International Journal of Oral-Medical Sciences
Online ISSN : 2185-4254
Print ISSN : 1347-9733
ISSN-L : 1347-9733
Volume 6, Issue 3
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
Invited Review
  • Minoru Ikeda, Ryoji Hirai, Shuntaro Shigihara, Akihiro Ikui
    2008 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 105-111
    Published: 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 15, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    According to a survey, 240,000 patients with taste disorders in Japan visited otolaryngologists in 2003. This represents an approximate 1.8-fold increase from the number of patients reported in 1990. Taste, as well as smell, responds to chemical substances ; thus they are called chemical senses. Taste dysfunction can be attributed to various causes, including direct impairments of taste-related neural pathways in the peripheral and/or central nerve and secondary impairments in association with other diseases. Among secondary impairments, taste disorders caused by zinc deficiency and drugs being taken for other diseases are common. Zinc, an essential trace element, has been examined extensively in its relation to taste disorders. In this article, we describe various causes of taste disorders with a focus on their relation to zinc. In addition, zinc therapy, which has been examined previously from a relatively objective perspective, is also discussed as a treatment for taste disorders.
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Original Articles
  • Hiroaki Ichikawa, Masanobu Matsuno
    2008 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 112-121
    Published: 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 15, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The frequency of the dental non-metric traits of school students in Koror, Palau was investigated. The parameters were recorded based on 22 crown traits classified by the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System. In Palauans, the frequencies of shoveling and double shovel were not so high as in northeast Asians, but relatively high frequencies were found in tuberculum dentale in the maxillary second incisor and Cusp 5 in the maxillary first molar. Carabelli's trait and deflecting wrinkle were not found so frequently as in the Philippines and Bali populations. The frequency, 70.6%, of the 4-cusp type of the mandibular second molar was highest in the Asian populations cited in this study. The principal coordinate plot for these 17 sets of scores, based on Smith's MMDs and standard deviations showed that data from Sundadont and Sinodont populations were differently positioned on the first axis. The Palauans belonged to Sundadont group and located in an extreme position on the right of the first axis and in relatively lower position in the second axis, which represented the unique combination of dental characters of Palauans.
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  • Miya Kato, Masashi Sakayanagi, Masataka Kato, Yuzo Fujita, Shintaro Mo ...
    2008 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 122-129
    Published: 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 15, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The purposes of this study were 1) to depict normal and pathologic states in reconstructed sagittal images of the maxilla, and 2) to assess how much additional information could be gained by the routine use of sagittal images. In normal subjects, we made a comparison between sagittal and axial images of ten anatomical structures in the maxilla among 100 CT images and analyzed the data with Mann-Whitney's U-test. A pathologic study of 50 cases included 25 cases of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis, 7 pleomorphic adenomas, 10 postoperative maxillary cysts, and 8 nasopalatine duct cysts. We made a comparison between axial and sagittal images regarding the position and extent of the pathological lesions. In the result of normal subjects, the diagnostic value of sagittal images for assessment of the maxilla was statistically significant for 9 of 10 anatomical structures in the maxilla. In the pathologic study, the sagittal images showed lesions in the maxilla of all 50 patients. Sagittal images were superior to axial images for observing the relationship between these lesions and the maxilla. In conclusion, this study has shown that reconstructed sagittal CT images add diagnostic information to that obtained from axial images. Reconstructed sagittal images are therefore recommended as a supplement to axial plane CT imaging in the evaluation of lesions in the maxilla.
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  • Sisilia Fusi Fifita, Kayo Kuyama
    2008 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 130-139
    Published: 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 15, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In order to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of exfoliative cytology (EC) in oral mucosal lesions (OML), we studied it and compared with histopathology, clinical findings and flow cytometrical analysis (FCMA). Two hundred and seventy five smear cases were obtained from 40 normal tissue samples (control) and OML ; leukoplakia (187), exophytic epithelial tumor or verrucous carcinoma (EET or VC) (8) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) (40). As for FCMA, the DNA and proliferative indices (D.I. and P.I.) of all cases including the misdiagnoses were calculated. In leukoplakia without dysplasia, the accuracy rate of EC diagnosis was 70.0%, while leukoplakia with dysplasia was 26.7% for mild, 47.6% for moderate, and 84.2% for severe cases, respectively. All EET were misdiagnosed by EC, while OSCC had a 100% accuracy rate. The sparsity of atypical cells, which mostly contributed to the discrepancy in EC diagnosis of the under-diagnostic cases. Erythema, ulcers, Candida, nodular outgrowths and increased number of atypical cells that contributed to the over-diagnostic cases. The mean D.I. of leukoplakia without dysplasia was 1.8,while mild, moderate and severe dysplasias were 2.2, 3.5 and 3.9, and EET or VC and OSCC were 4.3 and 4.5, respectively. The P.I. values also showed the same tendency. Overall, 96 cases were cytologically misdiagnosed where 64 cases were under-diagnosed and 32 cases were over-diagnosed. Exact evaluation was made by flow cytometry (FCM) in 77 of 96 misdiagnostic cases (80.2%) of EC. Accurate diagnosis of OML especially oral epithelial dysplasia by clinical and cytological findings is still difficult to achieve. Mild and moderate dysplasias had lower accuracy rate compared to severe and OSCC cases. Main problems for under-diagnosis of dysplasia include limited number of atypical cells and for over-diagnosis include clinical and cytological findings. The FCMA of leukoplakia without dysplasia and mild dysplasia were significantly close, while EET or VC cases were closer to OSCC results. FCM gave significant results for all EET or VC cases. The authors conclude that FCM, though not a replacement for standard cytological examination or biopsy, would help to lessen the subjective evaluation of OML and in establishing strategies and follow-up protocols for patients with dysplasias and EET or VC. Our studies suggest that combination of EC and FCM is very useful in the evaluation of misdiagnostic cases.
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  • Hidehiko Tsuji, Ryosuke Hayashi, Katsuhiko Saitoh
    2008 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 140-149
    Published: 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 15, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms involved in dental crowding by comparing dentition growth changes in children of two primary schools during two different eras. Dental casts obtained from primary school students aged 6-7 and 11-12 year-olds for the periods of 1975-1982 [Asahi Primary School (APS), Ito City, Shizuoka] and 1997-2002 [Kogasaki Primary School (KPS), Matsudo City, Chiba] were studied. The materials were classified into a group in which mild dental crowding observed (arch length discrepancy (ALD) less than -4.0 mm) at the age of 11-12 year-olds (N-group), and a group in which dental crowding was severe (ALD more than -4.0 mm) (E-group). Dental casts were scanned with a contact type 3D scanner. Arch sizes and inclination of the first molars were measured. Maxillary and mandibular arch lengths of the 6-7 year-olds in KPS were significantly longer than those in APS. There was no significant difference in palatal width and arch width between APS and KPS. Comparison of tooth sizes between the N-group and E-group showed no significant differences in size of all permanent teeth. In APS, maxillary arch length was significantly longer in N-group than in E-group. On the contrary, there were no significant differences in arch width and B-L inclination of mandibular molar between N-group and E-group. In KPS, arch widths of maxilla and mandible in 11-12 year-olds were significantly larger in N-group than in E-group. B-L inclination of mandibular molar in 11-12 year-olds was significantly smaller in N-group than in E-group. In N-group, maxillary arch length of 6-7 year-olds was significantly shorter in APS than in KPS, whereas maxillary arch width of 11-12 year-olds was significantly larger in APS than in KPS. In E-group, both maxillary and mandibular arch lengths of 6-7 year-olds were significantly shorter in APS than in KPS. Palatal width and maxillary arch width of 11-12 year-olds were significantly larger in APS than in KPS. Bucco-lingual inclination of mandibular molars of the 11-12 year-olds in APS was significantly smaller than that in KPS. The dmft rate of 6-7 year-olds was higher in APS than in KPS. The highly progressed caries tooth rate was also higher in APS than in KPS. In conclusion, the background of dental crowding is different between the two eras. In 1980 (APS), the cause was mesial movement of the first molar due to highly progressed caries. On the contrary, in 2000 (KPA), the cause was narrowing of the dental arch due to reduction of palatal growth and lingual inclination of mandibular first molar.
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  • Yukiko Koizumi, Tomoko Kurita-Ochiai, Sumito Oguchi, Masafumi Yamamoto
    2008 Volume 6 Issue 3 Pages 150-158
    Published: 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 15, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In this study, we assessed the potential of a nasal vaccine against oral Porphyromonas gingivalis infection for the prevention of P. gingivalis-accelerated atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein E-deficient spontaneously hyperlipidemic (Apoeshl) mice were nasally immunized with the 40-kDa outer membrane protein (40k-OMP) of P. gingivalis plus cholera toxin (CT) as adjuvant and then challenged orally with P. gingivalis. Atheromatous lesions in the proximal aorta of each animal were analyzed histomorphometrically and the serum concentrations of 40k-OMP-specific antibodies were examined. Oral infection of Apoeshl mice with P. gingivalis resulted in increased alveolar bone loss. Furthermore, the areas of the aortic sinus that were covered with atherosclerotic plaque were increased in those infected mice when compared with non-infected, control mice. However, nasal immunization of Apoeshl mice with 40k-OMP plus CT as adjuvant induced significant levels of 40k-OMP-specific serum IgG and salivary IgA antibody responses. Interestingly, when Apoeshl mice were nasally immunized with 40k-OMP plus CT before the infection, alveolar bone loss as along with atherosclerotic plaque accumulation in the aortic sinus were significantly reduced. These results suggest that oral infection with P. gingivalis accelerates atherosclerosis in Apoeshl mice and that 40k-OMP plus CT may be an effective nasal vaccine for the prevention of atherosclerosis accelerated by P. gingivalis infection.
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