Introduction: Urinary citrate is a potent inhibitor of urinary crystallization that is freely filtered in the proximal tubule of the kidney. We aimed to investigate the effect of citrate supplementation with fresh lime juice on the urinary pH and calcium excretion level among healthy individuals compared with that of mist potassium citrate. Methods: In this prospective, cross-over single-centre study, 50 healthy medical student volunteers were randomly allocated to two treatment arms. One arm was prescribed with potassium citrate, while the other arm received citrate supplementation with a home preparation of fresh lime juice. The urinary pH and calcium-to-creatinine ratio (uCa/uCr) were measured at baseline and after 7 days of treatment. This was followed by a washout period of 2 weeks, after which each participant crossed over to the other treatment arm, and the urinary measurements were repeated. Results: Potassium citrate significantly increased the urinary pH among all participants, while fresh lime juice did not. Both fresh lime juice and potassium citrate reduced the uCa/uCr, although this effect was not significant. Conclusion Fresh lime juice is not as effective as potassium citrate in improving the urinary pH and calcium excretion level of healthy individuals. Therefore, it should be used as an adjunct rather than an alternative to potassium citrate.
Potassium Citrate ; Urolithiasis

Introduction: The gingival phenotype (GP) of teeth at the aesthetic zone often influences dental rehabilitation plans and treatment outcomes. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of GP in the Malay population in relation to gender and age. Methods: The GP of 100 patients were determined using the Probe test method. Other clinical parameters were assessed include crown width/crown length (CW/CL) ratio, tooth morphology and width of keratinised tissue. Periodontal parameters were assessed by two calibrated examiners. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: A higher prevalence of thick GP was found at the maxilla for both genders, whereas a thin phenotype was observed at the mandible. At maxilla, both thick and thin GP were found in all age groups, while the mandible showed a higher prevalence of thin GP. Significant differences in GP were found between males and females for mandibular and maxillary anterior teeth and the mandibular lateral incisor (p<0.05), while no significant difference was found for other parameters assessed; age group, CW/CL, tooth morphology and WKT. Conclusion: Thicker GP is more prevalent in male population and at maxillary anterior. Mandibular anterior GP presented commonly with a thin GP regardless of gender or age-group.