fluoride agents.