Impact of endodontic and periodontal diseases and treatments on the aorta and liver of obese and non-obese rats

Effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine against apical periodontitis in rats with adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy and nephropathy

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) against apical periodontitis (AP) in rats with adriamycin (ADR)-induced kidney and heart diseases.

METHODOLOGY

Fourty-eight Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups: (1) Control group, (2) ADR group (1 mg/kg/day ip for 10 days), (3) AP Group (1st mandibular molar tooth), (4) AP + ADR Group, (5) AP + NAC group (150 mg/kg/day ip), and (6) AP + ADR + NAC group. After 3 weeks, the rats were decapitated and blood and tissue samples (heart, kidney, and jaw) were collected. Tissue samples were evaluated by biochemical (inflammatory cytokines and hemodynamic parameters) and radiological analyses. One-way anova with Tukey post hoc tests was used to compare data, considering p < .05 as statistically significant.

RESULTS

The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, BUN, Creatinine, CK, and LDH were elevated in the test groups compared with the control group, and treatment with NAC reduced these levels (p < .05). Heart and kidney tissue analysis showed a higher heart-to-body weight ratio (HW/BW) and kidney-to-body weight ratio (KW/BW) in the test groups compared with the control group (p < .05). No significant differences in HW/BW and KW/BW were found between the control and AP + NAC groups. Volumetric apical bone resorption analysis showed an increase in periapical radiolucencies in AP-induced groups indicating apical periodontitis. NAC treatment reduced the total area and volume of resorption cavities (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that NAC's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects can reduce adriamycin-mediated heart and kidney damage and may have a positive effect on apical periodontitis in individuals with nephropathy and cardiomyopathy.

Oral inflammatory burden and carotid atherosclerosis among stroke patients

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to test the hypothesis that oral inflammatory burden (OIB) is independently associated with the carotid atherosclerotic burden (CAB) among individuals with ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

METHODS

This cross-sectional observational study included 240 hospital patients with the diagnosis of IS or TIA. The main exposures were apical periodontitis (AP), root canal treatment (RCT), and crestal alveolar (periodontal) bone loss (BL), and the main outcome was the CAB. Exposure and outcome variables were measured through a head and neck multidetector computed tomography angiography and CAB was dichotomized in <50% and ≥50% vessel occlusion. OIB scored as a composite measure of the endodontic and periodontal disease exposure. Hospital health records provided information on socio-demographic and medical covariates. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated through Poisson regression models, estimating the relationship between the oral exposures and CAB, with =5%.

RESULTS

Mean age was 62.15 ± 13.1 years, with 56.7% males. Univariate analyses showed that AP≥2 (PR=1.83,95%CI=1.05-3.17) and endodontic burden (EB) (AP &/or RCT≥2) (PR=1.98,95%CI=1.13-3.47) were associated with CAB ≥50%. Multivariate models, adjusted for socio-demographic and medical covariates, revealed that pooled periodontal and endodontic parameters (OIB= BL ≥5mm & EB ≥2) was independently associated with CAB ≥50% (PR=2.47,95%CI= 1.04-5.87).

CONCLUSION

A higher OIB was independently associated with increased levels of CAB among IS or TIA hospital patients. The combination of endodontic and periodontal parameters strengthened the observed association and should be evaluated in future studies on the relationship between oral health and cardiovascular outcomes.