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Biomedical subjects

K Paunio

Publications and source records attributed to K Paunio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The relation between tooth eruption and alveolar crest height in a human skeletal sample.

It is commonly assumed that alveolar crest height increases with continuing tooth eruption unless affected by marginal inflammation. To test this hypothesis, the relation between eruption and alveolar crest height was examined in skulls from a sample consisting of the remains of 244 individuals from the late medieval period. The mandibular first and second molars and second premolars were analysed. The age of the skulls was determined on the basis of dental development and molar attrition. Radiographs were taken and points representing the levels of the inferior dental canal (IDC), root apices (AP), alveolar crest (AC), cementum-enamel junction (CEJ) and occlusal surface were determined on the radiographs. The level of the IDC was used as a reference not changing with age. The distances between the points were measured with a help of a computer-digitizer system. Variable IDC-AP increased with age, indicating continuous eruption of the teeth. The distance between AC and CEJ also increased while the distance between IDC and AC remained constant, showing that the alveolar crest height did not increase accordingly. The lack of inflammatory changes on the alveolar bone surface suggests that occlusal attrition may be compensated for by continuous eruption without bone growth in the alveolar margin.

Adolescent

Changes in the prevalence of subgingival enteric rods, staphylococci and yeasts after treatment with penicillin and erythromycin.

The changes in the balance of microbial flora in the periodontium after antibiotic treatment were investigated in a blind study. The prevalence of gram-negative enteric rods, staphylococci and yeasts was followed before and during penicillin or erythromycin treatment of 72 periodontitis patients without periodontal cleaning. The prevalence of subgingival coagulase-positive staphylococci increased significantly following systemic penicillin therapy. After systemic erythromycin therapy, the prevalence of subgingival gram-negative enteric rods increased. Ten of 24 (42%) patients receiving systemic penicillin therapy developed clinical evidence of periodontal abscesses. In the absence of conventional mechanical cleaning, systemic administration of penicillin and erythromycin antibiotic to patients with pre-existing periodontitis may lead to periodontal superinfection with opportunistic organisms.

Adult

Molecular forms and concentration of fibronectin and fibrin in human gingival crevicular fluid before and after periodontal treatment.

A total of 23 periodontitis-affected sites from seven adults was selected for the study. Crevicular fluid (CF) samples were collected with paper strips before treatment (scaling, root planing, and curettage) and 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 days after treatment. Each sample was eluted into sterile saline and two aliquots were drawn for gel electrophoresis: one for fibronectin and one for fibrin analysis. Peptides were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, and molecules were detected by specific antibodies. The proportions of different molecular forms of fibronectin and fibrin were analyzed by laser densitometry. Plaque Index, Papilla Bleeding Index, and pocket depth were recorded before and 40 days after treatment. Radiologic bone loss was estimated from orthopantomograms. Two days after treatment, an increase was seen in the proportions of intact fibronectin, fibronectin fragments larger than 70 kDa, and fibrin-positive material with a greater molecular mass than intact fibrin. Between days 5 and 10, the proportions of these large fragments decreased. The highest fibronectin and fibrin concentrations were seen 10 days after treatment. These changes probably reflect degradation of the subgingival fibrin clot formed after treatment, and indicate resolution of the clot during the first 10 days of healing. This agrees well with previous observations of CF plasmin activity and concentration of collagen synthesis markers in CF after periodontal treatment, and with the histologic changes seen during periodontal healing. Results of the present study, together with earlier reported findings of collagen synthesis after periodontal treatment, also support the hypothesis of sequential appearance of fibronectin and collagens during the process of wound healing.

Adult

Characterization of fibronectin and fibrin(ogen) fragments in gingival crevicular fluid.

A total of 49 crevicular fluid (CF) samples were collected with paper strips from 12 healthy adults. Each sample was eluted into sterile saline and two aliquots were drawn for SDS-PAGE, one for fibronectin and one for fibrin analysis. Peptides were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, and fibronectin and fibrin were detected using specific antibodies. The relative amounts of different molecular forms of fibronectin and fibrin were analyzed using a laser densitometer. After the sample collection, Plaque Index, Papilla Bleeding Index and pocket depth were measured. Bone loss was estimated from the orthopanthomograms. Fibronectin fragments were seen in all CF samples. Intact fibronectin was seen in 21 samples, of which 76% were collected from periodontitis-affected sites. There was a positive correlation between the proportion of intact fibronectin and the clinical parameters. Intact fibrin and fibrin fragments were seen in all samples. Fibrin-positive material with larger molecular weight than intact fibrin was also seen in all samples. A negative correlation was found between the proportion of intact fibrin and the clinical parameters. There was no correlation between total amounts and concentrations of fibronectin and fibrin. Molecular forms of fibronectin and fibrin may affect the pathogenesis and healing of periodontal diseases, since the biologic effects of the fragments of these molecules differ from those of the intact molecules.

Adult

Missing teeth and ischaemic heart disease in men aged 45-64 years.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between number of missing teeth (expressing sustained oral infections) and diagnosed ischaemic heart disease using cross-sectional data from 1384 men aged 45-64 years. The study population was derived from a representative sample of adult Finns. Ischaemic heart disease was considered to be present in those with angina pectoris or previous myocardial infarction, whether definite or possible. A tooth was recorded as missing if none of it was visible or could be felt with an instrument. According to multiple linear analyses, the variation in ischaemic heart disease was independently explained by age, clinical diagnosis of arterial hypertension, geographical area, educational level and number of missing teeth. Smoking and cholesterol were not significant explanatory factors. The explanation for the observed association between missing teeth and ischaemic heart disease is that they may share a common behavioural background factor. There may also be a more direct causal relationship between the phenomena.

Age Factors

Clinical responses to subgingival application of a metronidazole 25% gel compared to the effect of subgingival scaling in adult periodontitis.

A newly developed metronidazole 25% dental gel was compared with subgingival scaling in the treatment of adult periodontitis. 206 patients in 9 centres participated in the study. Probing pocket depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded before treatment and 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks after the treatment. All patients had at least 1 tooth in each quadrant with a PPD of 5 mm or more. The treatments consisted of 2 applications of dental gel (days 0 and 7) in 2 randomly selected quadrants (split mouth design) and 2 sessions of subgingival scaling (1 quadrant on day 0, and 1 quadrant on day 7). Instruction in oral hygiene was given 2 weeks after completed treatment. The average PPD and the average frequency of BOP were calculated over all sites with initial PPD of 5 mm or more. PPD and BOP were thus, at each examination, calculated from the same sites. The mean PPD was 5.9 mm before gel application and 5.8 mm before scaling (p = 0.31). BOP was 88% in both treatment groups. 24 weeks after the treatment, PPD and BOP were significantly reduced in both groups and for both parameters (p < 0.01). PPD was reduced by 1.3 mm after gel application and 1.5 mm after scaling; BOP was reduced by 32% and 39%, respectively. The difference between the treatments was statistically significantly, but considered as clinically unimportant.

Adult

Protein composition of crevicular fluid before and after treatment.

Crevicular fluid (CF) analysis is a potential tool for site-specific diagnosis of periodontal disease activity. In this study, CF was collected using a novel washing method from 91 sites in 18 adult periodontitis patients both before and after conventional periodontal treatment. The sites studied were classified according to their clinical status and the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN's) in CF samples. CF proteins were analyzed from individual sites with gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Furthermore, both the cell-bound and soluble neutral proteolytic activities of the samples were determined. Albumin was the main protein both in healthy and slightly inflamed sites. The most severely inflamed sites were characterized by high levels of low molecular weight (LMW) proteins (mol. weight ca. 12,000) and strong cell-bound neutral proteolytic activity. Scaling and root planing reduced both the LMW proteins and neutral proteolytic activity markedly in pockets responding well to treatment. The levels of the LMW proteins in CF correlated with the cell-bound neutral proteolytic activity, which reflected the number of PMN's in the sample. The present results suggest that the appearance of the LMW proteins in CF is associated with the periodontal inflammatory status of the site.

Adult

Gingival crevicular fluid plasmin activity in different clinical conditions and after periodontal treatment.

Plasmin is an important enzyme in the process of wound healing and it has been suggested that it plays a role in the pathogenesis and healing of periodontal diseases. In this study, plasmin activity in crevicular fluid (CF) was measured in different clinical conditions and after periodontal treatment. 152 CF samples were collected with paper strips from 12 subjects. Five other subjects received a single periodontal treatment after the first sample collection and the post-treatment samples were collected 2, 5, 10, 20 and 40 days thereafter. The individual strips were placed immediately on plasminogen-free fibrin plates or in plastic vials containing sterile saline. The vials were agitated and 20 microliters of each solution was pipetted onto fibrin plates. The remaining solution was used in protein analysis. The plates were incubated for 24 hrs at 37 degrees C and the activity of plasmin determined by weighing the fibrin liquified by the samples. The variation of CF plasmin activity in different pockets within individuals was larger than between the subjects. There was a weak positive correlation between CF plasmin activity and the amount of plaque, bleeding tendency, pocket depth and bone loss by x-ray. However, plasmin concentration (units of plasmin activity per CF volume) did not correlate with clinical parameters. A weak negative correlation between plasmin activity per volume and the amount of CF was seen. Neither did CF protein concentration correlate with the clinical parameters. Periodontal treatment resulted in a dramatic decrease in plasmin activity. In 20 days the activity returned to pre-operative levels in four subjects out of five.

Adult

Analyses of periodontal glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans. Regulation by microbial, chemical and inflammatory factors.

During the last two decades one of the main lines of research in the Department of Periodontology in Turku has related to connective tissue glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans. A general outline of current knowledge about proteoglycans is presented, with a review of most published and unpublished results on periodontal glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans obtained in our Department.

Bacteria

Caries occurrence in Klinefelter syndrome men (47,XXY males).

Men with the Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY males) and their brothers were studied as regards their caries experiences as part of a comprehensive study on oral facial growth and health in individuals with sex chromosome anomalies. The results show that caries experience was greater among the 47,XXY men than among their normal brothers, and a greater proportion of the 47,XXY men's cumulative caries experience consisted of extractions.

Adult

Gingival crevicular fluid fibronectin degradation in periodontal health and disease.

The molecular forms of fibronectin (FN) in gingival crevicular fluid of five subjects with at least two sites exhibiting clinical signs of inflammation and pockets of at least 4 mm (test group) and five subjects with clinically healthy periodontium (control group) were investigated. Samples were collected with standard filter paper strips. In the test group samples from both diseased and healthy sites were collected. After collection the test group received one episode of periodontal treatment (scaling and root planning). The sampling and clinical recording were repeated for the diseased sites after about 2 wk. The crevicular fluid FN was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis followed by western blotting with polyclonal antibodies against FN. Both intact FN and FN fragments were found in all samples. A larger proportion of FN was in degraded form in the diseased sites than in the healthy or the treated sites. FN was also degraded into smaller peptide fragments in the diseased than in the treated sites. These results suggest that crevicular fluid FN is partially degraded both in periodontal health and disease and that the degree of degradation of FN increases with periodontal inflammation and decreases with periodontal treatment.

Adult

Effects of penicillin and erythromycin on the clinical parameters of the periodontium.

The clinical effects of systemic penicillin and erythromycin on the periodontium were investigated. There are only a few studies of the effects of these antibiotics on clinical periodontal parameters. Of the 72 subjects in the study, 24 belonged to the penicillin group, 21 to the erythromycin group and 27 to the control group. Plaque and gingival indices, tooth mobility, and probing depths of gingival pockets were recorded before the drug treatment. Radiographs were taken. Both antibiotics decreased plaque, and erythromycin also decreased gingivitis. In the penicillin group 10 of the 24 patients developed abscesses during the study, and the studied clinical parameters worsened. These patients had more severe periodontitis initially than the persons with no acute reaction. The clinical changes had returned to the baseline level by 12 weeks after the antibiotic treatments. There were no significant or lasting effects of antibiotic treatment alone in patients with overt periodontitis.

Adult

Vascular and cellular responses to guanidino propyl piperazine CK0569A, a new anti-plaque agent.

Guanidino propyl piperazine CK0569A (abbreviation piperazine) used as a 0.1% mouthrinse has been shown to be effective against plaque bacteria. In addition to its efficacy as an antibacterial agent, its safety should be taken into consideration. In this study the effect of piperazine on the microcirculation of the hamster cheek pouch was studied. The effect of this drug was also investigated on rat leukocytes in vivo and on macrophages and erythrocytes in vitro. Piperazine caused a distinct retardation in the microcirculation of the hamster cheeck pouch even at a low concentration (0.01%), but the effect was abolished in 5 min. The number of leukocytes decreased markedly in the experimentally induced inflammatory exudate in the presence of 0.05% piperazine as compared to the controls. The macrophages in vitro released their lysosomal and cytoplasmic enzymes and lost their viability. The erythrocytes in vitro were destroyed in the presence of 0.005% piperazine as well. Based on these results it can be suggested that 0.005-0.05% piperazine under experimental conditions causes changes that indicate loss of cell viability.

Animals

Reproducibility of a clinical screening method for assessing gingival inflammation, pockets and plaque retentions.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of the Periodontal Treatment Need System (PTNS), when plaque retentions were examined separately. A sample of 8000 persons was drawn to represent the Finnish population aged 30 yr and over. The first clinical examination (total sample) was made by a specially trained expanded-duty dental auxiliary (EDDA). During the second examination (2-6 months later), 20% of the total sample was reexamined by a dentist, and of those, every 6th patient was examined by the EDDA. Reproducibility of the PTNS was assessed as intra- and interexaminer agreement and was calculated using Cohen's kappa and weighted kappa. The intraexaminer weighted kappa values were 0.67 +/- 0.05 for the PTNS and 0.48 +/- 0.15 for plaque retentions. The interexaminer weighted kappa values between the PTNS registrations were 0.77 +/- 0.05 and 0.74 +/- 0.12 in plaque retentions when examinations were made within 1 day, and 0.53 +/- 0.05 and 0.37 +/- 0.07, respectively, when the interexaminer registrations were made with an interval of 2-6 months between them. The kappa values for intra- and interexaminer reliability reflect quite high reproducibility.

Adult