3 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Introduction: In the US, 15 million root canal treatments (RCTs) are carried out annually. Success rates decrease with conventional chemo-mechanical root canal preparation techniques used on teeth with periapical radiolucencies associated with bacterial presence. New irrigation modalities, such as the GentleWave® System (GWS) and Waterlase iPlus® (WL), have been developed to overcome limitations and improve RCT success rates. Hypotheses: (1) GWS and WL provide superior clinical outcomes compared to conventional RCT using passive ultrasonic activation (PUI). (2) GWS and WL are acceptable treatment modalities for clinicians and patients. Aims: (1) Estimate probability of success of GWS, WL, and conventional RCT with PUI. (2) Evaluate clinician and patient experiences of the different techniques.
This is a retrospective chart review of patient records at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. We are not actively recruiting patients for this study. Recent animal studies we conducted showed that periapical abscesses during pregnancy cause a systemic inflammatory response in the mother. Also due to the increase in TNF-alpha (an inflammatory cytokine) the mother also become insulin resistant and thus developed gestational diabetes. Periodontal inflammation has been shown in the research to lead to low-birth weight and pre-term birth. We are looking retrospectively to see if an association exists in charted data between periapical and periodontal inflammation and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
The goal of this study is to learn if dental infection control treatment delivered to older adult nursing home residents at their place of residence will result in : * improved dental health * reduced risk of pneumonia * better glucose control for diabetic patients compared to the pre-project dental and general health evaluations of residents and the pre-project facility incidence of pneumonia. Dental infection control treatment includes treating gum infections, stopping or slowing decay with fluoride, and assisting residents with effective tooth brushing and denture cleaning daily. Previous studies indicate dental infections can be inhaled and cause pneumonia or make diabetes worse. A shortage of dentists has limited care for nursing home residents. This project will allow dental hygienists and specially trained dental assistants to treat nursing home residents using telehealth methods (computers, cameras, internet, and telephone) to talk and work with dentists in different locations.