Renato Cordeiro Gugisch

The influence of gestational age and birth weight of the newborn on tooth eruption.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the beginning of eruption of the first deciduous tooth in preterm infants (<38 weeks) with full-term infants (38 and 42 weeks) of normal birth weight (32.500g), low birth weight (< 2.500g) and very low birth weight (<1.500g), in order to evaluate if premature birth and low birth weight would affect tooth eruption. Methods: The neonatal records and the moment of eruption of the first deciduous tooth of 146 infants - 77 preterm infants and 69 full-term infants, ranging from 5 to 36 months old, of both genders – were recorded. All of them were under care at the Pediatric Ambulatory of Hospital Universitário Evangélico at Curitiba – Parana. Data were analyzed considering biological age and post-conception, or corrected, age – which is the gestational age plus the infants chronological age at the month of eruption of the first deciduous tooth. Results: Results showed that when chronological age is considered, tooth eruption in preterm and very low birth weight infants is importantly delayed. However, when corrected age is considered, no statistically significant differences were found among groups. Conclusion: The delayed eruption may be related to the premature birth and not to a delay in dental development.

Regional odontodysplasia: a case report

PURPOSE: Regional odontodysplasia (RO) is a rare condition characterized by distinctive clinical, radiographic and microscopic findings. It is presumed to be the result of a developmental disturbance that locally affects the odontogenic ectodermal and mesodermal tissues. This report describes the clinical and radiographic findings of RO and its treatment. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 15-year-old boy presented with an uncommon case of RO involving two quadrants of the jaws on the right side of his face. CONCLUSION: A complex multidisciplinary team is required to fully rehabilitate a patient affected by RO. The treatment of RO is controversial and varies according to the individual patient.

Tetralogia de Fallot e sua repercussão na saúde bucal

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of a child with tetralogy of Fallot and his oral conditions. CASE DESCRIPTION: A male patient was assisted at the Pediatric Dentristry Specialization Course of the Brazilian Dentistry Association in the State of Parana, Brazil, from five to seven years old. At the first intrabucal examination, the child presented a severe caries disease. During their treatment, enamel developmental defects were detected in the first permanent molar tooth, with loss of enamel structure. His mother reported that the patient had a surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot cardiac malformation when he was 23 months old. COMMENTS: The enamel development of the first molar starts in the first month of life and ends around two to four years old. In this patient, the period of mineralization of the first molar was coincident with the period prior to the surgical correction of the cardiac problem. Probably, the development of dental enamel was impaired by the systemic repercussion of this congenital anomaly. Enamel developmental defects can present loss of dental structure, increasing the risk of caries. Therefore, the pediatric dentists should diagnose dental enamel developmental defects early, in order to prevent serious damages to the teeth. A detailed anamnesis and a good interaction between pediatricians and pediatric dentists will provide a better follow-up of children at risk of having dental enamel developmental defects.

Correlation Between Radiographic Area and Immunolocation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in Unilocular Radiographic Lesions

Unilocular bone cysts are the most common entities affecting the maxillofacial region. The mechanism of proliferation and expansion remains unclear. Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are associated to diverse pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to correlate the radiographic aspect (area) and the presence of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in dentigerous cysts, radicular cysts and keratocystic odontogenic tumors. The radiographic area of each lesion was calculated using the mathematical formula of the ellipse area. All specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis for these enzymes. The average radiographic area was 284.17 mm2, 235.81 mm2 and 381.81 mm2, respectively. Statistical analyses revealed no association between the immunoreactivity of MMPs and radiographic area of the lesions in all pathologies studied, except for MMP-2 and radicular cysts, for which smaller lesions had increased immunostaining for this enzyme. The results demonstrate that quantities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 are especially involved with dentigerous and radicular cysts in expansion, whereas these enzymes seem to be related to the biological behavior of keratocystic odontogenic tumors, indicating invasion and cell proliferation. Moreover, there is an inverse association between MMP-2 and MMP-9 in keratocystic odontogenic tumors (p=0.03; rs=-0.660), indicating activity in different regions.