Dentaltown May 2013 - (Page 95)

hygiene and prevention perio reports Factors Influencing Tongue Coating Tongue coating forms on the middle and posterior portion of the tongue in people with periodontal disease as well as healthy individuals. Oral causes account for 76 percent of oral malodor. Tongue coating alone accounts for 43 percent of oral malodor, along with gingivitis and periodontitis accounting for 18 percent. Since tongue coating is a significant cause of oral malodor, more needs to be learned about what causes it. Researchers at the Catholic University Leuven in Leuven, Belgium evaluated 96 patients seeking care at its halitosis clinic. Subjects were instructed by letter to refrain from eating onions, garlic or spicy food for two days before their appointment and to refrain from drinking coffee or alcohol or smoking cigarettes for 12 hours before the appointment. They were also asked to refrain from using chewing gum, mints, drops, scents or mouthrinses on the morning of their appointment. They were asked to complete a written questionnaire relating to general health, oral hygiene habits, ENT problems and diet. The clinical examination included an organoleptic (smelling of the breath) test and an evaluation of tongue coating both visually and by weighing the scrapings from the back of the tongue. Sulphur compounds were measured using OralChroma, gas chromatography. Quality and quantity of saliva were also measured. Clear correlations were established between organoleptic scores, tongue coating scores, the weight of tongue coating scrapings and the objective measure of volatile sulphur compounds using the OralChroma machine. Those who smoked, did not clean between their teeth and preferred soft foods had more tongue coating and higher oral malodor scores. Perio Reports Vol. 25, No. 5 Clinical Implications: Tongue coating is indicative of oral malodor and influenced by poor oral hygiene. n www.hygienetown.com t Perio Reports provides easy-to-read research summaries on topics of specific interest to clinicians. Perio Reports research summaries will be included in each issue to keep you on the cutting edge of dental hygiene science. Van Tornout, M., Dadamio, J., Coucke, W., Quirynen, M.: Tongue Coating: Related Factors. J Clin Perio 40: 180-185, 2013. Sleep Apnea and Periodontal Disease Chronic periodontitis (CP) is linked to many systemic diseases, without any cause and effect studies yet published. Both CP and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are associated with a systemic inflammatory response. A study of 68 subjects by Australian researchers published in 2009 suggested a link between OSA and CP. Researchers at Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan evaluated a much larger group to determine if there was a link between OSA and CP. The Longitudinal Health Insurance Database of Taiwan includes records of one million individuals. From this database, researchers selected more than 7,000 patients who were diagnosed with OSA through a sleep study. A group of 22,000 age-, gender- and country location-matched controls with no diagnosis of OSA were also identified. In Taiwan insurance records also provide information about the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease. From this information it was possible to determine who also had CP. The average age of the subjects evaluated was 48 years and 62 percent were males. After adjusting for several influencing factors, including smoking, alcohol use, hypertension, cholesterol levels, diabetes and obstructive pulmonary disease, a significant difference was detected between the groups. In the group with OSA, 34 percent were diagnosed with CP compared to 23 percent in the control group. These findings do not suggest a cause and effect relationship between CP and OSP, but rather a link between the two conditions. Something not mentioned in the article is the link between mouth breathing and both CP and OSA. Clinical Implications: The odds ratio of 1.75 makes those with a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis 1.75 times more likely to experience obstructive sleep apnea. n Keller, J., Wu, C., Chen, Y., Lin, H.: Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Chronic Periodontitis: A Population-Based Study. continued on page 96 dentaltown.com « MAY 2013 95 http://www.hygienetown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown May 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Is Dentistry Getting Too Easy?
Professional Courtesy: High Tide for High Tech
Continuing Education Update
Industry News
Second Opinion: The Stainless-Steel Crown for Primary Molars
Special Second Opinion: Prevent a Tulsa Repeat
Simple Two-implant CT Guided Case
Does Your Staff Ask for Referrals?
Your 2013 Website Optimization Starts Today
I Attended Your CE and All I Got Was This Crappy Notebook
Dentaltown Research: CAD/CAM
New Products
DIY Finance, Part VI: Red Flags and Scams
Employee Working Interviews: They’re Legal, Aren’t They?
The Sleeping Giant in Your Practice
What’s on My Tray? Prep and Impression, Crown and Bridge
Continuing Education: Articaine and Paresthesia in Dental Anesthesia: Neurotoxicity or Procedural Trauma?
Concentric Circles Dentaltown’s annual focus on the charitable side of dentistry
All the Things Money Can’t Buy
Taking on Pro-bono Cases
Doing Good and Doing Well
Global Dental Relief
Giving Thanks, One Smile at a Time
Big Help on a Local Level
Oral Health America
You Should Know: Climb for a Cause
In This Issue: Where Should Prevention Begin?
Perio Reports
Ad Index
Profile in Oral Health Prada or Prevention: A Look at Public Health and Oral Health
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown May 2013