implants - international magazine of oral implantology

NEWS implants1_2013 Researchershavefoundthathormonelevelsmayde- terminetheextentofgingivitisduringpregnancy.In a recent study, they observed that pregnant womenwithhigherlevelsofoestrogenandden- talplaquewereatagreaterriskofdevelopinggin- gival inflammation compared with women who hadlowerlevels. Inordertoassesstheroleofoestrogeningingi- val inflammation development during preg- nancy, researchers from the University of Helsinki measured the salivary oestrogen levels and examined the periodontal health of 30 pregnant women and 24femalecontrols. Overall, the researchers found that womenwithhighoestrogenandplaque levels had the highest frequency of preg- nancy-related gum disease in all trimesters and after giving birth. Those with the highest plaque levels experienced more extensive bleedinggums.Inaddition,theyobserved thatwomenwhoseoestrogenlevelsand dental plaque scores increased signifi- cantly during the second and third trimesterweremorelikelytode- velop gingivitis than those with high plaque scores alone.The findings thus hold important implica- tions for the improvement of pregnantwomen’soralhealth,the researcherssaid. ThestudywaspublishedintheDecem- ber 2012 issue of the Journal of Peri- odontology. Oestrogen might cause Gum disease during pregnancy Spanish researchers have developed an implant coating with a novel biodegradable material aimed atpeoplewithinadequatejawbone.Accordingtothe inventors, it will also increase the overall success rate of implants through its enhanced biocompati- bility and reduce osseointegration time. Elderlypeopleorpeoplewithosteoporosis,smokers, diabetics or people who have had cancer are some- times not good candidates for dental implants, as theirjawboneisunabletointegratetheimplantsad- equately.While a titanium implant takes at least two monthstobecomeanchoredinthejawbone,thenew prototype, developed at the Universitat Jaume I in CastellónandtheUniversityoftheBasqueCountryin Bilbao,reducesthisperiodsothattheceramiccrown that replaces the visible part of the tooth can be seated earlier, allowing patients to regain their nor- mal life sooner. “It covers the implant with a biodegradable coating that upon contact with the bone dissolves and during thisdegradationprocessreleasessiliconcompounds and other bioactive molecules that induce bone gen- eration,”explainedJulioJoséSuay,coordinatorofthe Polymers and Advanced Materials research group. “This is an innovative line of research,as current im- plant systems use increasing roughness of the im- plants to facilitate osseointegration.”After in vitro testingwithcellculturesofthedifferentbiomaterials, the researchers proceeded to the animal evaluation, untiltheyachievedtheprototypewiththebestresults. Thenextphaseentailsaclinicalevaluationinorderto obtainamarketable,sterileproductwithintwotothree years.Theresearchaimstoimprovethesuccessrate ofdentalimplants,especiallyforpeoplewithjawbone deficiencies.Not replacing a lost tooth involves a se- ries of biomechanical problems,such as a change in the bite line, malalignment of the teeth and the cre- ationofdiastemas.Thiscanultimatelyleadtosuchpe- riodontal diseases as gingivitis and periodontitis that deteriorate the support structures of the jaw and cause the loss of more teeth.This is why it is so im- portanttoreplaceteeth—inadditiontothefullrecov- ery of masticatory function and normal social rela- tions. Although obesity is a growing public health con- cern, only limited data is available on the link be- tween tooth loss and obesity.Now,a new study in- volving 1,720 Brazilian adults has provided new evidence that obesity is associated with the num- ber of teeth. However, it found that the link de- pended largely on the participants‘ age. The researchers found that the presence of less thantenteethinatleastonearchwaspositivelyas- sociated with increased mean BMI and waist cir- cumference.The prevalence of obesity was 50 per cent higher in those with less than ten teeth in at least one arch compared with those with ten or more teeth in both arches. However, the researchers also found that with in- creasing age the relationship between tooth loss and obesity became less significant. “The main explanation for this fact lies in dietary changes with aging and tooth loss. Food-intake pattern changes according to the presence and number of natural teeth,”they said. Inordertopromoteoralhealthandearlyprevention of tooth loss and obesity,further longitudinal stud- ies that involve both urban and rural communities are needed to better understand the complex rela- tionship between the two diseases, they con- cluded. Currently, the researchers are preparing the second phase of this study to test their formu- lated hypothesis. ThestudywaspublishedintheOctoberissueofthe Revista de Saúde Pública journal. Link between Weight problems and tooth loss 48 I [PICTURE: ©ENCIKTEP] [PICTURE: ©GTS] [PICTURE: ©ALEX MIT] Researchers increase Success rate of tooth implants