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C6 HYGIENE TRIBUNE HYGIENE TRIBUNE Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 5/2017 Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 5/2017 A new device for easy oral health monitoring By DTI KYOTO, Japan: With the launch of its novel saliva-testing device, Japanese company ARKRAY has introduced a system that measures multiple pa- rameters associated with oral health within 5 minutes. The measuring in- strument is complemented by a test- ing kit, ST Check, and is to be distrib- uted internationally, Aiko Hitomi from the ARKRAY marketing team told Dental Tribune Online. Using a small sample of saliva, the SPOTCHEM ST ST-4910 device screens parameters such as cario- genic bacteria, salivary acidity, buffer capacity, leukocyte count, traces of blood, protein status and ammo- nia values applying the dual-wave- length refl ectance method, Hitomi explained. The patient’s individual results are visualised in an easy-to- analyse chart that is printed about 5 minutes after the saliva has been ap- plied to the test strip. Through analysis of the individual parameters, dental professionals may be able to recognise early warn- ing signs of conditions such as caries or periodontal disease, according to the company. For example, studies have shown that gingival infl am- mation increases leucocytes in the saliva. Therefore, a high leucocyte count may be an indicator of gingi- vitis even though the patient is not experiencing obvious symptoms of the condition yet. With its lightweight design and palm-sized dimensions, ARKRAY’s saliva test system aims to facilitate the measurement of multiple oral parameters in daily dental practice. (Photograph: ARKRAY) Since its launch, the palm-sized de- vice has already attracted a great deal of interest in the market. Having promoted it at several dental exhi- bitions, the company has received positive feedback from regional and foreign dentists, hopefully indicative of the device’s successful distribu- tion worldwide, according to Hitomi. once—more than any other saliva test on the market. Aimed at profes- sional use, the technology is targeted at dentists and dental hygienists, and it is to be used for reference, but not for stand-alone diagnostic purposes, Hitomi explained. Although there are some competi- tors in the fi eld, he emphasised that the company’s system is unique in that it can assess seven items at Since saliva screening with devices such as the SPOTCHEM ST ST-4910 system has not been standardised yet, there is no compatibility be- tween the ARKRAY kit and saliva test systems from other companies, Hitomi said. Currently, the device is available in Europe and selected Asian countries. More information can be found at www.arkraydental. com. Periodontal pathogen may interfere with conception in young women By DTI HELSINKI, Finland: In a new study recently carried out by researchers at the University of Helsinki, it was found that the common periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis may inhibit conception in young women. According to the Global Bur- den of Disease Study, severe chronic periodontitis is the sixth most com- mon medical condition in the world. Up until now, no data on the infl u- ence of periodontal bacteria on con- ception has been available. The study investigated whether mi- crobiological and serological mark- ers of periodontitis are associated with conception and involved 256 women aged between 19 and 42 who had stopped contraception in order to fall pregnant. The participants were initially interviewed on their medical history, smoking habits, oral hygiene habits, previous dental vis- its and socio-economic status. Oral examinations established the pres- ence of carious lesions and periodon- tal disease (based on pocket depth, visible plaque, bleeding on probing and clinical periodontal attachment loss). In order to detect periodontal pathogens and the associated anti- bodies, the researchers analysed col- lected serum and stimulated saliva. For the diagnosis of bacterial vagino- ease can be seen,” said periodontist and lead author Dr Susanna Paju, from the University of Helsinki. The study group was fairly homog- enous regarding socio-economic status and general health. However, study limitations included a lack of information on the exact discon- tinuation date of contraception, the length of use of any birth control methods, and whether delayed con- ception was attributable to the par- ticipants or to their spouses. “The association between P. gingi- valis and delayed conception needs to be confi rmed in other settings and a larger material, and the mecha- nisms explaining this association need to be clarifi ed. The present data, however, encourage women in fertile age to maintain good oral hy- giene and to attend periodontal eval- uations regularly in order to avoid periodontal infection,” the authors said in their research report. The study, titled “Porphyromonas gingivalis may interfere with con- ception in women”, was published online on 12 June in the Journal of Oral Microbiology. Research encourages young women of fertile age to take care of their oral health in order to avoid delayed conception. (Photograph: Solis Images/Shutterstock) sis, gynaecological speculum exami- nations were performed and vaginal swabs were taken. The participants were followed for 12 months to es- tablish whether they had become pregnant. According to the results, P. gingivalis in the saliva was signifi cantly more common among those who did not conceive than among those who did (8.3 per cent compared with 2.1 per cent). Levels of salivary and se- rum antibodies against the patho- gen were also signifi cantly higher in the women who did not become pregnant. Furthermore, statistical analysis showed that the fi nding was independent of other risk factors contributing to conception, such as age, socio-economic status, bacte- rial vaginosis, previous deliveries or clinical periodontal disease. “Our study does not answer the question on possible reasons for in- fertility but it shows that periodontal bacteria may have a systemic effect even in lower amounts, and even before clear clinical signs of gum dis-