Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Clinical Depression On The Oral Health Of College Students, Delorias Perkins, Sarah Peng

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Objectives: Mental health among college students has become a recent concern due to the rising cases of depression. In addition to the stress factors a typical college student often faces, we now have the COVID-19 pandemic that further exacerbates this issue. One’s state of mind has a significant impact on not only their mindset but their body overall. If the body’s health is impacted by depression, then it will influence the immune system and bodily function, ultimately affecting the oral cavity as well. The purpose of this review of literature is to identify the relationship between clinically diagnosed depression and …

Amixicile, A Novel Antimicrobial Agent, And Its Effect On The Salivary And Subgingival Microbiome In Rhesus Macaque Monkeys, Erin E. Block

Theses and Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease with a bacterial etiology in a susceptible host. A selective antibiotic with minimal systemic side effects could be a useful adjunct to traditional periodontal therapy. Amixicile is a novel antimicrobial agent that targets pyruvate: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR), an enzyme that is critical for anaerobic bacterial metabolism and has been found to have little-to-no side-effects in animal models. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the effect of amixicile on clinical periodontal parameters and the composition of the oral microbiome in rhesus macaque monkeys. It was hypothesized that the amixicile would reduce growth …

Il-36g Cytokine Induction In Oral Epithelial Cells Triggered By Treponema Denticola And Their Role In Chronic Periodontitis, Christopher Blake

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease is a polymicrobial disease affecting 10-15% of the population. Periodontal disease affects the quality of life by reducing mastication and potentially causing tooth loss. Periodontal disease is also linked to more severe, systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Development of the diseased state occurs when the plaque biofilm shifts from healthy to dysbiotic. The shift to a dysbiotic biome brings with it a shift in bacterial presence, specifically an increase in gram-negative bacteria, such as T. denticola. T. denticola is a gram-negative, anaerobic spirochete whose relationship with oral epithelial cells is poorly understood. Preliminary data …

Amixicile As A Novel Antimicrobial Treatment For Periodontitis: A Pilot Study In The Non-Human Primate, Macaca Mulatta, Denver J. Lyons

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease with a bacterial etiology in a susceptible host. Given the bacterial etiology, a selective antimicrobial agent with minimal side effects could be a useful adjunct to traditional therapy. Amixicile is a novel antimicrobial that targets the pyruvate: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) which is an enzyme that is critical for anaerobic bacterial metabolism. It has been found to have no effect on commensal, aerobic microbes and has little to no side-effects thus far in animal models. In this study, two nonhuman primates of the Macaca mulatta species with naturally occurring mild chronic periodontitis were studied before and …

Probiotic Biotherapy: Discussing Its Influential Role In Oral Health, Karla Florez, Claudette Sullano

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Introduction: Probiotics are widely known for their health promoting benefits, especially with its association to gastrointestinal health. For many years, most research has been focused on the prevention or treatment of gastrointestinal infections or diseases. However, recently probiotics has been a subject of investigation with its association to oral health. This review of literature is designed to analyze the effectiveness of using probiotics as a preventative and therapeutic method for oral infections/diseases such as periodontitis, dental caries, and the like.

Methods: Databases such as the PubMed, and Google Scholar were utilized to find current and relevant findings for this …

The Potential Effects Of Hormonal Therapy And Stress On The Oral Health Of The Transitioning Population, Elena G. Cantwell, Devon Mcclure

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Problem: In terms of healthcare, the transgender population is underserved. Unfortunately, these individuals often experience stress related to seeking preventative care and fear discrimination. These factors preventing them from seeking care, in addition to hormone therapy taken during the transition process, could have severe impacts on their dental health. The purpose of this study is to establish a link between the hormone therapy used during gender transitioning and the effect on oral health. While there is a correlation between hormone replacement therapy and clinical evidence that sex hormones can impact on periodontal tissues, few studies have linked this knowledge to …

Selenomonas Sputigena: Growth Conditions And Projected Virulence Factors Of An Emerging Oral Pathogen, Kayla A. Keller

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal diseases are ubiquitous diseases. They can affect people through a chronic infection that happens over a lifetime, but also as an aggressive infection that afflicts the younger population. It not only results in tooth loss and a lower quality of life, but it can also lead to fatal secondary infections like cervical cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. This study looks at Selenomonas sputigena, an emerging oral pathogen, that has been hypothesized to contribute to periodontal disease. It has been linked to fatal septicemia and has been found in increased abundance within the oral biofilm during peak infection. …

Aloe Vera: A Multipurpose Healer And Bacterial Eradicator, Mary X. Tran, Leira N. Jimenez, Linda K. Blackburn

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

The Aloe vera plant is a succulent known for its rich content in vitamins and minerals, thus gaining popularity over the years in healthcare products. With advancements in alternative medicine, it has been recently found useful in dentistry due to properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial actions that contribute to wound healing. The purpose of this study was to examine and discover how Aloe vera can be used as an alternative therapy in the dental field. The PubMed, Google Scholar and Dentistry & Oral Sciences (DOSS) databases were utilized to find current scientific evidence on the effects of Aloe …

Would You Recognize Lupus?, Sydney C. Smith, Maegan Simms, Barbara Brown

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, or SLE, is a chronic autoimmune disease which significantly affects various organs of the body and the oral cavity. According to various studies, SLE can cause an increased risk of periodontitis, fungal infections, and dental caries within the oral cavity. Periodontitis is an inflammatory condition mediated by an infectious etiology which affects the supporting tissues of the periodontium and alveolar bone. With SLE being an inflammatory condition as well, recent studies have emerged hypothesizing the possible association between SLE and periodontitis. Other effects on the oral cavity such as fungal infections including lichen planus and angular cheilitis …

The Effects Of Amixicile On Sub-Gingival Biofilm Cultured From Humans, Kian Azarnoush

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the oral cavity induced by anaerobic bacteria, that remains to be the primary cause of tooth loss in adults worldwide. Finding an anti-microbial therapeutic to selectively target periodontal pathogens has proven to be difficult, and current treatment modalities only provide a transient benefit. Amixicile is a non-toxic, readily bioavailable novel antimicrobial that targets strict anaerobes through inhibition of the activity of Pyruvate Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase (PFOR), a major enzyme mediating oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate, a critical step in metabolism. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of amixicile in inhibiting the growth of bacteria harvested …

Amixicile Inhibits Anaerobic Bacteria Within An Oral Microbiome Derived From Patients With Chronic Periodontitis, Kane Ramsey

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by pathogenic bacteria residing in a complex biofilm within a susceptible host. Amixicile is a non-toxic, readily bioavailable novel antimicrobial that targets strict anaerobes through inhibition of the activity of Pyruvate Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase (PFOR), a major enzyme mediating oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of amixicile, when compared to metronidazole, in inhibiting the growth of bacteria present in a microbiome harvested from patients with chronic periodontitis.

Plaque samples were harvested from patients with severe chronic periodontitis and cultured under anaerobic conditions. The microbiomes were grown in the presence …

Chemokine Function In Periodontal Disease And Oral Cavity Cancer, Sinem Esra Sahingur, W. Andrew Yeudall

Periodontics Publications

The chemotactic cytokines, or chemokines, comprise a superfamily of polypeptides with a wide range of activities that include recruitment of immune cells to sites of infection and inflammation, as well as stimulation of cell proliferation. As such, they function as antimicrobial molecules and play a central role in host defenses against pathogen challenge. However, their ability to recruit leukocytes and potentiate or prolong the inflammatory response may have profound implications for the progression of oral diseases such as chronic periodontitis, where tissue destruction may be widespread. Moreover, it is increasingly recognized that chronic inflammation is a key component of tumor …

Characterization Of Putative Porphyromonas Gingivalis Rna-Binding Proteins, Holly Dwyer

Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium recognized as a major player in progression of periodontal disease. P. gingivalis survives in the oral cavity while being exposed to dynamic environmental conditions such as pH, temperature, nutrient availability and host immune responses such as oxygen tension and nitrosative stress. Survival and pathogenesis of P. gingivalis in the oral cavity require mechanisms to regulate gene expression in response to the extracellular signals. Little is known about the regulatory mechanisms of P. gingivalis in the oral cavity, so it is important to investigate and characterize these regulatory mechanisms. Adaptation to environmental …

Investigating The Transcriptional Regulation By Oxyr In Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Anuya R. Paranjape

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal diseases are bacterially induced, inflammatory diseases which are responsible for loss of alveolar bone and connective tissue supporting the teeth which results in loss of teeth. Gram negative anaerobic bacteria are highly associated with these diseases. One of them is Porphyromonas gingivalis belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes. Infection by P. gingivalis is recurrent after physical removal of the bacteria from the oral cavity and even after antibiotic treatment as development of resistance is not rare. Hence complete understanding the biology of this bacterium is of significance. This gram negative obligate anaerobe, being aerotolerant, manages to survive inside the oral …

Defining The Bacterial Flora Of Periodontal Pockets In Chronic Periodontitis Patients, Rafael Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the subgingival bacterial biodiversity in untreated chronic periodontitis patients through the use of next generation 16S rRNA molecular analysis, and to determine similarities or differences between deep and shallow pockets within the same patients. METHODS: The analysis involved paired subgingival plaque samples from 24 subjects diagnosed with Generalized Moderate to Severe Chronic Periodontitis. One sample was selected from a single site having a probing depth >5 mm (i.e. Deep Site), and the other from a site with a probing depth <3mm (i.e. Shallow Site) within each subject. Bacterial DNA amplification of the V4-V6 region of the 16S rRNA was performed. The amplicons were sequenced via 454 Roche Genome Sequencer FLX System. The identified sequences were evaluated, and then compared to calculated false discovery rates. RESULTS: A total of 119 independent microbial genera were identified within the samples analyzed. Seven genera were identified to be statistically significant (p<0.05) in their association to deep or shallow sites following t-test and boot strap randomization: Actinomyces (p=0.004), Methylobacterium (p=0.028), Veillonella (p=0.028), and Rothia (p=0.038), and Streptococcus (p=0.033) in Shallow sites; while Mycoplasma (p=0.007) and Fusobacterium (p=0.016) were associated with deep sites. However, taking into account the calculated false discovery rates, it is suggested that none of the 119 microbial genera identified in this study were significantly associated with either deep nor shallow sites. CONCLUSION: The microbial genera identified within this study to be associated with deep and shallow sites follows the traditional pattern anticipated from the literature. However, the calculated false discovery rates suggest that these results may have occurred by chance and not due to a true difference.

The Effect Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (Snps) In Toll-Like Receptors -2, -4, -9, And Cd14 Genes In An African-American Population With Chronic Periodontitis, Willard Maughan

Theses and Dissertations

AIM: to determine if a relationship exists between TLR-2, TLR-4, TLR-9, or CD14 polymorphisms and risk for developing chronic periodontal disease in an African-American population. This is the first study conducted to determine role of SNPs in TLR genes and CD14 gene in a periodontally-diseased African-American population. Additionally, this is the first study to assess the role of TLR-9 polymorphism in periodontitis patients. METHODS: A total of 130 subjects were involved in the study. The chronic periodontitis (CP) group contained 73 subjects, and the healthy control (NP) group 57subjects. Genotyping was performed in TLR2 (G2408A), TLR4 (A896G),TLR9 (T1486C) and CD14 …

Serum Anti-Phosphorylcholine And Anti-Cardiolipin Concentrations Following Periodontal Scaling And Root Planing, Reve W. Chaston

Theses and Dissertations

Atherosclerosis is an insidious disease with serious morbidity and mortality including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction. This condition is progressive and can start early in life eventually leading to large plaques and arterial occlusion. Two key components of this process are the immune system and lipids; in particular, LDL which accumulates within the arterial walls and macrophages which recognize and engulf oxidized-LDL (oxLDL) to form foam cells. Knowing that certain antibodies directed against bacterial antigens such as phosphorylcholine (PC) and cardiolipin (CL) show opsonizing cross-reactivity with oxLDL it can be proposed that there is a link between immune …