Section: Free Radicals in the Oral Cavity

The substances used in aesthetic procedures, such as bleaching or other whitening agents, can cause a dramatic increase in the level of free radicals in oral tissues.

The results suggest that inflammatory stress and hyperglycemia may increase the corrosion of dental endosseous titanium-based implants, but that longer, more aggressive electrochemical conditions may be necessary to fully assess these effects.

Under the conditions of this study, toothbrushing increased the elemental release from dental casting alloys.

Brushing dental casting alloys may increase their cytotoxicity in vitro, but the increase depends heavily on the alloy type and brushing condition.

Transient exposure of casting alloys to an acidic oral environment is likely to significantly increase elemental release from Ni-based alloys, but not from high-noble or noble alloys. Elemental release is important because it plays a significant role in alloy biocompatibility.

BisGMA released from composite resin may potentially affect the vitality of dental pulp and induce pulpal inflammation via stimulation of ROS production, MEK/ERK1/2 activation and subsequent COX-2 gene expression and PGE(2) production. Cytotoxicity of BisGMA to dental pulp cells is related to ROS production.

Urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) is used in dental restorative materials in its polymeric form. However, the process of polymerization is usually incomplete and the monomers of UDMA can diffuse into the oral cavity and the pulp, reaching millimolar concentrations. In the present work we showed that UDMA at 0.1 and 1.0 mM decreased the viability of ... Read more

Studies suggest a correlation between ethanol consumption and periodontal disease. We hypothesized that elevated levels of blood reactive oxygen species following ethanol consumption may increase inflammation in periodontal tissue. Results suggest that chronic alcohol consumption increased periodontal inflammation, oxidative damage, and TNF-? production and had an additive effect on polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration and gingival oxidative ... Read more

Free radicals are chemical species possessing an unpaired electron that can be considered as fragments of molecules and which are generally very reactive. They are produced continuously in cells either as accidental by-products of metabolism or deliberately during, for example, phagocytosis. The most important reactants in free radical biochemistry in aerobic cells are oxygen and ... Read more