Introduction Fungi are important constituents of the normal microflora of the oral cavity. Like most of the bacterial species, they do not cause any disease in a healthy individual. Fungal infections are mostly observed in immunocompromised patients. In other words, we can say that these are opportunistic infections, which precipitate when the immune system of…
Read MoreIntroduction There is a range of oral mucosal lesions and conditions which increase the risk of malignancy. Before going into the details, we should know what is the difference between premalignant lesions and conditions. A precancerous lesion is a morphologically altered tissue in which oral cancer is more likely to occur than in its apparently…
Read MoreIntroduction Bone graft integration is a complex and multifaceted process that involves multiple cellular and molecular events. Understanding this mechanism is essential for optimizing clinical outcomes in periodontal regenerative therapy. To understand the mechanism of bone graft integration, first we should be aware of three terminologies: Osteoconduction, Osteoinduction and Osteogenesis. Osteoconduction involves providing a physical,…
Read MoreIntroduction Mast cells are long-lived tissue-resident cells with an important role in many inflammatory settings, including host defense against parasitic infections and allergic reactions. They are part of the body’s first line of defense and are involved in various physiological processes, including inflammation, wound healing, and defense against pathogens. They are distributed around the microvascular…
Read MoreIntroduction Gingipains, secreted by the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis, are a family of proteases with significant implications in oral health and disease. Gingipains are major virulence factors contributing to the pathogenicity of P. gingivalis in periodontal disease. All gingipains have a cysteine protease catalytic domain, characterized by a catalytic triad (cysteine, histidine, and asparagine) essential for…
Read MoreEnamel matrix proteins (EMPs) play a crucial role in dental development and regeneration. are essential for the formation and development of enamel, the hard, outer surface of teeth. These proteins, primarily amelogenin, ameloblastin, and enamelin, play crucial roles in enamel biomineralization. The process of obtaining enamel matrix proteins involves several steps and methods, often depending…
Read MoreVaccination: Vaccination is a process that induces specific immune resistance to a bacterial or viral infection. In vaccination, dead or attenuated living infectious material is introduced into the body with the objective of increasing resistance or eliminating the disease. The first and foremost step in making a vaccine is the identification of the antigenic component…
Read MoreEhlers-Danlos syndrome: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is also known as tenascin X-Deficiency syndrome, Lysyl Hydroxylase Deficiency syndrome, Cutis Hyperelastica, Dystrophia Mesodermalis and Fibrodysplasia Elastic Generalisatica. It is a hereditary collagen disease presenting primarily as dermatological and joint disorders. This disorder affects the connective tissues in the body and is characterized by joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue…
Read MorePeriodontitis as an autoimmune disease The microbial etiology is the primary etiology of periodontal diseases. However, Brandtzaeg and Kraus (1965) 1 were the first to postulate the autoimmune basis in the pathogenesis of the periodontal disease. Autoimmunity results when there is an imbalance between the effector and regulatory immune responses. Under normal conditions, the immune…
Read MoreCan micro-organisms subvert our immune response??? The subgingival microbiota in periodontal pockets consists of Gram-negative assaccharolytic anaerobic bacteria which are capable of releasing multiple virulence factors. To cause disease, these bacteria must survive in the hostile inflammatory environment that contains an array of host-generated bactericidal molecules and innate immune effector cells. But, on the other…
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