Hydrogen selenide poisoning: an illustrative case with review of the literature

Hydrogen selenide is a non-metallic compound currently receiving attention in both medicine and electronics. Toxicity results in multiple symptoms, the most characteristic of which is a garlicky odor of the breath. A young woman exposed repeatedly to hydrogen selenide gas developed gastrointestinal complaints, dental caries, conjunctivitis, nail deformities, and garlicky breath. Other reported cases are discussed along with various proposed treatments.

Tricyclic antidepressants and dental caries in children

Cyclic antidepressant treatment in adults is reported to increase caries activity. The aim of this study has been to evaluate if such treatment also causes a higher frequency of dental caries in children. Children with enuresis treated with tricyclic antidepressants (AD) were compared to matched controls and to enuretic children without antidepressant treatment. Dental records and radiographs were examined concerning caries activity. During the treatment period the mean caries activity was higher in the group of children treated with AD for 1 month or longer compared to both controls and enuretics without pharmacological treatment. These findings show the need to send the child to a dentist for optimal caries prophylaxis at the start of antidepressant treatment.

Depth of penetration of in vitro root surface lesions

An acidified gel system was used to produce artificial caries lesions in root surfaces and in enamel. The teeth were exposed to the gel system for two weeks and four weeks, after which the lesions were examined by polarized light microscopy and photographed by standardized techniques. The depths of penetration of the lesions were measured from these standardized photomicrographs. The lesions in root surfaces were deeper than those in enamel for all teeth. After two but not four weeks of exposure in the gel system, the lesions in the root surfaces of anterior teeth were deeper than those in pre-molars.

Adult hypophosphatasia without apparent skeletal disease: "odontohypophosphatasia" in four heterozygote members of a family

Twenty members of a family with adult hypophosphatasia were examined clinically and biochemically. Severe caries causing early loss of permanent teeth was the only clinical symptom which could be attributed to hypophosphatasia. None of them had a history of defective bone mineralization, rachitic skeletal alterations, and recurrent pseudofractures or fractures. An iliac crest bone biopsy of the proposita showed a normal finding corresponding to the age of the patient. Four family members in two subsequent generations were affected, thus suggesting an autosomal dominant inheritance. Their serum and leukocyte alkaline phosphatases were reduced. The phosphoethanolamine (PEA) excretion in the urine was increased to a level which suggests a heterozygote state. The serum alkaline phosphatase activity could be ascribed to the liver isoenzyme fraction. This was shown by polyacrylamide electrophoresis, by inhibition studies with organ-specific inhibitors, heat inactivation, inhibition by antibodies, and treatment with neuraminidase. The proposita had an unexplained, diffuse fatty infiltration of the liver. Thus, not only alterations of bone but also of liver metabolism in hypophosphatasia should be considered. The variety of adult hypophosphatasia described in this paper is characterized by the lack of severe bone abnormalities, the apparently autosomal dominant inheritance, and the reduction of bone and intestinal isoenzyme in the serum. Our study suggests that hypophosphatasia is a heterogeneous disorder which includes both severe and clinically mild forms.

Potential cariogenicity of Lycasin 80/55 before and after repeated transmissions of the dental plaque flora in rats

Five successive experiments, with rats fed ad libitum on diets containing sucrose or Lycasin 80/55, were carried out. In experiment I, the rats were inoculated with Streptococcus mutans alone or with Strep. mutans in combination with Actinomyces viscosus. In three successive transmission experiments (II, III, IV), the rats were inoculated with plaque of the rats of the preceding experiment. The rats of experiment V were inoculated with the original strains or with plaque derived from experiment IV. After five successive transmissions of the plaque flora, no alterations were demonstrated in the numbers and percentages of Strep. mutans and A. viscosus or in the fermentation rate of Lycasin by the plaque flora in vitro. Lycasin 80/55 was virtually non-cariogenic compared with sucrose (p less than 0.001) irrespective of whether the rats were inoculated with Strep. mutans alone or in combination with A. viscosus, with the original strains or with plaque from the preceding experiments with rats on a Lycasin 80/55-containing diet.

The effect of undissociated acetic-acid concentration of buffer solutions on artificial caries-like lesion formation in human tooth enamel

A chemical system for lesion production was used. The influence on lesion characteristics of the concentration of undissociated acetic acid in a calcium and phosphate-containing buffer solution was investigated. Artificial lesions obtained after demineralization in buffers with a pH of 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 or 6.0 at 5 or 6 different acid concentrations for different demineralization times were investigated micro-radiographically. The lesion characteristics studied were: the mineral content of the surface layer; the mineral content of the body of the lesion; and the depth at which these mineral levels were reached; the depth of the lesion. The concentration of undissociated acetic acid had little effect on the lesion characteristics at low pH. When lower concentration buffers at pH 6.0 were used, the effect was more pronounced. At this level, the buffer capacity of the acetic acid/acetate buffer is small.

Enamel demineralization by mouthrinses containing different concentrations of sucrose

Intra-oral enamel demineralization tests, involving rinsing with sucrose solutions (5, 1, 0.5, or 0.3%) at varying frequencies during a 1.5-hour period, showed that demineralization was a function of the total sugar dose (frequency of rinsing times concentration). Two rinses with a 5% solution caused demineralization, nine rinses were needed in the case of a 0.5% solution, and none occurred after nine rinses with a 0.3% solution. Remineralization was also observed and apparently occurred after exhaustion of the sucrose supply.

Chemical location of cadmium in developing rat molars

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the distribution and chemical binding of 109Cd in the developing rat molar. The results indicated that cadmium was taken up into the inorganic fraction of molar teeth, and this may help elucidate the mechanism of caries promotion by cadmium.