This study investigated the effect storing alginate impressions in sealed bags after spraying with disinfectant solutions on the surface roughness of stone models. Twelve brands of alginate impression materials available commercially and two disinfectants for spray, 2% glutaraldehyde and 1% sodium hypochlorite solutions, were used. The periods for storage of impressions in sealed bags after spraying were 2 and 4 hours. After storage, mixed dental stones were poured into the impressions to make stone models. For comparison, the stone models obtained from the stored impressions without spraying and the stone models obtained from the impressions neither sprayed nor stored were prepared.
There were brands of alginates with which the surface roughness of the resultant stone models increased by spraying with disinfectant solutions, and by contrast some brands of alginates with which it did not increase. These results proved that alginate impressions could be stored in sealed bags for 2-4 hours after spraying with disinfectant solutions without increase in surface roughness of the stone models by means of selecting the suitable combination of alginate and disinfectant to be used for the storage following spraying.

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A questionnaire survey and examinations of the taste function were conducted in order to investigate how systemic and local conditions and life habits as well as sensitivity to four basic tastes are related to the decline of the taste function in the elderly. The questionnaire survey consisted of questions regarding subjects' sensations about the taste function and physical and mental status, their medications and the state of the oral cavity. There were a total of 185 subjects, 117 older and 165 younger. In the examinations of the taste function, measurement of saliva secretion, determination of tastes threshold with a whole mouth method and electric gustometry were performed on 45 older and 30 young subjects.
Dry mouth, abnormal oral mucosa and complaints about the dentures were indicated as factors related to subjective sensation of dysgeusia from the questionnaire survey. From the examinations of taste function, however, the increase of taste threshold was not observed in the subjects with dry mouth or abnormal oral mucosa. On the contrary, subjects taking medications or having systemic diseases which showed little association with the sensation of dysgeusia had high taste thresholds. Furthermore, subjects who reported the sensation of dysgeusia did not necessarily have a declining taste function.
It is concluded that not only the taste function affected by medications or systemic diseases but also the effect of the unpleasant conditions of the oral cavity on taste sensation should be carefully examined in elderly people who complain of a declining of taste function.

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It is well known that Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disease induced by autoantibodies against platelets. Oral symptoms are observed frequently in ITP patients. The first choice of ITP treatment is steroid treatment. The second one is splenectomy and the third one is immunosuppressive treatment. It is said that other refractory ITP cases that are negative for standard treatment are adapted intravenous immunoglobulin. Recently, the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and ITP has been investigated in several studies. Those suggest that eradication of H.pylori helps ITP patients with H.pylori antibodies positive. To that end, The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has started to make new diagnosis criteria and a protocol of treatment. We report on two cases with oral symptoms, one of them a refractory ITP patient and the other an ITP patient infected with H. pylori.
The first case is a 87-year-old man who came to our hospital with complaints of bleeding in the mouth. He had oral bleeding, hematoma, and purpura of the trunk. He was later diagnosed with ITP. He received intravenous Ig (IVIg) and hemostatic treatment. After the platelets recovered, he had two teeth extracted for prevention of occlusion wound and transmission.
The other case is a 69-year-old women who was admitted to our hospital with gingival swelling. She had been diagnosed with ITP, and she had treatment to eradicate H. pylori. Again, an extracted tooth caused swelling of the gums.

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[in Japanese]

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