Ultrastructural and morphometric analyses were performed on periodontal fibers adjacent to the mid-root cementum of human permanent teeth. The results were as follows. 1. Periodontal fibers of intact teeth and periodontium exhibited bundles of densely packed collagen fibrils attached to the cementum surface with a regular arrangement. Collagen fibrils revealed a parallel and regular arrangement with periodic cross banding. The cross-sectioned collagen fibrils had a circular and uniform distribution. 2. Periodontal fibers on marginal periodontitis revealed an irregular arrangement with few bundles of packed collagen fibrils. Only a few periodontal fibers were attached to the cementum surface. Collagen fibrils had an irregular arrangement with destruction and decrease. Collagen cross banding was faintly visible in some remaining fibrils. Variously sized cross-sectioned collagen fibrils revealed an unclear outline without uniform diameter and distribution. 3. The cross-section area of intact collagen fibrils was 1.99×10³nm² and that of the periodontitis was 1.47×10³nm². The difference was significant at 0.1% level.

View full abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of medication in patients with subjectivefeeling of dry mouth. The patients were seen at the Department of Oral Surgery, NagoyaUniversity School of Medicine over the past seven years. Those patients with accompanyingsystemic diseases such as diabetis mellitus, including xerostomia, were excluded. The patientswere asked about their age, gender, and accompanying diseases and some of them were alsoinvestigated by unstimulated whole saliva collection and ^99m Tc-scintigraphy. The mean age ofthe subjects was 56.6 and there were three times as many women as men. The subjects weredivided into two age groups, an aged group (sixty or over sixty) and a “younger” group (youngerthan sixty). The rate of accompanying complications was 63.2% in the aged group and 44.6% inthe younger group.The most common complication was circulatory disorder in both groups.The rate of medicated patients in the aged and younger groups were 44.9% and 34.9%, respectively.The most frequent medication was antiulcer agent in both groups. Among these agents, the number of xerostomia inducing drugs was 1.7 in the aged group and 1.0 in the youngergroup.In the medicated subjects, the unstimulated salivary flow rate was 0.18ml/min, and thatin the non-medicated patients was 0.25ml/min in the aged group.However, the rate in bothmedicated and non-medicated patients was 0.29ml/min in the younger group.The salivarygland function, evaluated using the scintiscan rating scale, showed no significant differencebetween both groups of subjects.

View full abstract

Although Candida species is a normal oral flora, these microorganisms can cause opportunistic infection when the host's resistance is lowered leading to oral candidosis.
It the present study, we demonstrated the clinical efficacy of a peroral miconazole (Florid ^®oral gel) and its systemic effects by swallowing in patients with oral candidosis.
A total of 14 patients with oral candidosis (8 male and 6 female, mean age 75.3 years) were the subjects inthis study.
On overall evaluation performed after two-week consecutive administration with miconazole, the improvement rate of subjective symptoms, the improvement rate of objective symptoms, and the eradication rate of fungi were 76.8%, 52.8%, and 84.6%, respectively. The efficacy rate was high as 92.3%.
Side effects were observed in 5 patients. Although 4 of these patients were suspected to be relaed to the investigational medicine, they were all mild or moderate. There were no changes in hematological test or biochemical test results after administration, suggesting no systemic effects by swallowing.
Since the investigational medicine is a gel-formed peroral medicine, effective concentrations in lesions can be precisely maintained by applying the drug to the mucosal surface of the denture base and the mucosa, and by keeping it in the mouth for long periods. Thus it has the abvantage of ease of use not only for ambulatory patients visiting a clinic, but also for elderly patientsstaying in the hospital or at home. Considering the expected future increase in patients, both staying in the hospital and at home and those with impaired ADL in Japan, the present study indicates that the peroral miconazole is an effective medicine for the treatment of oral candidosis.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract