Odontogenic cells express many genes spatiotemporally through complex and intricate processes during tooth formation. Therefore, investigating them during the tooth development has been an important subject for the better understanding of tooth morphogenesis. The present study was performed to identify the genetic profiles which are involved in the morphological changes during the different stages of rat tooth development using the Agilent Rat Oligonucleotide Microarrays. Morphologically, the maxillary 3rd molar germ at 10 days post-partum (dpp) was at the cap/bell stage. In contrast, the maxillary 2nd molar germ showed the root development stage. After microarray analysis, there were a considerable number of up- or down-regulated genes in the 3rd and the 2nd molar germ cells during tooth morphogenesis. Several differentially expressed genes for nerve supply were further studied. Among them, neuroligin 1 (Nlgn 1) was gradually downregulated during tooth development both at the transcription and the translation level. Also, Nlgn 1 was mostly localized in the dental sac, which is an important component yielding the nerve supply. This genetic profiling study proposed that many genes may be implicated in the biological processes for the dental hard tissue formation and, furthermore, may allow the identification of the key genes involved in the nerve supply to the dental sac.
Animals ; Biological Processes ; Dental Sac ; Gene Expression Profiling* ; Gene Expression* ; Germ Cells ; Microarray Analysis ; Molar ; Morphogenesis ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Rats* ; Tooth*

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of single antiplatelet treatment on delayed bleeding, in patients undergoing dental extraction. A total of 154 teeth were extracted in 94 patients with ongoing antiplatelet treatment, who were taking single antiplatelet of either aspirin or clopidogrel. All patients underwent simple dental extraction; local hemostasis was performed with gauze-biting, suturing, and/or application of a local hemostatic agent. Delayed bleeding was recorded in 5 teeth out of a total of 154 teeth after extraction, the incidence of postoperative delayed bleeding being 3.2%. The bleeding was controlled by the patients themselves, through application of pressure with additional gauze-biting. No one visited the doctor or emergency room for hemostasis. These results confirmed that patients taking single antiplatelet drugs may have teeth extracted safely without interruption of the antiplatelet treatment.
Aspirin ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Tooth

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of different methods of hand washing by counting the number of bacteria on the hand surface. Eighteen clinicians were chosen and divided into three groups, consisting of six clinicians each. Culturing of the right raw palms of all individuals was performed. Individuals in the control group washed hands for 5 seconds with antimicrobial soap. Group 1 washed their hands for 10 seconds with antimicrobial soap. Group 2 washed with an instant alcohol-based hand sanitizer. After the respective washes, re-culturing of the right raw palm was done for each member of all groups. The colony-forming units (CFU) were calculated at each time point, and the reduction rate of CFU among the three groups were statistically evaluated using student t-test. All groups showed a significant decrease in CFU, according to the time applied (P<0.01). In addition, the reduction rate of CFU between the groups were statistically evaluated with ANOVA (P<0.01). It showed statistically difference between the control group and group 1, control group and group 2. The present study confirmed that the hand washing method with antimicrobial soap for 10 seconds and hand sanitizer, including alcohol, were excellent for decreasing the number of bacteria on the hand surface.
Bacteria ; Bacterial Load* ; Hand Disinfection* ; Hand* ; Humans ; Methods* ; Soaps ; Stem Cells

Biofilms of oral microbes can cause various diseases in the oral cavity, such as dental caries, periodontitis and mucosal disease. Electrolyzed water generated by an electric current passed via water using a metal electrode has an antimicrobial effect on pathogenic bacteria which cause food poisoning. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of electrolyzed waters using various metal electrodes on the floatage and biofilms of oral microbes. The electrolyzed water was generated by passing electric current using copper, silver and platinum electrodes. The electrolyzed water has a neutral pH. Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia were cultured, and were used to form a biofilm using specific media. The floatage and biofilm of the microbes were then treated with the electrolyzed water. The electrolyzed water using platinum electrode (EWP) exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against the floatage and biofilm of the oral microbes. However, the electrolyzed water using copper and silver electrodes had no effect. The EWP disrupted the biofilm of oral microbes, except the S. mutans biofilm. Comparing the different electrolyzed waters that we created the platinum electrode generated water may be an ideal candidate for prevention of dental caries and periodontitis.
Bacteria ; Biofilms* ; Copper ; Dental Caries ; Electrodes* ; Foodborne Diseases ; Forsythia ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mouth ; Periodontitis ; Platinum ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Silver ; Streptococcus mutans ; Water*

The salivary gland undergoes complex process of growth and differentiation of the branching morphogenesis of ductal system during the prenatal and early postnatal periods which are regulated by various elements in the extracellular matrix. Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is a cell adhesion molecule. In the present study, localization and expression of EMMPRIN in development and effects of chorda-lingual denervation and cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment on the EMMPRIN expression were investigated. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to determine expression level. Immunohistochemistry revealed that EMMPRIN was localized specifically in the cytoplasm of ductal cells, not acini of the submandibular gland all the postnatal periods. At prenatal day 18, when the formation of ducts was not definite, no immunoreactivity was observed. Both Western blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that EMMPRIN expression was maintained up to postnatal day 7, decreased after postnatal day 10. The EMMPRIN expression was upregulated by the surgical denervation of the chorda-lingual nerve in the gland as well as by the CsA treatment. The present study suggests that EMMPRIN is a crucial molecule for maintaining physiological functions of the salivary gland.
Animals ; Antigens, CD147 ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Adhesion ; Cyclosporine ; Cytoplasm ; Denervation ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Morphogenesis ; Rats* ; Salivary Glands ; Submandibular Gland*

The present study investigated the role of central GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors in orofacial pain in rats. Experiments were conducted on Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 230 and 280 g. Intracisternal catheterization was performed for intracisternal injection, under ketamine anesthesia. Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced thermal hyperalgesia and inferior alveolar nerve injury-induced mechanical allodynia were employed as orofacial pain models. Intracisternal administration of bicuculline, a GABA(A) receptor antagonist, produced mechanical allodynia in naive rats, but not thermal hyperalgesia. However, CGP35348, a GABA(B) receptor antagonist, did not show any pain behavior in naive rats. Intracisternal administration of muscimol, a GABA(A) receptor agonist, attenuated the thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in rats with CFA treatment and inferior alveolar nerve injury, respectively. On the contrary, intracisternal administration of bicuculline also attenuated the mechanical allodynia in rats with inferior alveolar nerve injury. Intracisternal administration of baclofen, a GABA(B) receptor agonist, attenuated the thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in rats with CFA treatment and inferior alveolar nerve injury, respectively. In contrast to GABA(A) receptor antagonist, intracisternal administration of CGP35348 did not affect either the thermal hyperalgesia or mechanical allodynia. Our current findings suggest that the GABA(A) receptor, but not the GABA(B) receptor, participates in pain processing under normal conditions. Intracisternal administration of GABA(A) receptor antagonist, but not GABA(B) receptor antagonist, produces paradoxical antinociception under pain conditions. These results suggest that central GABA has differential roles in the processing of orofacial pain, and the blockade of GABA(A) receptor provides new therapeutic targets for the treatment of chronic pain.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Baclofen ; Bicuculline ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Chronic Pain ; Facial Pain ; Freund's Adjuvant ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid* ; Hyperalgesia ; Ketamine ; Mandibular Nerve ; Muscimol ; Nociception* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, GABA* ; Receptors, GABA-A

To determine the effect of diabetes on root resorption in periodontitis, we investigated odontoclast formation and root resorption in diabetic rats with periodontitis. Odontoclast formation was observed in three groups of F344 rats: Controls (C) were normal rats without diabetes or periodontitis; the periodontitis (P) group had mandibular first molars to be ligatured; the periodontitis with diabetes (PD) group was intravenously administered streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) to induce diabetes and had mandibular first molars to be ligatured. On days 3, 10, and 20 after ligature, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) expression, odontoclast formation, and root resorption areas were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining, and hematoxylin and eosin staining, respectively. The PD group showed frequent urination, weight loss, and hyperglycemia. Numbers of TNF-alpha- and RANKL-positive cells were higher in the P and PD groups than in the C group. It was more prevalent in PD group on day 3. Odontoclast formation was greater in the P and PD groups than in the C group on days 3 and 10, then decreased to same level as the C group by day 20. Root resorption in the PD and P groups showed increases on days 3 and 10, respectively, compared to the C group. These results suggest that diabetes may transiently increase root resorption on day 3 with high expression of TNF-alpha and RANKL after periodontitis induction. This study could aid the understanding of root resorption in diabetic patients with periodontitis.
Acid Phosphatase ; Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hematoxylin ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ligation ; Molar ; Osteoclasts ; Periodontitis* ; RANK Ligand ; Rats* ; Rats, Inbred F344 ; Root Resorption* ; Streptozocin ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Urination ; Weight Loss

Chlorhexidine has long been used in mouth washes for the control of dental caries, gingivitis and dental plaque. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial substance to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Concentrations lower than the MIC are called sub minimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs). Many studies have reported that sub-MICs of antimicrobial substances can affect the virulence of bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sub-MIC chlorhexidine on biofilm formation and coaggregation of oral early colonizers, such as Streptococcus gordonii, Actinomyces naeslundii and Actinomyces odontolyticus. The biofilm formation of S. gordonii, A. naeslundii and A. odontolyticus was not affected by sub-MIC chlorhexidine. However, the biofilm formation of S. mutans increased after incubation with sub-MIC chlorhexidine. In addition, cell surface hydrophobicity of S. mutans treated with sub-MIC of chlorhexidine, decreased when compared with the group not treated with chlorhexidine. However, significant differences were seen with other bacteria. Coaggregation of A. naeslundii with A. odontolyticus reduced by sub-MIC chlorhexidine, whereas the coaggreagation of A. naeslundii with S. gordonii remained unaffected. These results indicate that sub-MIC chlorhexidine could influence the binding properties, such as biofilm formation, hydrophobicity and coaggregation, in early colonizing streptococci and actinomycetes.
Actinobacteria* ; Actinomyces ; Bacteria ; Biofilms* ; Chlorhexidine* ; Colon* ; Dental Caries ; Dental Plaque ; Gingivitis ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Mouth ; Streptococcus gordonii ; Virulence

The aim of this study was to identify the non-Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans bacteria grown on the tryptic soy-serum-bacitracin-vancomycin (TSBV) medium, an A. actinomycetemcomitans selective medium. A total of 82 unidentified bacterial isolates from the oral cavities of a Korean population were kindly provide by the Korean Collection for Oral Microbiology. All the clinical isolates were grown on TSBV medium and bacterial DNA purified from each isolate was subjected to PCR with universal primers specific for bacterial 16S rRNA genes (16S rDNAs) sequence. The each bacterial 16S rDNA was amplified by PCR and the nucleotide sequences of it was determined by the dideoxynucleotide chain termination method. They were identified by 16S rDNA sequence comparison method at the specie-level. The data showed that Neisseria spp. (42 strains), Fusobacterium spp. (10 strains), Capnocytophaga spp. (8 strains), Propionibacterium acnes (5 strains), Aggregatibacter aprophilus (4 strains), Campylobacter spp. (5 strains), Veillonella dispar (3 strains), Streptococcus sp. (1 strain), Haemophilus parainfluenzae (1 strain), Leptotrichia wadei (1 strain), Morococcus sp./Neisseria sp. (1 strain), and Staphylococcus sp. (1 strain) were identified. These results could be used to develop a new A. actinomycetemcomitans-selective medium which is more effective than the TSBV medium in future studies.
Aggregatibacter ; Bacteria* ; Base Sequence ; Campylobacter ; Capnocytophaga ; DNA, Bacterial ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fusobacterium ; Genes, rRNA ; Haemophilus parainfluenzae ; Leptotrichia ; Methods ; Neisseria ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Propionibacterium acnes ; Staphylococcus ; Streptococcus ; Veillonella

The present study was to evaluate effects of vitamin E on intravenous administration of lidocaine-induced antinociception. Experiments were carried out using male Sprague-Dawley rats. Orofacial formalin-induced nociceptive behavioral responses were used as the orofacial animal pain model. Subcutaneous injection of formalin produced significant nociceptive scratching behavior. Intraperitoneal injection of 5 and 10 mg/kg of lidocaine attenuated formalin-induced nociceptive behavior in the 2nd phase, compared to the vehicle-treated group. Intraperitoneal injection of 1 g/kg of vitamin E also attenuated the formalin-induced nociceptive behavior in the 2nd phase, compared to the vehicle-treated group. However, low dose of vitamin E (0.5 g/kg) did not affect the nociceptive behavioral responses produced by subcutaneous injection of formalin. The present study also investigated effects of intraperitoneal injection of both vitamin E and lidocaine on orofacial formalin-induced behavioral responses. Vehicle treatment affected neither formalin-induced behavioral responses nor lidocaine-induced antinociceptive effects. However, intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 g/kg of vitamin E enhanced the lidocaine-induced antinociceptive effects in the 2nd phase compared to the vehicle-treated group. Intraperitoneal injection of naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist, did not affect antinociception produced by intraperitoneal injections of both vitamin E and lidocaine. These results suggest that treatment with vitamin E enhances the systemic treatment with lidocaine-induced antinociception and reduces side effects when systemically treated with lidocaine. Therefore, the combined treatment with vitamin E and lidocaine is a potential therapeutic for chronic orofacial pain.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Facial Pain ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Lidocaine* ; Male ; Naloxone ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Opioid ; Vitamin E* ; Vitamins*