This paper has briefly analyzed the publication status of Chinese stomatology papers in 2009 with statistics from Journal Citation Reports® provided by Thomson Scientific. Only those papers with the first author coming from the mainland of China were included for calculations. We have found a significant increase in the number of SCIE‐indexed papers, most of which were published by six dental institutions in China. Among all Chinese medical institutions, West China School of Stomatology Sichuan University is the first dental institution to enter the top‐20 list with the most publications, and it also ranks the 9th in the number of outstanding articles. West China School of Stomatology Sichuan University and the Forth Military Medical University are the only two dental institutions in China which have published SCIE‐indexed papers over a hundred. The former has published the most SCIE‐indexed stomatology papers, while the latter has the highest average impact factor. As the laboratories and funds in China have close connections with various dental hospitals, the pratice of translational medicine in dentistry is fast and fluent.
For a long time, oral disease is one of the major problems of the public health for its high prevalence and incidence throughout the world, which is especially true for low‐income populations. Since China's economic reform in 1978, great changes have taken place in China. These changes have significant impact on and have been reflected in oral disease trends in China.
This paper provides an overview and assessment of the oral health status in China. It focuses on changes in the nation's demographic profile, in the marketplace, the oral disease status and trends. The paper also suggests some possible measures and strategies for bettering oral health in future China.
Dental caries (tooth decay) is caused by a specific group of cariogenic bacteria, like Streptococcus mutans, which convert dietary sugars into acids that dissolve the mineral in tooth structure. Killing cariogenic bacteria is an effective way to control or prevent tooth decay. In a previous study, we discovered a novel compound (Glycyrrhizol A), from the extraction of licorice roots, with strong antimicrobial activity against cariogenic bacteria. In the current study, we developed a method to produce these specific herbal extracts in large quantities, and then used these extracts to develop a sugar‐free lollipop that effectively kills cariogenic bacteria like Streptococcus mutans. Further studies showed that these sugar‐free lollipops are safe and their antimicrobial activity is stable. Two pilot human studies indicate that a brief application of these lollipops (twice a day for ten days) led to a marked reduction of cariogenic bacteria in oral cavity among most human subjects tested. This herbal lollipop could be a novel tool to promote oral health through functional foods.
Periodontal regenerative techniques have been proposed; however, the outcomes remain debatable. The present investigation assessed the regenerated cementum following enamel matrix derivative application in dehiscence‐type defects. Buccal osseous dehiscences were surgically created on the maxillary cuspid, and the second and fourth premolars in five female beagle dogs. The treatment group (n=15 sites) received the enamel matrix derived application, whereas the control groups (n=15) did not. The dogs were sacrificed 4 months following treatment and the specimens were histologically and histometrically examined. The newly formed cementum was uneven in thickness and mineralization, overlapped the old cementum and exhibited functional orientation, cementocyte lacunae and collagen fibril bundles. Most of the histological specimens showed the presence of a gap between the newly formed cementum and the underlying dentin. Control sites did not exhibit any cementum formation. The present study concluded that newly formed cementum is of cellular type and exhibits multiple characteristics.
This study was conducted to detail tooth loss patterns in older adults with special needs. A total of 491 elderly subjects with special needs were retrospectively selected and followed during 10/1999‐12/2006. Medical, dental, cognitive, and functional assessments were abstracted from dental records and used to predict risk of tooth loss. Tooth loss events were recorded for subjects during follow‐up. Chi‐squared tests were used to study the association between tooth loss and the selected risk factors. Logistic, poisson, and negative binomial regressions were developed to study tooth loss patterns. Overall, 27% of the subjects lost at least one tooth during follow‐up. Fourteen subjects had tooth loss events per 100 person‐years. Tooth loss pattern did not differ significantly among different special‐needs subgroups (i.e. community‐dwelling vs. long‐term care, physically disabled vs. functionally independent). Special‐needs subjects with three or more active dental conditions at arrival had more than twice the risk of losing teeth than those without any existing conditions. After adjusting other factors, the number of carious teeth or retained roots at arrival was a significant predictor of tooth loss for older adults with special needs (P=0.001). These findings indicate that appropriately managing active caries and associated conditions is important to prevent tooth loss for older adults with special needs.
Honokiol (HNK) is a small organic molecule purified from magnolia species and has demonstrated anticancer activities in a variety of cancer cell lines; however, its effect on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells is unknown. We investigated the antitumor activities of HNK on OSCC cells in vitro for the first time. The inhibitory effects of HNK on the growth and proliferation of OSCC cells were demonstrated via in vitro 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl thiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and propidium iodide (PI) assays, and the apoptotic cells were investigated by the observation of morphological changes and detection of DNA fragmentation via PI, TdT‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL), and DNA ladder assays, as well as flow cytometry assay. The results showed that HNK inhibited the growth and proliferation of OSCC cells in vitro in a time and dose‐dependent manner. The inhibitory effect was associated with the cell apoptosis induced by HNK, evidenced by the morphological features of apoptotic cells, TUNEL‐positive cells and a degradation of chromosomal DNA into small internucleosomal fragments. The study also demonstrated here that the inhibition or apoptosis mediated by 15 μg·mL−1 or 20 μg·mL−1 of HNK were more stronger compared with those of 20 μg·mL−1 5‐fluorouracil (5‐Fu, the control) applied to OSCC cells, when the ratio of OSCC cell numbers were measured between the treatment of different concentrations of HNK to the 5‐Fu treatment for 48 h. HNK is a promising compound that can be potentially used as a novel treatment agent for human OSCC.
One type of soft tissue lesions of the oral cavity is lipoma, which is a kind of benign tumor composed of mature lipid cells. Although the lipoma presents as one of the most common mesenchymal neoplasms, most tend to develop on the trunk and proximal portions of the extremities. However, lipomas in the oral and maxillofacial region are much less frequent. Here we present a case of an intraoral lipoma in a six year‐old child.
