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Biomedical subjects

F J Courts

Publications and source records attributed to F J Courts.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Humoral immune response to active root resorption with a murine model.

A depression in autoantibody titers to tooth root antigens has been shown to coincide with active root resorption in the dog. Since a murine model would facilitate immunologic studies of root resorption because of the availability of syngeneic and immunodeficient strains, the objectives of this study were to develop a quantitative mouse model for root resorption and to determine if a similar drop in tooth root autoantibodies coincides with active root resorption in this species. Uniform areas of necrosis were created in the periodontal ligaments of lower incisors of 36 male Swiss albino mice by inserting a cryoprobe through a skin incision (-80 degrees C; 5 minutes). Contralateral incisors served as controls. At 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days; six mice were killed, and blood and incisors were collected. Relative surface areas of root resorption were quantified with micrographs taken at a standardized position, tilt, and magnification with a scanning electron microscope. Serum autoantibody titers were determined with an enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay with antigen prepared from a 5 mol/L guanidine-HCl-EDTA (pH 5.0) extract of incisor roots that were harvested from syngeneic mice. ANOVA and the paired Student t test were used to compare data at the various time points. No root resorption was evident on control teeth. Localized lesions on treated teeth were found to be of significant size between 7 and 14 days (p less than 0.05), but most of these erupted into the mouth by 21 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Effects of behavioral self-management on oral hygiene adherence among orthodontic patients.

Twenty-nine new orthodontic patients and 30 experienced orthodontic patients received either behavioral self-management of toothbrushing and mouth rinsing or an experimental regimen that consisted of prompting by the orthodontist to brush and rinse regularly plus instructions to turn in home care materials during orthodontic visits. Several sets of data showed uniformly high rates of brushing and rinsing among all four groups of subjects. Several data sets also showed significant improvements in oral health status among all four groups. Substantive and methodologic directions for future research are delineated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Detection of functional complement components in gingival crevicular fluid from humans with periodontal diseases.

Crevicular fluid was collected from patients with periodontitis by a capillary tube procedure. Complement component activities were determined by functional assay systems, with human complement, and partially purified human first complement component (C1) as controls. The complement-fixing properties of the dental plaque of each patient were also examined C1 activity in the crevicular fluid of all patients was approximately 1/8 of whole serum C1 and diminished rapidly with time after collection. There was no significant relationship between C1 concentration and crevicular fluid flow rate. Hemolytic activity of whole complement was also invariable detected when sufficient amounts (8 micronl) of crevicular fluid could be obtained. Dental plaque was found to fix C1. A role for crevicular complement in inflammatory periodontal disease is suggested.

Complement C1↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of local anesthetic usage in pediatric patients by Florida dentists.

Local anesthetic toxicity in the child dental patient is a concern of the dental profession. A survey of 117 Florida dentists was conducted to determine their local anesthetic practices in treating children. Results indicated that a fifth of the respondents might use local anesthetic levels that could cause potential CNS toxicity in the smaller and younger children they treat. It is the responsibility of the dental profession to recognize the differences in treating this group of patients, and the serious consequences that might occur when maximum recommended levels of local anesthetic are exceeded.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of various dental procedures and patient behaviors upon nitrous oxide scavenger effectiveness.

This prospective study of 36 children, ages 44-93 months, receiving nitrous oxide-oxygen under standardized conditions during routine dental procedures was conducted to determine what influence eight selected dental procedures and three patient behaviors had on ambient nitrous oxide (N2O) levels in the dentist's breathing zone. Half the children received nitrous oxide-oxygen via a scavenging nasal mask. An infrared spectrophotometer analyzed the ambient N2O level continuously throughout the procedure and the time-weighted average (TWA) for consecutive 15-sec intervals was recorded by a microprocessor. A video camera was used to synchronize the coded dental procedures and patient behaviors to the TWA ambient N2O levels recorded. The results demonstrated that scavenging significantly reduced the dentist's exposure to ambient N2O (P less than 0.05, nonscavenged mean = 284.7 ppm; scavenged mean = 36.6 ppm), but the mean TWA N2O concentration remained significantly higher, P less than 0.05, than the 25-ppm level recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Supplemental oral evacuation was the only dental procedure capable of reducing ambient N2O to below NIOSH's recommendation when scavenging was employed. The administration of local anesthesia consistently created a significant increase in ambient N2O levels. Patient behaviors of talking, crying, and movement also resulted in significant increases from baseline ambient N2O levels.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical effectiveness of 1 and 2% lidocaine in young pediatric dental patients.

Clinical effectiveness of the double-blind administration of 1 and 2% lidocaine solutions was evaluated for restorative and surgical procedures on primary molars of children 4.5 to 10.5 years old. This effectiveness was measured by changes in the child's heart rate, the child's self report of pain, and the operator's assessment of the anesthesia's effectiveness. Although the incidence of anesthetic failure was higher for the 1% solution (31.3%) than for the 2% solution (11.1%), no statistically significant difference between the solutions was found. During the performance of pulpotomies and extractions, a higher failure rate was recorded for the 1% solution (62.5%) than for the 2% solution (28.6%), but these differences were not statistically significant. For minor restorative procedures, the 1% solution was equally successful in achieving anesthesia. The results suggested that 1% lidocaine should be used when multiple minor procedures are performed and potential toxicity in the young dental patient is a concern.

Anesthesia, Dental↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A histological comparison of direct pulp capping agents in primary canines.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pulpal response to four calcium hydroxide preparations in primary teeth. Data indicated the calcium hydroxide-saline paste induced more inflammation and produced a greater zone of mummification than the three commercial preparations studied. Unintentional deep impaction of the medicament or dentinal chips increased inflammation for all categories. All medicaments produced a superficial necrosis (mummification) of the pulp. The greatest degree of mummification was seen with the calcium hydroxide-saline paste. The calcium hydroxide-saline paste produced a thick dentinal bridge, located deeper in the pulp when compared with the commercial agents. Commercial agents produced narrower but sufficiently high-quality dentinal bridges. This study indicates that direct pulp capping of exposures in primary teeth is a viable procedure. The newer commercial agents may be preferred, as they produce minimal inflammation, satisfactory dentinal bridging, and preservation of most of the vital pulp tissue.

Calcium Hydroxide↗