Background: The oral cavity is considered as a complex ecological niche, its complex microbial community is reflected to it. Streptococcus mutans has been implicated as one of the major etiological factor of dental caries. Tooth surfaces colonized with Streptococcus mutans are at a higher risk for developing caries, while lactobacilli are considered as the secondary invaders, not initiators of the carious lesion. The main purpose of this study was to correlate the dental caries (for primary and permanent teeth) in the upper jaw with the streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli count in the dental plaque and saliva, also to correlate the dental caries (for primary and permanent teeth) in the lower jaw with the streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli count in the saliva. Materials and methods: Forty seven children aged 5-9 years old were selected for this study. Dental caries recording was carried out by the dmfs index (decayed, missed, filled surfaces for primary teeth) to inspect the primary teeth and DMFS index (decayed, missed, filled surfaces for permanent teeth) to inspect the permanent teeth, by using the dental mirror and explorer. Collection of salivary samples was performed in the morning between (10-11) a.m. at least one hour after breakfast, then normal saline was added to have tenfold dilutions, for the purpose of full colony counting of the caries related microorganisms (streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli), then inoculation was done in the special selective media (for the streptococcus mutans is Mitis-Salivarius-Bacitracin agar, and for the lactobacilli is Rogosa agar). Counting of the colonies of the bacteria were estimated by the aid of dissection microscope Results: The highest level of dmfs means was found in primary upper teeth, it was 17.6383 ± 10.10 while for the permanent teeth the mean of DS and DMFS was highest in the lower teeth, it was 0.7391 ± 1. Pearson correlation was used to show the correlation between the ds and dmfs of upper and lower primary teeth with the level of streptococcus mutans in saliva (sm. Sal) and lactobacillus in saliva ,there was a significant correlation between the ds and dmfs for upper primary teeth at level 0.01 (2-tailed), and there was negative correlation between dsl and level of streptococcus mutans in saliva (sm. Sal) also there was negative correlation between dmfs for upper and lower primary teeth with level of streptococcus mutans in saliva, also the correlation between lactobacillus level in plaque with streptococcus level in plaque was negative, while for upper permanent teeth the correlation was negative with both type of bacteria level in plaque with the DSU and DMFSU Conclusion: The caries activity was more prominent in upper teeth than lower teeth, levels of streptococcus mutans were not associated with high caries activity, which emphasizes and consistent with the fact that the dental caries is a multifactorial disease, related to many factors.
Chitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42
... Show MoreBackground: Knowledge is considered to be essential for developing healthy practices and preventing the main oral diseases. In some developing countries, women were at higher risk to develop these diseases. This study was conducted to evaluate women’s dental knowledge and practices through a specific questionnaire and the relationship with patient’s educational level and the number of their children. Subjects and method: Women, aged from 25-35 years old, were selected to participate in the current study. They were attending dental clinics in the teaching hospital of Baghdad University. Each participant was instructed to answer questionnaire sheet which is previously prepared in Arabic language by the authors. The total numb
... Show MoreABSTRACT Background: work-related musculoskeletal disorders represent an important occupational health issues among dentists especially neck and low back complaints. Biomarkers of tissue damage as results of occupational physical demands could be used for detection of work related musculoskeletal disorders. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess work- related musculoskeletal disorders, physical work load index, selected salivary biomarkers (Creatine kinase and C - reactive protein) and to find the relation among them. Subjects and Methods: Study participants are consisted of 112 dentists. They were selected from college of dentistry /Baghdad University, health care center in Bagdad city. They were of both gender and aged between 40-45 yea
... Show MorePurpose: This study aimed to assess the thickness of alveolar bone of maxillary and mandibular incisors from orthodontics perspective. Materials and Method: A total of 73 Cone beam computed tomography for Iraqi patients (47 females and 26 males) were included in this study. The selected images were captured and imported to AutoCAD database software to perform the measurement. To measure alveolar bone thickness, a reference line was drawn through the long axis of each incisor, from the incisal edge to the root apex. Then, labial and lingual/palatal perpendicular lines were drawn to the reference line at 3, 6, and 9mm apically from the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ). Results: The buccal bone is generally thinner than the lingual/palata
... Show MoreObjective (s): To assess the QoL of children age from (8- lessthan13) years with acute lymphocytic leukemia undergoing chemotherapy and to find out the relationship between the QoL of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia and their illness history.
Methodology: A descriptive study included (40) children with acute lymphocytic leukemia who were ranged between (8 - less than 13 years) at the Hematology Center in Medical City for the period from 4th March 2021 to 1st September 2021. The sample was non-probability (purposive) sample of children (male and female). A questionnaire designed with 2 main parts was used. The first part focused on sociodemographic characterist
... Show MoreBackground: The pandemic crisis prompted the world to adopt unexpected approaches to continue life as normally as possible. The education sector, including professors, students, and the overall teaching system, has been particularly affected. Objective: This study seeks to evaluate the benefits, challenges, and strategies related to COVID-19 from the perspectives of college students, particularly those in higher education in Iraq. Method: The online survey questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms and specifically aimed at undergraduate dental students. Results: A total of 348 students participated in the survey. There was a significant correlation (P > 0.01) between student satisfaction with hybrid learning and their experi
... Show MoreBackground: Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most common and widely spread diseases affecting humans at different ages. Aim of this study is the assessment of prevalence and severity of dental caries, gingivitis, oral hygiene and enamel anomalies in relation to gender and residency among 15 years old students in Maysan governorate –Iraq. Materials and methods: The total sample composed of 750 students (400 males and 350 females, 450 urban and 300 rural) selected randomly from different high schools in the Governorate. Diagnoses and recording dental caries was according to the criteria of WHO (1987), Plaque index of Silness and Loe (1964) was used for plaque assessment, Ramfjord index (1959) was applied for the assessment
... Show MoreAims: Assess selected measures of oral health: Enamel defect, eruption of permanent teeth, dental caries, investigate the nutritional status of orphans by physical examination and relate the nutritional status with measures of oral health.
Materials and methods: 192 orphans aged of 6 and 12 who were living in all orphanages in Baghdad, Iraq, were studied. Enamel defect was derived from the WHO's modified developmental defects of enamel (DDE) index, investigation of caries using Decay -Missing – Filled index for permanent teeth (DMF), the decay-missing filled index for primary teeth (dmf) index and all of the perm
Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Clopidogrel, antiplatelet drug, has been widely used for management of CAD. Arylesterase, the activity of Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), is mainly contributed in the biotransformation of clopidogrel to its active thiol form. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of receiving clopidogrel drug on the arylesterase activities in CAD patients. The effect of receiving clopidogrel drug on the antioxidant activity of arylesterase was also monitored by determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Methods: One hundred CAD patients, who were followed-up for 5 days after reciving clopidogrel, and 50 healthy volunteers were included in our study
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